God so we should returne all to him againe by publike thankefulnesse for them as Paul saith in this place that we should turne from these vaine idols to the living God that made heaven and earth the sea and all that therein is because he made them therefore we should goe backe againe in the consideration of it and returne thankes to him Thirdly seeing God made all things wee should not looke upon his workes without great consideration of them as his workes of mercy or judgement If a workeman make an excellent worke it is a great indignity and injury offered to the workeman to passe by it slight it not to looke on it or regard it so seeing the Lord hath hanged as it were the chamber of this world with many goodly workes of his mercy and judgements it is a great injury and indignity offered unto God for men to passe by them and never to looke upon them so God complaines Psal 28. 5. Because they regard not the workes of the Lord nor the operations of his hands therefore hee shall breake them downe and not build them up so it is a great sinne to passe by his wonderous workes and not to looke upon them and consider of them The third point is how hee made them By no instrument but by his word as Psal 33. 6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens and all the hoast of them by the breath of his mouth Now wee are not to thinke it was a vocall word of God but it was his commandement Psal 33. 9. For he spake and it was done hee commanded and it stood or was created So Psal 148. 5. Hee commanded and they were created Solomon when hee builded the Temple had thousands of workmen to doe it but God when hee made the world made it with his word therefore we may see the excellent power of the word of God that let him but speake and there is a new heaven and an earth and a sea and skie and beasts and birds for the use of man Therefore the Centurion saith well Matthew 8. Doe but speake the word and thy servant shall be whole So we must learne to acknowledge the excellent power of the word of God that if hee say to sicknesse depart it shall depart if to health come it shall come looke what God speaketh shall be done as it is said in the Psalme he sent out his word and healed them Secondly seeing God made the world with a word wee may wonder at our untowardnesse that there is never a creature save man but doth yeeld to the Word of God the Lord hath spoken ten words in his Law nay many more in the gospell unto us and yet what adoe is there an almighty power must ioyne with the word to bring a sinner to repentance therefore wee may wonder at our untowardnesse that the creatures yeeld to the word of God and yet sinfull man cannot submit to a thousand words of God to bring him to repentance The fourth point is what hee made the world of and that was of nothing Hebrewes 11. 3. Through faith wee understand that the world was made by the Word of God so that the things wee see were made of things that did not appeare Philosophers say of nothing nothing can hee made It is true in Nature but not in regard of Gods power In Nature indeede there is no Artificer that can make any thing unlesse he hath matter to make it of as a Smith cannot worke without Iron and a Mason must have stone and a Carpenter must have timber but God is able to make all things of nothing The use is first that seeing God did make the world of nothing hee is able to make a man somewhat when he is nothing he is able to give grace where there is none to create faith where there is no faith and to worke repentance where there is none so saith Paul 2 Cor. 4. 6. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkenesse hath shined into our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ And therefore if God be able to make the world of nothing he is able to make a man something that is nothing in himselfe Secondly seeing God is able to make the world of nothing he is able when we are nothing in our worldly estates to raise us up of nothing and to make us great men in the world so faith Hanna 1 Sam. 2. 6 7. The Lord killeth maketh alive bringing downe to the grave and raising up the Lord maketh poore and maketh rich bringeth low and exalieth he raiseth the poore out of the dust and lifteth up the begger from the dunghill to set them amongst Princes Thirdly seeing God made the world of nothing so let us know the world would dissolve and come to nothing againe if God should not uphold it for naturally all things dissolve into that they were made of as a man made of dust so naturally turnes and comes to dust againe so Ice being made of water it turnes to water againe and Snow being made of raine it dissolves to it againe so the world being made of nothing would come to nothing if God should not uphold it Therefore how much are wee bound to God for every houres continuance of this world which Heb. 1. 3. is said to be upheld by his mighty power and word Fourthly seeing he made the world of nothing wee may see the meanes of our beginning that it was of nothing and therefore howsoever some swell with greatnesse of their Ancestors and of their Nobility yet we see the meannesse of our beginning wee came of nothing therefore this may serve to humble us how great soever we be Abraham hee confessed he was but dust this did humble him and were know the dust was made of nothing which should serve to humble us in that all our greatnesse came of nothing The fifth point is â— what estate God made this world in in exceeding good estate Genesis 1. 25. therefore if there be any creature that is not good or hath any defect in it we are to thanke our selves and our owne sinnes as we see in a clocke if there be any alteration or stop in the little wheeles it is because there was first a stop in the great wheeles for the little ones doe depend on the greater wheele so that if there bee a stand in that there is a stand in the little wheeles in like manner if there be any defect in the creatures or if there be any that be not good it is because there is a defect and a failing in us for man is as the great wheele of the Clocke therefore if hee bee out of order no marvell though the creatures be so also Hence we may learne that if there be any which be not good or have defect in them wee may
matter a little pleasure or profit therefore in this what doe we but as Iudas did sell Christ for a trifle God give us eyes to see it and hearts to abhorre it Thirdly The manner how Iudas betrayed Christ with a kisse a signe of great love and friendship and therefore Christ saith unto him Luk. 22. 44. What doest thou betray the Sonne of man with a kisse I would it were not so still that men kisse religion and yet betray their brethren kisse religion at the Church and yet betray it at home in their bad life and conversation Fourthly The issue and event When he had sold his Master and had but a little comfort First he bringeth the money againe to the Priests he could not abide it which may teach us to take heed how we come by our money if we come by it well we may have comfort but if badly it will one day lye as heavie as leade on a mans heart Secondly Iudas he comes and confesseth his sinne to the Priests and then he went and hanged himselfe he thought to have carried the matter closely and now he discovered it in the Temple Which may teach us that if we sinne against God though we thinke to carry away the matter closely and cunningly yet there will come a time when we shall discover the matter our selves and make it knowne and say I have beene a drunkard and a bad liver I have beene a whoremaster a covetous person and a deceiver of my brethren And as meat that is eaten by a weak stomacke cannot be at rest till it be up againe so a man cannot be quiet many times till hee have discovered all his sinnes himselfe this is the property of a bad conscience that it will egge a man to commit sinne and when he hath sinned then it wil never be at rest till have it brought a man to desperation Revel 20. 12. it is said that Iohn saw the dead both great and small stand before God and the bookes were opened that is their consciences For howsoever mens consciences may be sealed for a time that they cannot see their sinne yet one day they shall be opened and all the sinnes they have committed brought before them O what a fearefull thing will this be we see Iudas did but reade as it were a leafe or a page of this booke nay he read but as it were two or three lines and could not endure it but goeth out and hangs himselfe if it be so fearefull a thing to reade but a leafe or a page how fearefull will it be when a man shall reade every leafe and page in the booke Men that be of trades when they come to places of search they be unpackt and their fardels opened the searchers come and looke upon their ware when if they finde any false ware there is a forfeiture made of it So wee doe as it were in this world packe up our wares in a fardell in our conscience and when we shall stand before God at the day of judgement then our fardels shall be opened and if there be found any false wares sinnes that we have not repented of we may looke for that fearefull sentence Goe yee cursed c. And therefore every one should take heed what he packs up in his fardell seeing it shall one day be opened Having spoken of the Meanes of apprehending Christ wee are further to speake of the Manner which is laid downe in three Actions 1. In the taking of Christ 2. In the binding of him 3. In the leading him away first to Annas then to Caiphas First the taking of Christ and here two things are implied First The marvellous obduration of the Iews for it was a strange thing that they had the heart to take Christ notwithstanding they saw the works of his Power and of his Mercie First of his Power for so soone as he said I am he they straight went backward and fell to the ground and were fully confounded Secondly the workes of his Mercy in that whereas hee flang them downe yet he let them rise againe whereas he did but cast them to the ground he might have cast them to hell and when Peter had cut off Malchus eare being the busiest to take Christ he sets it on againe and healed it and yet for all this they lay hold on Christ as soon as they were up again although they had felt the power of Christ and had seene the workes of his mercy yet they would not be stopped in their course Which may teach us what a fearefull thing it is to have a hard heart that nothing then can stop and stay a man in the course of sinne neither the judgements nor the mercies of God for as we see at this day though God cast many downe to the ground as it were into their sicke beds and hath graciously raised them up againe and as hee healed Malchus eare hath healed them yet they straight-way stretch out their hands to sinne against God and to grieve him therefore wee see when a mans heart is obdurate and hardened with sin nothing will doe him good so it was in Pharaoh Exod. 8. 15. His heart was hardened and he harkened not to them as the Lord had said so likewise Numb 16. wee see the great judgements that befell Corah Dathan and Abiram that the earth did cleave and swallow them up so that all the people fled away at their crie and yet the next day after on the morrow all the multitude of the children of Israel did murmure against Moses and Aaron saying Yee have killed the Lords people c. Hence we may learne what a fearefull thing it is to have a hard and obdurate heart nothing will move it neither the mercie nor the judgements of God therefore let us pray to God to keepe us from this fearefull condition and to give us a soft heart that when he hath laid his judgements upon us wee may be bettered by them and when we taste of his mercies we may be moved with them and brought to repentance The second thing implied in the taking of Christ is that as he was taken of the Iewes so this should put us in minde of the fearefull taking at the last day for looke how Christ was taken in the Garden so every unrepentant sinner shall bee apprehended at the day of Iudgement the drunkard for his drunkennesse the swearer for his swearing the whoremaster for his whoring and so all unrepentant sinners shall be apprehended yea and it shall be in a more fearefull manner than Christs was For first he was apprehended of the wicked Iewes wee shall bee of the Angels Secondly he was brought before the barre of an earthly Iudge but we shall be brought before the barre of the heavenly Iudge which doth not only judge of the outward deeds and actions but of our hearts and thoughts so hee saith Revel 2. 23.
did hang on the crosse basely and contemptibly and that he had the dispensation and disposing of it The second is a perswasion that he will not keepe it to himselfe but that he will impart it unto others The third is that he will impart it to others who are poore penitent sinners not onely to the just but to the penitent and this was the ground of his prayer Now every one of us must lay this ground of prayer First he must be perswaded that Christ hath a kingdome and that he was come into it and hath the power and dispensation of it so Matth. 28. 18. All power is given wee in heaven and in earth so Ioh. 5. 22. For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement to the Sonne Secondly a perswasion that he will not keepe it to himselfe but will impart it to others even as a conduite receiving water doth not keepe it to it selfe but conveies it to others so Christ received this kingdome not to keepe it to himselfe but to convey it unto us as Luk. 22. 29. therefore I appoint unto you a kingdome as my Father hath appointed unto me so Christ doth not retaine it to himselfe but hee doth impart it to all others Thirdly that he will impart it to poore penitent sinners Matth. 9. 13. our Saviour saith that he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance and therefore if men will repent of their sinnes let them not feare but that Christ will bestow it on them for he will not bestow his kingdome on the just onely but on poore penitent sinners this is the ground of his prayer Now for the prayer it selfe and herein wee observe two things 1. What he prayed for 2. The time when hee prayed First for what he prayed hee prayed to bee remembred when Christ came into his kingdome hee did not pray Christ to pull the nailes and spickes out of his hands and feet to have his body saved or his paines mitigated or asswaged but he desires to be remembred when he comes into his kingdome so he lets all the care of his body goe and applyeth himselfe to have his soule saved to be remembred when Christ comes into his kingdome Now with the other all his care was for the saving of his body and to have his body eased of his paines which because Christ would not asswage he railes on him but this man is contented to let all goe so his soule may be saved now in these Theâ—ves are figured out all the men in the world when they come to dye with some all their care is to have their life prolonged their bodies saved to have their paines asswaged and eased so wee see it was the care of Ahaziah king of Israel shall I recover my fall all his care was to know whether he should recover of a bodily cure so it is with the world all their care is to know whether they shall recover or no but the Saints care not so much for the saving of their bodies as their soules let the body suffer what it will they are contented to suffer any paines so they may have their soules saved I have shewed you heretofore that if an house bee on fire they will fetch out all the best things so that if any perish it shall bee the worst because if all cannot bee saved it is wisdome to save the best so if our soules and bodies bee in danger that wee cannot save both let us labour to save the best which is our soules as this theefe did not desire to have the spickes pulled out of his hands and feet to have his paines asswaged and eased but his desire is to bee remembred so what paines soever wee endure we must say I am contented to beare it save my soule onely If a man by a shipwracke bee cast into the sea a planke comming to him will hee not let goe his gold and silver and catch hold on the planke to save his life so we are all floating in the sea of this world ready to be drowned with the pleasures and profits therof ready to be sunke as low as hell therefore how much more had we need to castaway every thing that doth hinder us and take hold on the meanes that God hath appointed for saving of our soules I but what is it that he prayes for he prayes to be remembred why should he be remembred hee was a theefe a bad liver a notorious fellow one would have thought hee would have desired Christ to have forgotten him To this I answer that there be two kinds of Remembrances 1 Remembrance of God in Iudgement 2 Remembrance of God in Mercy First there is a remembrance of God in judgement as Psal 9. 12. For when the Lord maketh inquisition for blood he remembreth them he forgetteth not the complaint of the poore So likewise in Hos. 7. 2. And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickednesse The Lord remembreth all the others they have sworne all the lyes they have told all the Sabbaths they have prophaned all the houres they have mispent and so all their sinnes the Lord remembreth to punish them Secondly there is a remembrance of God in mercy as Gen. 8. it is said The Lord remembred Noah that was in goodnesse and mercy Psa and 132. 1. Lord remember David and all his afflictions and so the Theefe desired to be remembred not in judgment but in mercy in like manner David desired not to be remembred in judgment where he saith Psa 3. 25. Lord remember not the sinnes of my youth nor my rebellion hee desires God to remember him in his tender mercy and his loving kindnesse as also here the Theefe prayed Christ not to remember him in his sinnes and in his transgressions but to remember him in the multitude of his mercyes Secondly the time when he prayed and it was when hee was upon the crosse in paines and torments ready to dye then he stirred up himselfe to prayer and this must teach us that when wee come to dye wee must stirre up our selves to prayer and to repentance and to other Christian duties I know when paines be upon us wee shall have little minde to speake or to doe any thing but wee must then stirre up our selves to prayer and gather up our selves so wee see Stephen did in the 7. of the Act. even when a shoure of stones came about him then he stirred up himselfe and called on the name of God Now the next thing we are to speake of is the Answer of Christ and that is a Promise wherein we observe foure things 1 Vpon what his promise was made 2 Vnto whom it was made 3 What was promised 4 When he would performe his promise First upon what he made his promise upon his prayer which may teach us that true prayer shall not want his due fruit so Matth.
to comfort and the other to paine Thirdly besides these both particular judgements that befall particular and speciall men and the private judgement that is at the day of death there shall also a generall judgement and a solemne arraignment of this whole World where every person shall be judged and arraigned as we beleeve in our Christian profession From thence he shall come to judge the quicke and the dead that is hee shall judge all sorts of people even every Man and Woman that hath lived in this World or shall live Now if any man demand what is the reason why there shall be a generall judgement seeing there is particular iudgements that light on particular men and the private judgement at the day of death I answere there be three reasons thereof First Because the Bodies must be judged as well as the Soules for seeing men sinne against God as well in their Bodies as in their Soules therefore both shall be judged as Revel 20. 12. the Evangelist saith And I saw the Dead both great and small stand before God they did not onely stand with bodies but with soules also for saith he The Sea gave up the dead in her and Death and Hell delivered up their Dead that were in them So we see the bodies rise againe to be judged as well as the Soules Secondly That there may be a declaration of the just judgement of God that all the World may see the judgements of God are just upon men for their sins as Rom. 2. 5. But thou after thy hardnesse of heart that cannot repent heapest upon thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and of the declaration of the just judgement of God therefore besides the private and close judgement there must bee a generall and solemne arraignement in the view of the whole world that so there may be a declaration of the just judgement of God Thirdly Because they shall not be judged as private persons but as publike in the same body that they lived in either in the body of the Saints or in the body of the wicked for they shall be judged as they be members of the same body they rise in and as they are found to have done good or bad accordingly shal the division be made as appears Mat. 25. 31. where it is said And before him shall bee gathered all Nations and hee shall separate them one from another as a sheapheard doth separate his Sheepe from the Goats and he shall set the one at his right hand and the other at his left hand c. Now because this point is a great and a very waighty one and to be considered before others in a Christians life being like the great wheel of a clocke it turnes all the inferior wheeles so if a man be once perswaded of this that he must give an account to God for all his actions and must stand before God in judgement it will make him to passe his daies holily and vertuously while he lives here and therefore let us see briefly what bee the proofes and grounds that there shall bee a judgement which are chiefly these foure following The first is taken From the Truth of God because hee hath said it and therefore it shall come to passe for God is not as Man that hee should lye neither as the Sonne of Man that he should repent He hath said it and shall hee in doe it and hath he spoken it and shall he not accomplish it As it is Num. 23. 19. Therefore whatsoever he hath said it shall come to passe in the time that he hath appointed Now that Christ hath said there shall be a judgement day there bee many Scriptures for it As Matth. 10. 15. Truely I say unto you it shall bee easier for them of the land of Sodom and Gomorah in the day of judgement than for that Citie So also Matth. 12. 36. But I say unto you That of every idle word that men shall speake they shall give an account at the day of judgement And verse 41. The men of Ninevie shall rise up in judgement with this Generation and shall condemne it because they repented at the preaching of Ionas We see the Testimony of the Lord is plaine for this that there shall bee a judgement day Augustine saith God hath made us many promises and hath performed them and shall wee not thinke that the judgement day shall come according as hee hath foretold us It is said Psal 144. The Lord is righteous in all his waies and holy in all his workes If the Lord hath promised any thing it shall come to passe for the Lord hath left his Scripture which is his hand-writing to assure us of the truth of it And therefore dost thou not beleeve that there shall bee a day of judgement The Lord himselfe shall answere thee thou hast the hand-writing of GOD and what must thou doe Looke into that and see what a company of things hee hath promised in his Word as unlikely as this which are all come to passe he hath promised that He would send his Sonne into the World to worke thy Redemption Looke into his Word thou hast his hand-writing hath he performed this promise Then assure thy selfe likewise that one day he will come to iudgement Hee hath promised that Hee will send downe his spirit that should lead them in all truth thou hast his hand writing see if this promise be come to passe then assure thy selfe withall he will come to judge this World hath he promised He will preach the Gospell to all Nation looke into the Scriptures hath hee performed it Why then never doubt but that thy body also shall rise because he hath foretold it The second is because it is the nature of Gods Iustice to give to every man according to his due desert good things to good men and evill things to evill men but it is not so here in this life but the best men bee in the worst estate for the most part and evill men in the best for as Salomon saith Eccles 9. 2. All things come alike to all there is one event to the just and to the wicked to the pure and to the polluted and to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not as is the good so is the sinner and he that sweareth as he that sweareth not or feareth an oath so the worst be in the best estate and the good be in the worst estate hereof Habakkuk complaines Chap. 1. 13. Thou art of pure eyes and canst not behold wickednesse wherefore dost thou looke on the transgressors and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than be here in this life there be many aberrations and swervings from the right rule of justice therefore there must bee a judgement to bring that which deflects from the rule to rectitude and straightnesse Againe Augustine speaking out of Pssalm 101. saith God hath
two times there is a time of mercy and a time of judgement therefore doe thou not accompt God unjust though good and bad speede alike he makes the raine to raine on the just and the unjust the Sunne doth shine on both and they drinke all of one fountaine and draw in the same ayre yet doe not thinke God to be unjust because this is the time of mercy but there will come a time of judgement and therefore saith hee O my brethren bee wise an take heede doe not say I did naughtily to day and yet it was well with me and I will doe naughtily to morrow and I hope to doe well too this is but the time of Gods mercy there will come a time of His Iudgement wherein Hee will call thee to accompt for all thy sinnes The third is from the wisedome of God and wise order be hath in the governing of all things for in all well ordered commonwealths there are Assises Sessions and Law-daies and in every city towne and hamlet there are courts to order and determine things if it bee so in all well ordered commonwealths then it must needs be so in Gods Kingdome if this wisedome bee in man that is but finite much more surely is it in God that is infinite and therefore seeing in all well ordered common-wealths there is a time of judgement it holds much more that God should have a Iudgement day to arraigne the whole world in The fourth is from the common consent of all that is of Angels men and of devils Of Angels as we see Acts. 1. 11. Yee men of Galilee why stand ye heere gazing to heaven this Iesus whom ye see taken from you into heaven shall so come as yee have seene him goe into heaven And holy men doe acknowledge thus much as Saint Iohn in the Revelation and Henoch long before did prophesie of it Iude 14. so David Psalm 89. ult For he is come to judge the earth with righteousnesse shall hee judge the earth and the people with equity Yea the devils beleeve it and tremble as Matth. 8. Art thou come hither to torment us before our time therefore seeing there is a common consent of all Angels holy Men and devils it is certaine there shall be a judgement day which granted as needs it must let us make some profitable Vse for our instruction The first use is That seeing there is a judgement therefore wee should reverently stand in feare of it for one day thou shalt rise out of thy grave and shalt stand before Christ in judgement to answere for all thy thoughts words and actions and therefore it is not a light matter but stands every man in hand to bee reverently afraid of the judgement day which Paul cals the terrour of the Lord because it is a terrible thing to stand before God in judgement Wee see what a fearefull thing it is when a theefe shut up in the Iayle is to make his appearance before an earthly Iudge which is but the danger of this life how much more then will is strike terrour into us when accused of our own consciences we are to come before Christ in Iudgement who will judge both soule and body When Paul preached to Felix of temperance and judgement it is said Felix trembled now if he trembled at the name of judgement then how much more oughtest thou to tremble thou that art a cold Christian that hast lived loosely and badly how oughtest thou to to tremble I say hearing of the severity of Christ It is a good saying Saint Bernard hath if thou hast put away all shame which appertaines to so noble a creature as thou art yet cast not away feare for saith he men use to load an Asse and he beares it because he is an Asse but thrust him in the fire or into a pit and he will shunne it because he feareth death and loveth life therefore be not worse than the beast feare death feare hell feare Iudgement Secondly seeing there is a Iudgement day therefore we should be carefull to passe the time of our dwelling here in holinesse and feare because wee shall stand before God in judgement heaven and hell cannot avoide it the mountaines and hils cannot cover and hide us from his presence therefore every man must bee carefull to please God and to passe his time well here because he must stand before God in judgement hereafter Men that goe to markets and faires knowing that their packs shall be opened by the searchers to see what wares they bring will bee carefull what wares they packe up so seeing our packs and fâ—rdels shall bee opened at that day that is our consciences we must bee carefull what we packe and fardell up seeing all shall be discovered wee reade Iohn 11. 7. when there was word given out that it was the Lord that was on the shore Peter did gird his coate to him and cast himselfe into the Sea this was a strange action of Peter one would have thought rather he would have let it alone or have put off his coate but Peter did wisely consider that hee must stand before Christ and therefore that hee might stand seemely before him hee did gird himselfe so seeing wee shall one day stand before God in judgement wee must gird our coates unto us and cast our selves into the glassie sea of this world that so wee may stand seemely before him at that day Thirdly seeing there is a judgement day therefore wee must labour to repent us of our sinnes if we repent of them they shall be forgiven us if we doe not we shall answere for them at that day this counsell Christ doth give us Luke 12. 58. Whilest thou goest with thy adversarie to the ruler as thou art in the way give diligence that thou maiest bee delivered from him lest he bring thee before the Iudge and the Iudge deliver thee to the Iaylor and the Iaylor cast thee into prison I tell thee Thou shalt not depart thence till thou hast paid the uttermost mite so wee are all in the way to the judgement seate whil'st we live here therefore let us make our peace with God repent us of our sinnes and be reconciled to him for if wee doe not hee will deliver us to the Iaylor and we shall be cast into hell and shall never come out It is a good saying of Saint Austine if an earthly Iudge passe sentence against thee and should condemne thee to dye to morrow or the next day tell me what would'st thou doe would'st thou sleepe in thy chaines and fetters would'st thou idle out the time No but thou would'st goe to this friend and to that friend and would'st sell all thou had'st to purchase a pardon and if a friend should say to thee what dost thou meane to runne up and downe and sell that thou hast why thou would'st answere and say I am condemned to dye to
hosts O how shall men quake and tremble and how terrible will that day be To illustrate this unto you and presse it home to your consciences give me leave to relate a story the truth whereof is not to the purpose to enquire for the morall is that which I intend and you may make profitable use of and this it is There was a certaine king that did weepe and was heavie and sad which when his brother saw he asked him why he was so heavie and sad Saith hee because I have judged others and now I must bee judged my selfe Why saith his brother art thou so heavie and sad for this it will be a long time ere that day come and besides that it is but a slight matter the king said little to it for the present now it was the order in that country when any man had committed any treason there was a Trumpet sounded at his doore in the night time and he was brought out the next day to bee executed now the king commanded a Trumpet to bee sounded at his brothers doore in the night time who waking out of his sleepe when hee heard it arose and came quaking and trembling to the king How now saith the king what is the matter you quake and tremble and are so afraid I am attached of treason answers he and I shall be executed the next morning why saith the king to him againe art thou so afraid and dost thou so tremble at that knowing that thou shalt bee judged by thy brother and for a matter that thy conscience tells thee thou art cleare of how much more therefore may I be affraid seeing that God shall judge me and not in a matter that my conscience frees me in but of that which I am guilty of and besides this if the worst come it is but a temporary death that thou shouldest dye but the death I am subject to is eternall both of body and soule Hereby wee may see what terrour will bee to a guilty conscience that hath not repented of his sinnes how dreadfull will that day bee when the bookes shall bee opened and all the thoughts words and works of every man shall be manifested as well the secretest lusts of the heart-adultery as the shamelesse blasphemies of open profanenes aswel the private corruptions of bribed justice as the publike gratings of heard-hearted oppression then neither poverty nor riches neither meanenesse nor honour no state or condition shall free us all must appeare and answere for themselves But what shall we doe in this case may some man say I answer we must doe as Iaakob did when his brother Esau came against him with foure hundred men Genes 34. I will pacifie his wrath with a present if I have found grace in thy sight then receive my gift so when wee know that God is comming our against us not with foure hundred men but with thousand thousands of his Angels we must doe as Iaakob did say I will give him a gift I will pacifie his wrath with a present that so I may finde favour in his sight to compose the matter with him before that great and terrible day come Now the next thing that shall be at the day of judgement is the assembling and gathering together of all men at that day so that which we heare now with our eares wee shall see then with our eyes for the Angels shall gather together God elect from the one end of heaven to the other so the words of Christ be In which gathering together of the elect wee observe three things 1. What they be that shall be gathered 2. By whom they shall be gathered 3. To whom they shall be gathered First who they bee that shall be gathered Gods elect as the text sheweth now it is out of all question that not onely Gods elect shall be gathered but the wicked also which Christ shewes in two parables first of the tares Matth. 13. 41. for as the tares are gathered and burnt in the fire so shall it be in the end of the world saith our Saviour The Sonne of Man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his kingdome all things that offend and then vers 44. in the parable of the draw-net that is cast into the Sea and gathereth of all kinde of fishes which when it is full men draw to land and sit and gather the good into vessels and cast away the bad so the wicked shall bee gathered too I but seeing the wicked shall bee gathered aswell as the godly why is it said that the Angels shall gather together the elect onely I answer to shew the tender care that Christ hath of the elect that he would not have so much as a little bone lost or a finger or a toe or a haire of their heads such a tender care hath he of them as David gave a charge to his Captaines 2 Sam. 18. 5. concerning Absalom If you meet with the young man intreat him kindly for my sake such a charge Christ shall give to his Angels intreat the elect well for my sake have a tender care of them that there be not one of them wanting Now what is the reason that Christ hath such a tender care of the elect I answer because they be his mysticall members and he will bee compleat in all his members therefore if we be of hsi elect there shall not a bone or a finger or a little toe nor so much as the haire of their heads bee wanting such a tender care God hath of his elect but the wicked they shall be hurried and haled to the barre as theeves villaines and traytors when the other shall bee brought tenderly by the hands of Angels Therefore seeing there shall be such an assembly of all men both good and bad at that day how great should our care bee to provide our selves against that dreadfull appearance O man whoever thou art doe but consider with thy selfe and thinke what a number of men there have beene of the Romans since it was Rome what a number of men there have beene in England since it was inhabited or in France and so of all other Countries and then thinke of all the men that have beene in all ages and at all times from the beginning of the world to the latter end and that all these shall bee gathered together before Christ and then how canst thou chuse but bee carefull how thou passe thy daies heere that thou may'st stand with comfort before Christ in such an assembly David saith Psalm 1. the wicked shall not stand in the Iudgement if a man be a wicked man though he be a king or a lord or a kinght or whatsoever he be hee shall not bee able to hold up his head in judgement but the godly man though he be a poore man he shall lift up his head with comfort whereas there is never a man that is wicked which shall
wicked be in that they shall desire the hils to fall upon them and to cover them from the presence of Christ as it is Revel 6. and what a griefe will it be to them to see the godly goe to heaven into joy and happinesse when they must be tormented in hell Philosophers say That no Element is weightie in his owne place as let a man be in the bottome of the Sea and have the Sea on his backe hee shall not feele the weight of it but take him out of the Sea and put a pailefull or a bucketfull of water on his head and then he shall see how weightie it is so this world being the proper place of sinne men feele not the weight of it because it is in his owne Element but bring it to the judgement barre of God and then they shall feele the weight and burthen of it SERMON XLIX MATTHEVV 25. 34. Then shall the King say unto then on his right-hand Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world IT is a busie time and I hope ye have learned that all businesse must yeeld to the Lords businesse Exod. 34. 31. the Lord saith Six dayes shalt thou worke and in the seventh day thou shalt rest both in earing-time and in the harvest thou shalt rest It is a worthy example we have 1 Sam. 6. 13. where it is said And the men of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat-harvest in the valley and they lifted up their eyes and saw the Arke and rejoyced to see it but afterwards they did fling downe their sickles left their labours and went and offered burnt offerings So we must doe at these times when the Sabbath commeth lay aside our labours and performe the dutie that God requireth at our hands and thus much to prepare us Now concerning the last Iudgement we are come to the last point the last day we spake of the Conviction of the offenders that all the wicked shall be convicted of all their sinnes that they have committed and then shall come the sentence of the Iudge which will be most joyfull and welcome to the godly and dolefull heavie and unwelcome to the wicked In the sentence of the Iudge we observe three things 1. The Quality of the sentence 2. The Order of the sentence 3. The Sentence it selfe First The qualitie of the Sentence that it is the finall and last sentence because it shall be the last which shall be pronounced therefore it shall be unrevocable for looke how the sentence passeth so we shal be found in weale or in woe for ever and ever never to be altered and changed As long as we live here we may finde mercie and favour with God if we repent our sinnes lay hold on Christ by faith and be brought into an estate of grace yea and although it be but the day before this judgement come but if once the sentence be passed all mercy is excluded and the gates of heaven and Hell shall be shut up and every man shall be so found in weale or woe for ever ever to abide and continue We see the five foolish virgins came knocked at the gate but because they came too late they were excluded so likewise Esau sought the blessing and that with teares as Heb. 13. and yet went without it because he sought it not in time this time of life is the time of Mercy and grace therefore we must seeke it in this world for it will be too late when once the sentence of the judge shall be pronounced It is a fit resemblance as long as a man hath a stone in his hand to fling he may incline the motions thereof this way and that way but if it be once throwne then he cannot so as long as we live here we may dispose of our selves this way or that way but if once the finall sentence of the Iudge be out it cannot be revoked or altered therefore it is good to repent as soone as may be and to lay hold on Gods mercy offered in Christ One compares the time of life to a drawbridge if a man should make a goodly house with gardens and walkes and all things needfull for it and make a drawbridge to it and this should be the order of the house that when the drawbridge were downe every man that would come might dwell there but if they did attend their profit and pleasure till the bridge were drawen up that there were no way to enter in they should be excluded so men may enter into the Kingdome of God in this life as long as the drawbridge is downe that is as long as there is life but if the drawbridge be once taken up that is if this life be once ended and the sentence pronounced it will bee too late to enter all such loyterers shall be excluded and shut out Therefore while we live heere it must be our wisedome to repent of our Sinnes to seeke for Gods favor in Christ for if once the finall and last sentence be pronounced it can never be altered and changed this is the qualitie of the sentence Secondly The Order of the Sentence For the order of the sentence it is first pronounced to the just Come yee blessed and then to the wicked goe ye cursed Divers Divines doe diversly conceive of this some thinke that the reason why the sentence is pronounced first to the just is because the Lord is more inclined to mercy than to judgment as Matth. 3. he will gather his corne into his barne and then he will burne the chaffe with unquenchable fire So because that the Lord is more inclined to workes of mercy which is most agreeable to his nature than to workes of justice this some thinke to be the reason why sentence is pronounced to the godly first There be others thinke that the Reason why the sentence is pronounced to the godly first is that it might be for the more comfort of the just because they should not be terrified with the terrible and dreadfull sentence pronounced against the wicked when he shall chase and drive them all into Hell So it is out of the tendernesse of Christ that sentence is given to the godly first But I take it that this order of the sentence is because the godly shall judge the World they shall be assessors with him at the day of judgment and sit in judgment with him which is the reason why the sentence is pronounced to the godly first Now that the Saints shall judge the World it is plaineby Scripture as Matth. 19. Christ saith that they which follow him in the regeneration shall sit on twelve Thrones and judge the twelve Tribes of Israel so also 1 Corinth 6. 2. saith the Apostle doe ye not know that the Saints shall judge the world and againe in the 3 vers know ye not that we
shall have at the day of judgement at this present the soules of the faithfull are in glory and the world sees it not but a the day of judgement there shall be further declaration of it So then wee see the former opinion is false Now it is not onely against Scriptures but against reason and that both naturall reason and sanctified or rectified reason First it is against naturall reason because all motions are without cessations till they come to their proper place unlesse they be hindred by some violence as a stone flung down a hill rests not till it comes at the bottome unlesse it be hindered by violence so the proper place of the Saints is heaven thither they move unlesse they be hindered now there is nothing can hinder them but sinne but when they are dead they have no sinne therefore they must needs goe to heaven that they have no sinne it is plaine by the Scripture as Rom. 6. 7. for he that is dead is free from sinne and Augustine saith wee live not without sinne so long as wee bee here but when we be out of this life then sinne ceaseth to this the Schoolemen agree that all sinne ceaseth in a Christian when he is dead In the estate of grace there is no man without sinne but when this life is ended then sinne ceaseth Now if any shall say that the decree of God is hinderance enough I answer there is no such decree set downe in the booke of God Secondly it might seeme injustice in God to delay glory where there is not cause to keepe them from it so the Greekes opinion is against naturall reason Secondly it is against rectified or sanctified reason for the Lord is more inclined to mercy than to judgement as soone as the wicked are dead their soules goe into hell as Luke 16. the soule of the rich man as soone as he was dead was carried into hell while his brethren were alive and had Moses and the Prophets to speake to them therefore it is agreeable to justice that the soules of the just should goe to heaven so soone seeing he is inclined more to mercy than to judgement Augustine saith the soule of a good man goeth to God when hee is dead to enjoy blessednesse and happinesse and the soules of the wicked goe to hell therefore it is out of question that the soules of the godly goe to heaven before the judgement day Secondly the Church Militant is that part of the Church which is a warring and fighting in this world against sinne the devill the world and temptations where although it pleaseth God to give them many victories conquests and triumphs in this world as the Apostle â—aith Rom. 8. In all these things we are more than conquerers yet because it is not without paine and labour toyle and trouble yea not without blood as is shewed Heb. 12. 4. Yâ—â— have not yet resisted unto blood the Church of God hath a number of these incursions and conflicts and as one saith that the devils follow them like a number of barking and bawling dogs and are never at rest therefore it is called the militant Church To this purpose 1 Tim. 6. 12. Paul exhorts Timothie to fight the good fight of faith laying hold of eternall life and 2 Tim. 2. 3. Thou therefore suffer affliction as a good Souldier of Iesus Christ the people of God bee never at rest here the devill will follow and pursue them the world will have a â—ing at them and their sinnes will trouble and annoy them therefore they must lye in campe against all their enemies These are the two maine parts of the Church and this is the order betweene them that the Church militant is a doore gate or poâ—ch to the Church triumphant for wee must be members first of the Church militant before wee come to bee members of the Church triumphant as Dan. 1. 4. there were certaine of the Children of Israel fed with the kings meate that at three yeeres end they might stand before the king so it pleaseth God the great King of Heaven and Earth to feed us here in the militant Church that one day wee may stand before him in the Church triumphant We have heard heretofore out of the Booke of Ester that king Ahashuerosh had two houses for his Maides there was a house of sweete perfume where they were kept for a season before they were brought to the kings house so God hath two houses there is the militant Church and the Church triumphant whereof this is the order that first they must live in the Church militant being perfumed with the graces of his Spirit before they can come to live in the Church triumphant therefore it must be the care of every man so to carry himselfe in the militant church as that be may come to live in the Church Triumphant Thus much of the doctrine now for the use First seeing the Church of God is Militant here in this world therefore wee must looke for no perfect peace here although it pleaseth God sometimes to give the Church rest as it is said Acts 9. 31. That the Churches had rest yet usually it is but a little breathing time it will not be long we must prepare for a new encounter for 1 Cor. 15. it is said The last enemy that shall be destroyed is Death Therefore till death come that we may lie downe in the grave we must looke for vexation and trouble never to be at rest till then for when the Divell doth cease tempting of us and the world is at quiet with us then we have our owne lusts and sinnes to trouble us Augustine saith well the life of a Christian here in this world is nothing but a warfare this is not the place of triumph for what are these but the speeches of warre The good things that I would doe that doe I not but what I hate that doe I and againe I see a law in my members rebelling against the law of my minde leading mee captive to the Law of sinne and death Here is nothing but speech of leading captive and rebellion and he askes the question when will this warre be at an end His answere is When this corruption shall put on incorruption and when this mortall shall put on immortalitie Therefore we must looke for no perfect peace in this World for our sinnes and corruptions will trouble us the world will be against us and the Divell will barke and bawle against us so that a Christian cannot be at quiet while he lives here There be some weake Christians who thinke that because they have many temptations troubles and afflictions that therefore they are no members of Christ nor of the Church of God for if they were they think they should be at peace but here the Divell proceeds against them with false Logicke for they ought rather thus to argue because we live in
it I And so true faith doth apply the word particularly to themselves historical faith doth not so but is like the Apothecaries boy that gathered herbes and simples for other mens diseases and not for his owne even so many men gather good things out of the word and others have the benefit of it and they have none all their comfort hangs on this to talke and speake of the judgements of God and of the good things that be in Him but it goes no further it doth not apply home the word and therefore it is another kinde of faith that wee must looke and labour for The second kinde is Temporary faith this kinde goes further than the first did For it doth not onely assent to the word of God that it is true but doth particularly apply it in part and there is also some unsoundnesse left behinde it this kinde of faith is spoken of in Matthew 13. 20. it is said to be the stony ground that brings forth fruit for a time all is not well with them for they do not continue they go away This is the common faith of the world to heare the word of God to apply it in some part so farre as it goeth with them but if it crosse them then it faileth and is carried away with the sway of corruption in them that as the weeds eate out the heart of the corne so corruption eateth out the heart of their saith Now it is called Temporary faith c. 1. Because it ariseth from Temporary causes 2. Because it is but of Temporarie continuance The temporary causes are three first because that men have a desire to get knowledge above the rest and to keepe Table-talke and to put downe others when they bee in company The second is to keepe credit with the world they would not be counted odde men and to bee pointed at this is the reason why Simon Magus Act. 8. beleeved became a great man in the world because he would not be pointed at or counted an odde man The third cause is worldly ease and benefit there is somewhat to bee gotten by it or some are afraide that if they doe not so as others doe they shall bee brought in danger of the Law As Iohn 6. 26. the people followed Christ but it was to be fed of him and in Numbers wee see the hope of liberty and the priviledges that the Israelites had made other to joyne with them So likewise Hester 8. 17. Many of the people of the land became Iewes for the feare of the Iewes fell upon them but wee must have a better ground than this if ever wee will be saved or blessed of God and saved at the day of judgement Secondly it is called temporary faith because it is but of temporary continuance for a time it is stony and hard at the bottome it doth not hold because it hath no roote it wants a roote of judgement and roote of affection First it wants a roote of judgement because they beleeve as others do and never heard otherwise they doe not beleeve it because God hath taught and revealed it therefore they are in danger to fall away but if they beleeved it because God hath spoken it and it is his will it is not all the world that could beare them over in it This wee see in the Primitive Church and in Queene Maries daies that the great Doctors and Schollers could not over-beare them although they were but poore men because they were rooted in judgment therefore if men will hold out unto the end they must labour to have this roote in judgement Psal 85. The prophet David saith I will hearken what God saith I will not hearken what the world my corruptions nor what men say but I will hearken what God saith Secondly in regard of affection a man must love the word esteeme it and set a high price upon it or else hee may well have a roote of judgement but no roote of affection and there will be no continuance and therefore dost thou love it and regard it be ready to apply it to thy selfe joy in it as the chiefest treasure and count it as the greatest blessing and be contented to part and to let all goe in regard of it Thirdly Miraculous Faith is a perswasion that God will use some men for some excellent worke to worke some miraculous thing this kind of Faith was in Iudas and many such others that Christ will say unto at the last day Depart from mee yee workers of iniquitie As what is it to cast out the divell and not to cast out a mans owne sinnes what is it to clense a Leper and yet cannot clense our selves from our corruptions to raise the dead and thou to lie still in thy sinnes to give sight to the blind and thou not see the good things of God to open the eares of the deafe and thou wilt not have thine eares open to heare the good things of God And therefore if thou hast justifying Faith to cast out thy sinnes corruptions thou hast a more excellent gift than to worke miracles to raise the dead to clense the soule Leper to give sight to the blind to make the dumbe to speake the lame to goe the deafe to heare for thou shalt goe to heaven when they they shall goe to hell Wee see Luk. 10. 17. c. When Christ had sent out his Disciples to cast out divells at their returne they came againe rejoycing and told him that the spirits were subdued through his name they rejoyced but our Saviour bids them not to rejoyce at this but rejoyce that their names were written in heaven And therefore if thou hast by true faith cast out thy sinnes if thou canst cast up thine eyes of faith to heaven and there behold and see thy name written this shall bee greater comfort to thee than the casting out divells The fourth kind of saith is true Iustifying and saving faith all is nothing without this faith in Christ this it is that must justifie and sanctifie fie us which faith is an assent to the whole word of God to make use of it to ourselves and a particular application of the promises of God made untous in Christ wherein we stand perswaded of our reconciliation in the blood of Christ Now there be three things required in this justifying and saving faith First there must be an assent to the whole word of God for it doth not beleeve God in one point and not in another but it beleeves the whole word of God The schoole-men say a true beleever maks no choice what point he will beleeve if God hath revealed them he will beleeve them all it is said 2 Cor. 10. 5. Casting downe the imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivitie every thought to the obedience of Christ it doth so bring under and captivate his wits that whatsoever Christ
but at last doth creepe up upon the tree till it doth winde and twist it selfe up to the top of it so the Gospell began at poore fishermen below but it did creepe up by little and little till it did winde it selfe within the Scepters and crownes of Kings which is the highest step it can come unto in this world it did draw the poore shepheards out of the field and the Wisemen out of the East Secondly to shew that the great learned and rich men of the world have as much neede of Christ as the poore for there is not one way for the saving of the poore and another for the rich one of saving the high and another the low one way to save Princes and another subjects but they be all saved one way by Christ and therfore as well the poore Shepheards came out of the fields to seeke Christ as the Wisemen out of the East and for that end to such David addresseth his speech Psal 2. Be wise now O ye kings and be learned yee judges of the Earth labour to lay hold on Christ and to embrace him in the armes of faith therefore whatsoever thy estate be poore or rich seeke after Christ labour to lay hold on him or else thou art like to perish there is but one way to save thee whatsoever thou bee In Leviticus we read that in case of redemption the rich should not adde any thing nor the poore take away but there should be all one price for rich and poore so it is in the case of spirituall Redemption there is not a higher price for the rich and a lower for the poore but onely one price for all Christ is the price of our redemption therefore every man must lay hold on him for salvation Iudg. 10. 4. when the people were in distresse and cried unto the Lord this answere was made them Goe and cry unto your gods whom ye have served c. so the Lord may say to us in the time of trouble at the day of our death or at the day of judgement Go and cry unto your gods whom yee have served see if they can helpe you your pleasure and your profits your wealth and your lusts whom ye have served therefore whatsoever our estates be let us labour to lay hold on Christ and looke to be saved by none but by him Secondly The place from whence they came it is said from the East they tooke many a weary steppe to see Christ they came out of a farre country the shepheards out of the field Of which there bee two reasons why they came so farre to see Christ First to shew that the people afarre off should bee gathered to Christ as Esai 60. 34. this was foretold And the Gentiles shall come to thy light and kings at the brightnesse of thy rising Lift up thine eyes round about and see all they gather themselves together they come to thee thy sonnes shall come from farre and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy â—ide So Matth. 8. 11. And I say unto you that many shall come from the east and from the west and shall sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Iaakob in the kingdome of Heaven Ephes. 2. 17. It is said and came and preached peace unto you which were afarre off and to them that were neere So the Iewes were not only gathered by the grace of the Gospell bur the Gentiles also such as were afarre off therefore we are to be thankefull to God for this for there was a time when there was a partition wall betweene the Iewes and the Gentiles but now by the blood of Christ the partition wall is broken downe Secondly to teach us that no labour is too much or paines too great to come by Christ though it cost us many a weary journey and many a weary steppe if we can attaine Christ let us not thinke much of it Wee see the Wisemen came many a weary step from a farre country to see Christ they thought no paines too great no labour too much To this purpose our Saviour saith The Queene of the South shall rise up in judgement with his generation and shall condemne it For shee came from the uttermost parts of the earth to heare the wisedome of Solomon and behold a greater than Solomon is heere therefore wee must not thinke it much to come out of our houses to see Christ though the market bee a good way off yet wee goe thither to make provision for the body much more should wee bee contented to come out of our houses to goe to the places of Gods worship and service to make provision for our soules The Wisemen came out of the East to see Christ much more should we come out of our houses If you could shew us Christ we should bee willing to come Yes that I can and more gloriously than ever the Wisemen beheld him and though not with the bodily eye yet we shew you Christ in the face of the Gospell to the eyes of your soule not onely lying in the cradle praying on the mount bleeding in the garden dying on the crosse but now gloriously sitting in Heaven on his throne If one come into a roome where there be goodly pictures if there be curtaines drawne over them ye cannot see them but let one come and pull aside the curtaine then yee may see the rich pictures so there bee goodly pictures and representations of Christ in the face of the Gospell but there is a veile or curtaine that hangs before them remoove the veile let the curtaine bee plucked away and then ye shall see these excellencies of Christ and if the Wisemen came to Bethlem from a farre country to see Christ much more should we come out of our houses to see Him in the face of the Gospell Thirdly the place whither they went They came to Iersualem not guided by a starre but led by their owne reason for they thought that seeing Ierusalem was the royall city of the kingdome and the seate of kings there they should be sure to heare of Christs birth They followed humane reason and not the starre therefore they did not finde him at Ierusalem untill they came to Bethlem so long as they followed the starre so long they did well but when they left the direction of it and followed their own reason they did amisse so looke how long we follow the directions of the Word so long wee doe well but if once we leave that to follow our owne carnall reason then we doe amisse for we cannot finde Christ by following that therefore as the blinde man followes his guide through brambles and bryers over hils and dales because his owne eyes being shut up hee trusted to the eyes of his guide so we must follow Gods directions and then wee shall finde Christ but if we follow our owne reason we shall never finde him Fourthly the end why they
Then all the Churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the reines and hearts Thirdly he was apprehended to temporall paines but the wicked shall be taken to eternall torments as it is said Marke 9. the worme that never dieth there shall be no end of their torments And this shall be the fearfull apprehension of the wicked at the day of Iudgement wherefore as the Apostle Saint Paul 2 Cor. 5. 11. saith Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord we perswade men c. So say I knowing of this fearefull apprehension of the wicked at the last day of Iudgement we perswade men to repent them of their sins and to please God that So they may avoid it If a man heare that the Kings Writ is comming out against him to arrest and carry him away to prison hee would surely make friends to stay the Processe and Writ so when we heare to know that there is a Writ against us from heaven to come upon us we must labour to stop it and send up our prayers to God to stay his judgements that so we be not farther vexed with them thus the taking of Christ should put us in minde of the fearefull taking of the wicked at the day of Iudgement The second was the binding of Christ one would not thinke that the Iewes would have bound him seeing he was so willing to be taken that he offered himselfe yet there be divers reasons thereof in regard of the Intention both of Man and of God and first in regard of the Intention of man I will give you these three reasons 1. For paine and punishment 2. For caution and securitie 3. To put the more shame and disgrace upon him First it was for Paine and punishment so Paul in his persecution bound them that called upon the Name of the Lord it was for punishment and for paine and so Christ was bound in regard of both Most thinke they can never be too harsh to Christ and to his members and never tender enough to themselves and to others but these shall bee put to all the paines So we see Psal 105. 18. it is said that Iosephs feet was in the stocks and the irons entered into his soule that is they entered into his live-flesh so Heb. 11. it is said of the faithfull that some of them were sawne in sunder some racked some were stoned and put to the greatest extremity that might bee Theeves and murtherers and vile persons can finde favour and mercy but Christ and his members can finde none at the hands of the world Secondly it was for caution sake and security because they would hinder him in his flight and so keepe him safe for this cause Peter Act. 12. had chaines laid upon him to abate his force that he should not hurt or resist them and so Sampson was bound now none of these reasons could move the Iewes to binde Christ for though he might have escaped yet he came and did offer himselfe and when they were downe on the ground Christ might have escaped and would not therefore there was no cause of feare but this is the property of a bad conscience to be afraid when there is no cause of feare especially of Christ and his servants Thirdly it was to put the greater disgrace and shame upon him therefore seeing Christ was content to have disgrace and shame put upon him for us we should be contented to suffer the like for him and for holy Religion now seeing Christ was contented to have disgrace and shame put upon him for us though he was God and wee men he the Creator and we the creatures hee our Lord and we his servants hee holy and we unholy therefore let us be contented to be ashamed and disgraced for him saith the Apostle Paul I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ c. So let every one of us say I am not ashamed of Christian and holy Religion And these be the Reasons why Christ was bound in regard of men Now as Christ was bound in regard of men so hee was bound in regard of Gods intention and that for three causes first To sanctifie the bounds of his servants that if any should suffer for his cause or for Religion his bands might bee sanctified to them if wee suffer with Christ then our sufferings become the sufferings of Christ he sitteth at one end of the ballance and we at the other Act. 26. saith the Apostle for the hopes sake of Israel I am bound with this chaine And Phil. 1. 13. So that my hands in Christ are manifest in all the palace and in all other places This may give comfort to man in bonds and in affliction that by the meanes of Christs bonds they are sanctified to him this is the first cause why Christ was bound in regard of Gods Intention Secondly To teach us the desert of our sinnes for as Christ was bound and fettered for us so wee deserved to bee bound with the chaines of eternall condemnation and to be led away that we should never see God Esai 53. 5. saith the Prophet The chastisements of our peace was upon him he stood in our roome and place and therefore looke how the Iewes tied and bound Christ so we deserve to be tyed and bound with the chaines of darknesse for ever wee see how many a man goes jesting up and downe and does not consider how Christ was bound and chained but know thou whosoever thou art this is thy desert for sinne if God should draw out the arme of his justice against thee and give thee thy due deserving punishment It is the speech of the holy man Ieremie It is the Lords mercy that we are not all consumed it is his mercy that we have a house to put our heads in a bed to lye in one bit of bread to eate Thirdly Christ was bound that wee might be loosed his binding is our loosing for he was in our roome and place now in that Christ hath suffered and was bound for us wee are freed the old debt cannot be required of us for as the Lawyers say if the debt bee paid of the surety in good dealing it cannot bee required againe Now there bee two kinds of chaines that Christ doth free us from 1. The Chaine of Condemnation 2. The Chaine of Corruption First the chaine of condemnation for as Divines say the guilt of sinne is the binding of a man to answer at Gods judgement barre for it and therfore every sin that a man committeth is a spirituall chaine to binde him to answer for it and as poore prisoners goe bound in fetters and chaines to answer at the sessions so a man goes bound in chaines by his sinnes to answer at Gods judgement seate Now by Christ wee are freed from these chaines so soone as wee are converted and lay hold on Christ as Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to those
clothes so we rather than lose the peace of our conscience let all other things fall to the ground As a man in a shipwracke hee never thinkes of his losses but is well contented if hee can save his life hee is thankfull to God and rejoyceth that he himselfe hath escaped so when the time of trouble and persecution is let us not thinke of our losses if we can escape with the peace of our conscience let us bee thankfull to God it is the course of the world that if any strange disease fall upon their children or their cattell they say they are bewitched when as indeed it is their sinnes that doth bewitch them and what doe they then say they have been damnified by a bad witch therefore they must goe to a good witch to have helpe and sometimes they doe so losing thereby the peace of their consciences but rather than we should doe so let us lose children and cattell and all before we lose Gods favour and the peace of conscience Matth. 10. our Saviour saith to his Disciples Bee yee wise as Serpents Now this is the wisdome of the Serpent that he will take a wound any where rather than on his head because life lieth there so rather than we should lose Christ let us lose all because Christ is our life Thus this young man teacheth us wisdome who rather than hee would betray Christ lost his garments and ran away SERMON XVII MARKE 14. 55 56. And the Chiefe Priests and all the Councell sought for witnesse against Iesus to put him to death and found none For many bare false witnesse against him but their witnesse agreed not together THe Apprehension of Christ we spake of the last day Now wee are to speake of his Arraignement for though Christ might have beene killed in the tumult yet he was preserved In the Arraignment of Christ we observe three things 1. The persons before whom he was Arraigned 2. The causes for which he was Arraigned 3. The manner of his Arraignment First The persons before whom he was arraigned Annas and Caiphas the two high Priests it is worth our observation that these Priests were gathered together early in the morning for they could not be at rest till they had apprehended and condemned him no question there were a number of other Priests with them at the same time who would not in all probabilitie have beene hired for any money to come out of their warme beds to have done good but to condemne Christ they are up all night and that a cold night too so it is a corruption still that men cannot abide to sit up about any good duties of religion to repent of their sinnes to pray to God to speake of good things then they are asleepe straight but to sit up long at dice and cards and other pastimes this is their delight Luke 5. we see the Disciples when they were fishing they could hold out and not sleepe but when they came to pray with Christ in the Garden they were straight asleepe and there also Matth. 26. Iudas he slept not but was busie about his market with the Priests consulting to take him it is said of such Prov. 4. 16. That they cannot sleepe except they have done evill and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall Now this diligence in the Priests should teach us diligence in the performing of good duties for if they would spend whole nights to bring their wicked purposes to passe oh how diligent should we be to performe service to God Marke 1. 35. we see our Saviour arose early in the morning to pray and yet how slow are wee who cannot get up an houre after Sunne in the morning to performe good duties Secondly the causes why Christ was arraigned were three first that wee might not be arraigned and condemned as the day of judgement for he stood in our roome interposed himselfe for us and was contented to be taken of the Iewes to be led away arraigned and condemned and to dye for us therefore a Christian beleever may have comfort that seeing Christ was arraigned for him before men hee shall not be arraigned before God as Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus c. and againe in the same Chap. vers 35. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods chosen It is God that justifieth who shall condemne so Ioh. 3. He that beleeveth in me shall not perish but shall have everlasting life therefore if we beleeve we have a certificate from God that wee shall not bee condemned when the devill is ready to accuse us and to say thou art a vile sinner and thou must come before God to bee arraigned and condemned for thy sinnes we must not deny the matter but say it is true Sathan I am a great and grievous sinner against God but Christ was arraigned and condemned for me and though I suffer not in my owne person yet Christ hath for me and therefore it shall not be required at my hands Secondly that he might have compassion and pitty on them that suffer and be arraigned for good causes as Heb. 4. 15. saith the Apostle For we have not an high Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all things tempted in like sort as we are yet without sinne therefore seeing Christ was arraigned doe not thou doubt but if thou bee arraigned for a good cause Christ will releeve thee and shew compassion on thee as Pauls experience was 2 Tim. 4. 17. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the Lion c. This hath made good men confident to hold out in trouble as Dan. 3. when the king would have had the three Children to have worshipped the image which hee had made say they we are not carefull to answer thee in this matter behold our God whom we serve is able to deliver us so Act. 4. when the Apostles were brought before the governors and forbidden to preach they said They could not but speake the things they had heard and seene therefore as Saint Cyprian saith a Christian may be killed but cannot be overcome because he that is in them is greater than he that is in the world Thirdly that we might set up a throne in our owne hearts and arraigne our selves of sinne for Christs arraignement must teach us to arraigne sinne as he was killed so we must kill sinne as Christ was buried so wee must bury sinne to which purpose it is said 1 Cor. 11. 31. If we would judge our selves we should not be judged of the Lord so our judgement is to prevent the judgement of the Lord. Thus many good men have in holy Scripture arraigned themselves as Iob If saith he I should justifie my selfe yee then would condemne me David 2 Sam. 24. 17. It is I that have sinned but these sheepe what have they done so the Church
thing is it when a Christian shall sinne against his conscience and that shall smite him as it did the Lepers in the midst of their jollity 2 King 7. 7. who said we doe not well to tarry here c. so when a mans conscience shall tell him O I doe not well to sweare to lye and yet that same man should goe on still in his wicked courses this is a pittifull thing therefore a man must take heed hee sinne not against his conscience if a man should have a snake or a worme crawling in his body or in his bowels though it should bee quiet sometimes yet upon every little occasion it should crawle and stirre about hee would thinke it were better to dye a thousand deaths but what is this to the worme of conscience that will torment a man for ever and ever and never dieth therefore as a learned man saith all other plagues a man may fly from but hee cannot fly from an evill conscience a man may fly from the plague from famine or from the injury of men but he cannot fly from an evil conscience whither soever he goeth that will with him if he goe into merry company or into his chamber into his closet or into any roome under the earth the secretest place that may bee his evill conscience will goe with him and pursue him like unto a man that hath an ague he thinkes if he were in this or in that place in this roome or in that hee should have ease but so long as hee carrieth the matter of his owne griefe about him he can have none so a man that hath an evill conscience hee may thinke to have peace in this place in this and that company but as long as he carrieth about him the matter of his griefe hee must never looke to have ease therefore wee must take heed of sinning against our conscience The second thing that made Pilate stand so stiffe for Christ was the admonition of his wife for Pilate being in the judgement seat shee sent him a message Matth. 27. To have nothing to doe with that just man in which message we observe divers things 1. The partie that sent the message Pilates Wife 2. The time when shee sent it when Pilato was upon the judgement seate 3. The tenour of the message have thou nothing to doe with that just man 4. The reason because I have suffered many things this night in a dreame touching Him First who it was that sent the message Pilates wife hence observe it is a good thing for women to stop and stay their husbands in the course of sinne they must labour to prevent them by good speeches and good admonitions for women were made to this end to be helpers to their husbands to helpe them to heaven therefore when the wife shall admonish the husband and hee doe not regard but despise and neglect it Pilate shall rise up in judgement against him and condemne him at the day of judgement Secondly when it was as he sate in judgement it was a very fit time a good season as David bad his servants say to Nabal 1 Sam. 25. Wee came in a good season so it is a good season to stoppe a man in sinne when hee is about the doing of it so the Angell of the Lord stopped Ioseph Matth. 1. when he thought to have put Mary away secretly so Gen. 20. when Abimelech thought to have taken Abrahams wife saith the Lord unto him thou art but a dead man it is a good thing then to admonish one of sinne when they be about doing of it Thirdly the tenor of the message have thou nothing to doe with this just man If a man be a just man and an innocent man let us take heed how wee have to deale with him or doe him any wrong or any hurt Psal 37. It is a note of a wicked man that he persecutes the godly man for if a man be a just and godly man then there is matter enough for them but we must take heed wee doe them no harme or wrong a man may handle gold Oare iron as long as it remaines in his owne nature but if the nature of fire be put to it then if we handle it it will burne us so we may deale with men as long as they remaine in their owne nature but if once they have the nature of God take heed how we deale with them lest it happen unto us as Revel 11. 5. it is said of the two Prophets that if any man hurt them fire shall come out of their mouthes and destroy them The fourth reason was Because she had suffered many things in a dreame touching him this is the property of a good conscience to bee moved and stirred by the judgements of God it is a wofull thing when his judgements be upon us yet we are not moved and stirred at them when hee shall take away our wives our children our cattell or our goods and yet wee bee not moved at it If a Physition give a man Physicke the next question that he will aske him when hee comes to him is whether his physicke did worke or no if it did not worke and stirre the humours it is twenty to one but the party will dye so the judgements of God are his physicke and if they doe move and stirre us there is some good hope but if they doe not move and work upon us there is danger twentie to one but we shall be more afflicted or die therefore it is a pitifull thing that Gods judgements be upon us in this unseasonable weather and yet we are not moved and stirred by them nor drawne unto repentance to returne to God the Lord complaines of this Ier. 5. Thou hast stricken them but they have not sorrowed And Zephan 3. Every morning doth he bring his judgements to light and yet the wicked will not learne to be ashamed It is a good thing to be afflicted with the judgements of God as Numb 21. the people come to Moses and desire him to pray to God to take away the firy Serpents not desiring to have their sins taken away therefore when that judgement was at an end they had a greater and so had no rest till the Lord had destroyed them so men doe now when the judgements of God be upon them then they pray to have sicknesse famine scarcitie and unseasonable weather taken away from them but never pray to God to have their sins taken away to give them repentance and therefore when one judgement is at an end it it the beginning of a greater the Lord will never rest till hee hath destroyed us if wee doe not repent us of all our sinnes and turne to him in the truth of our hearts This must teach Christians that have more light and knowledge than they had or than Pilate had to take heed that they doe not sinne against their conscience Pilate had
till he had done the worke of God which he came for and what was that the worke of mans salvation and redemption Christ if he had pleased he might have dyed at the very instant as soone as hee was on the crosse but hee would not because hee had not done that hee came for which may teach us the time when we should be willing to dye and that is when we have finished and perfected the worke of our salvation and redemption and have made that sure when we have repented of our sinnes and laid fast hold on Christ then we should be willing to die and never till then we see a number of men are contented to creepe out of the world but if they have not first finished their salvation and made that sure to themselves and repented of their sinnes they can have no comfort for it is a fearefull thing for a man to dye in his sinnes as our Saviour threatens the Iewes Ye shall dye in your sinnes O it is a fearefull and lamentable thing when men doe thus dye as wee heard in the forenoone out of Matth. 12. 41. that the men of Nineve shall rise up in judgement to condemne the Iewes because they repented at the preaching of Ionas when as the Iewes did not repent at the preaching of Christ for if we doe not profit by the preaching of the word and by the good meanes amongst us even dead men that have lyen rotting in their graves an hundred yeeres together shall rise up in judgement against us and condemne us therefore it is a fearefull thing for a man to dye in his sinnes old Simeon had a desire to live till he had seene Christ and when he had seene him and embraced him in his armes then he saith Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seene thy salvation so wee should have a desire to live till wee had seene Christ and made heaven and happinesse sure to our selves and then when we have seene Christ by the eyes of our faith and embraced him we may bee willing to dye and to say as old Simeon said now Lord let thy servant depart in peace Thirdly The manner of his death which may bee considered two wayes 1. That it was a violent death 2. That he dyed willingly First that it was a violent death hee dyed not an easie death but a very painefull one now there be divers reasons why Christ dyed such a painefull death which I have handled before and therefore will repeat in this place onely the heads thereby to imprint them the better into your mindes First To teach us that it was not an easy matter to redeeme man for Christ must therefore dye not an easie but a violent a painefull death to redeeme us therefore Saint Ierome saith well that a man of all wounds will take heed of such as one as will aske much adoe to heale therefore seeing sin makes such a wound that Christ must dye to heale it and that such a violent and painefull death wee should bee carefull to decline it Secondly To shew the desert of our sinnes for when we come to dye wee deserve to dye the violentest and painefullest death that may bee wee doe not deserve to dye in our beds but on the crosse not amongst our friends but amongst our enemies therfore looke what death soever we dye on the most painefull and most grievous yet we may say as the Theefe said We suffer things worthy of that we have done we deserve all the extremities in death that may be Thirdly Christ dyed such a painefull death to purchase a more easie death for us hee dyed on the crosse that wee might dye in our beds amongst his enemies that we might dye amongst our friends with all extremity and paine that we might have ease and comfort in our deaths therefore looke what ease and comfort we finde in our deaths it is purchased to us by the painefull death of Christ for there was a deadly cup of poison of Gods wrath put into our hands to drinke and Christ hath taken all the malignity and sowrenesse out of it and hath given us the sweet Fourthly To sanctifie all kinds of deaths to his dying members for if any one should have dyed an easie death then we might have thought that hee onely had beene the holy man that died such a death but Christ dyed a painefull death to sanctifie all kinds of deaths to his dying members so that let the death be what it will be if one dye in Gods favour and in the pardon of his sinnes hee is a blessed and happy man as Heb. 11. it is said All these dyed in faith they dyed not all in their beds some were stoned some sawne asunder yet because they dyed all in faith they were all happy men so let us looke to our conscience and to our cause and then let the death be what it will be we are happy men the heathen men could say we would not dye on sea nor suddainely nor of such or such a disease but thou that art a Christian let thy death bee what it will if thou dye in the favour of God penitent for thy sinnes thou art a blessed and an happy man it is reported of the beasts of the wildernesse that they are afraid to drinke of the waters because they have poyson in them till the Vnicorne come and wash his horne in it so men were afraid to drinke of the bitter waters of death till this same true Vnicorne Christ Iesus had washed his blessed body in this same painefull death And these be the chiefe reasons why Christ dyed such a painefull death Secondly he died willingly for he did not only dye but it was also willingly as is shewed by two actions First in that hee bowed downe his head and then gave up the ghost Men when they dye doe first give up the ghost and then they bow downe their heads But Christ quite contrary hee first bowed downe his head even ready to meete with his death and then he gave up the ghost so it was a voluntary death that Christ died Secondly in that he cryed with a loud voyce When men dye they languish by little and little their speech failes them they rattle in the throate and so weakenesse comes upon them by little and little till their breath be quite gone But Christ at his death cryed with a loud voice so that nothing of his strength was abated to shew hee dyed voluntarily and willingly as Iohn 10. 17 18. I lay downe my life that I might take it up againe No man taketh it from me But why did Christ dye a voluntary death That it might be the more gratefull and acceptable to God For actions that be done in obedience to God and voluntarily are gratefull acceptable and more pretious than those we doe nill we will we against our mindes
directed to keep thy Statutes I cannot do as I would but would to God my heart were directed to keepe thy Statutes David had no strength to doe as he would but he desires it above his strength so should we Secondly The manner how Christ did appeare to her He shewed himselfe strange a long time and held her in suspence and yet Mary sought for Christ and sought for him when others gave over with teares which may teach us that many a good Christian may seeke for Christ with teares that is in truth of affection and yet not presently finde him they may seeke long and attend upon the meanes but as Christ did appeare to Mary so in due time thou shalt see him to thy comfort Now there were two causes why Christ did not appeare to Mary nor shew himselfe to her presently First through her owne default for when Christ appeared to her shee thought it had beene the Gardiner Hee did not appeare in such a forme but Marie thought so she did so sorrow and mourn for Christ that though he were before her she could not see him it was through her owne default so God many times gives comfort to us when through our owne default we see not the comfort that is before us through the sorrow and griefe wee sustaine but refuse it when it is offered and this is the cause why it is so longâ—ere some can receive comfort As Psal 77. David saith My soule refused comfort so it is with Christians many times God offereth comfort to them and they refuse it this is the estate of the best so likewise Christ appeared to the World when through their owne default they could not see him through the blindnesse and ignorance that remained in them even to this day they see not though hee speakes unto them day by day they have not the eyes of Faith to see him This is the estate of the World though God speakes unto them they know it not they thinke it is the Gardiner they thinke it is the voyce of a Man and not of God but the true Church of Christ knowes when Christ is speaking unto her It is the voyce of my welbeloved so Christ no sooner speakes but they know it but the greatest part of the world doe not so though hee speakes unto them from day to day Christ appeares unto them and through their owne default they doe not see him The second cause was Through a speciall dispensation that shee might the more repent of her sinnes and make a triall of her faith to make the present more comfortable as Ioseph made himselfe strange to his brethren a long time and afterward did reveale himselfe unto them so though Christ make himselfe strange and hold us in suspence for a time it is because hee would have our faith tried and because wee might have the greater comfort when we finde him Now though he held himselfe a long time in suspence yet Christ did discover himselfe by a word for he saith Marie and she turned about and said Rabboni Master so it was but a word of Christ that gave comfort he can doe it by a word hee can make all our discomforts to cease and give comfort with a word Thus wee see Matth. 8. that the Centurion said to Christ Doe but speake the word and thy servant shall be whole If Christ doe but speake a word his wisedome is to lay hold on that word which must teach us that wee must catch hold on every little word of Christ I have shewed you heretofore that it is the nature of the Vine to catch hold on every little sticke or on every little thing with his twigs to lift up himselfe so a Christian must lay hold on every little word of Christ to help him by But it is a pittifull thing that one word of Christ will not serve nor all the words of Christ nor the mercies nor the judgements of God to turne us to him as Marie catched hold on every little word so it must bee our wisedome to lay hold on the least word that may bring us to Christ From hence two things are to be considered First That true faith doth lay hold on every little word of Christ It is like the Vine that layeth hold on every little sticke and post with his keyes and clanvers to lift up himselfe so true faith will lay hold on every little means to lift up it selfe if it be but a word it will lay hold on it as wee see Iohn 2. Christ saith to his mother Marie Woman my houre is not yet come she layes hold on this word of Christ and saith to the servants whatsoever hee bids you doe that doe you and you shall not want wine so Matth. 15. It was but a word that Christ spake to the woman of Canaan and a sowre word too yet the poore woman catches hold of it so in the booke of Kings when Benhadads servants came unto the king they catched hold on every word thus where there is true faith it will lay hold on every little word of Christ therefore when men cannot catch hold on one word of Christ nor all the words of Christ this doth shew the dulnesse and deadnesse of mens hearts It is said Ionah 2. They which follow lying vanities forsake their owne mercies and there is great mercie offered in the Word in the preaching of the Gospell but they which despise and refuse it despise and forsake this great mercy that is offered unto them The second thing is The infinite comfort that a Christian hath after hee findes Christ Heaven and Earth cannot give that comfort that a Christian hath after he hath found him Therefore although it cost a man sore travell and labour and a great deale of paines yet hee thinkes his labour well bestowed if he can finde him at last so we see in Marie that she sought Christ and sought him with teares and yet when she had found him how joyfull was she saying Rabboni Master thou art the man I sought for thou thou art he I did long for so Ioh. 1. 41. Andrew saith to Simon Peter we have found the Messias and the wise men Matth. 2. when they had found Christ they rejoyced exceedingly therefore whatsoever paines a Christian takes to seeke Christ if once hee have found him the World cannot make him so glad he thinkes all his paines and labours well bestowed If a man finde a bag of gold how glad will he be but all the gold in the World is not like to it the Apostle counteth all things dung and drosse in regard of it It is like the pearle that the Merchant went and sold all that he had to buy the field where the Pearle was Thirdly the end why Christ did Manifest himselfe to Marie was twofold 1. By information and instruction to informe her selfe 2. To Comfort his Disciples First these words touch
could not redeeme him nor all the Patriarches and holy Men but it must be the blood of the Sonne of God and all his blood and in so great extremity as we have heard From the consideration of this we have the more cause to be thankefull unto him as Ioh. 13. Peter wonders at the humility of Christ that he would stoope so low to wash his Disciples feete or hee that was the Lord of all higher than the Heavens should stoope so low to wash my feete so wee may much more wonder and admire at this love of Christ that he would dye for us and dye such a cursed death O Lord wilt thou interpose thy soule for mine and thy body for my body and dye for mee that I might live still and therefore wee have no cause to bee offended at the crosse of Christ but we have cause to be the more thankfull to God for it and to say as Saint Iohn saith Hee hath loved us and hath washed away our sinnes in his blood as it is Esay 53. All we like sheepe have gone astray we have turned every one to his owne waies and the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquite of us all Ambrose confesseth that he was more beholding to God for the worke of Redemption for redeeming him with his blood when he was lost by sinne than for creating him by his Power Therefore this may take away the scandall of the crosse because it was of necessitie that he must suffer Now that which tooke away the scandall of Christs crosse may take away the scandall of our crosse for many times a Christian man is at a stand and at a maze in himselfe and saith as the Disciples said We trusted it should have beene hee that should have delivered Israel so I trusted and hoped once that I should have beene saved but there bee so many crosses and so many troubles come upon me that I doubt I make a doubt of it whether I shall be saved or no. And that it is needfull wee should suffer as Christ did these reasons plainely shew First it is of Necessity that we should suffer because we should be conformable to him for as the head suffered so must the members as Christ speaketh Matth. 16. If any man will follow me saith he let him deny himselfe and take up his crosse and follow me so Col. 1. 24. Now rejoyce I in my sufferings for you and fill up that which is behinde of the affliction of Christ in my flesh as Christ suffered in the flesh in himselfe so Paul suffered in his members and therefore it is of necessity that we should suffer Secondly because there be a number of sinnes that be so sunke and soken into the flesh that they cannot be purged out but by the crosse so David saith Psal 119. 67. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy word so Esai 27. 9. By this therefore shall the iniquity of Iaakob be purged and this is all the fruite the taking away his sinnes hence there be a number you see of sinnes that are so sunke and soken into the flesh that they cannot bee purged out but by the crosse as if gold bee rust and canker-fretted it cannot bee helpt but it must be cast into the fire so there be some sinnes that cannot be purged out but it must be by the fire of affliction Thirdly it was of Necessity that we should suffer To prevent sinne in us so wee see Gen. 20. the Lord came in a dreame to Abimelech and told him that hee did keepe him that hee should not sinne against God and how did God keepe him by laying his judgements upon him so 2 Cor. 12. when Paul was carried into the third heavens and saw things that could not bee uttered lest he should bee lifted up above measure the Lord sent the prick of the flesh and the messenger of Sathan to buffet him to keepe downe this naturall pride so wee see there is a necessity of the crosse and therefore have no cause to bee offended at it The second thing that Christ doth informe them of is the good utility end and issue that the crosse hath that it is so farre from taking away any thing as that it doth open away to the kingome of heaven as Phil. 2. 8 9. Paul shewes he humbled himselâ—e and â—â—â—me obedient to the death even to the death of the crosse wherefore God hath also â—â—ghly exalted him and given him a Name above all other Names here is another consideration to take away the scandall of the crosse because it was by it that Christ entred into his glory so if we will goe to glory we must goe the same way there is no other there is no neerer way to heaven but by the crosse as it is Act. 14. Through many troubles and afflictions we must enter into the Kingdome of Heaven so Matth. 20. when the woman came with her two children she makes this request to Christ that the one may sit at his right hand and the other at his left Christ answeres by way of question Can ye drinke of the cup that I must drinke of and be baptized with the baptisme that I must be baptized with for before ye drinke of the cup of glory ye must drinke of the cup of affliction therefore no man ought to be discouraged at afflictions or crosses seeing it is the way whereby we enter into glory 2 King 2. 11. when Elias was taken into heaven he was not carried in a golden chariot as the Papists say that Henoch was but it was a chariot of fire and horses of fire and yet hee was not afraid of them because they were the horses and the chariot that should carry him to heaven so when wee see the firy horses of afflictions and of death to come we should not be afraid of them because they be the horses and chariots that carry us into glory therefore this is that which should make us goe cheerefully thorough all troubles and afflictions this is that which made Paul say that he counted all things but dung and drosse that he might win Christ and that he might come to glory so whatsoever it cost a man though it cost him his life and his blood yet all is well bestowed so he may win Christ and come to glory Now to this information he doth annex a Confirmation and proves it by the Scriptures and so begins at Moses and the Prophets and doth interpret all the things that are spoken of him Now herein we may observe many things first hee doth labour to sound the faith of the Disciples on the Scriptures hee might have discovered himselfe at the first and said I am hee or might have shewed them his hands or his sides as he did afterwards in this chapter but hee goes on and leades them through the Scripture and doth interpret unto them all the places that were spoken of
gives them to performe their charge 4 The Authoritie First before Christ sends his Disciples He armes them saith he Peace be unto you It is a strange thing that seeing there is such great good offered in the Gospell that it should be so unwelcome one would have thought it would have beene entertained and received joyfully but Christ knew that of all messages this is unwelcomest and therefore Christ faies Behold I send you as sheepe among wolves though yee bee as sheepe yet yee shall meete with wolves and what is that he comforts thē with that God is at peace with them this is all the armor he fences them with against the unkindnesse and hard dealings of the world to know that God is at peace with them and loves them by the meanes of Christ so Ioh. 16. he saith In the world ye shall have trouble but in me ye shall have peace be of good comfort for I have overcome the world this may teach us that if a Christian bee at peace with God and knowes that his sinnes bee pardoned and that God loves him by the meanes of Christ here is enough to beare him out against al the encounters and unkindnesses that the world affords therefore when a Christian man is in any trouble or affliction let him descend into his owne heart and see if God be at peace with him by the meanes of Christ that his sinnes are pardoned and that he knowes he shall bee saved this will give a man comfort so we see Lam. 3. the Church did and Ier. 14. saith he in the greatest distresse that might be The Lord is my portion saith my soule therefore will I hope in him I have shewed you heretofore that if a man fall into the hands of theeves and robbers and they robbe him and take away his goods or his money if hee hath a jewell of infinite price about him and they leave him that hee will say Lord I thanke thee I have my jewell still howsoever I have lost my goods and my money so a man may say though sicknesse had taken away my health and bad neighbours my money yet Lord I thanke thee I have my jewell I have my peace with thee and assurance that my sinnes bee pardoned Heb. 10. 34. it is said of the good people That they suffered with joy the spoyling of their goods knowing that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance so as long as a man hath peace of conscience pardon of his sinnes hope of Heaven he is armed and fenced against all troubles and all the unkindnesses the world can offer unto him The second is the Commission As the Father sent me so send I you here are two things to be considered 1. Who it is that sends 2. To what end he sends First by whom they were sent by Christ As my Father sent me so send I you thence we learne It is Christ that is the Authour of all Ministery he it is that sends Ministers to the Church as Matt. 23. 34. Behold I send unto you Prophets and wise men Scribes c. so Esay saith The Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me so it is Christ that is the Author of all Ministery as Ephes. 4. 14. When he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men And these were the gifts He therfore gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists some Pastors and some Teachers so it is Christ that sends Ministers at this day but yet there is a difference for he sent the Apostles immediately by himselfe and hee sends Ministers at this day mediatly by the meanes and authority of the Church Now there are good uses to be made of this point some that do concerne us Ministers and some that doe concerne you First seeing it is Christ that sends us hee will assist and blesse us in our labours as Matth. 28. Goe and teach all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost And loe I am with you alwayes to the end of the world Secondly seeing it is Christ that sends us we must doe the businesse and the worke he sends us to doe so Christ saith of himselfe Iohn 5. 30. Because I seeke not mine owne will but the will of my Father that sent mee If a Merchant should send his servant beyond sea to bee a Factor for him who should apply himselfe to gather money and to make an estate to himselfe neglecting his master hee may looke for a cold welcome home so seeing he hath sent us to bee Factors for him and to doe his businesse if wee shall apply our selves to get money and to make an estate to our selves and so leave the Lords businesse undone wee may looke for a cold welcome home when we shall goe to God Thirdly seeing it is Christ that sent us we must give our accompt to him at the day of judgement for every man must give account to him that sends him we see Luke 10. that the Disciples being sent of Christ to preach they returne againe and give account of that they have done And so in Iob. 2. the divell being sent of God returnes againe to tell what he hath done Now the uses that concerne you be these First seeing it is Christ that sends Preachers yee must learne to acknowledge the great goodnesse of Christ that he would make any sending to such as ye be it had beene much if he had sent to us men when we had sought him and turned to him but that he should send when we had not a thought of him but were sinning against him this is a farre greater mercy therefore how thankefull should we be to Christ that he sends to us Daniel chap. 6. 22. doth acknowledge this as a great blessing saith he My God hath sent his Angell and hath shut the mouthes of the Lions that they have not hurt me so wee are to acknowledge it a great mercy and kindnesse of God to send his Preachers and Ministers not when wee lay bound in the Lions denne but when wee lay fast bound with the divels and hath preserved us from them It was a great kindnesse and favour that Ioseph would send to his father and to his brethren and bade them leave all and come into the land of Egypt and willed them that they should not care for their stuffe for they should have the best of the land notwithstanding the unkindenesse of his brethren Iosephs brethren were not so unkinde to him as wee bee to Christ and yet wee may see the goodnesse and the mercy of the Lord Iesus that hee should send to such as we be Secondly seeing Christ sent Preachers and Teachers then it is your duties to receive them Esay saith The Lord sent me and Ieremie said so when the people would have stoned him one would thinke it were enough to
as deepe in infidelity as hee but they being met together when Christ came were cured of it and it is very likely if Thomas had beene there hee would have beene also therefore wee may see what a losse he had by being absent from holy meetings Now when the Disciples met Thomas they told him that they had seene the Lord they had seene him that had triumphed over death and the grave and you have not so Christians may say when they have beene at holy meetings wee have seene Christ in the face of the Gospell we have had motions of faith and of repentance wee have beene brought to the sight of our sinnes and you have not therefore little doe men know what a losse they have by being absent from holy meetings though it bee but once for Luk. 8. 9. the Word is compared to seede and why because although the land be good yet it is hardened and beareth nothing till it be plowed and sowne so the increase comes of the seede if a man should steale but a pecke of seede from one he doth him more hurt than if he should steale a bushell of corne out of his barne because hee steales away his increase so our hearts being barren till the Word of God be sowne in them when the devill steales away but a little of this seede of the Word hee doth us more hurt than the world can doe otherwise and that by keeping us away From these holy meetings because hee steales away out increase of grace Wee read Act. 10. 6. That the Angell saith to Cornelius send for Peter and he shall speake words unto thee whereby thou shall be saved and all thine house so a man may chance to bee absent at that time when hee might heare words that hee might bee saved by for who knowes whether that time might not bee the time of his conversion and the time of his repentance and therefore little doth a man know what hee may lose by being absent but one time from holy meetings Thomas was away but once when Christ came and wee see how grievously hee fell in infidelity and this was the first reason why he remained an unbeleever Secondly Thomas prescribed a law of beleeving to himselfe and put on a condition upon Christ Except I see in his hands the print of the nailes and put my finger into the print of the nailes and thrust my hand into his side I will 〈◊〉 beleeve so this law that Thomas made unto himselfe was another reason why hee remained in unbeleefe and yet there was matter enough to make him beleeve though he had not seene him for Christ told him before that he should rise the third day and he had seene Christ raise Lazaâ—â— out of the grave a little before besides the Disciples told him that Christ was risen and hee had the Testimonies both of the Angels and women notwithstanding all which Thomas makes this Law to himselfe which may teach us that wee must take â—eed how wee prescribe a law unto our selves that we will not beleeve nor repent except God doe so and so for us Iob. 4. 48. our Saviour saith unto a certaine Ruler Yee will not beleeve unlesse ye see signes and wonders so Matth. 27. 42. the Iewes say to Christ Let him come downe from the crosse and wee will beleeve him and 2 King 5. 11. it is said of Naaman But Naaman was wroth and went may and said Behold I thought with my selfe he will surely come out and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and put his hands on the place and heale the Leyer and if his servant had not beene wiser than himselfe he had gone away a Leper as he came therefore every man must take heede how hee prescribes a law of beleeving unto himselfe But what law was this that Thomas made I answere a strange unjust and unequall law for saith he Except I see in his hands the print of nailes and put my finger into the print of the nailes and thrust my hand into his side I will not beleeve Now there is nothing more contrary to true faith than this because as Saint Paul saith Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seene in naturall things we have first experience and after wee beleeve as feeling fire to be hot when we have experience of it then wee beleeve it to be hot and feeling water to bee cold we beleeve it to be cold so experience goeth before and faith followes after but in divinity faith goeth before and experience followes after for wee must beleeve though wee have no experience so then this law that Thomas makes is contrary to true faith I dare say wee are all ready to condemne Thomas but there be a number of us whose cases be like this they will beleeve no longer than they see with their eyes and feele with their hand the goodnesse of the Lord to them and when sense and feeling failes them then their faith failes them so Iudg. 6. 13. the Angell saith to Gideon God be with thee thou valiant man saith he O my Lord if the Lord be with us why then is all this come upon us because hee could not see Gods goodnesse and feele it with his fingers therefore he did not beleeve but we must take heed we doe not tye our faith to the sense sight or feeling but to relye upon God and to beleeve in him against sense and reason and to shut up our eyes and rest in the bare promises of God as that holy man Iob 13. 15. saith Though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee hee relied upon God against sense and reason so Christ when he did hang on the crosse he rested himselfe by faith on his fathers good will and therefore cries out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me so also David Psal 73. 26. My flesh faileth and mine heart also but God is the strength of mine heart and my portion for ever therefore Thomas's law is unjust unequall and contrary to faith The second thing is the Time when Christ appeared eight daies after so long Thomas lay in his sinnes and longer would have lyen if Christ had not come here wee are to take notice of our corruption how prone we are to fall into any sinne and how difficult and hard a matter it is to recover againe for being once plunged in of our selves wee have no minde to recover or to come out of our sinnes till Christ bring us backe againe an example hereof wee have in David who after hee had committed the great sinnes of adultery and murther lay in sinne a whole yeare and longer would have lyen in it if the Prophet Nathan had not come and told him of his sinne So the people of Israel Amos 4. 11. when the Lord brought a number of judgements upon them Yet have yee not returned unto me saith the
Lord. This then we see is a fearefull and lamentable corruption of our natures that wee soone fall into sinne but when we be fallen wee have no minde to recover nor turne backe againe till Christ bring us backe as appeares plainely Luk. 22. 60. When Peter had denied Christ his Master hee ranne further into sinne till Christ cast a gratious eye on him even so when wee sinne against God we shall goe further and further till hee cast a gratious eye on us Now the reason why Christ came not till the eighth day are chiefly these two following First to sanctifie this day as the Christian Sabbath and to dedicate it here wee may observe they had not a word of Christ all the dayes of the weeke besides but when the eight day came then Christ did appeare to them which may teach us to walke in the strength of that we get one Sabbath till the next for it may bee wee shall not heare a word of Christ till the next Sabboth therefore it must bee our wisedome to get so much at one baite as may serve to carrie us to another even as Travellers will so refresh themselves at one time as that it may carry them to the next baiting place so seeing we have a long journey to goe wee must so refresh our selves on the Sabbath as that it may comfortably carry us to the next Lords day Secondly to teach us that although wee cannot keepe our Easter with Christ and his Disciples the first day yet we should labour to keepe it with Thomas the eighth day that is if we cannot be of the first ranke of beleevers yet let us labour to be of the second ranke as Numb 9. 6. There were certain men that were defiled with a dead man so as they might not eate of the Passeover the same day therefore they came to Moses for resolution he referres the matter to God and the Lord answeres them that he that could not take it the first moneth in the season must take it the second Moneth so if we cannot bee of the first ranke of beleevers Let us labour to bee of the second ranke if not of the second then let us labour to bee of the third ranke if not of the third rather than to be of none let us labour to be of the last as Math. 20. the laborers that were sent into the vineyard some came in at the first houre some at the fourth and some at the eleventh houre so if wee cannot bee of the first ranke of those that beleeve and repent them of their sinnes yet let us labour to bee of the second sort nay to come into an estate of grace though it be in the last houre The third thing is The manner that he appeared in it was in the same sort as he did appeare before for he came in When the Doores were shut and stood â—â—ngst them and said Peace bee unto you and shewed them his hands and feete But why did Christ appeare in this manner There were two reasons of it First To confirme the faith of the Disciples for no doubt they had told to Thomas before how Christ was risen and had appeared to them before and therefore Christ comes in the same manner to confirme their faith Secondly Because Thomas had said in a private meeting that hee would not beleeve unlesse he did see therefore Christ answered him in his owne words and speeches which may teach us that Christ overheares us every word we speake in our private houses in our chambers when wee speake of this friend and that of this body and that and will relate them at the day of judgement even the same words we speake therefore every man must be carefull of his speech and of his words that he doe not speake filthy or idle words for at the day of judgement Christ will repeat them all againe as Hosea 7. 2. saith the Lord And they considered not in their hearts that I remembred all their wickednesse this is the reason why men run into sinne and wickednesse because they doe not consider that God remembers it for if they did then they would not doe as they doe they would not speake a word or thinke a thought contrary to Gods will Thomas indeede was much too blame to prescribe such a law to Christ and yet notwithstanding such was the goodnesse and mercy of Christ that he yeelds to his weaknesse And why doth Christ yeeld to him Because he did see there was a desire in him to beleeve and repent therefore Christ yeelds to him and his weaknesse Hence we may learne that such is the goodnesse and mercie of Christ to sinnefull men that notwithstanding they prescribe unjust and unequall lawes as Thomas did yet he will yeeld to their weaknesse if they have a true desire to beleeve So Marke 5. 23. It is said The Ruler of the Synagogue came unto Christ and besought him that hee would come and lay his hands upon his daughter and heale her where hee prescribed a kinde of law in thinking that unlesse hee would come to her he could not helpe her and if shee were dead hee could not give her life againe yet notwithstanding Christ condescends and yeelds to his weaknesse and goeth and helpeth his daughter This is the goodnesse and mercy of Christ to yeeld to our weaknesse Now here are two questions to bee answered First Whether there bee any wounds in a glorified body or no seeing Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 15. 43. That it is sowne in dishonour it riseth againe in honour it is sowne in weaknesse and it riseth in power I answer that commonly and ordinarily there is no wounds nor scars in a glorified body for as there is glory in one part so there is glory in all the parts as Tertullian saith of death that it is not in one part but in all so saith he there is not glory in one part but there is glory in every part and therefore commonly and ordinarily a glorified body hath no wounds but that Christs body had wounds in it it was by speciall dispensation for our good and benefit that wee might have faith in the resurrection of Christ for hee was contented for our good and benefit to abate of his glory this should teach us that wee should be content to abate of our glory for the good of our brethren and it is not mine but the lesson which S. Paul teacheth us Phil. 2. 5. Let the same minde be in you that was in Christ who humbled himselfe and became obedient to the death of the crosse for our good therefore wee should bee contented to humble our selves and to doe good to our brethren The second question is why hee would have his Disciples to looke on his wounds I answer to shew them where the comfort of a Christian was not in Christs walking on the water or raising of the dead or casting out of devils or
out of his throne and set up their sinnes in his roome Psal 2. saith the Lord I have set my king upon mine holy hill it is the decree of God that wee should serve and feare him that we should labour To kisse him to submit our selves unto him lest his wrath be kindled and then we perish suddenly Secondly seeing Christ sits at the right hand of God therefore wee must take heede we doe not sinne against him and offend him because hee is in the next place to God It is a great matter to sinne against him and offend him as 1 Cor. 8. 12. saith he Now when yee sin against the brethren and wound their weake consciences ye sin against Christ It is a great matter indeed to sinne against Christ Augustine saith the Iewes condemned Christ and are blamed for it but there is a great difference betweene their sinnes and the sinnes of Christians under the Gospell for they sinned against Christ in the time of his humiliation when hee did hang on the crosse but thou art a christian sin'st him now he is exalted into glory and sits at the right hand of God we see David when he had cut off but the lap of Sauls garment his heart did smite him so much more should our hearts smite us when wee have sinned against him and offended him Thirdly seeing Christ sits at the right hand of God doe thou labor to bee in Christ a true Christian and then hee will defend thee from all dangers and turne all they troubles into comforts all thy paines to ease thy sorrow into joy thy sicknesse into health and thy death into life Acts 7. 36. we read that Stephen saw Heaven opened and Christ standing at the right hand of God ready to receive him so if a Christian man or woman behold Christ with the eye of Faith sitting at the right hand of God at the day of Death this will give them comfort against all their troubles Fourthly seeing Christ sits at the right hand of God therefore as Christ overcame the Divell and all our spirituall enemies so wee must first overcome sin the Divell and all our lusts and then we shall sit at the right hand of God this promise makes Revel 2. 21. To him that overcommeth will I grant to sit with me in my Fathers Throne even as I overcame and sit with my Father in his Throne and therefore doe thou never rest but labour to overcome sinne and thy owne corruptions whatsoever thy paines and troubles be and then thou shalt sit at the right hand of God Matth. 19. 28. saith Christ Ye which follow me in the regeneration shall sit on twelve Thrones and judge the twelve Tribes of Israel you that follow me in a holy life you that are borne againe anew and you that repent of your sins and make conscience of your waies you shall sit upon the throne of Christ when others shall sit down in the shadow of death and in the dungeon of Hell with the Divell and his Angels therefore as Christ overcame Sinne Death and Hell and the Divell and when he had done it hee sate downe then at the right hand of God so when we have overcome we shall sit at the right hand of God for ever SERMON XLI 1 PETER 4. 5. Who shall give account to him that is ready to Iudge the quicke and the Dead WE are come to speake of the last degree of Christs exaltation which is in the next Article of our Christian profession a branch whereof is that from thence he shall come to judge the quicke and the Dead He that was judged of others shall judge us even he that was judged of Pilate Caiaphas Iudas and Caine Hee shall judge the quicke and the Dead that is all the people that have beene in all ages and times even all that have beene dead many a thousand yeeres before and all the people that be living at the present for when all men have plaid their pageants on the stage of this World then the Lord Iesus Christ shall have his time to play his part to shut up all and gather his servants and saints together into Heaven but the wicked shall bee cast into Hell This is that which Iob speakes of I know my Redeemer liveth and hee shall stand the last on Earth when all men have plaid their parts on the stage of this World when kings have given up their Crownes and flung downe their Scepters at the feete of Christ then hee shall stand the last on the Earth to gather his Saints and people unto himselfe and to condemne the wicked to everlasting torment This is a point to bee considered bringing with it great comfort that hee which is our Saviour and Redeemer shall bee our Iudge Now there bee two commings of Christ mentioned in the Scriptures his first to worke mans redemption as it is Luk. 19. The Sonne of Man is come to seeke and to save that which is lost his second comming is to judge the whole World as it is Psal 96. 13. For be commeth to judge the Earth He will judge the world with righteousnesse and the People with Equitie therefore seeing Christs comming is to judgement it must be every mans wisedome to lay hold on his first comming labour to be converted and to repent of his sinnes and to get Faith and to bee brought to an estate of grace for his second comming is to judgement heerefrom wee may observe these sixe particulars 1. That there shall be a judgement day 2. Who shall be the Iudge 3. The place where be shall judge 4. The time when he shall judge 5. The Person that shall be judged 6. The manner of the judgement First There shall bee a judgement day and a solemne arraignment of the whole World there be many judgements as Zephan 3. 11. The just Lord is in the midst thereof he will doe no iniquitie every morning doth hee bring his judgements to light and he faileth not but the wicked will not learn to be asham'd so there is first particular and speciall judgements that light on partiticular persons as Genes 15. 13. the Lord said to Abrahm Thy seede shall be a stranger in a Land that is not theirs foure hundred yeeres and shall serve them and they shall come out with great substance notwithstanding the Nation whom they shall serve will I judge Secondly besides this judgement there is another more private at the day of death as Hebr. 9. Saint Paul saith It is appointed for all men to die and then commeth the judgement there is an appointed judgement at the day of death betweene God and a mans soule and conscience as further appeares Luk. 22. 23. And it was so that the begger died and was carried by the Angels into Abrahams bosome The rich man also died and was buried and being in Hell torments hee lifted up his eyes c. so we see the one went
morrow or the next day therefore whil'st I have time I will labour to save my life so the heavenly Iudge hath given sentence of us and wee may dye to morrow or next day and therefore what must wee doe sleepe away the time or idle it away No but labour to make friends to sell all we have to part with our wealth and goods to pray unto God to repent us of our sinnes that so wee may escape that heavie sentence Fourthly seeing there is a judgement day this may give us comfort against all the injuries and wrongs that are done unto us Thus Paul doth comfort himselfe 1 Cor. 4. 4. But he that judgeth mee is the Lord therefore judge nothing before the time untill the Lord come who both will bring to light things that be hid in darkenesse and will make the counsels of the hearts manifest and then shall every man have praise of God Therefore howsoever a Christian man may be condemned for a dissembler an hypocrite and a proud person yet this may give him comfort that there is a judgement day and then men shall see whether they died in truth or no. This was Moses's comfort Numb 16. when Corah Dathan and Abiram came and told him be tooke too much upon him and counted him a proud person saith he To morrow the Lord shall shew who are his and who appertaine to him so this should be the comfort of a Christian when hee is slandered and evill spoken of and counted a dissembler hee may say to morrow the Lord shall shew you whether it bee so or no when the day of judgement is SERMON XLII ACTS 10. 42. And hee commanded us to preach unto the people and to testifie that it is hee which was ordained of God to bee the Judge of quicke and dead THat there shall bee a Iudgement day wherein Christ will arraigne the whole world besides the particular judgements that fall on particular men and the private judgements at the day of death together with the uses hath bin declared already what was then delivered I will not now repeat but come directly to the next point which is this Secondly Who shall be the Iudge Christ onely shall be the Iudge in this world there bee many tribunals for offenders to be judged at but when all these tribunals shall cease then Christ shall be the Iudge onely Paul telleth us 1 Cor. 15. 24. When hee hath put downe all things all rule and authority then God shall be all in all and Ioh. 5. 22. it is said he hath committed all judgement to the Sonne so in this place which I have read unto you Act. 10. 42. And hee commanded us to preach unto the people and to testifie that it is hee that is ordained of God to be the Iudge of quicke and dead as also Rom. 14. We shall all appeare before the judgement seat of Christ c. so wee see Christ is the Iudge and none but hee and there is a Reason for it for there are two things required of a Iudge 1 Sufficient Knowledge to know all things whatsoever 2 Sufficient Power to punish all offenders Which two are most eminent in God First There is sufficient knowledge because Christ knowes all things that are done there is nothing in all the world but he knowes it Angels know not the thoughts of men Divels know not mens intentions and men know not all actions that are done but Christ knowes mens thoughts intentions and actions Therefore it is said Matth. 9. That hee saw their thoughts And Ioh. 21. Peter saith unto Christ Lord thou knowest all things So Hebrew 4. 13. it is said That all things are naked and manifest before him with whom we have to do therefore he is the fittest for to be a Iudge Secondly as hee hath sufficient knowledge so hee hath Sufficient power to punish offenders when man hath killed the body hee can goe no farther hee cannot kill the soule but there is a power in Christ To kill both body and soule and cast it into hell fire Even hee Matthew 3. which hath his fan in his hand and will make cleane his flowre and gather his wheat into his garner but will burne up the chaffe with unquenchable fire And Revel 20. it is said And whosoever was not found written in the booke of life was cast into the lake of fire so there is sufficient power in Christ to punish all offenders and sufficient knowledge therefore hee is fittest to be the Iudge Angels are not because they know not mens thoughts men bee not fit because there is a defect of power when they have killed the body they are not able to kill the soule Now if any man shall object and say Is Christ the Iudge onely seeing hee saith himselfe Mat. 19. That those which do follow him in this regeneration shall sit upon twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel which also Saint Paul seemes to agree with 1 Cor. 6. 2 3. Doe yee not know that the Saints shall judge the world How then shall Christ be the onely Iudge I answer It is true that when the Saints themselves have had judgement then they shall bee taken up and sit with Christ in judgement But how Christ shall give the finall sentence and they shall bee Approovers or Assisters so they shall judge but not as supreme Iudges but as Assisters as we see at the Assises the Iudge gives the finall sentence and the Iustices doe but assent ratifie and confirme it to bee true judgement so it is Christ that is the Supreme Iudge to give the finall sentence the Saints doe but assent to it and approve of the judgement to bee true judgement The Vses are First seeing Christ shall be our Iudge we must labour to be found in Christ and to be Members of his body because hee wisheth well to his owne body Therefore let us labour to bee found in Christ to live in him and then it shall goe well with us Paul tells us Rom. 8. There is no condemnation to those that be in Christ all the comfort of a Christian ariseth from this that hee is one with Christ that hee hath the Spirit and grace of Christ to say as Saint Paul doth Gal. 2. 20. Thus I live yet not I now but Christ liveth in mee then hee may have comfort at the day of judgement when he is found in Christ It was Pauls care Philip. 3. That he accounted all things as dung and drosse that hee might winne Christ or bee found in him Now that which was Pauls care must bee ours also that wee should account all things but dirt dung and drosse to bee found in Christ If a man have judgement passed against him to lose his hand his eye or some other member for his offence if he hath the skill that he can make his eye and his hand the hand and eye of the kings son
see in experience if a man have a weighty matter to try in the court of justice if he heare the chiefe of his counsell is become the Iudge hee that was his advocate and pleaded the matter a long time he hopes that it will goe well with him so wee have a weighty matter to try in the court of Heaven it concernes our life and salvation and Christ hee that was the chiefe of our counsell is become our Iudge he that was our advocate and pleaded our matter a long time before God this may give us comfort that it shall goe well with us Saint Ierome saith well the day shall come when the whole world shall weepe and waile and mourne and grieve when thou that art a Christian shalt bee glad and rejoyce when Plato and Aristotle and others shall say we did not know him and the Iewes we tooke him for a bare man the Gentiles we thought it silly to beeleeve in One that died upon the crosse and the cold Christians shall say wee have loved the world and have not regarded him then the true Christians shall comfortably say This is our Saviour and Redeemer this is our God and we have waited for him The third point the place where he shall judge us The place is to be considered two waies generally and particularly generally the place where wee shall bee judged is in this earth therefore wee say in the Articles of our Christian saith from thence hee shall come to judge both the quicke and the dead and Act. 11. 1. the Angels tell us that this Iesus which is taken from you into heaven shall so come as yee have seene him goe into heaven so also Iude 24. Henoch tels us that the Lord shall come with thousand of his Saints to give judgement against all men so that this world is the place of judgment and moreover I will prove it by these two reasons First because this is the ordinary course of Iustice for where men commit their offences in the same places they are judged as wee see in the same countries where men have done their faults there the Assises are kept so seeing we have sinned against God in this earth here wee shall be judged as 1 Sam. 7. 6. it is said Samuel went about yeare by yeare to Bethel Gilgal and Mizpeh and judged Israel in all those places Secondly because it is the fittest and meetest place for it it cannot bee in hell or in Heaven not in Heaven because the unjust cannot come there not in hell because the just cannot come thither as we see Luk. 16. 26. Abraham saith to Dives Betweene you and us there is a great gulfe set so that they which would goe from hence to you cannot neither can they come from thence to us and therefore seeing they which are in heaven cannot come in hell and they which bee in hell cannot come to Heaven there must bee a middle place to judge the world in and that is this earth Now there be two uses to be made of this point 1. A terrour to the wicked 2. A comfort to the godly First it shall bee a terrour to the wicked to bee judged in the same place where they dishonored God and blasphemed his Name and where they have committed most grievous sinnes in the sight of their fine houses gallant gardens friends and acquaintance they shall bee judged if it were in a corner that no body should see them their griefe were the lesse or if it were in a farre country but seeing it shall bee in this world where they have sinned against God in the sight of their friends and acquaintance this shall be the greater terrour as Hest 7. 11. Haman was hanged on the gallowes which he had set up for Mordecai it had bin shame enough for him to have died in another place but to dye at his owne house in the sight of his wife and children servants and by the meanes of his goods this made his terrour the greater so the wicked shall be judged here in this world in the sight of their wives and children and in the sight of their friends and acquaintance this makes for the terrour of them Secondly comfort to the godly that in the same place where they have beene despised and and disgraced there they shall be honoured Iosephs honour was the greater that he was advanced in the same place where he was a poore slave therefore it shall be for the comfort of the godly that they shall be judged in the place where they have beene disgraced It was the manner of the Romans in their triumphs that they began in some private place without the city and thence went into every street till they came in the high and capitall streets so the people of God have their honour begun in this world whence the Lord doth carrie them thorough the clouds and firie region till hee bring them to the capitall street to heaven this is a great comfort to the godly where they have beene disgraced and despised there they be honoured SERMON XLIII ACTS 17. 3â— 3â— But now commandeth all men every where to repent Because hee hath appointed a day in the which hee will judge the world in righteousnesse by that man whom he hath ordained WEE spake the last day concerning the last judgement of the place where it shall be all Divines agree that the place in generall shall be on the earth not in heaven nor in hell nor in any remote place out of knowledge but in this earth where wee have passed our daies and where wee have sinned against God therefore according to our usuall phrase in the Creed it is said from thence he shall come David saith of his childe 2 Sam. 12. 23. I shall goe to him but he shall not returne to me but it is not a sure thing that wee shall goe first to Christ till he come to us So in generall we all agree that in this earth shall be erected a glorious throne for Iesus Christ to sit upon and to judge the whole world where we have lived and where wee have passed our daies where we have sinned and dishonoured God The Uses whereof were matter of terrour and matter of comfort which I handled then therefore I proceed To the particular In what place of the world men shall bee judged This is a thing uncertaine and the best Divines hold it cannot be determined out of the Scriptures in what place it shall be but onely by probability Therefore in things of this nature it is good to take Saint Pauls rule Rom. 12. 3. Sapere ad sobrietatem to thinke soberly not above what wee ought to thinke We should not prie and looke into Gods Arke that is into his secret Counsell more than is meete but wee must content our selves with things revealed as Genes 32. 13. Iaakob said of his sheepe that hee would not overdrive them lest they die so
there bee a number of men that overdrive their wits and bring them into an high straine and so make them die therefore a learned man saith well It is better not to judge of things secret and hidden than to strive and contend about them There be a number of Papists that do determine the place where it shall be though the best Divines hold it uncertaine and they bring Scripture for it too Some say that the place is the valley of Iehosaphat Ioel 3. 12. Let the World be wakened and come up to the valley of Iehosaphat for there will I sit to judge all the Heathen round about which words are spoken not of the last judgement but the meaning is that the Lord would judge the Amorits and the Ammonites wich were the enemies of the people of God in those times there the Lord would overthrow and destroy them and to prove it is not intended of the last judgement there be divers reasons First because he speakes by way of Allusion It is a Metaphor and a borrowed speech as wee may see by other places of the same Chapter as verse 18. And in that day shall the Mountaines droppe downe new wine and the hils shall flow with milke and all the Rivers of Iuda shall flow with waters and a Fountaine shall come forth of the house of the Lord and shall water the valley of Shittim Now as those words cannot stand in their literall sense but be Metaphoricall and are spoken by allusion onely so likewise is it in this place and therefore it cannot bee meant of the last judgement Secondly because bodies must have distance and place as Augustine saith Take away distance and place and then bodies are no bodies therefore it is not probable that the valley of Iehosaphat should hold all the bodies of all the men that have lived from the beginning of the World to the latter end of all ages in all the Countries and kingdomes of the world It is not possible they can stand all there to bee judged at the same time Thirdly the Schoolemen say it is probable that it should bee on Mount Olivet because Christ did ascend to Heaven from thence Now if it should be on the Mount Olivet it could not he in the valley of Iehosaphat because they bee a great distance one from the other as 2 Chron. 20. 20. we may see when Iehosaphat went out to warre he went to Tekoa which was sixe miles from Bethlehem and Bethlehem was sixe miles from Ierusalem and then the valley of Iehosaphat must needs many miles bee distant from Ierusalem so this opinion overthrowes the other But they say the valley of Iehosaphat was neere Ierusalem betweene the Mount of Olives and that but it cannot bee so because it is said 2 Chron. 20. 27. that Iehosaphat and the men of Ierusalem and Iuda returned home to Ierusalem from the valley So that it was many miles distant from Ierusalem whereas the Mount of Olives was neere for Christ sate on that Mount and did see men cast into the Treasury therefore the valley of Iehosaphat cannot be the place where the last judgement shall be Fourthly because the dsciples Luk. 17. when they heard Christ speake of the fearefull separation that shall be at the last day of judgement that there shall be two in the bed of whom the one shall be taken and the other refused two in the fields one refused and the other taken said unto him where Lord and he said unto them whersoever the dead Carkas is thither shall the Eagles resort Now if it had been set downe in the Scripture Christ would never have left it as uncertaine to his disciples when they did aske him of it So then it is manifest the particular place where Christ shall judge the World is uncertaine Now if men will not be contented with this but say there must bee a determined place where he shall judge the World which is like to be where he was borne planted the Gospell did preach and worke most of his miracles I must say for mine owne part I doe incline that way But whether it shall bee in Bethlehem where Christ was borne or upon Mount Olivet from whence Christ ascended or whether it shall bee on Mount Calvery where Christ was crucified or on Mount Tabor where Christ was transfigured I dare not determine for that is left uncertaine to us Now the Vse be made of it is that seeing the particular place is uncertaine therefore let us labour to bee joyned with Christ to lie with him in the Manger pray with him on the Mount fall downe by him in the Garden to goe with him to the Crosse to bee killed and crucified with him to descend into the Grave with him and to lay our bodies by him and our bones by his bones and to bee joyned with him and then as hee did rise himselfe our of the grave so hee will raise thee out of thy grave and thou shalt be gathered unto him by the hand of an Angell and brought unto him wheresover the place be Fourthly The time of the judgement For when we heare there shall be a judgement day then we make enquiry when it shall be It is a desire in nature to looke after it if once beleeved therefore not onely the wicked say where is the promise of his comming but his Disciples also Matth. 24. came unto him and asked him when the end of the world should be Augustine saith well All men that labour desire to know or to have an end of their labour Therefore as the husbandman casts with himselfe how many weeks it will be to Harvest The Merchant man how many daies to Returne The Traveller what time hee shall get to his Inne So a Christian that hath tooke paines to get Heaven cannot chuse but bee desirous to know when the end of the world shall be that he may have amend of his labour Now concerning the time of the last judgement I will lay downe these three conclusions 1. That the Time is certaine to God 2. That the Time is uncertaine to us 3. Although it hee uncertaine to us yet hee hath given us certaine Signes and Tokens of it First The Time is certaine to God which I will prove by Scripture and by Reason First by Scripture Matth. 24. 36. But of that time and houre cometh no man No not the Angels in heaven but my Father onely So Acts 17. 30. But now hee doth admonish all men every where to repent Because bee hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world so Revel 14. 7. the Angell saith Feare God and give glory to him for the houre of his judgement is come Therefore although we doe not know the certaine time yet God knoweth the day and houre when it shall be Secondly we will prove it by reason for looke what God hath done in any special and particular judgement that
Christ doth defer the judgement day seeing all Creatures groane and long for the comming of it as Paul saith Rom. 8. the creatures they groane by the instinct of Nature and the people of God by the instinct of Grace therefore we may marvell that God doth deferre the judgement day I answere there be three causes or reasons of this delay 1. Gods patience in waiting for mans repentance 2. His goodnesse to his Creature 3. His care of the Elect. First it ariseth out of the patience of God in that he waits for our repentance as Peter sheweth 2 Pet. 3. 9. The Lord is not slacke concerning his promise as some men count slacknesse but is long-suffering towards us not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance so Gen. 6. the Lord gave the old world an hundred and twentie yeeres to repent in this S. Peter cals the patience of God in his first Epistle Chap. 3. verse 20. Because the Lord doth give us time to repent and doth deferre his judgements and waits with patience from yeere to yeere and from day to day to see when we will returne to him So then this delation of the judgement day ariseth out of the patience of God Revel 2. 21. it is said of the woman Iezabel that God gave her time to repent her of her fornications and when she did not the Lord did threaten to cast her into a bed of sicknesse so all the time that God gives us here is that we may repent and turne to him but if we doe not but despise the patience and kindnesse of God he will not onely cast us into a bed of sicknesse but he will cast us into hell Secondly it ariseth out of the goodnesse of God to his creature which hee extendeth to the reprobate so farre forth as it doth not impeach his justice for seeing it is a long time to lye in hell for ever and ever in torments where there shall bee no mitigation or intermission of paines but all the wicked shall be tormented day and night they shall have no Sabbath of rest nay they shall not have the least moment of ease therefore the Lord out of his goodnesse doth deferre the judgement day Mat. 8. the devils desired to be kept from hell and the Lord shewes his goodnesse to them Now if the Lord shewed his goodnesse to Divels much more to men Thirdly this delay ariseth out of the care and love that God hath of his Elect. There bee a number of men that bee yet unborne and a number now living unconverted therefore it pleaseth Christ to deferre the judgement day till the number of them bee accomplished It is said Revel 6. 9 10. The soules of them that lie under the Altar did crie unto the Lord saying How long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them which dwell on the Earth and answer was made that they should rest for a season untill their brethren and fellow-servants should be killed as they were so there be a number of them that bee yet unborne and not yet converted that the patience of God stayes for and therefore the judgement is delayed as Gen. 19. the Angell could doe nothing to Sodome till Lot was in Zoar set in safety so the Lord Iesus will doe nothing till hee hath set his Elect people in safetie Wee see a Ship that takes in passengers lies at Anchor till the last passenger be come in then they hoist up saile and away they goe so the Lord Iesus lies as it were at Anchor here in this world to take in passengers for the number of his Elect and when the last man is come then the judgement day shall be But some man will say if the judgement day be not yet then it will make men secure To this I answere that although the judgement bee not yet yet we know not how soone the day of death may come therefore we should prepare our selves for it repent us of our sinnes get faith in Christ for As the day of death leaves us so the judgement day shall finde us It is almost sixteene hundred yeeres since Iudas dyed and yet he shall stand before God in the same condition he dyed in an unrepentant man and in the same condition and estate hee shall stand before God in judgement Augustine saith well on Psal 36. Suppose that the day of judgement cannot bee yet yet the day of death cannot bee farre off therefore O man prepare for it for looke in what estate death leaves us in the â—ame estate shall judgement finde us I but yee will say though the judgement day be not yet yet it is good to keepe men in feare of it To this I answer that Christ would not have his Disciples build on a false ground and Paul saith 2 Thes 2. 1. Now wee beseech you brethren by the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ and by our assembling unto him that you be not soone shaken in minde nor troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us as though the day of the Lord were at hand Let no man deceive you by any meanes for that day shall not come except there come a departing first and that man of sin be disclosed so he would not have their feare grounded on a false ground and I accordingly excite every Christian man or woman to be quickned hereby that as death leaves him so judgement shall finde him therefore we should so shut up our eyes here in this world as that they may be opened againe in the kingdome of God Fifthly The persons that shall be judged be the quicke and the dead that is all the men and women that are dead and all them that are alive at his comming for all men shall stand before him of what estate and condition soever they be rich and poore high and low we which are present and they which are absent as S. Paul saith We shall all appear before the judgement seat of Christ no man can be absent from it there were many exempted from the marriage but there is no man that can bee exempted from this the mountaines cannot hide us hell cannot hold us but we must all appeare before Christ in judgement and I would to God this were written in our hearts with the point of a Diamond that it might not be forgotten There be many wayes to shift mens Courts and Tribunals they may flie the countrey or bribe the Iudge or compound and agree with their adversary or if this doe it not they may be prevented by death O but we cannot shifts Gods judgement barre wee cannot fly the countrey for whither shall wee goe but hee will finde us out hell cannot hide us from his presence we cannot bribe the Iudge because he is an heavenly and a righteous Iudge and will give to every man according to his workes neither can we
compound the matter with our adversary for it is the divell that will accuse us who will not bee agreed with nor can we prevent it by death for as Saint Iohn saith in the Revelation that Death and Hell gave up their Dead that were in them so we see nothing can keepe us from the judgement seat of Christ O that this were sealed in the hearts of all men and surely it would make them much more carefull how they passe their dayes in this world Saint Paul compares wicked men to those that gather and treasure up money in a bag which being opened discovers a number of strange coynes that they did not know of so every day that a Man sinnes hee doth as it were treasure it up in his Conscience and when the judgement day commeth then his bagge shall be opened that is his Conscience then shall hee see a number of sinnes that hee thought not of Therefore seeing wee shall all appeare before the judgement Seate of Christ let us bee carefull how wee live and passe our dayes here for although wee may escape Westminster Hall and the Kings Exchequer we cannot escape Gods judgements Therefore I say let us labour to repent of our sinnes and get a pardon for them till wee have gotten our quietus est in our Conscience that so wee may stand with comfort at that day that although wee bee found sinners and great sinners yet wee may get a pardon for them sealed with the blood of Christ and shew it unto God who will bee thereby pacified and pleased If a Man have committed Treason against the King by coyning money hee will not bee at rest and quiet till hee hath gotten a Pardon for it So because wee have committed Treason against God divers and sundry wayes wee should not bee at rest till wee have got a Pardon for them sealed with the blood of Christ SERMON XLIIII ACTS 17. 30 31. But now commandeth all men every where to repent Because hee hath appointed a day in the which hee will judge the world in righteousnesse by that man whom be hath ordained IT is a profitable and a fruitfull thought as one saies to thinke of the last end not onely of the day of Death but also of the day of Iudgement How this whole World shall bee dissolved and that wee must stand before God to give an account of all our thoughts words and actions How wee have lived and passed our dayes here Philosophers say That it is the end that moveth all Agents and the Schoolemen say that All actions are determined in regard of the end Therefore they compared it to the Sterne of a Ship which is behinde the Ship when the Ship goes before it and yet the little Rudder that hangs at the Sterne of it that doth order and governe the Ship this way and that way so the end of a man is the best thing that should order all the Actions of his life therefore it is a profitable thought not onely to thinke of the day of Death but also of the day of Iudgement therby to prepare themselves that they may stand before God to give in their accounts for certaine it is because men do not thinke of their last end they run jnto all sin and disorder Moses complaines of this Deut. 32. 29. Oh that they were wise that they would understand this that they would consider their last end And so in Lament 1. 9. it is said of Ierusalem shee remembred not her last end therefore shee came downe mightily shee had no comforter Here wee see it is a profitable thought to thinke of our last end and not onely of the day of Death but also of the day of Iudgement that there shall be an end of this whole world and that we must give in our accounts of all our thoughts words and actions Philip king of Macedonia had a little boy to knocke at his chamber doore every morning and to say unto him Remember Philip thou art but a mortall man and thou must die so much more wee that are Christians should thinke of our last end every night when we goe to bed and every morning when we rise and every time wee goe into the World that Christ shall judge us and that we must give in our accounts of all our thoughts speeches and actions When Paul preached to Felix of temperance and of the last judgement he shifted away the matter and could not abide to heare of it because he had a naughtie conscience for Iosephus tels us he was a naughtie man for the woman that was with him whose name was Drusilla he had inticed from her husband and therefore his conscience accusing him hee shifted away this thought but the people of God bee often thinking of this that so they may be fitted for it as Iob 31. considered with himselfe What shall I doe when God standeth up and when hee visiteth me how shall I answere so should we doe The last day we spake of the persons that shall be judged and shewed you out of Scripture that they were all men of what estate and condition soever they be I that speake and you that heare they which are absent and they which are present both the quicke and the Dead as it is in the Creed that is all men and women that ever were or shall be past present or to come no man shall be exempted from that day So Saint Paul saith Wee shall all appeare before the Iudgement seat of God and Revel 20. 12. I saw the Dead both great and small stand before God Therefore it is a sure thing that all shall come to judgement the Hils cannot hide us nor the Mountaines cover us so there is no man can escape it nor no man can avoide it Here in this World there bee many shifts to escape mens Courts and Tribunals they may flie the Countrey or bribe the Iudge or compose and agree the matter with their adversary or if these doe not serve Death may acquit them but there is no flying from God whither can wee goe where hee will not finde us out If wee were in Hell he would fetch us thence Neither will this Iudge take bribe for he is a severe Iudge and will not be bribed nor can wee compose the matter with our adversary for it is the Divell and he will not bee satisfied he is so cruell that he will not take the whole World to agree the matter nor shall wee be acquitted by death for wee see Revel 20. that Death and Hell gave up their Dead that were in them so there is no way to escape the Iudgement seate of God but all shall appeare before him from the first man that entred into the World to the last that shall bee borne and therefore this should make us the more carefull to passe our dayes in reverence and feare before him Acts 19. 20. as when there was a commotion in Athens the Towne
Clerke staid all with a word as it were saying We stand in jeopardie to be accused of this daies sedition So if men would thinke of this when they be in the heate of their affections and in the course of sinne it would stoppe them that one day they shall come to judgement and give in their accounts for all that they have done there is no man that can escape it no man that can avoide it When we have sinned through weaknesse and infirmity wee should not be at rest till we have gotten a pardon for it sealed with the blood of Christ As a man that is guilty of Treason cannot take contentment in any thing hee cannot eate drinke or sleepe in rest till hee hath gotten a pardon from the King so seeing we are guilty of Treason before God and have sinned many wayes against him wee should not bee at rest till wee have a pardon sealed with the blood of Christ and shewed it to God saying Lord I confesse I have sinned against thee but here is a pardon sealed with the blood of Christ I know thou wilt not deny it Sixthly The manner of the judgement whereto there belong divers Actions so that at the day of judgement there shall not be one Act onely but divers The first The burning up of the whole World even the whole frame of Nature all Creatures visible and sensible shall be destroied and brought downe into the dust Once the World was destroyed by water and now it shall be destroyed by fire God that set Sodome and Gomorrah on a fire in an instant and destroyed it shall set this whole World on a fire and no man shall be able to quench it and put it out David saith Psal 50. 3. Our God shall come and shall not keepe silence A fire shall devoure before him and a mightie tempest shall be moved round about him Daniel 7. 9. And he ancient of dayes did fit whose Garment was as white as snow and the haire of his head like purple wooll his Throne was like the fiery flame and his wheeles like the burning flame A firie streame issued and came forth So 2 Thes. 1. it is said When the Lord Iesus shall shew himselfe from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire rendring vengeance unto them which know not God nor obey him in the Gospell so that in small time the whole World shall be consumed and all the glory of it shall be brought to nothing Now if any man shall demand and say What be the particulars that shall be destroyed I answer The Apostle sheweth 2 Pet. 3. 10. That the earth with all the workes thereof shall bee consumed and burnt up all the habitations where we now dwell shall bee consumed and come to nothing many times if ordinary and slight houses be burnt such as be of bricke and stone escape but at the day of judgement not only the slight buildings shall be burned but also the stronger houses such as are made of no combustible matter of bricke and stone We see 1 King 18. The fire that came downe upon Elias his sacrifice did not onely burne up the sacrifice and the wood but it did licke up the water and burne up the stones and the dust so the fire of heaven will not onely burne the slight buildings but also the strongest houses that bee made of solid matter of bricke and stone and marble yea if they were houses of iron they shall be destroyed and dissolved and brought to the matter they were made of so all the world shall be dissolved and burnt up From hence wee learne these Uses First seeing the earth with all the workes thereof shall be consumed and burnt therefore this should teach us to moderate our care for the things of this life that wee bee not so eager and greedy of them as to scrape and scratch together these things unconscionably seeing the fire of Gods wrath shall fall upon them and consume them they shall bee dissolved and burnt up all these goodly houses and gardens hawkes and hounds all shall be burned with fire therefore we should moderate our selves in the things of this life For which cause Matth. 20. when the Disciples came to Christ and shewed him the goodly buildings of the Temple saith Christ Doe yee so admire these things and dote upon them the time shall come that there shall not be left one stone on another so may we say when men dote on the things of this life and doe not seeke after heaven and happinesse Why doe yee so dote on these things the time shall come that there shall not bee a stone left upon a stone Zerxes when hee had a purpose to goe to warre did muster his men in a place and he saw seven hundred thousand men whom he went up unto an hil to take view of and at the sight of them wept his nobles asked him why hee did weepe he said that hee wept to consider how in the revolution of an hundred yeares there should not one of all these be left so it is good for a man to doe as Zerxes did to muster up all his delights pleasures and profits to take a view of them and to consider that after the revolution of a few yeares all shall come to nothing Secondly seeing this earth with all the workes thereof shall be burnt up therefore to labour for the rich graces of Christ which is the use Saint Peter makes thereof 2 Pet. 3. 11. Seeing therefore that all these things must be dissolved what manner of persons ought wee to bee in holy conversation and godlinesse and indeed how ought we to labour to get Faith and Repentance to be brought to an estate of grace that so we may be saved and stand with comfort at that day If a man should gather a great deale of wealth together and put it into an house if one should come and set the house on fire and burne up all he would cry I am undone I am undone so if we lay up all our comfort and joy here in this world when the fire of Gods wrath shall come downe from heaven and consume all these things wee may cry out Wee are undone and therefore it must bee our wisedome to lay up our treasure in heaven and then it will be safe this is the counsell that Christ gives us Matth. 6. Lay not up for your selves treasure upon earth where the moths and canker corrupt and where theeves digge through and steale but lay up treasure for your selves in heaven where neither the moth nor the canker corrupteth and where theeves neither dig through or steale Hereupon Augustine saith well there was a friend that came to a friends house that he had laid up his Corne in a low darke roome telling him that if hee laid it there it must needs corrupt and putrifie but lay it up on an high loft and then it will keepe
safe so saith he Christ is this friend that commeth to a friends house hee sees that we lay up our treasures in this World where they will corrupt and come to nothing therefore he gives us this Counsell that wee should lay up our treasures in Heaven in an high loft where wee may bee sure they will be safe If any man here make a doubt and put this question What is there nothing but this world and the workes thereof that shall bee consumed and burnt I answere him from the same place of Peter not onely the earth and the workes thereof but the heavens shall melt with heate and the elements so much as is visible and sensible even those that are most true and regular and constant in their courses clockes may deceive us but these will not they be true in their courses and yet these shall melt with heare and shall passe and runne away from the presence of Christ Heere we may see the lothsomenesse of sinne that doth not rest in the center of the earth but goeth thorough the clouds and doth infect the ayre almost to the seate of God himselfe I would to God men would thinke of this when wee see a man strangely taken away by untimely death or a house on fire we thinke it strange but for the sinne of man God will destroy the heavens and the earth Wee see in the Law that if a man had the Leprosie upon him he should bee shut up and the wals of the house should bee scraped and if it brake out againe then the house should be pulled downe and the timber and the stones and the 〈◊〉 carried away that it might not infect the people Levit. 40. 41. so the Lord doth scrape us as it were by his judgements but because sinne breakes out still he will pull downe the house even destroy this whole world so that at the last day no man shall know his former house or his land to say here is my house or here is my land as Iob speakes When a man dyeth he knoweth neither house nor land Now heere another question may be demanded seeing the heaven and the earth shall be dissolved and burnt up what shall become of the people of God To this I answere out of the Apostle Pauls words where he tels us as a Mystery We shall not all sleepe but we shall all be changed 〈◊〉 is all shall not dye for those that bee alive or that bee living at Christs comming shall be changed from mortality to immortality this shall be their estate at that day the creatures appointed for the fire shall bee burned and the fire shall fall on the wicked but all the people of God shall be preserved as the three Children were in the firy furnace Hence we learne what a comfortable thing it will be when Gods people shall see all the world on a fire about them over their heads and under their feet but it shall not touch them Moses told the Children of Israel that the Lord would bring great plagues on the Egyptians which should not touch any of them so the Lord at the day of judgement will bring downe fire on the wicked and the ungodly which shall not touch any of the people of God howsoever they be set light by here not accounted of nor regarded yet at that day they shall see what a comfortable thing it is to be a Christian Thirdly seeing the heavens and the earth shall bee dissolved and burnt with fire let us labour to be found in Christ to be one of the people of God and then the Lord will worke strangely for us if a towne or a country should be on fire and there should be a little house of stone where whosoever could get into it should be preserved from the fire O how men would thr◠and throng thither Beloved Christ is as a little house of stone and whosoever is in him shall bee preserved from the fire when the fire shall fall on the wicked and ungodly and burne them then they that be in Christ shall bee safe from danger therefore every man should labour to be in Christ that so hee may be saved we see Phil. 3. the Apostle Paul saith that hee accompts of all things to bee but dung and drosse that he may be found of Christ so it should be with a Christian to esteeme all things but dung and drosse that he may be found in Christ let who will take the world with all the delights and pleasures thereof wee must labour to lay up our comfort in Christ and to make God our friend and then we shall bee preserved when this world shall be dissolved When the unjust steward in the Gospell knew his master would turne him out of his office hee made a friend with his masters goods so because we know not how soone the Lord may turne us out of our offices out of our dwellings therefore let us labour to make God our friend and then it shall goe well with us howsoever SERMON XLV 2 PETER 3. 13. Neverthelesse wee according to his promise looke for new Heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth Righteousnesse THe last day wee began to speake of the actions that belong to the great day of judgement and then we discoursed at large of the first of them which is the burning up of the whole world and dissolution of the whole frame of nature together with the severall uses and instructions that did arise therefrom now therefore to avoid further repetition I will proceed to the actions following The second action is the renewing of Heaven and earth for as soone as this world is dissolved by the power of Christ it shall bee renewed againe as you see it is said in the words read unto you But we looke for a new Heaven and a new Earth according to his promise wherein dwelleth Righteousnesse The people of God they know this though the men of the world bee blinded as birds are blinded with snow but we that be Christians know it and looke for it as a promise from God as Esai 65. 17. For loe I will create a new Heaven and a new Eart◠and the former shall not bee remembred and to put it out of all doubt Saint Iohn saw it Revel 21. 1. so then it is plaine by the Scripture that wee shall have a new Heaven and a new Earth But how shall it bee new I answer not in regard of substance but in regard of quality whence we see the reason why the creatures are said to groane Rom. 8. 22. that is they have a kinde of longing or desire to have this time come when they shall be set at liberty by this renewing brought into as glorious a state as they were in before they were brought under the bondage of sin Psal 102. 26. it is said The heavens shall bee changed as a vesture c. whereupon one saith well
that the Heaven and the earth shall be changed even as a man when hee puts on a garment is changed and that is onely in the outward view not in the substance of his body And Saint Peter me thinkes is very strongly for it in this Chapter vers 6. and 7. where he sheweth as the world was once destroyed with water so it shall bee againe with fire how was that even in the outward view onely the outward beauty and glory thereof shall be destroyed but the substance shall remaine as a Christian is said to be a new creature though hee bee not new in regard of substance but in regard of his affection and disposition so 2 Cor. 5. 17. every man saith he that is in Christ is a new creature so the Heavens are the same in substance and new onely in quality and disposition Now the heavens are said to be new first in regard of the use of them now they bring us raine and snow and haile at the time appointed but at the day of judgement they shall bring Christ and exhibite him to the world the goodliest sight that ever mortall eye saw as Matth. 26. 64. saith Christ I say unto you hereafter shall you see the Sonne of man sitting at the Right hand of the power of God and comming in the clouds of the Heaven c. so we see that the heavens shall be changed in regard of the use of them Secondly the heavens shall be new in regard of a new disposition now they never stand still but wind and turne up somewhat of the thread of mans life but then when the expiration is come and all time ceases then they shall stand still so that there shall bee no more time which is manifest Revel 10. 6. Where the Angell sweareth by him that liveth evermore which created Heaven and the things that are therein and the earth and the things that are therein and the sea and the things that are therein that Time shall be no more And the Philosophers say that Time is nothing else but the mooving of the heavens and revolution of them therefore when all time ceases and eternity is come then the heavens must needs stand still Thirdly the heavens shall bee new in regard of new effects for now they bee the storehouse of judgements and his armorie-house from whence he brings his judgements upon the world as Psal 29. The Lord makes it to thunder from heaven c. But at the day of judgement they shall no more bee the armorie-house of His judgements but the Lord shall there cause to flow out abundance of goodnesse and kindenesse therefore the Prophet saith that at the day of judgement the mountaines shall drop downe new wine and the hils shall flow with milke so that the influence of Gods goodnesse shall bee distilled out from the clouds And thus much for the renewing of the Heavens wee proceed now to the Earth The Earth shall be new in foure regards first we see that now there is a great deale of it wast and barren possessed with wilde beasts Serpents and Ostriges for the sinne of man as Psalm 107. 34. A fruitfull Land is made barren for the sinnes of the people so now there is a great part of it wast and barren for the sinnes of men but when mans sinnes are taken away then the earth shall bee made fertile and every place shall bee replenished Secondly now the earth yeelds nothing without mans labour and paines because of the curse that was laid upon it for sinne but at the day of judgement there shall bee no more curse for then it shall yeeld fruit without labour and paines Thirdly now the earth is the valley of teares where the best men have most trouble but at the last day it shall bee a doore to let us into glory as Iosh 2. 15. the Lord doth promise to the Children of Israel to give them the valley of Achor for a doore of hope so this earth shall be the doore of our hope to let us in to glory here wee shall begin the glory which afterwards we shall have perfect and consummate in Heaven Fourthly the earth now is walled and paled and hedged in a great part of it wherein every man labours to draw the commodity of it to himselfe but at the last day all shall be laid common there shall not need to bee any statute against enclosures but all shall bee laid open for his Saints and people Now heere may a question arise seeing the just shall goe to heaven and the wicked to hell To what end shall this Earth be renewed I answer there be three causes of it 1 In Regard of Christ 2 In Regard of the Godly 3 In Regard of the wicked First In Regard of Christ because he shall set up his throne here in this earth and make it his judgement seat now we may not thinke that it can stand with the glory of Christ to set up his judgment seat on the dead cinders and fruitlesse ashes of this sinfull world therefore it shall be renewed to make it a fit place for Christ to sit in judgement as when Iudges come to sit in Iudgement though the place be mean and unhandsome before yet then they hang it with tapestry decke it and strew it to make it a fit place for the Iudges to sit in so this Earth shall bee renewed in regard of Christ Secondly the Earth shall be renewed In Regard of the Godly that they may see that there was nothing lost by Adam but it is made good againe by Christ for whatsoever was lost by the first is restored againe by the second Adam In the Law the yeare of Iubile being come when the trumpet sounded and liberty was proclaimed every owner returned to his possession againe that hee had beene kept from a long time so at the last Iudgement when the trumpet shall sound and liberty shall be proclaimed all the people of God shall returne againe to their possessions from which they have beene with-held ever since it was lost by the first Adam But why shall the earth be renewed for the Godly seeing they shall be in heaven I answer as Chrysostome saith great Kings and Princes though they keepe in their great chambers of estate yet they passe into them through some gallery or some court-yard so saith he though the people of God shall dwell in the great chamber of heaven yet because this earth is the gallery and court-yard that they must passe through therefore it shall be renewed Secondly For a further increase of glory as it is a glory and an honour to our king that hee is king and Lord of a great many of countryes though it may bee hee meanes never to come into them but dwells here in this land so this is a great honour to the people of God that they be kings and
sorrowes and we esteemed him not and as the Prophet David saith of him a worme and no man for our sinnes brought him to the lowest steppe of abasement As a few droppes of water being put into a lampe by little and little the light decreaseth till at last it dieth and goeth out so our sinnes being put upon him did so darken and abate his glory that it brought him to the lowest steppe and degree of abasement We thinke it no matter when we sinne against God but here we see when our sins were imputed to Christ it cast such darknesse and abasement upon him that though he were glorious in himselfe yet in the sight of the world he was the most abject amongst men and if Christ was thus abased much more then the most noble and the greatest man that is if he sinne against God it will take away all his glory we marvell that sinne should cast such disgrace upon men and bring such shame upon them but we neede not marvell at it seeing it cast such disgrace on Christ when it was but imputed unto him Gen. 49. 4. it is said of Reuben Vnstable as water Thou shalt not be excellent because thou wentest to thy Fathers bed thou didst defile it therefore thy dignitie is gone so if wee sinne against God it will take away all our glory as the false Prophets said when they were demanded What are these wounds in thy hands Then hee shall answere Thus was I wounded in the house of my friends Zech. 13. 6. So we may say by our sinnes when they have brought disgrace and shame upon us what is this They be the wounds that I have received in the house of my friend It is well observed of a learned man that if one take the brightest colour let it bee what it will Scarlet or Purple or Watchet and hold it in the Sunne and it will have a darke shaddow so the brightest sinnes and the most brave they will have but a darke shadow when they come before the Sunne of righteousnesse Christ Iesus unto judgement Therefore seeing sinne brings such disgrace upon us wee should take heede we doe not sinne but rather cast it from us We see when Christ had cast away our sinnes from him he had the former glory that he had in the beginning as Heb. 9. 28. It is said That Christ was once offered to take away the sinnes of many and to them that looke for him shall hee appeare the secoâ—d time without sinne unto salvation Which may teach us that if wee cast away our sinnes and labour to bury them in the grave we shall have that former glory that wee had in the beginning before the fall of our first Parents so Iudges 16. it is said of Sampson That when he had sinned against God hee lost his strength but after that his haire grew againe as soone as he had renewed his repentance his strength did come againe as appeared in that He killed more at his death than he did in his life so hee had more glory at his death than in his life so howsoever our sinnes may bring disgrace and shame upon us yet if we can repent of them and turne to God we shall have greater glory than ever wee had at the first or should have had if Adam had stood in his innocencie Secondly wherein this glory of Christ consists which is chiefly in three things First In the traine of Christ that hee shall be accompanied and attended with all the holy Angels for there is never an Angell Archangell Cherubin or Seraphin but they bee ready to doe service to Christ and to attend him So Daniel 7. 10. It is said A firie streame issued and came forth from him thousand thousands did minister unto him and tenne thousand did stand before him and 2 Thes 7. When the Lord shall shew himselfe from Heaven with his mightie Angels in flaming fire rendring vengeance unto all them that know not God nor obey his Gospell and Iude 14. the Apostle shewes that Henoch the seventh from Adam did prophesie of this saying Behold the Lord commeth with thousands of his Saints to execute judgement upon all men This is one point of the glory of Christ that the Angels shall attend him and be ready to doe him service we see the person of a King is glorious in himselfe but when he is inclosed with his Nobles and Guard it is more glorious so the person of Christ is glorious in himselfe but more glorious when hee is accompanied with all the Angels and Powers in Heaven who are ready to doe him service Let this therefore be a comfort to Christians for wee see when Christ came to his passion hee was guarded with a company of base Souldiers but at his second comming he shall have thousand thousands of Angels to attend him Secondly it consists in the splendâ—r and brightnesse of his bodie it shall darken all other lights even the light of the Sunne and the Moone So Revel 21. 23. it is said that the Citie hath no neede of the light of the Sunne neither of the Moone to shine on itâ— for the glory of God doth light it and the Lambe is the light thereof This is another part of the glory of Christ unto which the most eminent glory of the greatest kingdoms and states on Earth is not comparable and therefore why doe men so dote on the glory of this World Thirdly it consists in the eminencie of his Soveraigne power and authority that hee hath to arraigne and judge all men as the supreame Iudge So Psal 110. 1. The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine enemies thy footestoole All the enemies of Christ shall bee brought under foote of Christ and shall licke the dust of his feete so also 1 Cor. 15. 25. it is said For he shall raigne till he hath put downe all his enemies under his feete this is another part of Christs glory Tell mee doe you thinke that Adam was a glorious man when all the Birds and Beasts were brought before him to receive names from him as their Soveraigne Lord Then what a great glory will this be to Christ that not onely the Birds and Beasts shall bee brought before him but also all men and that not to receive names but to give a finall sentence either of absolution or condemnation I but what shall we be the better for this glory of Christ I answer Christs glory is for the good of his Saints and People hee is glorified not onely for himselfe but also for the good of Christians that beleeve in him for he hath two keyes the key of Hell and of Heaven First the key of Hell to shut up all the wicked and damned thereinto As Revel 20. And I saw an Angell come downe from Heaven having the key of the bottomlesse Pit and a great chaine in his hand and he tooke the
stand before God in this great assembly therefore labour thou to repent of thy sinnes and to get faith in Christ and to be prepared for that day I would to God I could perswade you a little to sequester your thoughts from the world and to thinke of the day of the Lord that all men shall bee gathered together before the Lord and arraigned to give an accompt of all his actions that he hath done how would this worke on our hearts to lay up comfort for that day Esai 10. 3. The Prophet demands What shall yee doe now in the day of your visitation and of destruction so the wicked may say what shall we doe at that day when we shall be convicted and found haters of God despisers of good things contemners of religion and deceivers of our neighbours so the consideration of this might make every one to be prepared for it Thus we see that not onely the elect shall be gathered but the wicked also Secondly by whom they shall bee gathered by the Angels Now the Angels doe service to us first when we be living secondly when wee bee dead thirdly at the day of judgement First they doe us service whilst wee are living they attend us and carry us in their hands as it is said Psal 91. For hee shall give his Angels charge over thee to keepe thee in all thy wayes they shall beare thee in their hands that thou hurt not thy foote against a stone so Psal 34. 7. The Angell of the Lord pitcheth round about them that feare him and delivereth them Secondly at the day of death they bee round about our houses attend our chambers and our sicke beds and when wee are dead they carry our Soules into Heaven as we may see Luke 16. in the story of Lazarus Thirdly they doe us srvice at the day of judgement to open our graves to digge and pull away the mould and to conduct and carry us into the presence of Christ therefore doe thou labour to bee a servant of Christ and to feare God and the Angels shall not only attend thee while thou livest here but shall digge thee out of thy grave and take away the moulds and shall conduct and bring thee into the presence of Christ as Acts 12. when Peter was in prison the Angell came and opened the prison doore and there was a light did shine round about him and he smote off his fetters and chaines and led him into the streets of the Citie so the Angels shall do to the godly at the day of judgement they shall open their graves which is a Prison and shall knocke off the Gives of mortalitie a light shall shine round about them and they shall take them by the hand as it were and lead them from countrey to countrey till they come at the presence of Christ to the new Ierusalem to enjoy fellowship with God and his blessed Angels Thirdly to whom we shall be gathered To Christ first as to the Head and then one to another as to the members First wee shall bee gathered to Christ our Head there shall not one of his members bee wanting which may be a great comfort to all Christians for this is that they desire that all their praiers they conceive all the Sermons they heare all their labours and paines tend to it is the center of their desires for this they sigh and long to bee gathered home to their Head Iesus Christ So Phil. 1. Paul desireth to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ though it be with the losse of life or goods he was contented Gen. 45. 1. wee see when Ioseph and his brethren met together what joy there was Ioseph did weepe on his brethrens neckes and they on his so when Christ and his members meete O what joy there shall bee at the day of judgement they shall not weepe one upon anothers necke but there shall be joy unspeakeable and glorious Secondly they shall be gathered one to another as to members though they live now in diverse Countreyes and Kingdomes in diverse Townes and Houses and by reason of some corruptions it may be wee may have little comfort one of another yet at the day of judgement all shall meete together againe and then we shall rejoyce in the company of each other then we shall meet with all the Patriarkes Prophets and Apostles Martyrs Confessors and all our godly friends and acquaintance that ever wee knew came of or heard of wee see when friends have beene absent a long time one from another and meete together againe how welcome are they one to another and how doe they rejoyce in the company of each other So at the day of judgement when we shall meete with our godly friends and acquaintance that have beene absent from us a long time what joy and comfort will there bee Wee see also when friends meete together at a Feast what joy there is one with another O but there shall be greater joy at the day of judgement when all the godly meete together and when every mans joy shall bee our joy So it shall bee a comfortable assembly to bee gathered to Christ and one Christian to another wee see here on Earth when Christians are met together to pray and conferre and to sing Psalmes what joy and comfort is there and yet there is many times meanes of discontentment but when all weaknesse shall be at an end and all imperfections shall cease much more joy and comfort in Heaven shall wee take one in another Therefore if wee have any wit in our heads or grace in our hearts let every one of us labour to be one of Gods people to be a member of Christ and then we shall bee gathered first to Christ our Head and then to one another as fellow-members Now we shall not only be aggregated and gathered together but there shall be also a separation for all the World shall be divided into two flockes or Heards the Sheepe shall be set at the right hand and the Goats at the left and they shall bee separated as a Shepheard separateth the Sheepe from the Goates who although they feede all the day long in one pasture drinke all of one water and are refreshed all under one shaddow yet when the night commeth hee gathereth the Sheepe into the Fold and leaves the Goates to bee devoured of the Wolves so the Lord Iesus Christ shall separate the good from the bad howsoever they lived together here in this world may sit all at one table and lie in one bed yet when the day of judgement comes hee will gather his sheepe into his fold and leave the wicked to be tormented with the Divell Now in this separation we observe three things 1 That there shall be a separation 2 The Time when it shall be 3 Who shall be separated First there shall bee a separation of the good from the bad by
injuried our brethren despised his judgements and abused his mercies these sinnes and a thousand others which wee thinke not on at that very time shall come into our mindes and or hearts shall frame such a bill against us as we shall be never able to answer howsoever now they be close and covered wee see in experience of nature if a man write a faire peece of paper with the juyce of a Lemman or an Onion there will be nothing seene but bring it to the light of a candle or to the flame of the fire and then all the letters will be seene and it may be read so it is with sinne some men write it with such a cunning pen that none can discover it the paper their fore-heads is faire and cleane but bring it to the flame of Gods wrath and to the bright candle of Gods Law and then all the uglinesse of their sins shall be laid open Hence the use is Seeing there shall be such a conviction at the day of Iudgement therefore how carefull ought we to be to live well because all the sinnes we have done shall then be laid open before us so Salomon saith Ecclesiast 12. 13. Feare God and keepe his Commandements for this is the whole duty of man for God will bring every worke to judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or bad Therefore because every sinne shall be knowne how carefull should we be to please God If a man should think nothing speak nothing nor doe nothing but it should be cried up and downe in the next Market-towne he would take heed what he thought spake and did it should be much more the care of Christians to take heed what they thinke speake and doe for it shall be proclaimed in the Theater of this world before all men neither shall any part of their actions though never so closely acted lye hid and not be manifested Gen. 44. when Iosephs brethren did goe out of Aegypt they went in peace and all was well because their sacks were shut up O but when they were made after and the sackes opened and Ioseph cup found in one of their sackes then they rent their clothes and tooke on pitifully so it is with a number of men in this world when they die and goe out of this world they goe with peace because their sackes their consciences be shut they doe not reprove them O but when the Lord shall open their consciences when their sackes shall be opened then see what a deale of bad stuffe there is in them therefore we should take heed what we gather into our sacks As it is in the story of Aesop his master beat him for eating of figs but he desired his master before he beat him to give unto every one of his fellowes a draught of warme water which his master did and they did vomit up the figs againe whereby the false accusation laid unto Aesop was discovered so it is in this world there be figs eaten and some say this man hath eaten them and some say that man and no body knowes who hath the figs There is something taken away injury and wrong done this man is blamed and that man well the Lord shall give us such a heavie draught at the day of Iudgement that we shall vomit up all the sinnes that be in the secret corners of our hearts and then will be seene who hath eaten the figges who hath had this thing and that hereby is manifest that there will be a day when the wicked shall be convicted and all their sins laid open therefore we must take heed what we doe and speake and thinke we see in the story of Iaakoh Gen. 31. when he fled into Assyria Lahan made after him and when hee had overtaken him he went into his tent and did search to see if he could finde any thing that was his which if hee had found hee would have carried all backe againe so when we flie away from the devill he will make after and search us to see whether we have gotten any thing of his he would make us his bond-slaves carry us into bondage into hell and therefore consider what yee gather and what yee take into your packes Secondly The meanes by which they shall bee convicted shall bee by opening of the bookes which we are not to take literally that they be paper or parchment bookes but it is a metaphor taken from earthly Iudges who reade all their Indictments out of a booke so all our sinnes shall be laid open before us as if they were written in a booke not by any report or surmises of others Wee finde in Scripture mention made of two bookes 1. The booke of Gods remembrance 2. The booke of every mans conscience First there is no sinne that we doe commit but it is written in Gods remembrance howsoever wee may forget them and make little account of them yet the Lord will remember them So we see Hos 7. 2. And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickednesse and Malach. 3. 14. wee may see how the wicked did scoffe at the godly and said It is in vaine to serve God and what profit is it that we keepe his Commandements c. Then spake they that feared the Lord every one to his neighbour and the Lord harkened and heard it and a booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name Now as the Lord hath a booke written of the good deeds of his servants to remember them so it is certaine that he hath a booke of remembrance to record all the deeds of the wicked in The second booke is the booke of every mans conscience For there is never a fin we commit but it is written in our consciences Rom. 2. 15. Their conscience bearing witnesse and their thoughts accusing one another and excusing at that day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ So their conscience is a witnesse to them whether they have done well or ill Now against these two bookes no man can take exception First they cannot take exception against the booke of Gods remembrance because God cannot remember that which never was for he is prima veritas the fountaine of truth and therefore he is not capable of any untruth he cannot lye like to us As the Sunne is the fountaine of light and therefore is not capable of any darknesse and the fire is the fountaine of heat and therefore is not capable of cold so God is the fountaine of all truth and therefore he is not capable of any untruth and therefore against this booke no man can take exception againe Philosophers say That which is never done and that which is false cannot be remembred nor come into minde much lesse then can God remember it who is most true in himselfe therefore against the booke
ever therefore againe and againe I pray God give us grace to feare it and care to avoid it SERMON LII MATTH 25. 42. For I was an hungred and yee gave mee no meat I was thirstie and ye gave me no drinke c. IT was my purpose to have ended this point with my last daies labour but because there remaineth something more of this point as the reason of the condemnation of the wicked to bee spoken of and one thing besides not yet handled which is what Christ shall doe after the last judgement therefore not I will finish up this Scripture and so will come the next time to that point wee spake of Wee heard out of the former verse of the heavy sentence that should passe on the wicked and ungodly first that they shall bee cast out of the presence of Christ secondly they should goe away with the curse of God on them the sweet mouth of Christ that shall blesse the godly shall curse them thirdly the place that they shall passe into is fire and everlasting fire fourthly the companions they shall live with the devill and his angels Now we come to the Reason of their condemnation for feare lest any man should thinke that it is for some horrible and heynous sinnes that they be judged to hell torments therefore Christ shewes in these words that the people of the world are deceived for they thinke that none but idolaters theeves murtherers whoremasters and such like persons shall goe to hell and that it cannot stand with the goodnesse of God that all these terrible and fearefull judgements should bee inflicted for small and petty sinnes Now Christ shewes that the world is deceived and that men shall bee condemned for small sinnes aswell as the great if they doe not repent for them In these words wee are to observe three things 1. That sinnes of Omission as well as sinnes of Commission will damne a man 2. Not onely great sinnes will damne a man but small sinnes will doe it 3. Though they seeme small to us yet they bee great in Gods accompt First sinnes of Omission will damne a man as well as sinnes of Commission for Christ will not say yee have robbed the poore and taken away their cloathes but ye have not fed the hungry cloathed the naked visited the sicke lodged the stranger the omitting duties of Prayer of holinesse to God of love that we owe one to another this wee shall bee damned for as well as sinnes of Commission For as Augustine saith how many things might Christ say to the wicked at the day of judgement If a wicked man should say Why hast thou judged us to Hell torments He might say because ye be murtherers theeves deceivers of your brethren swearers and because ye be bad livers But Christ shall say none of these things to them but it is because ye have not sed the hungry cloathed the naked lodged the stranger visited the sicke so then the very omitting of Christian duties Christ shall charge us with at the day of judgement will bee of force enough to condemne us Therefore the World is deceived for they thinke if they doe not body harme and pay every man his all is well enough though they doe no good but wee see that for the omitting of good and Christian duties a man shall as well bee damned as for sinnes of Commission therefore it is good for us to be wise and to profit by this lest we be cast out of the presence of Christ As a man may spend the day well in his daily vocation yet when night commeth if he creepe into his bed without prayer and wilfully remaine in that sinne he may be condemned for it if he repent not so likewise a man may eate his meate come to dinner or supper which a man may have because hee gets it with his labour but because he doth not sanctifie it by prayer and draw down a blessing from God upon it therefore notwithstanding other performances he may be damned so likewise on the Sabbath day though a man doe no worke though he doe not ride abroad yet if he lye idle at home and do not come to publike assemblies and is not carefull to keepe it holy to the Lord he may be damned for it And this is the first point that sinnes of Omission as well as sinnes of Commission damne a man if he doe not repent of them Secondly Christ shewes that not onely great sinnes damne a man and cast him out of the presence of Christ but the small too if hee doe not repent them this is another thing that the wicked are deceived in for they thinke if a man be not a theefe a murtherer a whoremaster or a great sinner all is well enough but Christ shewes us that little sinnes damne as well as great If we doe not feede the hungry cloth the naked visite the sicke and lodge the stranger the least sinne is enough to damne a man if he doe not repent of it As Matth. 12. 36. Wee shall answer for every idle word So Matth. 5. 39. Christ saith Whosoever shall breake one of the least of these commandements and teach men so to doe he shall be called the least in the Kingdome of Heaven So then the least sinne is enough to cast us from the presence of Christ we see if a Ship leake water though the hole be but as bigge as a mans finger if it bee not stopt it will drowne the Ship so the least sinne that is will damne a man if he doe not repent of it therefore we must take heed that wee doe not give way to the least sinne for as Saint Ierome saith there is no sinne so little but it deserveth the wrath of God and eternall condemnation Thirdly although these sinnes be small in our sight yet they are great in Gods account For would a man thinke in the light of nature and sight of reason that because a man doth not give bread to the hungry drinke to the thirstie and cloth to the naked these were such great sinnes with a number of others that seeme small in the eyes of the World for they thinke it is a small thing to tell a lie to sweare an oath to raile on a neighbor But Paul tels us 1 Cor. 6. 10. that raylers shall not inherit the Kingome of God and Revel 23. 15. For without shall be dogges inchanters whoremâ—ngers murtherers idolaters and whosoever loveth or maketh lies these although they seeme small in the sight of men yet are they great in the sight of God As if a man looke into a false glasse he can never see true proportion nor right quantitie but if hee looke into a true one then things will appeare in their true proportion and right quantitie so in the false glasse of this world and of mens judgement wee can never see the true proportion of sin nor the right quantitie of it but if we looke into
to thanke God that it is not so common amongst us as it hath been There is also another fault amongst us that a poore man many times stands excommunicated three or foure yeers together indeed there may bee a fault in the poore man to stand so long but let us take heed it bee not for want of our helpe Therefore as wee are ready to contribute to the necessities of their bodies so we should bee to contribute to them in this case But here may a Christian demand whether were a man best to give money or to stand excommunicated still this question I will answer by another question what if a man fall into the hands of Theeves were hee better to lose his money or his life I answer hee were better to lose his money because his life is the greater even so a man were better to lose his money than the meanes of grace which is the greater Another may here object and say I but how if a man cannot bee absolved without hee should sinne against God and offend his conscience To this I answer that if the case be so that he cannot be absolved but he must sinne against God then hee were better lose the Communion of men which is the lesser than the Communion of God which is the greater as Iohn 9. wee see the blind man whom the Pharisees had cast out Christ meets with and said unto him doest thou beleeve in the Sonne of God as if hee should say notwithstanding this censure thy cause is good thou art a blessed man in like maner although the censure of excommunication hath passed upon thee if thou beleevest in the Sonne of God thy case is good this may comfort Christians Lawyers have a saying that unjust Lawes binde no man and Bellarmine saith that there is a double Communion an externall and an internall Communion the externall Communion of the Church of God is in the word preached prayer and in Sacraments the internall is in the graces of the Spirit Faith love and other graces Now a man may bee cast out from the externall Communion the word and Sacraments as when a man is put into prison or banished and yet may have the internall Communion with the Church a man may be cut off from his brethren in regard of outward societie but hee can not bee cut off from Christ And these bee the uses wee are to make of this point Now that wee have spoken of the Nature of the Church in the next place we are to speake of the properties of it which are two 1. It is a Holy Church 2. It is a Catholike Church First The Church of God is Holy there is a company of Holy People here in this world as Zech. 8. 5. thus saith the Lord I will returne unto Sion and will dwell in the midst of Ierusalem and Ierusalem shall be called a Citie of Truth and the Mountaine of the Lord of Hosts and the Holy Mountaine so in Dâ—â—iel the Church is called the Holy People of God and Revel 22. 2. saith S. Ioh. And I saw the holy Citie the new Ierusalem come downe from God so also 1 Cor. 3. 17. Saint Paul saith For the Temple of the Lord is Holy which ye are Therefore seeing the Church of God is an assembly of Holy People accordingly as it is Holy wee the Members thereof must labour to be Holy Now the Holinesse of the Church is opposed unto three things that seemeth to take away Holinesse from it First the judgement of the world for it thinkes that of all societies they are the vilest and the worst they thinke them to be but a company of dissemblers and hypocrites that professe the Word but deny the Power of it but we that are Christians beleeve that the Church of God is Holy though the World thinke them a company of dissemblers David saith Psal. 13. Yet God is good to Israel even to the pure in heart and in the 14. of Deut. 2. we read For thou art an Holy People to the Lord thy God and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a precious people to him Therefore howsoever the World condemnes them yet wee beleeve that God hath a Holy company of People in the World The second thing that seemeth to take away Holinesse from the Church is that it is a united company of good and bad together for I have shewed you that the Church of God is like to a Flocke wherein are Sheepe and Goates a Floore wherein is Corne and Chaffe a Field wherein are Tares and Wheate and yet these bad persons are no true Members of the Church but like bad humours in the body Againe the Faith of a Christian opposeth and doth beleeve that there is a company of Holy People and that the wicked that live amongst them doe not defile the Holy things of God for it is Pauls rule 1 Cor. 11. 26. Let a Man therefore examine himselfe c. whereupon saith Augustine Marke thou that art a good Man thou mayest eat and drinke with comfort if thou doe examine thy selfe and againe he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh his owne damnation not so to thee that art a good Man but to the wicked that came like swine without any preparation at all The third thing that seemes to take away holinesse from the Church is the remainders of sinne and corruption for there is no Man in the estate of Grace but hath complained of this So David Psal 40. 12. My sinnes hath taken such hold on me that I am not able to looke up and Paul complayneth Rom. 7. The good thing that I would doe that doe I not but what I hate that doe I c. so in the best estate there is some remainders of sinne Therefore although the World and the Divell should condemne them yet we beleeve the Church of God is Holy SERMON LXVII 1 CORINTHIANS 3. 17. For the Temple of God is holy which yee are HAving spoken of the Nature of the Church we began to speake of the Properties of it the last day being two First we beleeve the Church of GOD is Holy Secondly that it is Catholike agreable to that part of our Christian profession Now the Church of God is holy foure manner of wayes First In regard of the Holinesse of their Faith or by the Holinesse of their Faith All other societies are fouly spotted and tainted with errour against the foundation but this remaines unspotted in the foundation therefore the Church is Holy because their Faith is Holy So Iude 20. But ye beloved edifying your selves in your most holy Faith keepe your selves in the Love of God So Matth. 7. 6. saith our Saviour Give not that which is holy to Dogges It cannot be denyed but that there may bee errours in the true Church for as they bee subject to all other sinnes so are they to the sinne of ignorance as
of our sinnes to get faith in Christ to walke before God in newnesse and holinesse of life and then after this life we shall live in all blessednesse in the kingdome of Heaven for ever SERMON LXXI LVKE 1. 77. To give knowledge of salvation unto his People by the remission of their sinnes AT length wee are come to the second maine blessing and benefit that God giveth unto us in this life the forgivenesse of sinnes wherein two things are to be considered First That the forgivenesse of sinnes is one of the greatest blessings that God giveth to his People here in this World Secondly That this blessing appertaineth to this life onely if we have it not here let us not looke for it in the life to come For the first That the forgivenesse of sinnes is one of the greatest blessing that God giveth to his People in this world We see Esay 33. 24. it is said The People that dwell therein shall have their iniquitie pardoned So Esay 40. 1. Comfort ye comfort ye my People saith God speake yee comfort unto Ierusalem and crie unto her that her warfare is accomplished that her iniquitie is pardoned for she hath received of the Lords hand double for all her sinnes and Psal 32. David pronounceth the man blessed that hath his sinnes pardoned therefore Matth. 1. the Angell said to Mary and thou shalt call his Name Iesus for he shall save his People from their sinnes so then it is cleare by the Scripture that the pardon of sinnes is one of the greatest blessings that God giveth in this life It is a great blessing indeed to have food and rayment with things fit and needfull for this life but the pardon of our sinnes is a greater blessing than that for take any man abounding in all these things riches goods honours and credit yet if he want the pardon of his sinnes he is a miserable man and stands in a wofull condition for he stands not on cleare grounds The prisoners in the Tower are in a worse estate and condition than the poorest waterbearer is for though he have all good diet attendance fine roomes and a soft bed to lie on yet in his owne sense he is miserable because he lookes every day for his arraignment when sentence shall be given against him so if a man flow in all the wealth and deliciousnesse the world can afford and yet be unreconciled to God and hath not repented his sinnes he is in a worse condition and estate than the poorest of Gods Saints though they have but bread and water because that every day hee may looke when hee shall have the finall sentence pronounced against him to the wofull confusion of him for evermore When every thing goes well with us it is an hard matter for us to see the pardon of our sinnes to bee one of the greatest blessings but if the Lord should open our eyes to see our sinnes and to feele the burthen of them a little being touched in conscience for them then if the world were set on the one hand and the pardon of our sinnes on the other we would choose the pardon of our sinnes before all this world The use hereof shall be seeing the pardon of sinnes is one of the greatest blessings that God giveth in this world therfore though God give us food and raiment things needfull and necessarie for this life yet we should not be at rest till we finde the pardon and forgivenesse of our sinnes most men now a-dayes labour for these outward things never seeke for the pardon of sinnes but every one should checke himselfe and say I have laboured a long time for these outward things for a little bread and cloath yet the time is to come that ever I sought for the pardon of my sinnes the greatest blessing of all Exod. 8. 8. wee read how Pharoah came to Moses and Aaron saying Pray yee unto the Lord that hee may take away the frogges from mee Hee desired not him to pray to take away his sinnes which was the cause of them Iust the same is the case of the men of this world they cry out take away this judgement this sicknesse this lamenesse take away this povertie but never pray to God to take away their sinnes which are the cause thereof Gen. 15. God made to Abraham great and large promises who replies to God Lord what is all this seeing I goe childlesse so when God hath given a man Riches and goods and what the heart of a man can wish for yet he should say unto God Lord what is all this seeing I want the pardon of my sinnes therefore above all things Lord forgive mee my sinnes and pardon them The second thing is that pardon of sinnes appertaineth to this life onely for there are two sorts of blessings some that appertaine to this life some to the world to come those that appertaine to this life are First The Communion of Saints Secondly The forgivenesse of sinnes Here a man must seek it for so Christ shewes Matth. 5. agree with thine adversarie whilest thou art in the way Now Augustine saith that the time of life is the way to the judgement barre and therefore while wee are in the way wee must labour to seeke peace with God and the pardon of our sinnes lest our adversarie accuse us to the Iudge and the Iudge deliver us to the jaylour and the jaylour cast us into prison whence wee shall not come out untill wee have payed the uttermost farthing And Salomon saith Eccl. 9. 10. All that thy hand findeth to doe doe it with all thy power for there is neither worke invention nor knowledge in the grave whither thou goest So S. Cyprian saith when a man is once out of this world all opportunitie of doing good is gone So Chrysostome here in this world one must finde the pardon of his sinnes in the world to come it will bee too late to finde it And so Augustine there is a twofold Repentance a fruitfull Repentance which is in this life and penall or unfruitfull Repentance in the life to come so the wicked in Hell may repent them of their sinnes the whoremonger of his whroedome swearers of their swearing and the drunkard of his drunkennesse but this kind of Repentance is unfruitfull because they have no good by it but it serveth to increase their further torment But the fruitfull Repentance is in this life onely therefore we are taught hereby to make it our wisedome to lay hold on the good time that God giveth us to repent us of our siâ—nes to bee reconciled unto him and seeke favour at his hands for if we bee once dead and layd in the grave all opportimitie of doing good is taken away If a man sends his servant to the market to buy such things as they stand in need of when the market bell rings hee must apply himselfe to buy the things that
hee comes for whilest the market lasts for if the market bee once over the opportunitie for that time is lost so the time of life is the market of the soule whilest this lasteth a man may have any sanctified Grace hee may faith Repentance favour with God and pardon for his sinnes but if hee tarrie till the market bee done and this life ended hee cannot have faith Repentance nor any sanctified grace nor one drop of Gods favour though hee would give a world for it Therefore let us bee exhorted to lay hold on the good time that God giveth us Now for the further inlargement of this wee are to consider two things 1. What wee are to beleeve in generall 2. What wee are to beleeve in particular In the generall we are to beleeve that if we can repent there is forgivenesse of sinnes and in particular I doe beleeve that my sinnes are pardoned and forgiven mee for what shall I bee the better to beleeve there is pardon of sinnes unlesse I can beleeve that my sinnes are pardoned now in generall there bee six particulars to bee beleeved 1. That all men bee sinners both in the estate of Nature and in the estate of grace 2. That there is no way to finde release but by the forgivenesse of them 3. That there is forgivenesse of sinnes if men will seeke it 4. There is forgivenesse of sinnes without limitation of Number bee they never so many or Quality bee they never so great 5. That God onely forgiveth sinnes 6. That God doth not absolutely forgive but it is upon condition if men repent them of their sinnes First Wee beleeve that all men bee sinners both in the estate of nature and in the estate of grace for in our Christian faith wee beleeve the forgivenesse of sinnes now there can be no forgivensse where there is no sinne and Christ teacheth us to pray daily for the forgivenesse of our sinnes to shew that the pardon of them is as needfull as our daily bread even in our best estate Iob. 9. 3. it is said If hee will contend with him hee cannot answer him one of a thousand and Psal 143. 13. David saith enter not into judgement with thy servant O Lord for in thy sight no flesh is justified so Salomon shewes 1 King 8. 4. That there is no man that sinneth not and Iames 3. 2. it is said In many things wee sinne all so also 1 Iohn 1. ult If wee say wee have no sinne wee deceive our selves and there is no truth in us Hence then it is plaine by the Scriptures that all men are sinners both in the estate of nature and in the estate of grace And it is plaine by Reason also for look where the punishments of sinne bee there is sinne for by order of divine Iustice where there is sinne there is the punishment of it Now all men have in some measure tasted of the punishments of sinne some in one kinde some in another therefore there is sinne in all men Wee see in experience that if the Bayliffes be busie about a man and they arrest him and strain him in his goods they will say surely this man is in debt hee is but in a poore estate so when the Lords Bayliffes bee left about a man that is when the judgements and punishments of God distraine us in our goods and arrest us wee may say surely wee are in the Lords debt our estate is but meane and poore The use is seeing all men bee sinners both in the estate of Nature and grace therefore every man must labour for the forgivenesse of his sinnes Wee see that David when he came to the sight of his sinnes by the Prophet Nathan he was not at rest till hee had repented of them so when we are brought to the sight of our sinnes by any occasion we should not be at rest till we have repented of them If a man hath committed such an offence against the king that he is in danger of death hee cannot bee at rest till he hath gotten a pardon from the king sealed which when hee hath hee layeth it up in his chest and looketh on it many times to his comfort so when wee have sinned against God and are in danger of death let us not be at rest till wee have got a pardon from God sealed with the blood of Christ which a man must lay up in his heart and look on it at all times for his comfort Secondly there is no way to finde release of our sinnes but by forgivenesse therefore when we have sinned against God there is nothing that can release us neither Angell nor Archangell but it must be by forgivenesse our case is like the servants Matth. 18. 24. that ought a thousand talents a great deale and had nothing to pay it withall so wee have a great deale to pay unto the Lord and have not one halfepenny to pay him with we have nothing and therefore we are never able to satisfie for it neither is there any other way to release us but by forgivenesse The Church of Rome saith that a man may satisfie God for many of his owne sinnes and that according to justice and needeth not at all forgivenesse But this is contrary to the doctrine of their owne schoolemen and Reason is against it First every man that doth satisfie for any thing must doe as much good to the partie as be hath wronged him by his offence as Aquinas saith that satisfaction implyes a certaine equalitie But when we sinne against God wee offend an infinite thing therefore there must be infinite satisfaction for it but al the actions of men bee finite and therefore no man can satisfie God for any sinne Secondly no man can discharge one debt by paying another debt But all we doe is due debt to the Lord for as Christ saith When yee have done all that ye can say that We are unprofitable servants therefore because all that we doe is due debt unto the Lord therefore we cannot satisfie for any sinne Thirdly sinne hindreth the vertue of satisfaction for if a man be a sinner he can doe nothing that is pleasing and acceptable to God and if a man cannot please God he cannot satisfie for any sinne but there is no action we doe but we sinne in it therefore we cannot satisfie God for our sinnes This is cleare by the Scriptures and therefore their doctrine of the Church of Rome is not to be beleeved For we must acknowledge when wee have sinned that there is no way to satisfie God but by free pardon and forgivenesse But how is it free pardon and forgivenesse I answer It is free in regard of us It is due in regard of Christ for it cost him three and thirty yeeres travell in this world it cost him his life and his blood many streames of pure blood issued from him to obtaine a
sinnes are pardoned is to conside with ones selfe if his heart hath beene set at peace by the use of good meanes whereas before hee hath beene troubled in conscience for his sinnes if he hath repented of them and prayed unto God for the pardon of them if his heart hath beene set at peace in the use of these meanes hee may assure himselfe that his sinnes are pardoned this is Pauls Reason Rom. 5. 1. Then being justified by faith wee have peace towards God through our Lord Iesus Christ therefore if a man can finde peace in his conscience upon the use of good meanes this is an evidence that his sinnes are pardoned If a man be run in debt and danger and the kings writs be out against him the Bayliffes lying in every bush to take arrest and carry him into prison so that he cannot be at rest nor quiet for them now if this partie hath a friend to go to London to compound the matter and to agree it the question is how a man shall know whether his friend hath composed the matter or no I answer if the Bailiffes be gone home againe and the man at rest and quiet againe by this hee may bee sure that his friend hath composed and agreed the matter In like manner when we are runne in the Briers of debt and danger and heare that Gods writs are out against us the judgements of God lying in every bush as it were like Bayliffes to arrest us and carry us to prison if we can send a friend to compose the matter and agree it that is if we can send our prayers up to Heaven to compose the matter with God if upon this one finde his conscience to bee set at peace and the judgements of God to cease and be removed from him this is a comfortable evidence that his sinnes are pardoned therefore although a man may bee a sinner yet if a man can repent of them and finde by comfortable effects that his sinnes are pardoned hee shall have comfort both in life and death and when he hath lived here a few dayes in this world shall goe home to God to live with Abraham Isaak and Iaakob in the Kingdome of Heaven SERMON LXXII IOHN 11. 23 24. Jesus saith unto her Thy Brother shall rise againe Martha said unto him I know that he shall rise againe in the Resurrection at the last day IT was my purpose to have spoken no more at this time of Forgivenesse of sinnes but upon further meditation there is something more that I must impart unto you which is To know what that comfort is that a Christian man may have when hee beleeves his sins are pardoned and that he is acquitted and discharged for them before the judgement seat of God I answer that the comfort is exceeding great First because if a man knowes by infallible evidence that his sinnes are pardoned then he knowes he shall bee saved and death shall be as no death to him and that after this life hee shall goe into Heaven to glory and happinesse Seeing nothing can hinder a man from Heaven but sinne as it is Revel 21. ult And there shall enter in no uncleane thing Therefore if we know that our sinnes are pardoned we may be comforted for as soone as we leave this world we shall goe to God As Luke 23. as soone as the good Theefe had obtained pardon for his sinnes the next thing that Christ saith to him is This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise and therefore if we know that our sinnes are pardoned then we know wee shall be saved and wee shall goe into the Kingdome of Heaven Secondly if our sinnes bee pardoned then wee know that all that God â—â—nds unto us comes of Love and that all our crosses and troubles he will turne to our good so that they bee not the wounds of an enemy but the love-tokens of a friend like the arrowes that were shot by Ionathan not to hurt but to forewarne so all crosses and troubles of this life shal turne to his good As soone as David had found the pardon and forgivenesse of his sinnes hee could say Of very faithfulnesse the Lord had afflicted him As a loving father giveth a bitter potion to his childe hee will put a peece of sugar into his hand secretly to allay the bitternesse of it so though the Lord give us a bitter potion that is a number of troubles and afflictions here in this life he puts into our hands as it were secretly a peece of sugar that is an assurance that all the troubles and afflictions of this life are sent in love to us and that they shall not hurt us but shall turne to our good Thirdly Then we know that as God hath taken away our sinne hee will take away the taile which followes it that is the punishment of sinne for the punishment of sinne followeth the act of it as the shadow doth the bodie for if we would remove the shadow wee must remove the body so God when he doth remove the body of sinne then the shadow must needs follow it We read Matth. 5. that when they brought a lame man to Christ the first thing that he saith to him is Sonne thy sinnes are forgiven thee after which the next words are Take up thy bed and walke So when the Lord takes away our sinnes he will take away the punishment of sinne Therefore in all the crosses and troubles that befall us we are not to deale with the shadow but with the body of sinne if we remove that we may be sure the shadow will be removed These be the three comforts that a man may have by the knowledge of forgivenesse of his sinnes therefore it is a good thing for a man to know in particular that his sinnes are forgiven Now wee come to speake of the other two blessings and benefits which the Lord doth give and grant to the Church in the life to come and the one is The raising of our bodies at the last day the other Life everlasting and these two blessings he hath reserved till the day of judgement closing up and making an end of all with them yet not a finall end for they shall have no end because the Lord will bestow eternall happinesse on them so that that day though it be a dolefull day to others yet it shall be a joyfull day to the Church of God and a day that they have many a day looked for and desired Now in handling of it we are first to consider The order of Gods distribution that he giveth us First the benefits and blessings of this life and then those of eternall life Hence we are instructed that that which is the order of Gods distribution must be the order in our intention for wee must labor to have communion with the saints here in this life and to have
our sinnes pardoned and then the Lord will raise up our bodies at the last day and give us life everlasting but on the contrary if wee have not communion with the Saints in this life and have not our sinnes pardoned we can never looke that God will raise up our bodies at the day of Iudgement and give us life everlasting Therefore beloved brethren be exhorted to labour to have communion with the Saints here in this World with the forgivenesse of sinnes and then God will raise up our bodies at the day of judgement and give us life everlasting As Revel 20. 6. it is said Blessed and holy is he that hath his part in the first Resurrection for on such the second death shall have no power Hee is a blessed man that riseth out of his sinnes and his corruptions in this life on such a one the second death shall have no power If a man make a bargaine and giveth somewhat in hand some earnest then he expecteth the performance of covenants about the bargaine but if he hath no earnest given him then he lookes for no bargaine so the Lord hath made a bargaine with us to give us Heaven and happinesse after which if hee hath given us earnest somewhat in hand in this life that is the communion of Saints and the forgivenesse of sinnes now then wee may looke to have our bodies raised and to have life everlasting We may expect the rest but if wee have no earnest in hand in this life that wee have not our parts in the Communion of Saints nor the forgivenesse of sinnes then when wee come to die we cannot looke for the blessings in the life to come Moreover in this Article we are to consider divers particulars First We beleeve that although we shall be laid into the grave and dissolved into dust yet that one day we shall rise againe by the power of Christ this is the property of a Christians faith The Heathen doe beleeve that they shall all dye and bee dissolved to dust but not that they shall rise againe now this point of the Resurrection is cleare by Scripture and by Reason First we will prove it by Scripture as Esay 26. 19. Thy dead men shall live even with my Body shall they rise that is when I rise all the dead shall rise so Dan. 12. 2. and many of them that slept in the dust shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and perpetuall contempt so also Paul Acts 24. 15. saith And have hope towards God that the Resurrection of the dead which they themselves looke for shall be both of the just and unjust and so Revel 20. 12. saith he I saw the dead both great and small stand before God so then it is cleare by Scripture seeing all other things are come to passe which the Scripture hath foretold then wee may bee sure that this shall come to passe also in the time that God hath appointed Now the Reasons to proove that there is a Resurrection are five in number 1. From the Power of God 2. From the Iustice of God 3. From the Mercie of God 4. From the End of Christs comming 5. From the Resurrection of Christ First From the Power of God for as Tertullian saith it seemes a harder matter for God to make a man being nothing out of the dust of the Earth than to raise and repaire him out of the dust being something and no question but that the Power of God is able to raise the dead at the resurrection as our Saviour reasoneth against the Pharises Matth. 22. 29. saith he Ye erre not knowing the Scripture nor the power of God c. as who should say the Lord hath Power to raise the dead The second Reason is drawne from the Iustice of God for it is agreeable to Iustice that those that bee partakers in good and evill actions should be also partakers in rewards and punishments but the bodies of men are partners in good and evill actions with the soule therefore the Lord will raise up the bodies of men to reward them that have done well and punish them that have done evill Tertullian saith well Wee must not thinke that God is unjust or slothfull First we may not thinke that God is unjust that he will reward the soule and destroy the body and that he will punish the soule and not the body therefore hee will raise up mens bodies to reward them that have done well and to punish the evill Againe secondly we must not thinke that God is slothfull that he will not put himselfe to that paines to raise up the dead bodies of men to punish them for their sinnes and offences therefore hee will raise our bodies to punish or reward them with our soules Thirdly From the Mercie of God for mercy extends as much as may be to all and this mercy is in men that if they could they would raise all the dead bodies of their friends but the mercy of God is infinitely greater than the mercy that is in men whose mercie extends in goodnesse to all the bodies and soules of men therefore hee will raise them and doe all the good he can to them he loveth as Christ saith Matth. 22. He is the God of Abraham Isaak and Iaakob Hee is not the God of the dead but of the living So he will raise their bodies or else he were God but to one part of Abraham but his mercy extends to both parts therefore he will raise the bodies of dead men Fourthly From the end of Christs comming which was to dissolve the workes of the Divell as it is said Iohn 3. 8. For this purpose appeared the Sonne of God that he might dissolve the workes of the Divell for the Divell first brought in sinne and sinne brought death this was his end for he brought in sinne to bring death upon us And therefore because hee aimed at this Christ came to dissolve this great worke of the Divell which is not done except there be a resurrection of the body therefore the dead shall rise againe Fifthly From the Resurrection of Christ for hee did not rise like a private Person as the Widdowes Sonne did and as Lazarus but He rose as the publike Head of the Church Saint Paul saith That Hee was the first fruits of them that slept so in the rising of Christ all the People of God did virtually rise that which went before in the Head shall follow in the Members as Augustine saith and Cyril saith well that Christ entred into Heaven by the narrow passage of his sufferings and death to make a wide passage for us into Heaven so in Christs rising we rise I but some say It was an easie matter for Christ to rise because He was God I answer it was a hard matter for Christ to rise againe after he was laid into the grave I
this world many pawnes and pledges of our resurrection therefore let us not doubt but that the Lord one day will raise our bodies Saint Paul speaks hereof Heb. 11. ult God saith hee providing better things for us that they without us should not be made perfect so we shall not prevent one another but shall all goe together The use is First seeing the bodies of the Saints doe not rise till the day of Iudgement therefore we must be contented to lye under affliction and trouble till God deliver us We see all the bodies of the Saints be trampled and troden underfoot of death till the day of judgement and therefore we must be contented to wait with patience for a time til the Lord deliver us out of trouble seeing there will bee a day of deliverance The second use is that seeing the bodies of the Saints rise not till the day of judgement therefore we should waite for it desire it and long for it as Rom. 8. we read of two sorts of groners the Creatures grone by the instinct of Nature and the People of God grone by the instinct of grace so that there is never a Creature that is well ordered sensible or unsensible but doth grone and long for that day therefore much more shuld we long for that time and desire it If a man hath broken an Arme or put a Leg out of joynt if one hath promised him that he will come to set and put it into joynt againe at such an houre hee will every foote be looking out of his window for his comming so seeing at the day of judgement the Lord will restore us againe to our former integritie we should long for that day and be looking for it Thirdly seeing the Dead shall not rise till the day of judgement therefore why doe men so pamper their bodies to cloath them so fine and to feede them so daintily who cannot indure the winde to blow upon them seeing they must goe to the dust bee companions with the wormes and dwell in the house to rottennesse therefore all our care must be to save our soules to get faith in Christ to repent of our sinnes and so to shut up our eyes in this world as that they may bee opened in the Kingdome of glory for ever SERMON LXXIII IOHN 11. 23 24. Jesus saith unto her Thy Brother shall rise againe Martha said unto him I know that he shall rise againe in the Resurrection at the last day HAving shewed that our bodies rise againe and that the same bodies shall rise that we lay downe in the third place we came to consider the Time when we should rise At the day of Iudgement then and never till then As Iob 14. 11 12. saith he As the Waters faile from the Sea and the Flood decayeth and drieth up So Man lieth downe and riseth not till the Heavens be no more they shall not awake nor bee raised out of their sleepe and also 1 Cor. 15. 52. it is said For the Trumpet shall blow and the dead shall bee raised up so then wee shall rise and never till then Some reasons then I named why we shall not rise till then which now I will not repeat but goe on where we left Here a question may bee asked seeing wee must lye so many yeares and ages rotting in the grave what may the meane while bee our comfort to uphold and sustaine us I answer that there are some things to comfort us and sustaine us in this case First that God will be present with us that he will not leave us nor forsake us no not in the grave this is a sweet comfort to us our wives and friends bring us to the grave lay us in and there leave us for there is none of them that will goe downe with us to the place of rottennesse but here is comfort that the Lord will not leave us there but hee will goe to the grave with us and will watch over our dead ashes by the eye of his providence to keepe them till the day come in which hee will raise them up againe as Gen. 46. 4. saith God to Iaakob I will goe downe into Egypt with thee and I will bring thee up againe so the Lord will go downe with us into the grave and tarry with us and will watch over us with the eye of his Providence to keepe our dead ashes and bring us out againe Rizpah is condemned for that shee kept the dead bodies of Sauls sonnes that she did spread a tent over them and kept them that the fowles should not devour them by day nor the beasts by night but much more may wee admire and wonder at the goodnesse of God to us that hee goes downe into the grave with us spreads his tent over us and will keepe our dead ashes which one day hee will bring out againe this is a sweet comfort to a Christian that the Lord will not leave us nor forsake us no not in the grave though our wives and friends leave us yet God will not The second comfort is that although our bodies lye rotting in the grave yet our soules shall be blessed and happy this was Pauls comfort 2 Cor. 5. For we know that if this earthly house of this Tabernacle be destroyed we have a building given us of God c. and so Revel 6. 11. The soules that lay under the Altar cried How long Lord and it is said that long white robes were given them that is that they were comforted with the glorious and blessed estate of their soules Indeed if our soule should not goe to glory presently but should lye as the body in the paine of rottennesse then we might say as Salomon saith Proverb 17. 22. the hope that is deferred is the drying of the bones c. but because the soule goes presently to God and is in an estate of glory and happinesse though the body lye in the place of rottennesse therefore this may comfort us a good soule is like the good spies wee read of Numb 13. that were sent into the land of Canaan to search the land when they came backe againe to the children of Israel they tell them that the land is a good and pleasant land that they have tasted of the fruits thereof and therefore let us not bee slothfull to enter in so the good soule that goes before into the heavenly Canaan and hath a tast of the fruit of it when it returnes againe into the body to live in communion and fellowship with it will say to the body Here is a good and pleasant land I have tasted of the fruite of it therefore let us not bee slothfull to enter in and possesse it Thirdly this may comfort us in that although we lye in the grave a long time yet Christ hath sanctified and sweetned the grave unto us by lying in it himselfe and hath perfumed it as Chrysostome saith
corruptions to quicken thee up to newnesse of life or else thou shalt feele the power of Christ to raise thee at the last day to thy confusion Thirdly seeing all shall rise by the power of Christ therefore let us not doubt but that the Lord will raise us out of our troubles whatsoever they be seeing hee will raise our bodies at the last day Wee read Ezek. 37. that the Lord said to the Prophet Sonne of Man can these dead bones live and so bade him prophesie upon the bones till bone ran to his bone flesh and sinewes grew on them againe and there was a great army that stood up verse 11. saith the Lord Sonne of Man these bones are the whole house of Israel that did lie in captivitie and bondage therefore the Lord did shew the Prophet that as hee was able to raise these dead bones to life so hee was able to bring them out of trouble and bondage againe Therefore doe not thou doubt but that the Lord will raise thee out of thy troubles whatsoever they be As Psal 86. 13. David saith great iâ— thy mercy towards me and thou hast delivered my soule from the lowest grave Therefore if thou dost not beleeve that God will raise thee out of thy troubles whatsoever they be then blot this article out of thy Creede and search it out for it he can raise thy body out of the grave then doe not doubt but that he can raise thee out of thy troubles whatsoever they be Fifthly In what estate our bodies shall rise in in an estate of glory Now they are mortall and mutable subject to a number of infirmities to hunger nakednesse cold sicknesses diseases and paines now they are dull and heavie in the service of God but at the last day when we shall rise againe our bodies shall bee made immortall and shall bee subject to no infirmities of nature sicknesses or paines then they shall have strength to performe their owne actions in so excellent and perfect an estate our bodies shall rise If a Physitian should out of his Art and skill give us such a potion that we should never hunger nor thirst after it and should be free from sicknesses diseases paines and griefes a man would give many a pound to procure it such a potion the Lord will give us at the last day hee will give us a cup of immortalitie that wee shall have no more paines and sicknesses therefore how should wee long and desire for that day Matth. 18. 8. our Saviour Christ saith It were better for a man to enter into life hurt and maimed than having two hands and two feete to be cast into Hell fire It were better for a man to goe to Heaven wanting his parts than for a man to goe to Hell with all the glory that this world can afford him and yet we may have this assured hope that we shall not goe deformed to Heaven but we shall have all our parts and glory put on them but whosoever cares not for Christ or for religion they shall see this glory put upon the People of God and shall not taste of it Let us therefore be exhorted to labor to have communion with Christ to repent us of our sins and to feare God that when death commeth our eyes may be so shut up in this world as they may be open in the Kingdome of God for ever Chrysostome saith that the Goldsmith putteth into a pot his silver or his gold then hee sets the pot into the fire and melts it where he formes a bowle or a cup to set before the king so the Lord melts us by death and then out of the dead ashes and cinders of the bodies of his servants hee frameth and will make them goodly vessels of honour to stand before him in his Temple One sayes well It is a good thing to thinke of the future glory of the body especially in the time of sicknesse and in the houre of death against the crawling of the wormes and the place of rottennesse Iob comforteth himselfe with this for I am sure that my Redeemer liveth and hee shall stand the last on the Earth and though after my skinne wormes destroy this flesh yet shall I see God with my flesh Iob. 19. so wee must comfort our selves in the like time of extremity Now this glory shall not bee from the redundance of the spirit onely but in regard of the blessed and happy estate that the body shall be in at that time As 1 Cor. 15. 42. saith the Apostle It is sowen in corruption and is raised in incorruption it is sowen in weaknesse and it is raised in power so the glory of the body shall be in regard of the blessed estate that it shall be in at that time Now in sixe things the glory of the body consists First the glory of the body consists in that there shall be all the parts of the body perfect and entire they shall want nothing howsoever a man may be maimed or deformed want a hand or an eye a legge or a finger or an eye here yet all shall be supplied to him at that day and that for two Reasons First Because all things shall be reduced to their former estate for as Peter shewes Acts 3. 21. speaking of Christ whom the Heavens must containe and keepe untill the time that all things shall bee restored in the beginning the body of man was made perfect and intire wanting nothing either for beautie or comelinesse therefore to this estate it shall bee restored againe Secondly Tertullian raiseth it from another ground Revel 21. 4. where it is said there shall be no more death alwaies saith he in the greater is inferred the lesser therefore if death be expelled from the whole man then it seemeth to bee expelled from every particular member and therefore for conclusion the bodies of the Saints shall rise perfect and entire againe with all the parts The use is seeing all our parts shall be perfect and entire at that day we must comfort our selves with this though wee want an eye a hand or a foote for we know by faith that they shall all be restored againe at the last day if a man should want a member an eye a legge or an arme and there were one could restore it to him againe he would give many pounds to have it supplied but better by many degrees is the estate of Gods children for let a man feare God make conscience of his waies repent his sinnes and labour to please him and hee may bee assured the Lord will restore to him all his parts and that not onely to himselfe but also to his family and friends Secondly seeing at the day of judgement all our parts shall be restored againe by Christ we should not bee affraid to forgoe any of them for the Name of Christ for hee that did restore the eare of Malchus which was his enemy
that although they should desire but a drop of comfort they shall goe without it Wee see the rich Glutton fared delicately every day lay soft had rich apparell and had a knot of knaves to attend on him but when he was in Hell hee could not have so much as a drop of water to refresh him this extremitie all the wicked shall bee in they shall be subject to necessities of nature and to all paines torments A number of men doe not beleeve us now but one day they shall see and feele it for if wee live not holily in this world I that am the Preacher and you that are the hearers we shall all see it and our hearts shall tremble at it The Godly they shall bee in an estate of glorie but the wicked in an estate of shame then how shall they crie out against the other and say yee would not bee ruled by us nor heare our counsell and advice Wee have heard what S. Paul said to the men that were in the ship Act. 27. 21. Had you hearkned to mee you might have scaped this losse saved your ship and your goods So good preachers shall stand up in that day against men and say if you had hearkned to us you might have shunned this losse if you had repented of your sinnes gotten faith in Christ and walked in a Holy course you might have saved your bodies and soules SERMON LXXIIII IOHN 10. 27 28. My Sheepe heare my voyce and I know them and they follow me And I give unto them eternall Life and they shall never perish neither shall any man plucke them out of my hand THe sacred Story shewes 2 Sam. 6. 13. after David brought the Arke from Obed-Edoms house when they had gone sixe paces they stood still and offered Oxen and fatlings to give God thankes for their good beginning which they had made so should Christians doe in any labour that they goe about stand still as it were and give God thankes for the good entrance they have made on their labours At this time therefore amongst other holy duties which wee are to performe to God on the Sabboth let us be thankefull to him for the good entrance wee have made in our harvest labours that so by this harvest wee may remember that great harvest wherein we shall all reape that which wee have sowne in the time of life Now having finished the Doctrine of the Resurrection yet there remaines some questions to bee answered although for mine owne part I could be contented to passe them over because as David saith Psal 131. 1. I have not exercised my selfe in great matters or in things too high for me and to observe the order expressed in the Law where the Priests as well as the People had their bounds set them which they might not passe beyond Neverthelesse I purpose to answer your desires and expectations in making supply of them as farre as by the light of Gods Truth I can and as I gather by the grace of God given me The first question is whether such as were borne monsters and mishapen shall rise monsters at the last day To this Augustine answers that they shall not rise monsters but shall rise corrected and amended in all the parts Because saith he if a workeman should make a thing ill-favoured and deformed he lets it not alone so but will melt it againe till it bee most excellent and beautifull much more can the Lord when he hath made them deformed melt them by death and so make them glorious bodies fashioned like to the Saints Now to his Iudgement I assent thus farre that all the bodies of them that are godly and holy people and his chosen their bodies shall rise glorious and beautifull though they were borne monsters and mishapen but they that be wicked shall have the same deformities upon them at the day of Iudgement that they had in this world for deformednesse and to bee mishapen is a punishment for sinne but at the day of Iudgement the punishment of sinne to them shall not bee lessened but further increased as the Schoolemen say If a wicked man have a hand cut off or lose an eye justly for his offence by the Magistrate they shall bee restored to him at the day of Iudgement to his further increase of torment unto which I assent because there are two courts the Court of men and of God the Court of men extendeth but to this life onely and there ceaseth they cannot make them lose their members for ever but the Iudgements of God beginne in this life to a wicked man and are perfected in the life to come and therefore if a man be borne a monster and mishapen and a wicked man he shall rise so againe so we see here in this world what a man that is mishapen and deformed would give to have it redressed and amended and yet they doe not consider to live in their sinnes is a meanes to bring all deformities upon them The second Question is in what Sex we shall rise againe whether or not men shall rise men and women women as they bee I answer they shall rise in the same Sex they lived in as wee see Matth. 22. 28. the Sadduces came to Christ saying There was a woman that had seven husbands and at last she died therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she bee of the seven for seven had her to wife whereunto Christ doth not say there shall bee no woman at the resurrection but that they shall not marrie but shall bee as the Angells of God in Heaven the Sexes shall not cease and S. Ierome saith upon that place that Christ giveth us to understand where hee saith that they shall not marrie nor give in marriage that both shall rise againe men shall rise men and women shall rise women and the Greeke words will beare it though the Latine will not so 1 Peter 3. 7. hee exhorts men and women to live together as heires of the grace of life and Matth. 12. 42. it is said The Queene of the South shall rise up in Iudgement with this generation and shall condemne it c. Hence it is manifest both Sexes shall rise againe The third Question is In what age wee shall rise whether Children shall rise Children and old men old men Augustine answers that they shall all rise at the age of Christ that is at 33 yeeres of age whereunto the Schoolemen agree but I dare not assent unto it because there is no warrant out of the Scripture for it for whatsoever is not of faith is sinne and that which hath not his warrant from the word of God cannot bee of faith which must bee grounded on the Scripture And Augustine himselfe saith whether little Children shall rise Children wee doe not finde in the Scripture or in what age men shall rise indeed there is one place that seemes to confirme
that he sends not all afflictions at once 169. †The three afflictions that Christ suffered 153. The behaviour of Christ in his afflictions 158. The effects of Christs afflictions 160. Christ was affraid To stand be fore God in Iudgemens clothed in our sinnes of death Not as a dissolution of Nature But as Gods curse 155. Christs agonie the cause of his sweat 161. All things made for mans benefit 71. How Christ shall bee All in all at the day of Iudgement 477. Almighty see God The amazement of Christ on the Crosse proceeded from Gods curse 157. Angels Ministers unto Christians 297. ¶ The Angels service to Of Christs anointing 78. Men. 430. Christ 122. ¶ What meant by anointing in the Law 16. Christ by being anointed was designed enabled made acceptable for the worke of redemption 78. With what By whom the end why Christ was anointed c. 81. The benefit of Christs anointing participation of His Graces the dignitie of his Person 89. We must anoint Christs Head Body and Feete with the Oyle of Devotion Compassion and Contrition 82. ¶ In the Law were anointed Prophets Priests Kings 83. No injurie must bee done to the Lords anointed 82. †Apocrypha see Scripture Of Christs appearing 305. Application of Christ to the heart better than Simeons holding him in his armes 141. †The wicked can doe no more than God hath appointed 213. ¶ 268. †Whatsoever betides a man is by Gods appointment 214. The Place Time Manner and Preparation of Christs apprehension 177. c. That apprehension of impenitent sinners worse than that of Christs in the Garden 186. * Comfortable words like Aqua-vitae 589. Christs armes his messengers 342. Christs arraignement frees us from arraignment and condemnation 194. * Of Christs ascension 353. The Necessity Time Place from whence Manner Fruits and benefits of Christs asscension from 353. to 365. Christ ascended to Prepare a place for us Send down the holy ghost Lead captivity captive Give gifts to his Church Make intercession for us 354 Difference betwixt Christs ascension and others 363. Christs ascension a pawne of ours 315. †Trials to know whether wee have ascended from sinne or no. 365. Of the great assembly to Iudgement 428. Gods assistance in troubles makes men confident 194. †B CHristians ought to beare with one another in Hiding the infirmities Excusing them Loving the partie 595. Christians ought to begin all their workes with prayer and thankesgiving 645. †Not to resist beginnings in sinne dangerous 181. ¶ Why the Shepheards went to Bethlehem 126. * By Christs binding we are loosed from the chaine of condemnation and corruption 188. Christs birth the greatest Ioy of the world 125. ¶ The Place 116. Time 113. Manner 117. of Christs birth The manifestation of Christs birth 120. Foure reasons of Christs meane birth 118. God bestowes on his Children blessing of this life and the life to come 581. The wise order God takes in giving us blessings 622. The communion of Saints an earthly blessings 581. In the blood of Christ that issued out of his side is something naturall and miraculous 268. Christs blood purifies us from the guilt and filth of sinne 269. The blood of Martyrs and Christ cry unto God for revenge and mercy 85. †Body see Resurrection As a Goldsmith melts gold to make a cup for the king so God melts our bodies to make vessels of honour for himselfe 637. ¶ The perfection of our bodies compared to a Shipmans needle touched with a Loadstone 641. * Our bodies spirituall because Vpheld by Subject to the spirit 642. Chris rose with the same body hee was crucified with 340. ¶ The power of a glorified body 643. What use of stomacke teeth c. in a glorified body 628. ¶ Christ saves not our soules onely but our bodies also 230. ¶ Two Bookes opened at the day of Iudgement 439. Christ borne when Herod was king Augustus taxed the world why 115 Christ borne in a base place to shew 10. the guilt of sinne 2. to procure us a better place 3. to make us content with any estate 116. ¶ Christ borne after the common and poorest manner 117 118. Christ was bonnd in regard of God To sanctifie the bonds of his servants To teach us the desert of sinne That we might bee loosed 187. Men for Paine and punishment Caution and securitie Shame and disgrace 186. Against the Papists giving the bread onely 334. * What meant by Christs breaking of bread with the Disciples that went to Emmaus 334. Christs breathing on the Disciples was a signe of giving the Holy Ghost 345. †Christ was buried To give us assurance of his death that hee might conquer death in his strongest hold to sanctifie and sweeten the grave for us that wee might have strength to bury him 273. Of the burning of the world 410. ¶ A Story of two Protestants in king Edward the sixths dayes touching burning for religion 277. †The burthen of sinne 158. * Every sinne addes to the burthen of Christ 159. * The benefit of Christs buriall 281. Foure waies to bury sinne to kill it hate the loathsome face of it remove it out of our sight and to rake moulds on it 282. C CHrist comes when a man is at his calling 122. †Calvins speech Dominus cum venit inveniet me laborantem 122. ¶ Moderation in worldly cares seeing God is our Father 55. What the word Catholike meanes 574. ¶ The Church said to be Catholike in respect of Place Persons and Time 575. c. The Papists beleeving in the Catholike Church absurd in religion and reason 578. * Reasons proving the Papists no true Catholikes 578. A twofold chaine on every naturall man of corruption sinne of condemnation and guilt of sinne 188. The wicked compared to chaffe 434. A great change and alteration after conversion 499. We must commit the seede of our charity into the bosome of the poore and hands of God 594. ¶ All chastisements came from God our loving Father and shall turne to our good 56 57. Gods Children why withheld from worldly blessings 580. Gods Children never totally finally forsaken of him proued by foure grounds 172. What Christ shall doe after the last Iudgement 475. see Iudgement The word Christ what it signifies 77. see Anointed Christ and Messiah all one 77. ¶ Christ the Sonne of God 90. Christ proved to be God from the Names Attributes Workes and Worship of God ascribed to him 91. Why Christ must bee both God and Mun. 92. ¶ Christ borne when Augustus Caesar taxed the world to fulfill a Prophesie to be under the taxe of Gods wrath for our sakes 116. * Christ the Head of the Church three proofes 542. The love and willingnesse of Christ to die for us 208. †Every little meanes is to bee laid hold of to bring us to Christ 131. ¶ Three things required in him that would be found in Christ 693. The infinite comfort after finding Christ 312. No condition can
thing at his hand it is the doctrine of their owne Schoole-men that a sinner cannot merit but we bee all sinners against God therefore we cannot merit any thing Now that we bee all sinners it is plaine by the Scriptures Iob 9. 3. If be would dispute with him hee could not answer him one of a thousand So Lament 3. 22. It is the Lords mercy that we are not consumed c. Saint Ierome saith Who is it that hath not sinned and if a man hath broken but one of the Commandements hee is guilty of the whole Law therefore no man can merit any thing at Gods hands The fourth ground is a disproportion betweene our workes and Gods justice For merits are grounded on Commutative justice as they say and Aristotle saith That commutative justice is equally to give weight for weight so much for so much but there is no proportion betweene our works and Gods justice for Saint Paul saith that all the afflictions of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be shewed to us Rom. 8. 18. One saith well if a man should suffer all the sufferings that the people of God had done from Adam till this present time having all the vertues of the holy men yet he were not worthy of the glory of heaven if a man should live a thousand yeeres and spend them all religiously hee did not deserve to be in heaven halfe an houre To this the Papists have devised a subtill answer say they It is in justice that God should give heaven to the best men not by a proportion so much for so much but because God will bestow heaven on some body therefore it stands with the justice of God rather to bestow it on the godly than on the wicked I answer this is sophisticall that tels us it is justice that God should give heaven to some body but what justice is it it is not to give so much for so much weight for weight It is not commutative but distributive justice and therefore there is a disproportion betweene our workes and Gods justice Againe the Papists are overthrowne in their owne argument for they say it was commutative justice not by an Arithmeticall but a Geometricall proportion I answer commutative justice to give weight for weight so much for so much is not that but it is according to distributive justice not by Arithmeticall but by a Geometricall proportion seeing he must give heaven to give it to the best men So the answer of the Papist is sophisticall Now in these words are foure things to bee observed 1. That the Iudgement at the last day shall passe according to workes 2. That good workes shall be reported and rewarded 3. That they shall workes of mercy 4. That they shall bee such workes of Mercy as are done to Christians because they are Christians First The Iudgement at the last day shall be according to works Therefore looke what our workes be such shall be the judgement that shall passe on us So Rom. 2. 6. saith the Apostle Who will reward every man according to his workes So also Revel 20. 18. it is said And they were judged every man according to their workes And Matth. 12. 36. saith Christ But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speake they shall give account thereof at the day of Iudgement So then the judgement shall passe according to works but mistake me not I doe not say according to the merit of our workes for we deserve nothing but according to the qualitie of our workes Saint Gregory shewes out of Psal 7. It is one thing that God should render for a mans workes and another thing to render according to mans workes If God render according to a mans workes then it will bee well for good workes and evill for evill workes I but here a question may be made seeing wee shall be judged according iâ— workes what shall faith doe then I answere Faith is all in all for Faith is proposed as the price of our Redemption to the Iustice of God because we are saved by Faith And Acts 18. 31. it is said Beleeve in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt bee saved and thy houshold and Ephes 2. 6. the Apostle saith by Grace are ye saved through Faith not of your selves And so 1 Pet. 1. 9. Receiving the end of your Faith even the Salvation of your soules So then we are saved by Faith In summe there bee two speciall properties in Faith First It makes us the sheepe of Christ it gathers us to him and sets us at his right hand and moreover it makes us of the Sonnes of Adam the Sonnes of God this is the power of Faith Secondly It makes our worke acceptable before God as Heb. 11. it is said By Faith Abel offered a greater sacrifice than Caine so Faith makes our workes acceptable before God I but seeing wee are saved by Faith why is there no mention of it then I answere because there shall bee a declaration of the just judgement of God Now Faith is secret in the heart of a Man and workes bee open therefore a man shall not bee judged by the secret and hidden graces that is in his heart but by the Effects and Fruits which are open and manifest to the World The use is that seeing wee shall bee judged according to the fruites and not to the secret graces that are in us therefore wee must joyne to our faith good workes for looke what our workes be such shall bee the verdict that shall passe upon at that day therefore Iames 2. saith he O man shew me thy faith by thy workes Thou sayest thou hast faith and thou talkest of faith but let mee see it let it appeare in thy life and conversation joyne good life to it and so Luke 5. 20. it is said that Christ saw their faith and he healed them Hee did not onely see with the eyes of his Divinitie but hee saw their faith by the effects and fruits of it for they laid the sicke man on a bed and did breake through the roofe of the house and let him downe to Christ Therefore as one saies well it is faith that is seene and visible that saveth us not that which is secret and close in the heart but it must bee visible shewed by workes Gen. 27. Isaac would not blesse Iaakob by the voyce or by his speech but hee feeles and handles him and when hee found they were Esaus hands he blessed him so Christ will not blesse Christians by the voyce when they shall say I am a Christian I am a professor but he will handle them and feele them If hee finde their hands to be Esaus hands that is his beloveds hands that they have done good and have beene open to the poore Saints and ready to minister to their necessities then the Lord will blesse them and entertaine them into his
kingdome Secondly All our good workes shall bee remembred and rewarded at the day of judgement and Christ will make rehearsall of them there is never a good deed we have done but it shall be remembred and rewarded so that our labour shall not bee in vaine as Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 15. ult so Revel 20. 12. it is said And I saw the dead both great and small stand before God and the bookes were opened and another booke was opened which is the booke of Life and the dead were judged of those things which were written in the bookes according to their workes So the Lord hath all the good deeds of his servants written in a booke which shall bee remembred reported and rewarded therefore what a comfort is this to a poor Christian that in the hearing of all the world all his good deeds shall be reported how many painefull Iourneyes they have taken to heare the Word how many houres they have spent in prayer how many teares they have wept for sinne that they have entertained the Saints that they have fed the hungry cloathed the naked visited the sicke what a great inticement this is to doe good to thinke what honor it is that all their good deeds shall be remembred and rewarded Matth. 26. 15. Christ saith of the woman when she had powred the ointment on him that this which shee had done should bee spoken of her wheresoever this Gospell shall bee preached for a memoriall of her But what is the speech of men to the speech of Christ the praise of men to the praise of Christ when hee shall stand out and make a report of all our good deeds wee have done therefore what a comfort will this be I but have not the people of God sinne I answer they have their sinnes and their great sinnes too even the best men that be but here is the comfort when the day of judgment commeth they shall not bee remembred but pardoned and carried on the shoulders and necke of Christ and our good deeds onely shall be remembred As Esay 33. ult it is said The people that dwell therein shall have their iniquity forgiven So Ieremie 31. 33 34. saith the Lord I will make a new Covenant with them and I will write my lawes in their hearts and I will bee their God and they shall be my People and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know mee from the greatest to the least saith the Lord and I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sinnes no more Here is the comfort of Christians that all their sinnes shall be forgotten onely their vertues shall be remembred Exodus 34. Moses put a veile on his face that the children of Israel should not see the glory of it but Christ hath hanged a veile over our sinnes that they should not be seene even his holinesse and sanctifie that the world should not see nor behold them for they are all pardoned remitted and covered with the Robe of his righteousnesse Thirdly the judgement which shall passe upon us shall bee according to the workes of mercie and not only workes of mercie but all other good workes shall have a reward as Malach. 3. 16. it is said Then spake they that feared God every one to his neighbour and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a booke of remembrance was written before him for them that feared God and thought upon his Name So there was a booke written of all the good deeds of them that did feare God and so Matth. 5. 11 12. saith our Saviour Blessed are ye when men revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evill against you for my Names sake falsly Rejoyce and bee glad for great is your reward in Heaven as also Matth. 10. 32. Whosoever shall confesse me before men him will I also confesse before my Father which is in Heaven So then wee see all our good workes shall be rewarded But why doth Christ mention onely workes of mercie I answere there be two reasons of it First because the Lord doth not accept of any worke we doe of hearing of the Word of praying nor of any other good dutie we doe if wee doe not shew mercie and compassion to our brethren As 1 Cor. 13. 3. And though I feede the poore with all my goods and though I give my body that it bee burnt and have not love it profiteth me nothing and Esay 1. 14. saith God My soule hateth your new Moones and your appointed Feasts they are a burthen to me I am wearie of bearing them and the reason was because they did not shew compassion to their brethren as may be gathered out of the 15. verse In like manner the Prophet bringeth in the people expostulating with God and he answering them Esay 58. 3. Wherefore have we fasted and thou seeft not wherefore have we punished our selves and thou regardest is not c Is not this the fasting that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickednesse to take off the heavie burthens is let the oppressed goe free and that ye breake every yoke verse 6 7. Is it not to breake thy bread to the hungrie and that thou bring the poore that wander unto thy house and when thou seest the naked that thou cover him and hide not thy selfe from thine owne flesh and therefore wee may assure our selves the Lord will accept of none of our workes without we be mercifull to our brethren Secondly because as it is Hos 6. 6. The Lord desires mercy and not sacrifice when both may stand together then God will have both But if they cannot he will have mercy shewed hee had rather lose his owne part than a poore man should lose his So the command is Heb. 13. 16. But to doe good and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased Such is the tendernesse of God that hee is contented to abate of his owne service rather than man should want of his comfort As Matth. 5. 23. If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leave there thine offering before the Altar and goe thy way first bee reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift Hence we see though it be a great dutie that we owe to God yet for mans good hee will bee contented to stay for his owne service Philosophers say that the fire which is farthest remooved is the hottest and most vehement so it is in love that love which is furthest remooved from God is the hottest and the most vehement love of all other It is an easie matter to love God in himselfe O but for a man to love God in his poore distressed members to love him in his poore Saints and People this is the hottest
the true glasse of the Word of God there sinne will appeare in his true proportion and right quantitie But why is the neglect of doing good to his poore members so great a sinne I answere because in neglecting of them wee condemne Christ for they be the members of Christ and so Saint Paul saith 1 Corinth 8. 12. Now when ye sinne against the bretheren and wound their consciences yee sinne against Christ the contempt of Christ is lapped up in the contempt of his servants It is a good thing therefore for a man to bee mercifull and pittifull especially to the poore Saints and people of God and to relieve them in their wants and necessities so farre forth as a man is able and occasion shall be offered Saint Iames tels us that there shall be judgement mercilesse to him that shewes no mercy and Matth. 3. It is said Blessed art the mercifull for they shall obtaine mercie therefore it is a good thing for a man to shew mercie to the Saints and People of God and thus much of the reason Now we come to the last point and that is what shall become of Christ and what be shall doe when he bee hath finished up the last judgement This Saint Paul shewes us 1 Cor. 15. from the 24. verse to the 28. the sâ—mme whereof is this He shall render up his kingdome to God that he may be all in all In which two things offer themselves to be observed 1. What he shall doe He shall render up his Kingdome to God 2. The End of it that God may be all in all First what â—e shall doe he shall render up the Kingdome to God Now this may be conceived two wayes First he shall render up the Kingdome that is all the Children of God the Elect and chosen hee shall bring them to God and deliver them to him that hee may blesse them and receive them into Heaven that he may be made partaker of all the glory that is prepared for them and he shall present them to God in the merits of his death and say Father these bee they that I have prayed for in the Mount swet in the Garden dyed for on the crosse and shed my most pretious blood for Therefore Father râ—â—eive them and blesse them hitherto have I kept them in thy Name thus hee shall render up the kingdome unto God when hee shall bring all the godly and holy people to the contemplation and beholding of the great glory prepared for them We heard out of Gen. 27. 3. how Ioseph tooke certaine of his brethren and did present them to Pharaoh so the true Ioseph Iesus Christ shall carry all the Elect and chosen people of God present them before him and desire him to receive them into glory and to bestow the best of Heaven upon them so Christ shall render up the Kingdome Wee read in Philemon when Onesimus had runne away from his master Saint Paul meets with him and sends him backe againe to his Master with a letter in his hand to the end his Master might receive him but Christ will doe much more for us hee will not onely send us with a letter in our hands to God but hee will take us by the hand and present us to God in the merits of his death that God may receive and blesse us Secondly he shall render up the kingdome that is his governement and office Now we cannot come to God without a Mediator all that we doe now is by meanes of a spokes-man but when Christ shall bring us home to God when we shall bee brought to Heaven then wee shall have recourse unto God without a spokes-man then we shall not need a Mediator and thus Christ shall render up the kingdome that is hee shall give up his office and his government into the hands of God A learned man thus expresseth it there is a number of Rebels that bee up in Armes against the king who makes his sonne Generall and sends him out to subdue the Rebels to shew mercy to those that would submit themselves to him and to execute and put to death them that would not which when the kings sonne hath done he returnes home againe to his father and tels him that he had done what hee was sent for and then renders up his Generalship to live with his father as he did before so God hath sent his Sonne here into the World to reconcile unto himselfe all his Elect people and to subdue his enemies when Christ hath performed this then he delivers up his office and lives with the Father as before Adam in the time of his innocency and Communion with God was without a Mediator so when wee are all brought home to God againe into Heaven then wee shall have communion with God without a Mediator Now because this is a hard point and that which some Divines stumble at therefore I will make it as plaine as I can A man that hath sore eyes he will have silke to hang before them or he must have a glasse to see by but when his eyes bee well hee will take away the glasse and lay aside his silkes so as long as wee were in our sinnes wee could not deale with God but wee must have our silkes it must bee by a Mediator but when our sinnes shall be healed then wee may lay aside our silkes and we shall see the face of God without a Mediator But here a question may be made some may may say How shall Christ render up the Kingdome seeing it is said Luk. 1. 33. that of his kingdome there shall be no end so Daniel 2. it is said His Kingdome shall not passe to another To this I answere His Kingdome shall continue still but not in the same forme the forme shall be altered for now he raignes as Man then as God now the glory of the Godhead is shadowed by the Manhood and then the glory of the Manhood shall be darkened by the Godhead not that the Manhood of Christ shall noâ— remaine or that the glory of it shall bee lesse than now but it shall be obscured as it were by a greater light I will make it plaine by a similitude light a candle in a darke night and it shines and giveth light but bring it into the bright Sunne-shine and the brightnesse and splendor of the Sunne darkens the light of the candle though it have the same light that it had before so though there bee the same glory in the Manhood of Christ that was before yet the glory and splendor of the Godhead shall so farre goe beyond the Manhood of Christs former manifestation as it shall darken that glory and thus much for the first point Secondly The End why he shall render up his kingdome to God that he may be all in all Here God is not all in all for there are many excellencies in the World Angels