places of the Newe Testament as namely 2. COR. 12.4 where PAVL speakes of his rauishing to Paradise and also REVEL 2.7 But to leaue the vvordes and to come to the meaning This Paradise signifies none other thing but that House of the Father in the which is manie mansions as wee saide in the foureteenth Chapter Nowe woulde yee knowe the place of it PAVL saies It is farre aboue these visible heauens where Christ himselfe ascended EPHES. 4.10 It is the place of the Throne of that Majestie of that Glorie and of that euerlasting rest of the Kirke of Iesus Christ and of His Sainctes where they shall rest in a wonderfull glorie euerlastinglie The vvorde is borrowed from that Paradise that Parke of pleasure in the vvhich ADAM and EVAH vvere planted to liue in a vvonderfull pleasure for euer if they had stoode vvithout sinne But to come to the matter First in this answere that the Lord makes to the penitent Thiefe yee may see a vvonderfull readinesse in Christ to heare the petition of a miserable sinner for hee hath scarcely spoken the worde when the Lord makes an answere and no maruell for Hee that preuentes thee with grace ere thou thinkest of grace Hee will followe after with grace Hee who giues grace to begge grace Hee will giue a gracious answere ROMAN 8.26 The Spirite of GOD interceadeth for vs with sighes vnspeakeable That is the first grace Then hee subjoynes The Lord who searcheth the heart knoweth the sense and meaning of his owne Spirite There is the seconde grace Thou shalt not so soone open thy mouth to speake to Him with the Spirite but Hee shall as soone heare thy vvorde thou shalt not so soone haue a meaning but it shall as soone touch the heart of the Lorde as it touches thine heart because it is not thy spirite but the Lordes Spirite who speakes in thee So all the difficultie and hardnesse is to gette the first grace to praye there is no difficultie of the next And there are wonderous fewe vvho gettes this grace to begge to sigh to sobb c. yea where one hath it ten wantes it and when this is once gotten the other followes of its owne will for if thou askest spirituall graces of necessitie thou shalt gette thy petition graunted And if wee aske earthly thinges either shall wee gette our petition or else the Lord once shall shewe vs why Hee will not graunt it and so wee shall haue contentment to vndertake His will and shall heartily thanke Him There is more yet in this answere Besides this easinesse to heare marke an abounding mercie and exceeding liberalitie of the Lord passing aboue the petition The Thiefe onely prayed the Lord to remember him when He came in His Kingdome The Lord aunsweres Beholde euen I giue thee more than thou requirest for thou shalt be with me this day in Paradise so thou needest not to feare that I forget thee The Thiefe seekes but a little thing the Lord giues him more than hee can seeke the hande of the Lorde is not so scarce Wilt thou seeke a litle thing the Lord shall giue a thousand times more than thou canst seeke the Lord hath neither scant nor want Brethren the glory which we shall finde one day shall bee greater than we can looke or hope for in this world No things Heauenlie which He shall giue surmountes further aboue our capacitie than the Heauen does aboue the Earth Yea if thou speakest of earthlie things findes not many by experiēce that they get such an estate in the world as they would neuer haue looked or hoped for I sought but life saies Dauid Psal 21. 5 yet the Lord gaue me to be a king that is He gaue me not only a priuate obscure life but a glorious life in the sight of the people Besides this easinesse and liberalitie of the Lord to grant to a poore man aboue that that he durst presume He prescribes no time but this same day I know not if he durst haue bene so bold as to haue sought such a time that same day Marke further here a wonderfull power in the Lord at that time when Hee was in a most vile and ignominious death which was the image of Hell to pull a man quicke on the Crosse to breake Him on a Crosse The Lord is weakned the Iewes thought more of the dirt they trode on than of Iesus yet ye see what a wonderfull power which strikes out from Him to the thiefe this is the power of a King This day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise What Emperour durst speake this Yea He vtters the power of GOD Himselfe This promise is proper to GOD only to promise participation of that heauenly Kingdome What Angell durst doe this None but the eternall and immortall GOD. It is true the LORD Iesus whilst as Hee hang vpon the Crosse was wonderfully weakned and that glorious Godhead that dwelt in the humane Nature kept it selfe closse for a time and held in the beames of His glorie for a time within that vaile of His bodie for if Hee had not kept closse that Glorie of His Godhead the world could not haue crucified Him yet He kept Him not so closse but in the Crosse Hee manifests Himselfe Hee does the part of a King and fought a fiercer battell than all the Kings in the world Hee fought against all the enemies and in the ende Hee triumphes in that Crosse as in a Chariote and leades them all as thieues before Him And if there were no more to shewe that Hee was a King than this hastie conuersion of the thiefe it may tell you if Christ had such a power whilst as Hee hang in such weaknesse on the Crosse What power hath He now when He is in the Heauen exalted in the Throne of glorie If it bee so that wee feele not CHRIST powerfull in vs to life as the thiefe felt Blame not IESVS as if Hee wanted power sufficient nowe in glorie who had such power in His humilitie but blame thy selfe Thou wants that which the thiefe had thou wants Faith in Christ glorified the thiefe may shame thee who beleeued in Him whē He was in extreame ignominie Then to end all this y t hath bin spokē of this answere in a word Seeing y e Lord of lords y e Lord Iesus is so readie Neuer was there King so ready to heare a subject as Iesus is if thou werest the vilest bodie that goes a Thiefe a Harlot c. yet if thou wilt saye this Lord remember on mee and giue mee a part of thy Kingdome if thou prayest to Him from a penitent heart with confidence and assurance I promise vnto thee Heauen and Earth shall goe together ere thou vvantest thine asking Seeing our Lord Iesus is so liberall then seeke more than enough more than a Kingdome and thou shalt get more The only cause why we want is in vs we haue no hearts to seeke it And last Seeing He is so
these thinges and none other thinges So that if they teach not these thinges but their owne dreames and fantasies they haue nothing adoe vvith this promise for if they keepe not the condition vvhat vvarrant can they haue to looke for the promise Nowe howe farre the Papistes are from keeping this condition from teaching the doctrine of Christ onelie it is more than manifest and they are blind that sees it not for in stead of the doctrine of the Gospell they teach their owne traditions dreames and fantasies They haue banished the Spirite of Trueth and haue bewitched the vvorlde vvith their lyes and vanities Therefore seeing the felicitie and happinesse both of Pastor and people standes in this To finde the Lordes presence with them in this pilgrimage the Lord grant that both Pastor and people may striue carefullie to holde fast the doctrine of the Gospell and that they may conforme their liues thereunto that so vvith confidence they may claime to this promise of the presence of Christ To whome with the Father and the Holie Spirit bee all praise and honour for euermore AMEN THE LV. LECTVRE OF THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST MARKE CHAP. XXVI verse 19 So after the Lord had spoken vnto them hee was receiued into heauen and sate at the right hand of God LVKE CHAP. XXIIII verse 50 Afterward hee led them out into Bethania and lift vp his handes and blessed them verse 51 And it came to passe that as hee blessed them hee departed from them and was carried vp into heauen verse 52 And they worshipped him and returned to Hierusalem with great ioye ACTS CHAP. I. verse 6 When they therefore were come together they asked of him saying Lord wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdome to Israel verse 7 And hee saide vnto them It is for you to knowe the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power verse 8 Bu yee shall receiue power of the holie Ghost when hee shall come on you and ye shall bee witnesses vnto mee both in Hierusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and vnto the vttermost partes of the earth verse 9 And when he had spoken these things while they beheld he was taken vp for a cloude tooke him vp out of their sight verse 10 And while they looked stedfastlie toward heauen as hee went behold two men stood by them in white apparell BELOVED BRETHREN IN CHRIST vvee haue alreadie insisted at length in the Historie of the LORDES Resurrection vvherein vvee shewed you how often Hee appeared to His owne and especiallie to His Apostles to the ende that not onelie they themselues might bee more fullie perswaded of His Resurrection but also vvith the greater confidence and libertie they might speake therof to others In His last appearing to His Apostles vvee sawe Hee gaue them a commission and charge To goe out to the vvorlde to preach the Gospell and to baptize In the Name of the Father of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost but He willes them to teach nothing else but onelie these things all these things which He had taught them before And to th' end He might the more easily moue them willingly and chearfully to vndertake discharge this calling first He sets down His vnspeakable incomprehensible power wherupoÌ„ is is grounded shewing them that al power in heaueÌ„ in earth was giuen vnto him Next He subjoynes a threefold promise of blessing to them in the discharging of their Ministery The first is a promise of life saluation to them who beleeue are baptized The second is a promise of th'extraordinary miraculous gifts of the H. Spirite The third is a promise of His own powerfull presence to continue with them vnto th' end of the world vpon condition That they faithfully discharge their calling teach these things all these things onlie these things which the Lord had taught no other Now it rests that we speak of the History of His Ascension to Heauen which we haue briefelie and in fewe vvordes in th'Euangelistes for Matthew and Iohn makes no mention of it Marke touches it shortlie in his Gospell Luke also speakes something of it in his Gospell but hee insistes in it more largely in setting downe the Circumstances of it in the first Chapter of the Actes of the Apostles In the words which wee haue presently read we will see how the LORD leades His Disciples out to Bethania we will see what conference communication is betwixt the Lord and them we will shew how He blessed them we will see the manner of His Ascension what was the behauiour of the Apostles while Hee was ascending to Heauen and looked stedfastly to the Heauen as He went vp Then to come to the words Luke sayes He led them out into Bethania This was the place from the which the Lord ascended vp to the Heauen and therefore of set purpose He leades them out of Ierusalem to this place They come not to this place by fortune or chance they come not there of their owne accorde or vpon any foresight that they themselues had No but they were ledde out of Jerusalem to see that glorious Ascension of Christ and to be partakers of His grace But who led them out It is saide The Lord ledde them out none comes to grace by aime none comes to the place vvhere grace is in dealing by fortune or chance No it is the Lord which leades them as then the Lord ledde His Apostles as it were by the hande to Bethania to see His glorie and to be made partakers of grace so it is alwayes by the LORDS secret and powerfull prouidence that any man comes to the place vvhere the LORD distributes His grace for sayes CHRIST No man can come to mee except that Father who hath sent mee draw him Ioh. Chapter 6. verse 44. Therefore if thou findest at any time by this Ministerie grace to bee communicated into thy soule in His Church ascribe neuer the praise of it to thy selfe or to thy trauell but giue the praise and honour of all to the LORD IESVS vvho had a care of thee and by His gracious prouidence bâ—ought thee there But vvho are these vvhom the Lord leades out Not all they vvho heard Him vvho knew Him vvho had conuersed vvith Him but it is only His Disciples vvhome the Lord ledde out these only vvhome He vsed most familiarly vvhom Hee loued most tenderly and vvho in a manner vvere His domestiques The number of them vvhome the LORD chooses and leades out to grace at any time is not great they are but few in respect of the multitude vvhome the Lord passes by but especially at this time it was the LORDES pleasure to choose but a few to be eye-witnesses of His glorious AsceÌ„sioÌ„ for it was y e Lords will that His AscensioÌ„ should rather be manifested made known to the world by hearing than by seeing for y e Lord prefers likes better of that
King he should haue asked what a King He was where his kingdome was that He might haue gotten a part of it there is y e coÌ„fessioÌ„ that Iesus gaue vnder Pontius Pilate as is saide 1. Tim. 6.13 Pilate should haue bin inquisitiue of these things and followed out that purpose about his kingdome but he breakes off the conference by an accusation of Iesus An earthly hearted man knowes not things heauenly so he cannot speake of them but rather he will stay an heauenly purpose Ye see earthly hearted men when one will begin to speake of heauenly things hath no more pleasure in them than Pilate had begin once to speake of heauenly things to a prophane man then he cannot keepe purpose with thee but hee will breake off purpose speake of earthly things Paul 1. Cor 2. sets down the grouÌ„d here The naturall man sayes he knowes not the things of the Spirit of God yea he will wonder what that means when thou speakest of Heauen yea he hath no power nor spirituall sense for they are but foolishnes to him the most wise things of God are but foolishnes to the naturall man he delites not in them because he hath not tasted how sweet the Lord is So Pilate interrupteth Christ Christ answeres He sayes Thou sayest that I am a King In the which answere the Lord denies not that He is a King but He takes the mouth of Pilate to be witnes that He was a King Then he lets vs see for what cause He came into the world not to be an earthly King Came I into the world but that I might beare witnesse of the trueth I came not to be an earthly King as other Kings are but I came from the throne of a King a glorious Kingdome that I may play the part of a seruaÌ„t in bearing witnes to the trueth Iesus Christ was God equall with the Father thought it no robberie but He made Himselfe of no reputation by taking on the forme of a servant Phil. 2.6 As though he would say I came into the world tooke on the flesh of man to be a seruant to my Father to be a witnes to the trueth then He subjoynes lest that Pilate should thinke that office of litle effect that He laboured in vaine sayes They who are of veritie to wit begotten of the word the immortal seed of the word of God for by veritie here is meant the word of veritie as Chap 17. vers 17. preceeding They heare my word He draweth neâ—re vnto Pilate if thou be such an one as is begotten of the trueth thou wilt heare my word albeit Christ be stayed from speaking Pilate would haue put Him off Hee leaues not but speakes againe to Pilate He would haue winne Pilate it had bene possible Albeit we be interrupted when we speake of heauenlie things to profane men and women wee ought not to leaue off by the example of Christ but howbeit wee bee interrupted wee should returne againe and follow out the thing we haue begun to see if some wordes will sinke in their hearts or if they will not returne that they may be vnexcusable Speake of Christ and of Heauen it shall neuer be in vaine but as Paul saies 2. Corin. 2. it shall bee a sweet odour to God either to their saluation or damnation that God may be glorified either in mercy in winning of them or in justice in their perdition And therfore it is good to speake of things HeaueÌ„lie the soule is nourished therby A man that redresses himselfe to a kingdome would euer take delite to speake of it if thou hast no pleasure at no time to speake of Heauenly things it is a sure token that thou hast no part of that kingdom thou hast neuer tasted the sweetnes of it for they who haue tasted thereof will haue somtimes a delite to speake of thinges Heauenly and will desire that sincere milke of the word as Peter speakes So if thou findest the worde of life sweet why shouldst thou not desire it continually for it is that only food by the which y e life of God is nourished within thee here and one day it shall present vnto thee such satiety of all pleasure and joy in the face of God as the heart cannot thinke of now howbeit thou gettest but scant in this world Alas that we should let such a joy passe away for fault of feeling tasting What is the veritie saies Pilate he askes this not with pleasure but loathing disdaining taries no answere but goes his way His stomack loathes Christ Then in Pilate we haue an example of naturall men if any will speake of things Heauenly vnto them of Christ and of His benefits they will stay the speach so farre as they can and if thereafter any will insist and yet speake on then at the last if thou wilt vrge them they must speake something but they will speake as Pilate did lightly and disdainfully and when they haue asked they will leaue off and will not care for an answere but askes for the fashions cause when they are constrained thereunto We are by nature like to Pilate either we will not speake one word of things Heauenly or else if wee bee compelled to speake and wordes bee throwne out of vs wee will speake with a loathing and disdaining of the heart There vvas neuer any thing in the world that could moue the naturall man more to loathing than y e word of God he will heare it with such disdain that when one thing is saide in word hee will say another in heart and he vvill thinke him vvho teaches him the most foolish man in the vvorld And he vvho is vvisest if he be not regenerated and renewed hee shall count Christ and things Heauenly most foolish A simple bodie is sooner vvonne than hee vvho is vvise in his owne conceit in the vvorld If thou vvouldest be an hearer or speaker of Heauenly things striue alwayes to get a reformation of thine own corrupt nature and let thy meditation and prayer be thus Lord reforme mine heart that thy vvord maye bee fruitfull in mee so that both I may heare vvith pleasure and also that the vvords come not from the teeth forward but from the deepnes of mine heart when I speake of Thee and things Heauenly that so thy vvord may edifie both mee and others It is a more dangerous thing to come to heare if vve be not duely prepared than to tarrie away and better not to speake at all than to speake of thinges Heauenly vvithout the inward sense of the heart Now the Lord grant vs grace that in hearing speaking of things Heauenly vve may haue this Heauenly disposition in some measure for Christes sake To vvhom vvith the Father and Holy Spirit be all Praise Honour and Glory both now and euermore Amen THE SEVENTH LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP. XVIII verse 38 Pilate said vnto him What
is trueth And when he had said that hee went out againe vnto the Iewes and said vnto them I finde in him no cause at all verse 39 But you haue a custome that I should deliuer you one loose at the Passeouer will yee then that I loose vnto you the King of the Iewes verse 40 Then cryed they all againe saying Not him but Barabbas nowe this Barabbas was a murtherer WEE heard these dayes past Brethren of the suffering of the Lord First in the Garden Next vnder Caiaphas the High Priest for the time and then vvee entered into the thirde part of His suffering vnder Pontius Pilate the Romane gouernour who abode in Hierusalem for the time We heard the accusatiō that the Hie Priests and the Iewes alledge to Pilate the judge vvhere hee sate in judgement against Iesus Christ the accusation was not blasphemous against God for when the Priests thought Him afore in their own judgement seat worthy of death but treason against the maiesty of Caesar he calles himself say they the king of the Iewes as though Christ had come into y e world to be an earthly king and to take the kingdom ouer Caesars head Whē Pilate had posed Christ about this after one or two answeres he findes this accusation vaine false fained And therefore Brethren first in this Text we haue read this day we haue the purgatiō of Iesus and y t out of Pilates own mouth Next howe hee seekes by all meanes to get Him out of the Iewes hands Thirdly we haue the part of the Iewes how they seeke maliciously the life of the innocent preferres Barabbas a murtherer vnto Him As to the first part it is said that Pilate went out again to the Iewes out of the Hall and professed before them all that hee found no fault in that man worthie of death Then Pilate after his inquisition finding Iesus Christ vvho vvas accused before him free of all affectation of Caesars kingdome yet finding that Hee denied not but that Hee vvas a king and that vvas that good vvitnessing that Christ gaue vnder Pontius Pilate as Paul 1. Tim. 6.13 saies but Hee vvas no king of this vvorld Then Pilate thinkes there vvas no crime in Christ Iesus as concerning the other kingdome Pilate thought it but an imagination fantasie therefore thinking that Iesus made Himselfe to be a fantasticke king and sought not Caesars kingdome from him he vvould not count Him vvorthie of death but he clenses Him Politicke and prophane hearted men in this vvorld vvho smell of nothing but of the earth and haue no sense of Heauenlie thinges if ye will but leaue them the thinges of this worlde as Caesars kingdome the glory the honour the riches and the pleasures of this worlde vnto them they care not what men speake of God or His kingdome or of Iesus Christ or of matters of religion howbeit that they would say that they would climbe vp to the Heauen and raue it from God they care not for it as Paul sayes The natural man countes heauenly things but foolishnes speake to them of heauenly things all is but imagination Heauen is as dreame to them Lysias the chiefe Captaine who was in Jerusalem after this man vnder the Gouernour Felix when Paul was persecuted in Ierusalem ye remember what he wrote to Felix They accuse him of trifles and of questions of their law but I finde no thing in the man worthie either of death or of bands Acts 23.29 Wordly men countes it not a crime or a thing worthie of punishment to derogate from Gods glorie Well let men spend their time one day they shall feele it to their griefe that religion is the most earnest excellent thing that euer was and they shall curse the time that euer they esteemed any thing excellent but religion Yet this is commendable in Pilate that he giues so faire a testimonie of Iesus a Ethnicke who had no knowledge of God nor sense of the life to come to stand vp in y e face of them who should haue knowne Iesus Christ to purge the innocent might haue made the High Priests the Iewes ashamed Yet will ye marke this more narrowly albeit his purgation bee faire yet hee faileth farre for in purgation he vttereth a prophane heart whilst he purges Him in words he scorneth Him in his heart condemneth that Kingdome of His that trueth whereof He spake as a fable Prophane men who haue no part of sanctification whē they speake fairest and when they seeme to doe best they doe nothing but sinne Why because in the meane time when they speeke fairest their heart is full of vanitie in their heart they scorne God Albeit thou standest vp speakest much for the defence of Christ seemest to be angrie at the Iewes as Pilate did if in the meane time thine heart beleeue not in that Iesus thou art but a scorner all thy speach serueth for no purpose to thee if thou beleeuest not therefore in speaking of Heauen of religiō of Iesus Christ we should take heede to the heart y t it be sanctified remember y t while the mouth speakes God sees the heart whē thou speakest of that Name of Iesus Christ let tihne heart grippe into Him so thy speach shal be edifying and gratious Now when he hath cleansed Him by word thereafter by deede he seekes to get him loose And it is subjoyned that Pilate sayes Ye haue a custome that I should deliuer you a prisoner loose at the Passeouer Will ye that I let loose the King of the Iewes The rest of the Euangelists Matthew 27.12 Marke 15.3 Luke 23. setteth downe another accusation that past in order before this immediatly which I shal touch shortly the High Priests seeing that they obtained nothing by the first accusation wherein they accuse Him of treason against Caesar yet they will not leaue off but delates to Pilate many things and heapes calumnie vpon calumnie and oppresses Him with accusations as for Iesus Hee made none answere Pilate seeing this he vrges Him once twise to speake He will not speake Pilate wondereth at his great silence the High Priests insist at last they accuse Him of false doctrine which He had vttered from Galile vnto Hierusalem When Pilate vnderstood that He was a Galilean he sendes Him to Herode who was Tetrarch of Galile thinking to gratifie Herode that beeing at variance friendship should haue beene made Herode rejoyced at his comming and hoped that hee should haue seene some wonders of Him for both Pilate and Herode thought to make a Iugler of Iesus but Herode gets not one word of Him much lesse a signe or a wonder then Herode beginnes to mocke Him puttes on a garment on Him in token of derision and sends Him to Pilate then Pilate the second time with his owne voyce cleanses Him Some will maruell what moued Iesus to keepe such a silence to them all
shall rehearse vnto you the vvhole Passion of IESVS CHRIST in as fewe vvordes as I can Then the whole life of Iesus Christ whilest Hee was in this vvorlde vvas a continuall suffering of the burthen of our sinnes that Hee bare and that obedience to His Father required that not onely in His life-time shoulde Hee doe for our saluation but chiefely it required that the Mediator shoulde die All that Hee did had beene nothing worth to vs and if Hee had not died for as the Apostle sayeth HEBR. CHAP. IX VERS XXII No remission of sinnes without blood Thinke not that euer thy sinnes shall bee forgiuen thee without the shedding of the blood of Iesus Christ And either thou must die or haue part in the death of the Mediator The ende of His suffering was the perfect abolishing and vndoing of the sinnes of the Elect as yee may reade in the ninth CHAPTER to the HEBREVVES Now marke againe This perfect abolishing and vndoing of our sinnes required a perfect passion and suffering of the Mediator Whether ye looke to the time it required a perfect time or will yee looke to the greatnesse of it it required an infinite quantitie of greatnesse for if it had not bene perfect in time and quantitie thou hadst neuer beene redeamed Brethren that yee maye the better vnderstande the vvhole Passion of IESVS CHRIST I shall point out vnto you the vvhole manner of His sufferinges For why shoulde vvee not knowe this Our life standes in His death Hee suffered all for vs. And I see thorowe out the Scripture the vvhole sufferinges of Christ maye bee drawne to these three sortes The first is The Lord Iesus suffered temptations Secondlie The Lord Iesus suffered shame and ignominie the GOD of glorie suffered shame Howe agree these two together Shame and Glorie The thirde the LORD IESVS suffered paine and that verie grieuous paine in soule and bodie I shall goe thorowe all these three kinds of suffering shortlie and so I shall make an ende And first to speake of these temptations shortlie I call the temptations that the LORD suffered those tryalles of Him by the Deuill His enemie for hee let Him neuer rest and woefull was that battell that Hee had with him on the Crosse and His temptations by the ministers of the Deuill in the worlde who solicitated Him to leaue His GOD euen such temptations as wee are subject to in this worlde onelie except sinne for Hee knewe no sinne there vvas not one spotte of sinne in that holie One and so Hee was not subject to these foule motions inwarde temptations as we are who dare not face the Sunne nor the Moone And wherefore suffered Hee all these temptations Euen for thy cause the ende of all His suffering was that Hee might succour all them who were tempted either in bodie or soule HEBR. Chap. 2. vers 18. Art thou tempted if thou canst haue recourse to Him who was tempted for thy sake Hee will pittie thee As Hee suffered and was tempted so by His suffering Hee hath learned to pittie thee Hee who neuer hath tasted of miserie hee cannot pittie the miserable bodie And therefore when thou art tempted goe to CHRIST and saye LORD thou wast tempted as I am therefore now helpe and succour mee Thus farre for the first sort of Christes sufferinges The seconde sort was His shame and ignominie that open ignominie that He suffered especiallie on the Crosse Whether ye looke to His accusation they accused that most innocent One as a vile sinner or whether ye looke to all these false Testimonies that were brought against Him or yet whether yee looke to the tauntes and mockinges that Hee suffered and to that spitting on His face and blasphemies vpon the Crosse In all these yee shall sâ—e that shame He suffered for our sinnes The Apostle ROMAN Chap. 15. vers 3. saies Iesus Christ when hee was in the worlde hee spared not nor hee pleased not himselfe as wee doe but as it is written The rebukes of them which rebuke thee fell on me All these despites thou shouldest haue suffered but the LORDE Hee translated them vpon Himselfe O the shame that the sinner shoulde haue suffered and if the LORD IESVS had not taken it off the backe of the sinner and laid it on His owne backe Come to the last sort Thou who wouldest bee freed of paine either in bodie or soule Marke the paine of the Lord lay holde on it and apply it to thy soule for otherwise Nothing shall remaine for thee but paine euerlastingly all the kingdomes of the worlde shall not saue thee Then the last sort was paine and dolour in body and paine and dolour in soule but in the soule chiefly Looke to the time of it from His first conception to His last breath scarcely was the Lord well borne when thorow the persecution of Herode the Tyranne His mother was compelled to flee with Him to Egypt from that time He was vnder continuall affliction whilst as Hee entered into the thirtie yeere of His age when Hee takes vpon Him the part of a Mediator for mankinde from this foorth for Hee liued after this space three yeeres and an halfe His paine grew and increased in body and soule and ay nearer the last houre His displeasure and paine grew the more Now Brethren we shall speake shortly of these paines and dolours that the Lord suffered in the time of these three yeeres and an halfe for the Gospell makes mention of that suffering during this space the Lord Iesus is in continuall paine both of body and soule not in body onely but chiefly in the soule His paine during this time is chiefly that inwarde anguish all His paine was for our sinnes if yee compare the soule and the body together the soule is ten times worse and more sinfull than the bodie the soule is nothing but a sinke of sinne all sinne proceedes out of that stinking puddle of the soule The body hath no life in it but that which it hath of the soule and therefore seeing the Lord offered Him to suffer for our sinnes Hee behooued to suffer chiefly in the soule What shall I say of the impudent Papists who maintaine this doctrine that the Lord suffered not that inward paine of the soule O! that they dare be so bolde as to auouch such doctrine against the manifest wordes of the Holy Spirit They knowe not what sinne is They knowe not what is the greatnesse of the euill of sinne or the Iustice of GOD and lastly they know not what is the mercie of IESVS CHRIST In a worde I proclaime both before GOD and His Angels the Pope and his shauelings are open enemies to the Crosse of CHRIST if it were but in this that they take away the chiefe part of His suffering Bee thou a Papist if thou continuest in that fantasie thou shalt neuer haue no part nor portion of His suffering Concerning the suffering of His bodie and of that ignominious death of
these His vvonderous workes bare witnesse that the Godhead dwelt in Him bodily Iohn sayes We saw His glorie as the glory of the only begotten Sonne of God Ioh. 1.14 How saw we this glorie How discerned he it Euen by these many other such wondrous works indeed it had done them litle good to haue knowen that Christ was risen againe except they had beene assured that He who rose vvas God the Sonne of God if they had not knowen this the knowledge of His Resurrection had not bene steadable to Saluation Nowe it vvould bee marked that he sayes when they come to land They saw fish laide on the coales and bread This was for their sustentation So the Lord manifested not only His power in the miracle but likewise His loue in feeding of them to the end that they should not rest coÌ„tent themselues with marueiling at His power but that vpon thâ— consideration of His gâ—eat loue they should be mooued to loue Him againe intierely to put their trust in Him Indeede vve ought to vvonder at the gloriousnesse of the person the Lord and at His extraordinarie and maruellous power for He is as the Prophet Esay 9.6 calles Him Wonderfull but vve should so maruell at His power that in y e meane time vve endâ—uoure to haue a sense of His loue that vve may loue Him againe put our trust in Him for without the sense of His loue our maruelling vvondering at Him vvill doe vs litle good Now let vs come to the Lords conference vvith the Disciples Iesus saide vnto them Bring of the fishes which yee haue nowe caught The Lord breakes off first the conference for they carried such a reuerence to the Lord that they vvould not presume once to speake for as the presence of the Lord vvorketh Faith and loue in the soule so it vvorkes feare and reuerence of His Majestie if thou vvantest feare and reuerence to His Majestie thou neuer foundest His presence in thy soule Now vvhen Hee bids them Bring of the fishes which they had caught He demands an accompt of the benefite vvhich He had bestowed on them and so Hee shewes that it vvas not His vvill that rashly vnaduisedly they should haue cast away the benefite vvherewith He had blessed them albeit it vvas but an earthly blessing and hereby vve may see that the fact of Iohn and the other Disciples vvas vvorthie of praise vvho left not the fishes behind them but drew the net full of fishes to the land Againe it is worthie to be marked that he ascribeth the taking of the fishes which Hee had enclosed in the net and freely giuen them to their trauels labours for He sayes Bring of the fâ—shes which ye haue now caught This forme of speaking lets vs see how well the Lord likes how highly He counts of the labours which His own Children vndertake at His coÌ„mandement for albeit we be altogether vnprofitable seruants when we haue done all that we can do Luke 17.10 and all our labours be not steadable to Him nor profitable in theÌ„â—elues yet such is His loue fauour towards His own that both He commends them as profitable seruants allowes of their workes as steadable and this He does to the end He may encourage vs as His children not to wearie but to goe forward in well doing for it is necessarie that we be exercised in well doing go forward in good works for God hath ordained that we should walke in them Ephes 2.10 that without them it is vnpossible to attaine vnto eternalâ— life In like maner when freely He crownes His grace into vs Hee calles that crowne a reward as if we had dâ—serued it by our labours for the Lorde vses to deale with vs as a louing father deales vvith His Children the father will make much of his sonne allure him promise him an hyre to moue him to do that thing that he is obliged to do of duty so the Lord dates and allures vs and calles the thing which Hee giues vs freelie an hyre and rewarde to the ende that Hee may encourage vs to goe forwardes in vvell-doing Likewise in that perfect forme of prayer vvhich the Lord hath taught vs Hee calles that bread which Hee biddes vs craue from GOD our bread as though GOD vvere indebted to giue it vnto vs and as if vve had a right vnto it vvhich neuerthelesse vve craue from God as appertaining to Him not to vs yet He teaches vs to call it our bread albeit vve haue no right to it to testifie His fatherly loue fauour towardes vs. When the Papists heare any thing ascribed to our laboures vvhen they heare a rewarde named in the Scriptures then incontinent they conclude That vvee merite it at GODS hand But they deceaue themselues for as the Lord ascribes heere the taking of the fishe vvhich vvas His benefite and blessing vnto their laboures vvhich they vndertooke at His commandement So after this same manner and no otherwise Hee vses to call that a rewarde vvhich Hee giues vs freelie to the ende Hee may encourage vs vvith the greater pleasure to doe His vvill Nowe let vs come to the obedience to this coÌ„mandement of the Lord. As soone as Peter heares the Lord bidding them bring of the fishes which they had caught incontinent hee stepped foorth and drewe the nette to land full of great fishes an hundreth fiftâ—e and three Hee is verie readie to obeye Before vvhen first hee vnderstoode that it vvas the LORDE hee vvas carried vvith such a feruent zeale to meete vvith the LORDE that hee left the nette fishes and all behinde him Nowe vvhen hee heares the LORD commanding to bring the fishes there is none of them so bent and readie to obeye Which lettes vs see that vvhen PETER left all and cast himselfe into the Sea to meete the LORDE hee despised not neither misregarded the benefite of the fishes vvhich the LORDE gaue the DISCIPLES So learne in this example of PETER vvhat is the disposition and behauiour of a sanctified and holie person for a season hee vvill bee rauished and as it vvere transported aboue all the pleasures and outwarde comfortes of the vvorlde and he vvill bee so sette vpon the meditation and thinking of those thinges vvhich are spirituall and to enjoye the presence of the LORD that scarcelie vvill hee once so much as haue any thought of them because he countes himselfe to be a Citizen of the Kingdome of Heauen Againe when hee knowes that it is the Lords will that he should be exercised the time of his pilgrimage heere in some earthly calling hee is content to returne backe againe and to put his hand to worke exercising him in his owne calling yet in the meane time when his hande is working his heart is in Heauen where his treasure is when he is exercised in his calling his conuersation is aboue and as Paul speakes of him Hee vses the world as though hee
faith y t coms by hearing thoÌ„ of that faith y t proceeds of seeing for He sayes to Thomas Because thou hast seene mee thou beleeuest but blessed are these that haue not seene and haue beleeued Joh. 20.29 Marke a manifest difference betwixt y e suffering crucifying of the Lord His Resurrection Ascension When y e Lord was crucified al sort of people beheld Him there were gathered a great multitude not of the Iewes only but also of the GeÌ„tiles out of many natioÌ„s for it was a solemne time the time of y e Passâ—ouer but there were not so many y t beheld His Resurrection nor Ascension for it was His pleasure to manifest Himself after His Resurrection to a small number of His own familiars namely His disciples Apostles likewise it was His pleasure to make choise but of a few of that same sort to be eye-witnesses of His glorious AsceÌ„sion for He wold haue His glory to be made manifest to y e world rather by the preaching of y e Gospel than by the sight of the eyes Of this difference we learne this lesson for our instruction That the shame ignominy of Christ is offred to be seene of all sorts of meÌ„ but His glory is manifested only to a small number euen to those who are saued by His bloode The shame ignominy of Christ in His meÌ„bers is laid to th' eyes of all sorts of men there are none who sees not how vile contemptible the faithfull are vnder the crosse but the glory of the faithfull is seene but of a few eueÌ„ only of those who are ordained to be partakers of that same glory For albeit saies Iohn that now we are the sons of God yet it is not made manifest what we shall be 1. Epist 3.2 And as th'Apostle Paul saies of y â— Iewes Jf they had known the Lord of glory they would not haue crucified him 1. Cor. 2.8 So say we of the wicked of the world If they knew that glory of the children of God they would not so contemne them despise persecute theÌ„ The place y t He leades theÌ„ to is said to be Bethania and Act. 1.12 it is said They returned to JerusaleÌ„ from the mount that is called the mount of Oliues neare vnto which mouÌ„t was Bethania both were neare to Ierusalem about 15. furlonges or a Sabbath dayes journey about 2. miles Ioh. 11.18 The Lord of set purpose chose this place to manifest His glory wherin before He suffred ignominy It was in this place that He wrastled with the feare of death finding the terrours of the wrath of God ceazing on His soule when He said his soule was heauie vnto the death It was in this place that the bande of men of warre came and tooke him It was in this place that they bound him and led him away to that shamefull death of the crosse Therefore in this place the Lord makes a shew of His glory in this same place He addresses Himself to triumph from this same place ascends He to His Heauenly Throne Marke the lesson in a worde The Lord of necessitie must be glorified in that same place where before He was dishonored He must be honoured either in mercy by y e conuersion of a sinner who has despised Him or els by the executing of judgemeÌ„t pouring forth of vengeance vpon th'obstinate stubborne contemners But to goe forward to the coÌ„ference coÌ„munication that was betwixt the Lord His Apostles alittle before He asceÌ„ded to HeaueÌ„ This coÌ„fereÌ„ce is set down Act. 1.6 For after the disciples were come together to the mount of Oliues they asked him Lord wilt thou at this time restore the kingdome of Israel Th' occasion of this their question is not set down here but it is likely that the Lord at this time has bin speaking something of that Heauenly Kingdome that vpon His speach they haue taken occasion to aske this question of th' earthly kingdome In demanding of this question they faile many wayes First they faile in curiosity being too curious as the Lordes answere imports Next they faile in this that as yet they thinke y t He should haue bene an earthly king that His kingdome should bee of this world Thirdly they faile in this that they desired to reign triuÌ„ph before they had foughten sufficiently ended their warfare This might seeme strange that they profited so litle in so long time hauing such faire occasion Their ignorance cannot be excused for by the space of 3. yeeres more they were coÌ„uersant with the Lord hearing Him preach saw Him worke miracles after His resurrectioÌ„ sundry times He appeared to them spake to theÌ„ in this same time they saw in Him a majesty they saw Him clad inuested with HeaueÌ„ly glory yet for all this they are earthly minded and think of nothing but of an earthly kingdome In this example of y e disciples we may perceiue how dull we are by nature vncapable of spirituall HeaueÌ„ly things All th' outward meanes of y e worlde will not profit vs if there be no more albeit we heard al HeaueÌ„ly spirituall things neuer so loÌ„g albeit we saw all things neuer so loÌ„g we will neuer be a haire the better except y t wee be taught of God except our minds be illuminate our hearts be opened by the H. Spirit Therfore when we vse th' outward meanes we should pray coÌ„tinually y t the Lord wold send His H. Spirit to instruct vs inwardly and to joyne His blessing with them Now to come to the Lords answere first He reproues them for their curiosity he said vnto them Jt is not for you to know the times the seasons He giues them a good reason because the Father has put them in his owne power Men in all ages haue bin too curious to inquire the things which belong not vnto them Th'Apostles here began curiously to inquire of the time of the restoring of the kingdome to Israel euer since men haue coÌ„tinued curiously to inquire the times seasons namely the particular time of the Lordes coÌ„ming to judgement But the Lord here snibs represses this curiosity in th'apostles for what had they adoe to search out the things y t the Lord kept secret to Himselfe It is not y e Lords will that men at any time should be curious to inquire the particular times which He keepes close to Himself namely the particular diet period of Christs coÌ„ming to judgement for of that day houre knowes no maÌ„ no not th'Angels which are in heaueÌ„ Mark 13.32 Next in the answere He calles them to remembrance of y t promise which He made to theÌ„ before of y e sending of y e H. Spirit induing them with power froÌ„ an high But saies He yee shall receiue power of the holie Ghost when he shall come on you This putting them in remeÌ„brance
behoued to be in a greater humility w t greater reuereÌ„ce w t greater feruency thaÌ„ euer it was before Indeed they worshipped Him before knowing Him to be the Messias but their knowledge was but very mean sober but now they see know perfectly that He is the Lord of glory the glorious judge of the world therefore the worshipping of Him at this time behoued to be in greater reuereÌ„ce with greater perswasion boldnes than euer it was before The sight of that glorious majesty makes euer the creature in reuereÌ„ce to worship God the greater sight the greater reuerence The faithfull while they liue here in th' earth because by th' eye of faith in the mirrour of the Gospel they see the glory of the Lord therfore in humility they worship His majesty but because they see Him not clearly as He is but darkly and obscurely therfore their worshipping here is not like that worshipping y t shal be when they shal see Him face to face for when we shal see him as he is we shal worship Him with greater reuerence confideÌ„ce boldnes liberty than euer we did before for then vve shall be made like vnto Him that is vve shall bee made conformable to the image of His glory and vve shall shake off all this mortality corruption vvherewith th'Apostles vvere clad at this time vvheÌ„ they worshipped Him ascending to HeaueÌ„ So that that vvorshipping adoring of the Lord which the faithful shal giue Him in that great day wheÌ„ He desceÌ„ds from the HeaueÌ„s to judge the world shall surpasse exceedingly by many degrees that worship which the Apostleâ— gaue Him wheÌ„ they saw Him asceÌ„d into HeaueÌ„ for theÌ„ there shal be nothing to hinder them Now in the meane time while the Lord is ascending to Heauen as they worship Him so likewise they followe Him vvith their eyes and looked stedfastly toward heauen vvhere they saw Him ascending vvhich testifies plainly that their hearts were lifted vp to the Heauens together vvith Christ as Christ ascended so their hearts ascended vvere lifted vp to Heauen by the power veâ—tue of that same Ascention glorie of Christ in vvhome they beleeued for they that beleeue in Christ and are conjoyned to Him by faith of necessity must by that bâ—nd of faith be lifted vp together vvith Him to the Heauens for that soule that is linked to Him by faith caÌ„not be seuered from Him but it must follow Him vvhersoeuer He goes Mark this lesson wheÌ„ y e heart is lifted vp to Heauen it vvill lift y e eye of y e bodie to Heauen also y e sight sense of y e Ascension of Christ liftes vp the heart to Heauen for where there is in y e heart a sense feeling of y e power of Christs AscensioÌ„ of necessity both the soule th' eyes of the body must be lifted vp to Heauen And this lifting vp of th' eyes of the body proceeding froÌ„ the lifting vp of y e heart to Heauen this lifting vp of y e heart proceeding froÌ„ y e feeling of y e power of th'AsceÌ„sioÌ„ of Iesus which now y e faithfull find is a sure argumeÌ„t vndoubted warraÌ„â— to y e faithful y t one day th' eye y e heart y e soule y e body yea y e whole man shal be lifted vp to heaueÌ„ both soule body in y t great day wheÌ„ y e Lord appeares to judgemeÌ„t shal enjoy His glorious preseÌ„ce therfore y e godly haue great cause continually to be waiting looking for y t glorious apppearing of Christ happy art thou who art euer waiting for it for at y t glorious appearing thou shâ—lt be partaker of glory w t him to whoÌ„ with y e Father H. Spirit be all praise honor glory Amen THE LVI LECTVRE OF THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST MARKE CHAP. XVI verse 20 And they went foorth and preached euerie where And the Lord wrought with them and confirmed the word with signes that followed Amen LVKE CHAP. XXIIII verse 52 And they Worshipped him returned to HierusaleÌ„ with great ioye verse 53 And were continuallie in the Temple praising and lauding GOD Amen ACTS CHAP. I. verse 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heauen as hee went beholde two men stood by them in white apparell verse 11 Which also said Yee men of Galile why stand yee gazing into heauen This Iesus which is taken vp from you into heauen shall so come as yee haue seene him goe into heauen verse 12 Then returned they vnto Hierusalem from the mount that is called the mount of Oliues which is neare to Hierusalem beeing from it a Sabbath dayes journey verse 13 And when they were come in they went vp into an vpper chamber where abode both Peter and Iames and Iohn and Andrew Philip and Thomas Bartlemew and Matthew James the sonne of Alpheus and Simon Zelotes and Iudas Iames brother verse 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplications with the women and Marie the mother of Iesus and with his brethren THE last day welbeloued BrethreÌ„ in Christ we entred into the history of Christs ascension to heauen We heard of the circuÌ„staÌ„ces of it The Lord led them out to Bethania to the mount of Oliues from the which place He asceÌ„ded vnto heaueÌ„ we heard of the coÌ„muning y t was betwixt Christ his disciples who asked of him Lord wilt thou at this time restore the kingdome to Jsrael The Lord reproues this their curiosity It is not for you to know the times the seasons which the Father has put in his owne power And then he tels what they ought to doe First they shuld be mindfull of the promise of y e H. Spirit Next they shuld look to their own calling to beare witnesse of him to the world Wee heard how before his Ascension he blessed them we heard of the manner of his Ascension it was very sensible and visible He went a little space from them and was taken vp and receiued in a cloude hee was taken out of their sight and carried vp to heauen This was done the â—oth th'Apostle themselues might be perswaded and also with greater boldnesse assurance perswade others of His Ascension We heard that wheÌ„ He was taken out of their sight He was placed at the right hand of God and exalted to that sublimitie of glory that all the creatures in heauen and earth are subdued to him And last wee hearde what was the behauiour of th'Apostles In the meane time they worshipped him and looked stedfastly to â—he heauens This day by Gods grace wee shall follow out put an end to this history In the words which wee haue read we wil sâ—e what falles out While the disciples are looking vp to the heauens two Angels are sent to them by Christ who partly reproues them and partlie comforts them We will see likewise what the disciples doe after this They
from the hope of the glorious returning of the Lord Iesus againe to Iudge the world There is nothing that furnishes such joy to the faithfull soule as this hope does Indeed it is true the Lord giues vs other grounds of consolation while we are heere namely He giues vs His Spirit to counsel guide vs through al the difficulties of our pilgrimage the joy that the faithfull finde in His presence is very great He giues vs Faith also to coÌ„fort vs whereby in some measure presently we feele the presence of Christ His spirituall graces in our soules but except with y e Spirit Faith we had a hope y t the Lord Iesus should returne againe in His own time in glory we could not haue solide joy consolatioÌ„ for if in this life only we hoped in Christ had no hope y t He would returne againe in glory raise our mortall bodies froÌ„ y e dead theÌ„ as y e Apostle saies of all men we were most miserable 1. Cor. 15.19 why shuld not y e hope of this returning coÌ„fort our soules make them to rejoyce for at His returning we look hope for y e glorifying of these our bodies for eternall life Paul sayes That froÌ„ the heauens we look for the Sauiour euen the Lord Iesus who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like vnto His glorious body Philip. 3.20.21 And when it shal be made manifest we shal be made like Him for we shall see Him as He is 1 Joh. 3.2 Yea we haue greater cause of joy comfort of the hope of His returning againe thaÌ„ all y e Apostles had of y e sight of His ascending to heauen in their preseÌ„ce for y e ascension of y e Lord albeit it was very glorious coÌ„fortable to theÌ„ yet it chaÌ„ged not their bodies nor made theÌ„ like His glorious body but His glorious returning again froÌ„ the heauens shall change both their bodies our vile corruptible bodies and make them conformable to His glorious body Now happie is y e man who earnestly lookes waits for the blessed glorious coÌ„ming againe of the Lord to judgement for y t hope shall comfort vphold him in all his troubles distresses Now come to y t disciples part we haue suÌ„dry things expressed what they doe y e first is after y e Angels reproued them for their standing gazing to y e heauens it is said They returned to Jerusalem with great ioy They take well with the reproofe they stay no longer gazing there but according to y e Lords directioÌ„ they go to Jerusalem to waite for y t Spirit which He promised to them they obey y e Lords coÌ„mandemeÌ„t they obey with great joy But what made them so to rejoyce This joy proceeded partly from y e sight of His glorious ascensioÌ„ into heaueÌ„ which they saw with their eyes partly froÌ„ y t which they heard by y e Angels of His glorious returning descending again out of y e heauens yet all this which both they saw heard would not haue wroght so great a joy in theÌ„ except y e Lord Iesus who was sitting in y e heauens at y e right hand of y e Father had bin effectuall in them had powerfully wroght this joy in their soules for this joy that y e holy Spirit works in y e hearts of y e Lords Elect is a sure argumeÌ„t infallible demoÌ„stratioÌ„ y t y e Lord Iesus is reigning in y e heaueÌ„s for the Kingdome of God is righteousnes ioy peace in the holy Ghâ—st Rom. 14.17 Now if ye will coÌ„pare this joy which at this time they had with all the joy y t euer they had before yea euen when y e Lord Iesus was walking with them in the flesh they enjoyed His bodily presence ye shal find y t this joy surpassed by many degrees all their preceeding joy whereby we may learne this lesson that neither y e bodily presence of y e Lord Iesus augments or perfectes y e joy of y e soule neither His bodily abseÌ„ce stayes or hinders any wise y t joy but y t all this joy which y e faithfull find proceedes from the effectual preseÌ„ce powerful operatioÌ„ of y e holy Spirit in the soule The grosse carnal Papists think they caÌ„not haue mater of rejoycing except in y e Lords Supper they haue y e body of Christ bodily locally present that is except y t with y e mouth of the body they eat deuoure swallow vp the very body flesh of Iesus Christ except that after that same manner they drinke His blood but vaine Papist thou deceiuest thy selfe for neither does the bodily presence furnish joy neither does the bodily abseÌ„ce hinder joy but all true joy that the soule finds proceedes from the effectuall presence operatioÌ„ of the Spirit Yet to speak something further of this purpose It would be narrowly considered what could be the cause ground of this joy of the Disciples for if we looke to it by the outward appearance they had litle matter or cause of rejoycing at this time when the Lord is gone froÌ„ them Indeede when the Lord Iesus was with them when He led them out into Bethania any man might thinke they had matter of rejoycing to follow such a gracious guide but now when He hath left the earth ascended to heauen left them behind Him what matter could they haue of so great joy in their returning to Jerusalem I answere notwithstanding they wanted now the bodily presence of Christ yet they wanted not matter of great joy for in stead of His bodily presence the Lord gaue them Faith Hope Faith apprehending taking holde of the Lord Iesus sitting in the heauens in glorie at the right hand of the Father Hope waiting constantly for His blessed glorious returning againe in the appointed time to Iudgement This Faith Hope that the Lord giues vs in this pilgrimage recompenses sufficiently the bodily absence of the Lord Iesus from vs if wee haue Faith Hope we haue euermore matter of rejoycing where Faith Hope is they bring euer with them patience joy euen in the mids of all afflictioÌ„s The Apostle Paul declares this by his own experience For the Gospels sake sayes he I suffer these things but I am not ashamed for I know whom I haue beleeued and I am perswaded that hee is able to keepe that which I haue coÌ„mitted to him against that day 2. Tim. 1.12 There he lets vs see what made him to bee so patient vnder afflictions to wit the sense of the power of Christ which hee founde in his soule by faith by the which power hee was perswaded that Christ was able to keepe in the heauens that life which hee had committed vnto him and the hope that hee had of His glorious returning in that great day wherin the Lord should render
Saints shall be required at their hands the sinnes of the Princes whome they haue abused shall be laide to their charge and the blood of those who perish shall bee required at their handes and we shall see that the blood of all that haue bene slaine from Abel the just shall be laide vpon the backe of the Pope and his Clergie The Lord saue the Princes of the world from them Another thing I would marke here Iesus would haue Pilate to take heede not to the delation only but to these also who giues it vp He would haue him to looke to the Iewes and to their disposition and affection It is not enough to a Iudge to looke to the crime but he must looke to the accusers and trie their disposition for if the accuser seeke the mans blood he will be a calumniator There is not a Iudge who is set on life and death but he is bound to set his eye on the delators Take heede to Pilates answere when Iesus hath demanded him thus then Pilate growes somewhat angrie that Christ should haue meaned that that sentence should haue proceeded from him So this is a sure argument that Pilate very gladly would haue kept his hands free of that blood of Iesus for hee sawe that He was an innocent man that it was a false accusation which was laid against Him Am I a Iew sayes he Thine owne nation and the High Priestes haue deliuered thee vnto me What hast thou done First he cleanses himselfe that he was not the author thereof because he was not a Iew and therefore knewe not perfectly His doings Next he sheweth who was y e author to wit His countrey men namely the High Priests for in conscience hee was perswaded both of Christs innocencie and of their calumnie and therefore cleanses himselfe but he was farre intangled in this judgement that hee could not get himselfe free he had done well if hee had saide I will haue nothing to doe with thee or if he had deliuered Him from these Iewes by his power but putting his hands once to judgement he could not get himselfe free Looke what it is once to beginne to judge the innocent when the Iudge beginnes to satisfie the appetite of wicked men he can not well quite himselfe till he defile himselfe with the blood of the innocent albeit hee would absolue the man yet his mouth shal condemne him So for no mans appetite let not a Iudge enter in judgement against an innocent man whome he knowes in his conscience to bee innocent And if thou enter in judgement with him absolue him vnder the paine of thy life or els thou shalt be guilty of his blood This is a corruptioÌ„ sometime of the judgment of SCOTLAND how the Iudge will say I behooued to doe it I did it against my will I was compelled to doe it Well that shall be none excuse to thâ—e for if thou doe it thou shalt bee condemned for it it is no small thing be a Iudge We haue heard Pilates cleansing of Christ he is so touched in his conscience with the innocencie of Iesus Christ that hee is compelled to cleanse himselfe first to Iesus Christ before that Iesus cleanses Himselfe to him Now followes the answere of Christ to this calumnie My Kingdome is not in this world Thou askest at me if I be a King I answere My Kingdome is not in this world he denies not absolutely that Hee was a King for the Lord Iesus is the most glorious King that euer was or shall be but He denies y t He was an earthly king As the Iewes accused Him He giues a reason If my Kingdome were of this world my seruants would fight for me he who aspires to a kingdome he wil fight all y t may doe for him to the very death if he had bene seeking a kingdome He would not haue stayed Peter froÌ„ fighting as He did Now to examine Christs answere First He denies not y t He is a king Next not denying y t He is a King commeth to a distinction I am a King But what a King Not an earthly but a spirituall King that is true the Iewes lay to my charge y t I affect an earthly Kingdome y t is not true Now Brethren this is to be marked He telleth him indeede that his Kingdome is not of this world but He telleth him not where His Kingdome was Hee sayes not My Kingdome is in Heauen Hee sayes not this My Kingdome is in the conscience of men and women in the world He teaches not Pilate this Some would thinke that He should speake more clearly of this matter to Pilate but Christ entred not into the common Hall to play the Doctour and to teach but the Lord Iesus set Himselfe to play the Priest to suffer patiently y t part of teaching was ended but knowing that the houre of His suffering was come that Pontius Pilate should be his judge He would not stay him And therefore Hee would not enter in doctrine because the time of teaching was past if Pilate would haue bene taught he might haue heard Iesus teach before but he would not heare Him He teaches Pilate as much as might make him inexcusable Then Brethren I see as Christ hath a time of teaching wherein He will teach men yea his verie enemies as He vttereth when they would haue taken Him sought his life so He hath a time of silence when He will not open his mouth Hee speaketh some thing albeit litle to Pilate but Hee speakes not so much as one word to the High Priests because Hee would haue rather had him safe than them because they were malitious Christ hath not as yet shut his mouth in this land but Hee teaches not sparingly nor scantly for to speake it so The raine of the word of God is powred aboundantly out of Heauen to water the thirstie soules of men if thou spendest thy time wilt not vse it well I warne thee that the day will come when thou shalt not get one word to thy comfort wilt thou alwayes haue the blessed Euangell and the ministrie thereof No as Christ had but one time when that time was past He would teach no more so hath his ministers all their teaching shall end as His did I say GOD sheweth grace on the persecuters of this Land when as yet He offereth grace to them but I denounce as the Lord liues if they repent not in time they shall not get so much as one good worde to comfort them Wherefore let not the opportunitie slip whilst it called the day let vs not harden our hearts Thus far y e Lord hath purged himself hath teached Pilate what a King He was not an earthly but a spirituall King I will not digresse here to speake of the kingdome of Christ therefore I come to Pilates answere Art thou a King well then would Pilate say thou deniest not that thou art a
into the handes of the Pope and those sillie soules that lye in the Holie house would exchaunge the one with the other The judgement of GOD is lying vpon these doers on HERODE on PILATE on the High Priestes and vpon the IEWES yet PILATE gettes this grace that hee hath some conscience and it is holden waking and sounding in his eare and staying him from that wicked action and then Pilate gettes a pittifull heart But come to them to wit the Iewes and High Priestes the judgement of GOD lyes so vpon them that they proceede from degree to degree to fearefull induration till the action bee finished and the heartes of them are locked vp from all pitie and their consciences are blotted awaye so heauie is the judgement that lies vpon the Iewes Therefore thinke not that wee are free from judgement when wee are sitting in ease eating and drinking in wealth honour and glorie for I affirme that the heauiest judgement that euer GOD layes vpon anie creature is a senselessenesse For when as a man or a woman is doing euill and hath no sense of that their evill doing O! that is the moste miserable estate that can bee for it is a sure fore-runner of eternall damnation No outwarde crosse neither sicknesse nor pouertie is so sure a token of GODS judgement as to bee rocked vp in securitie and to bee lying sleeping in sinne Senselessenesse is a sure token of a sore judgement which shall ouertake thee so that thou shalt not bee able to open thy mouth to saye GOD helpe mee and therefore beware of senselesnesse Now the LORD holde our consciences waking although it should trouble vs that we may cease from going forwardes in sinne for CHRISTES sake To whome bee all Praise Honour and Glorie for euermore AMEN THE NINTH LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP. XIX verse 7 The Iewes answered him Wee haue a Lawe and by our Lawe he ought to die because hee made himselfe the Sonne of GOD. verse 8 When Pilate then heard that word hee was the more afraid verse 9 And went againe into the common Hall and said vnto IESVS Whence art thou But IESVS gaue him none answere WEE heard in the beginning of this CHAPTER Brethren how Pilate the Iudge insisted earnestlie to get IESVS whom his conscience dited to bee innocent set free and loosed and therfore first he commandes Him to bee taken and scourged to bee crowned with a Crowne of Thornes and clad with a purple Garment in derision of His kingdome thinking thereby to haue satisfied the Iewes Then when he had done this he commeth foorth himselfe and in presence of all the people protestes the fourth time that He was innocent Thirdly when hee bringes Him foorth with a Crowne of Thornes and with a purple rayment hee vtters a pittifull voyce saying Beholde the man to mooue the Iewes to be content but their malice could not be satisfied but the Iewes and Priestes cried out Crucifie him crucifie him Thus much we haue heard alreadie Now in the beginning of this Text wee haue the replie of Pilate to the Iewes and the communication betwixt him and them Take yee him saies he and crucifie him as for mee I finde no fault in him He answeres indeed with an anger for he is commoned with the obstinacie of the Iewes because nothing woulde mooue them but still they cried out Crucifie him but he saies If ye will take it on your coÌ„science crucifie ye Him as for me albeit I have right to crucifie Him I had rather giue my right to you than to deâ—ile mine hands with the blood of the innocent Ye heard when they vrged Pilate to condemne Him without a verdict hee answered on this manner Ye haue a law judge Him according to your law Before I judged a man without a crime I had rather resigne my right to you Ye see there Pilate had rather giue ouer his right that he had of the Romane Emperour in judging and executing before he had condemned an innocent man this had bene very commendable in this Ethnicke man if it had not beene forced out of him by the guiltinesse of his conscience his conscience cried within him Iesus is innocent So this is forced out of him for Brethren ye shall vnderstand that men doe things in conscience two wayes either against their will when they are compelled violently to doe it or els with their will when they doe any thing willingly when the heart is as readie to doe it as the conscience charges When a man doeth a thing vpon constraint hee getteth litle praise before God when a man doeth willingly then there is matter of true praise if yee compare Pilate with the Iewes who had lost their conscience he hath his owne praise for it is better to be commoned on conscience to doe any thing than to doe against conscience But let him who would haue the true praise not do any thing on coÌ„straint of coÌ„science only but also with a willing heart as the conscience requireth that he doe it so let him be as glad to doe it Naturall men will haue a conscience and doe vpon conscience albeit they were neuer so prophane but if the heart agree willingly to do God seruice there is more than nature there if thou wouldest haue praise of God take not onely heede to thy conscience but looke also that thou haue a joy in thine heart in well doing Will ye marke through this whole discourse that the Lord lets not the conscience of Pilate sleepe Iudges now who will be counted Christians haue not such a conscience and as it is waking so it lets him not rest but causes him speake if thy conscience be wakned thou shalt bee speaking and shalt be compelled to say the good cause is the good cause But looke to the High Priests there is as great difference betweene them and Pilate as it betweene the heauen the earth ye shall see nothing in them but the conscience sleeping locked vp in a sound sleep the more that Pilate testifies of the innocencie of Christ they are the more hardened This is a wonder Pilate was but a naturall man who had none illumination but through the light of nature ye must know that it is knowledge that makes a conscience As for the High Priests they had light by the word of God yet come to the conscience Pilate had a better conscience than they had all Would ye search the ground of it the High Priests albeit they had the word of God and light and illumination there thorow yet the malitiousnesse of their hearts put out that light corruption blotted it out and when once a man is illuminate and then beginneth to extinguish that light it coÌ„meth by the just Iudgement of God that the light of nature is put out and then all conscience is scraped out and then hee becommeth like a beast and so falleth into a reprobate sense keepe the light that ye haue gotten by
and therefore I deserued not death yet it is not so euill as malice for whereas malice prouokes the wrath and judgement of the Iudge for it is a terrible thing to haue an malicious heart and of set purpose to sinne against the Iudge Ignorance will mooue the Iudge to pitie and commiseration and so ye see the LORD seeing the poore ignorant multitude Hee pities them and as Hee pities them so Hee prayes for them Ignorance mooued Him to pittie and to praye for them In a worde The Christian man that is persecuted wrongfullie either hath to doe with malicious men wee may finde this in experience ere wee die who persecute of malice or with enemies who are not so much malicious as ignorant if hee haue to doe vvith malicious persons patience is required but if hee haue to doe with ignorant bodies then not onelie patience is required but also rueth and loue Wouldest thou haue patience then commit vengeance vnto Him vvho judges justlie for if thou vvouldest bee patient looke to thy GOD and saye I commit thee in the hands of the Iudge And if thou haue to doe vvith an ignorant see that thou bee pittifull looke to the ignorance of them that persecute thee and thou shalt not so soone looke to their blindnesse but thou shalt not onelie bee patient but also pittifull and the ignorant vvill seeme to bee miserable and to bee pittied for this is certaine that the innocent man vvho is persecuted is not so much to bee pittied as hee vvho of blinde ignorance persecutes him Alas What is to bee pittied but that vvhich procures damnation before GOD So ignorant blinded bodies are moste to bee pittied Nowe consider howe all rankes and sortes of people shame Him and first Pilate shames Him and commaundes an inscription and title to be vvritten on the Crosse bearing the crime and cause of His death It is saide that Pilate the Iudge Writeth a title to bee fixed on the Crosse and bee writeth it in Hebrew and in Grecke and in Latine to the ende that men of all Languages might reade it and vnderstand it and the effect thereof is this IESVS of Nazareth the King of the Jewes This was in Hebrewe in Greeke and in Latine three Languages to bee read by Hebrewes Graecians Romanes There is no question but this was written according to the fashion of that time for among the people of GOD both the judgementes and also the punishmentes vvith inscriptions containing the cause thereof vsed to bee publicked And this vvas a commendable and allowable custome that vvhen a man vvas condemned to die they alwayes vsed to put vp an inscription containing the crime and cause to testifie that hee vvas vvorthilie executed According hereunto they handle the Lord IESVS for they lead y e whole proces in the sight of y e people went not into a corner to judge Him but in the presēce of y e whole people they led Him out of the Portes of Hierusalem to execute Him Reade of this custome Iosh Chapter 7. verse 19. Of Achan who stolle the Babylonians garment how hee was judged of the whole people Read of that blasphemer in the wildernesse Leuit. 24.23 how before the whole people hee was executed publikly Reade of Ionathan how hee was judged and condemned of his father Saul in the sight of the whole people 1. Sam. Chapter 14. verse 5. As the Iudgement was publicke so they vsed to put an inscription aboue them to testifie to the people their crime and the cause of their death that they died justly It is no small matter to slay a man albeit hee were the poorest that euer was and there is not a Prince in the face of the earth that may slay a man without a good cause No not the Emperour hath that power And as no man should bee slaine lightly so if there bee a just cause of execution the man may not be executed priuily at the pleasure of the Iudge but if there bee good justice the Iudgement must be before the people The people haue their owne right and entresse in judgement seates Yee know in that great Iudgement of the world which shall be at the latter day not one shall be judged and condemned without the approbation and consent of the whole Elect which shall stand round about their Lord. Then how much more hath the people at the least the best part entresse in earthly Iudgements to see good administration of justice and Iudgement and that the Iudge vse no Tyrannie This then was the cause of this Inscription euen that the cause of the death of Iesus should bee made manifest to the people according to common commendable custome But Pilate had another respect Pilate did this not so much that the people should know the cause of His death for his conscience tolde him that He was innocent as he put it vp to reuenge him on the malicious Iewes who compelled him against his heart and conscience to condemne Him Hee will haue this put vp that their King was hanged and that they hanged Him with their owne hands But GOD hath His part heere and all was gouerned by that heauenlie Prouidence Neither is Pilate nor the Iewes heere so much to be looked to as the dispensation of the Father As Pilate did it for one ende so the LORD did it for another ende Men will doe a thing vpon an euill intent GOD will doe the same thing by a wicked instrument to His good ende by His effectuall prouidence Hee will haue this to be put vp to ratifie the Heauenly and Spirituall Kingdome of IESVS CHRIST and Hee vvill let them all see that IESVS is the onely King and inspeciall by this inscription the LORD vvill haue it testified to the vvorlde that as IESVS hung vpon the Crosse vvith paine and shame that so likewise vpon the same Crosse He triumphed gloriously ouer His enemies ere Hee came to Heauen on the Crosse Hee gotte victorie and Hee triumphed ouer them all and ledde them all captiues on the Crosse as it is vvritten to the COLOSS. CHAP. 2. VERS 15. More than this The LORD did it to this ende To fore-shaddowe that the preaching of the Kingdome of IESVS CHRIST to followe on His Ascension should bee to all Nations Kingdomes and Languages for immediately after that Hee passed out of the vvorld IESVS vvas proclaimed to all Nations the King of Glory and continues to this day and shall bee for euer Pilate is a preacher heereof albeit hee haue little minde of it but hee vvas like Caiaphas vvho prophesied that it vvas expedient that one shoulde die for the sinnes of the vvhole people CHAP. 11. VERS 40. And this is done by the speciall prouidence of GOD no doubt The constancie of Pilate in his sentence and vvriting notwithstanding the strong opposition of the Scribes and the High Priestes vvho desired him to alter and change the title and for that vvhich vvas vvritten by Pilate to vvit This is
it is impossible that that body can attaine to glory They thinke him as an out-cast and will scorne his profession They will saye Are these your Christians of all men they are the moste miserable if that be the waye to Heauen I will renounce to goe that way this is rather the waye to goe to Hell This is the voyce of the worlde And the cause is because miserable catiues know not what sinne is which at that time behooued to bee purged by the Crosse for the justice and Majestie of GOD beeing offended required that it shoulde bee so and nowe in vs sinne thorowe manifolde crosses and afflictions must bee mortified Let the vvorlde thinke and speake as it pleases the onely waye whereby thou shalt come to life is suffering and affliction and thou must thinke this that wee must bee racked thorowe Hell ere wee come to Heauen Our redemption is wrought by the Crosse thou shalt not come to Heauen but by the Crosse The ground of all is sinne But alas the world sees it not The word will teach thee that there is no other vvay to come to Heauen but by affliction and it will thee that if thou bee not purged and changed by trouble and affliction thou shalt neuer see Heauen Alas that wee coulde once grone vnder sinne And blessed is the soule that hath a sight of the weight of sinne and vvoe to that soule that hath no sight of sinne To goe forwarde I see in this Thiefe vvho rayles on Christ some speciall thing hee hath a particular of his owne hee is in torment and therefore hee saies Jf thou bee that CHRIST saue thy selfe and vs. Brethren a torment vvhatsoeuer it bee if it bee not the better sanctified it vvill mooue the creature to fall out in blasphemie thou vvilt blaspheme both in heart and mouth and thou vvilt saye that there is no power in GOD to saue thee And the Thiefe in effect saide this There is no power in thee to saue mee I renounce thee as a Sauiour and if thou confesse His power thou wilt denie His mercie and vvilt saye GOD is but a Tyrant And if thou vvilt saye Hee is mercifull bee mercifull to vvhome Hee vvill Hee cannot bee mercifull vnto mee This last distrusting of mercie to thy selfe is a great sinne And that to saye altogether that there is no mercie in GOD it is a plaine blasphemie And last to saye there is no power in GOD it is to denie GOD to bee GOD For howe can Hee bee GOD if Hee vvant power So I thinke that this catiue hath beene a great blasphemer of that Majestie and vvhen I looke on it I see in him the image of the death of the reprobate vvhen they are dying and changing this life The Lord giue vs grace to die well The reprobate shall thinke that in their doing God hath no power to saue them for of all men in the worlde the reprobate is the most Ioath to die for either they shall thinke that God is not mercifull at all or else at least that there is no mercie in Him for them and so the miserable creature will turne his backe on GOD and immediately shall cast himselfe into Hell and damnation Wee reade of Sidrach Mesach and Abednego that they were so farre from this blasphemie that when the Tyrant falles out in blasphemie they meete him and saye Our GOD is Almightie and Hee hath power to deliuer vs if Hee please Neuer come thou to despaire though thou shouldest die tenne thousande deathes but sleepe in His bosome hang on Him and saue His honour and thinke not that which maye derogate His honour and saye Though thou shouldest slaye mee LORD yet will I trust in thee and so die sweetlie resting in His armes Well I see this hath beene a miserable bodie and hath died miserablie blaspheming the God of Glorie and this is euen as the reprobate shall doe at the latter Iudgement And yet when I compare him with the Pharises and Priests I find their blasphemie greater than his Well shall it bee to the Thiefe in respect of them for they had knowledge and hee wanted Who shoulde haue had knowledge but they They had no torment hee had sore torment What neede had they to blaspheme Therefore their condemnation shall bee greater than his And vvhen I compare this blasphemie of the Thiefe with the blasphemie of some men in these dayes vvho when anie crosse falles vpon them without their expectation vvill saye What can GOD doe more vnto mee so in effect denying power to bee in GOD and in IESVS CHRIST I count the blasphemie of these men to bee greater than his vvas For nowe IESVS is in Glorie and the Thiefe saw Him on the Crosse in miserie vvith himselfe If thou now blasphemest Him so it were well done that thy mouth were sowed vp that thou neuer spakest a vvorde Nowe to ende vvith this The LORD giue vs grace that neither in thought nor in vvorde vvee dishonour that MAIESTIE but maye acknowledge His mercie and power towardes vs in IESVS CHRIST To vvhome bee all Honour Glorie Praise Power and Dominion both nowe and euermore Worlde vvithout ende AMEN THE XVII LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST LVKE CHAP. XXIII verse 40 But the other answered and rebuked him saying Fearest thou not GOD seeing thou art in the same condemnation verse 41 We are indeede righteously heere for wee receiue things worthie of that we haue done but this man hath done nothing amisse verse 42 And hee saide vnto Iesus Lord remember me when thou commest into thy Kingdome WEE heard the last day Brethren of all these railings and blasphemies that the Lord Iesus suffered of all rankes and estates of persons whilest Hee hang on the Crosse naked liuing in torment Pilate began fixed on the Crosse an ignominious inscription That Iesus was a Traitor against Caesar and that He suffered death for His treason Then the Hang-men foure in number in despite and in His sight tooke his garmentes and diuided them in foure partes and because his coate had no seame but was wouen thorowout therefore they cast lottes for it who shoulde haue it whole Then comes on the people with their part and raile vpon Him and blaspheme Him saying Nowe if thou bee that Christ come downe and saue thy selfe Then followe the high Priestes the Scribes and the Elders who raile on Him and saye Is this hee who will saue others let see if hee can bee able to saue himselfe Then the men of warre and Gentiles beginne to raile if thou bee the King of the Iewes saue thy selfe and come downe from the Crosse And then one of the Thieues railes out on Him If thou be that Christ saue thy selfe and vs both but nowe so like as thou art the Christ thou art adying as vvell as vvee and art neither able to sâ—ue thy selfe nor vs and therefore thou art not a King Nowe Brethren yee maye perceiue that it was no prayer that
this thiefe made to CHRIST as some thinke Wee spake of this thiefe the last day now we haue to speake of the part of the other thiefe he is twitched with repentance in an instant hee becomes penitent and the inward conuersion of the heart to GOD hee vtters outwardly in sundrie effects First perceiuing the other thiefe his companion to blaspheme GOD the first action that he does he defends the honour of the LORD against the other thiefe and rebukes him and after that giues a free confession of his sinnes and last hee turnes to Iesus Christ hanging on the Crosse and sayes LORD remember mee when thou commest to thy Kingdome The LORD answeres immediatly to the thiefe Verily thou shalt be with mee this day in Paradise To come then first to the rebuke hee giues to the other thiefe Fearest thou not GOD The meaning is Thiefe fye on thee seeing thou hangs in a common miserie and torment with mee and this man fearest thou not GOD who wilt blaspheme and rayle on Him seeing thou art shortly to appeare before that Tribunall and giue an account of all thine euill deedes chiefly of the blaspheming of the innocent So hee takes vp the blaspheming from the fountaine and hee lets him see that his heart was voyde of the feare of GOD for if hee had any sponke of the feare of GOD he had not fallen out in rayling against the GOD of glorie We learne this lesson that when the hand of GOD is lying on any man and pressing him to the death then it is time to be humble and to feare the LORD and that terrible Iudgement wherein thou must stand immediatly after this life and if there appeare no feare of that Iudge in thee and if thou vtterest a plaine rebellion that testifies that his hande shall neuer leaue thee vntill it bruise thee in powder and thrust thee to the lowest Hells This is the thing that affliction should worke in vs Humiliation and the feare of GOD. Learne the lesson at the thiefe Proud soule and proud creature if thou wilt not learne at others But as this rebuke testifies that this should be so the rayling of the other testifies that it is not ay in men There are some men whome all the torments in the worlde will not moue ere they be the better they will bee in Hell hang them naile them to the Crosse teare them with pincers they shall neuer bee the better What is the cause of this It is a wonderfull thing that such trouble torment should not worke some feare of GOD in the creature But how can any affliction presse out of the creature that which was neuer in it The feare of GOD is not in the hearts of many and therefore howe can they vtter it a rotten and withered sticke was neuer more meete to be burnt than thou by nature So we beeing by nature like as many rotten stickes albeit wee were pressed with mountaines we shall neuer yeeld a sweete sappe or any repentance No before we yeelde any droppe of repentance we shall be bruised in powder fye on nature if thou werest a Prince thou shalt goe to Hell if thou haue no more but nature if thou gettest not one dâ—oppe of grace Yet yee see that the other thiefe when hee is pressed yeeldes one droppe of sappe hee becomes penitent and is zealous of the glorie of the Lord IESVS These are good effects The Crosse that wrought euill in the other thiefe workes good in this thiefe But who made the difference Who discerneth thee saith Paul Not nature They were alike in nature alike in misdeedes alike in a wicked life the one had liued as wickedly as the other alike in torment It was IESVS that made the separation it was a happie time for the one thiefe that euer he was crucified beside the LORD of glorie The Lord IESVS made the difference out of that fulnesse Hee powres out one droppe of His grace He giues none to the other Learne this that all troubles and afflictions crosses and all the torments in the worlde shall neuer make thee better All the torments in the world shall not worke one droppe of spirituall moysture out of thee the torments may vvell pâ—esse out sowre and bitter sappe as blasphemie rayling and despare but no good sappe as Faith or Repentance except thou get it of the fulnesse of IESVS CHRIST and therefore my counsell is When thou feelest the hand of the Lord on thee namely in the houre of death a dangerous houre turne thee to Iesus Christ and say thou mayest presse mee downe but long ere I yeelde one droppe of grace except thou giue it me Lord therefore giue me one drop of grace Another thing I marke in the rebuke of the other thiefe Common miserie should worke a mutual compassion thou should pitiâ— them who are in a like miserie with thee and if thou doest it not thou doâ—st as the euill thiefe did I say thou hast no feare of God if thou raylest on him who is in miserie with thee thine heart is full of the gall of bitternesse By nature we are all alike in miserie there is not a thing that becomes a sinner better than to haue compassion on others an heart without pitie shall neuer be pitied not neuer shall see life Now to goe forward when he hath said Thou art in like damnation lest that y e thiefe rebuked should haue thought y t Christ should haue deserued that paine as well as hee thinke not that they who are alike in miserie are alike guiltie No no ye are deceiued Well he meetes this we suffer nothing but that which we demerite I thou are iustly in this common condemnation but this man hath done nothing amisse This rayling and paine this man demerites not yet if ye will weigh the wordes narrowly wee shall see other two arguments whereby hee rebukes this blasphemous companion The first is from their merites The second from the innocencie of Christ The first thou meritest this torment and therefore should not thy merite worke a feare of God and a feare of an heauier judgement Lord saue vs from the merite of sinne When a man is in torment and chiefly in death the paine should worke a feare of God and then considering the merite there should strike a greater feare in the heart that there should ensue a greater damnation afterward The consideration of merite should worke a feare and the conscience should not so soone stand vp to accuse vs of sinne but wee should be striken with a feare of that terrible Iudge but euery man hath not this sense the thiefe hath not that sense of the merite of the present paine nor yet of the greater paine that was to insue What is the cause of this that euery man feeles not this The conscience of the merite of sinne is not giuen to euery man We are all sinners and merites all our paine we merite death and Hell But alas where
one gets the conscience of their merite and feeles that they deserue death ten wants it It is a pitie to see how many dies without sense like dogges and then if it fall so that one get the conscience of sinne in the houre of death it falles out ofttimes that they get not the sense of mercie It may bee that thou get the sense of sinne and be stricken with a feare but with a desperate feare for with the sense and feeling of sinne if there bee not also a sense of mercie there is nothing but terrour and a seruile feare So thou shalt die like a vile slaue in damnation So the conscience of this thiefes merite makes him to feare God no doubt hee hath had a sweet sense of the mercy of God in Iesus Christ But who made this difference It was the Lord It was a happie thing for this thiefe to be crucified with IESVS CHRIST for all this slowed out of the Crosse of IESVS CHRIST Therefore take vp the lesson Thinke not that in the houre of death thou shalt bee twitched as thou shouldest either with the feeling of thy sinne and miserie or yet of mercie except that thou sweetely turne thee to the Crosse of CHRIST and say LORD I feele neither sense of my merite and what my sinnes deserues nor of mercie LORD therefore giue mee it then the sweetnesse of that sense shall swallow vp that paine No comfort in death but in IESVS CHRIST except thine eyes be set on that Crosse Woe is to thee and woe to thee againe and better for thee if thou hadst neuer come in the world Thou and I sayes hee suffer iustly This confession witnesses the inward conuersion to IESVS CHRIST for when the heart of a sinner is turned to IESVS CHRIST it will taste a such sweetnesse that the creature will not care by that it bee shamed so it can get that LORD in whome it feeles such a sweetnesse glorified it is a sure token that these shamelesse sinners these men who will not shame themselues in the sight of the worlde but will stand in their pointes of honour with GOD these miserable soules these bloodie murtherers these adulterers tasted neuer of that mercie in IESVS CHRIST If thou wouldest haue thy sinnes hid from the eyes of GOD that terrible Iudge then open them to the world that the LORD may be glorified and if thou hidest thy sinnes the LORD shall rippe vp thy brest in that great daye and let all the world see the most hid and secret corner of thine heart to thy shame and confusion Nowe come to the thirde argument of reproofe and it is taken from the innocencie of Iesus This is an innocent and iust man Fearest thou not GOD to raile on the innocent if He were guiltie as thou and I am thy railing were more tollerable but howe canst thou raile on this just man The lesson is Iust ones who suffer innocently should not be railed vpon the LORD keepe our mouthes from railing on them if thy conscience tell thee of their innocency reuile them not a man who suffers may be innocent two manner of wayes for either hee is innocent in himselfe and not guiltie of that for which hee suffers or els if hee bee a malefactour and guiltie he may be innocent through Faith and repentance through the blood of Iesus Christ as this thiefe was innocent in Christ Now if a man be innocent of that crime for which hee suffers raile not on him on paine of thy life and if thou findest him innocent in the blood of Iesus Christ and findest him to haue true and vnfained repentance in Him albeit he bee neuer so wicked let him die and suffer these paines hee should suffer for repentance should not exeeme and free him from ciuile punishment but beware thou raile on him surely thy mouth should be stopped to raile out on him God forbid that an euill word be spoken out against him as a reprobate whom the LORD Iesus countes innocent in His blood for this railing testifies that thou counts that man as a reprobate and that is too sore a judgement thou takes to thee I see heere further the LORD neuer leaues His Sonne without a testimonie of His innocencie Pilate euer on testified His innocencie before hee condemned Him and said once twise thrise I finde nothing worthie of death in Him No Pilate was neuer brought to say that Christ was guiltie suppose he condemned Him but euer preached and proclaimed His innocencie Then when Hee is comming to suffer the poore women followes and testifies and now the poore penitent thiefe testifies the innocencie of Christ and lastly the men of warre were compelled to say Of a trueth this is the Sonne of God And if ye consider well yee shall see two thinges very contrarie that of all men that suffered He was both the most just and the most vnjust He was innocent in Himselfe and Hee was guiltie in vs and this for our consolation for this lets vs seee how meete a Mediatour He was for vs my Sauiour must be innocent in Himselfe Heb. 7.26 and He must bee guiltie in me Thus farre this thiefe hath vttered that inward repentance in rebuking the other for his blasphemie and sinne and in confessing his sinnes before the other thiefe and those that stood by now followes the third effect he turnes him to the Lord and in all humilitie seeking remission grace and life and sayes Lord remember me when thou commest to thy Kingdome Prayer should follow vpon confession of sinnes but marke the word hee calls Him Lord albeit he saw Him hanging on the tree there like a vile slaue yet he acknowledges Him to be a King when he ascribeth a Kingdome to Him albeit he sees Him hanging there like a slaue yet he askes life of Him albeit he saw Him in weaknesse in torment and at the point of death All these things are marueilous and ye shall see them the more marueilous if ye will consider well the person of him who prayes what a man before this time he was and then what is his estate present and last the person of Him to whom he directs his Prayer This his conuersion was marueilous if this man had beene trained vp in the schoole of Christ any space of time it had beene lesse marueilous but beeing trained vp in a denne of thieues where hee had lost all kinde of equitie and naturalitie where hee had liued like a beast like a lyon liuing by cutting of throates theft and by the bloode of men this man to be turned from such an foule heart to get faith and seeke mercie so suddenly in a moment such sudden mutation is more than marueilous aad wonderfull Then will yee looke to his present estate if he had bene free in the body without paine so that he had gotten leasure and licence to looke thorow that body to His Kingdome and to that eternall Life then this doing had beene lesse marueilous
but beeing nailed quicke on the Crosse in such extreame paine that might haue occupied and exercised all his senses and when he is looking and waiting for the hand of the hangman to breake him quicke on the Crosse to this man to haue driuen his senses and to haue set them on a better life from that hell hee was in to that heauenly Life it was more than wonderfull and I say it was as wonderfull as if he had leapt out of the lowest hell to the highest heauen Then come to the person of him to whome he prayes if hee had seene Iesus Christ standing before him like a glorious King it had beene lesse to haue beene wondered at but hee is hanging in that shamefull death and in greater shame than he for they railed not on him as they did on Christ which no question was more grieuous than all torments as if Hee had beene a reprobate from GOD So if he had seene Him in glorie it had bene no maruell but to seeke life in a man who was dying ignominiously and who was hanging in a worse estate than Himselfe and to haue pierced thorow and seene thorow such a cloud of ignominie such a faire Life and glorie I say it was more than wonderfull Further if he had seene Him before and bene familiar with Him heard Him teach and had seene His wonders as the Apostles did it had not bene much to maruell at but this beeing the first meeting the first acquaintance and neuer to haue spoken with Him before they met in an ignominious Crosse together then to seeke in such a death such a life in such ignominie such glorie it is a thing more than marueilous Came anie of the Iewes then and prayed vnto Him Yea came anie of the Apostles Came anie of His Disciples Came either Peter or Iohn or Matthew No all were offended with Him I saye of this man to the glorie of God that hee shamed all that stood by hee shamed the Apostles and made them to cast downe their faces And I saye hee shames all men and women who will not beleeue when they see Him not crucified as hee sawe but glorified nowe in the Heauens sitting at the right hande of that Majestie shame shall light on thee and this Thiefe shall bee sette vp in glorie to testifie against thee and to condemne thee 1. COR. 1.27 Paul saies GOD will raise vp thinges naughtie to shame thinges high in the worlde and to humble the pride of the fleshe If euer this was practised it is practised in this Thiefe Therefore in time learne thy lesson at this Thiefe for if hee doe thee no good hee shall doe thee euill and this same preaching shall doe thee euill if it doe thee no good The LORD raised him vp vpon a Gallowes to bee a Teacher of Faith and Repentance of Hope of Patience of Loue and of all graces and thinke no shame to learne at him for if thou thinkest shame of the Thiefe to bee thy master hee shall giue out a testimonie to aggreadge thy damnation and hee shall saye I went to teach the Infideles on the Crosse with Thee and they hearde it and beleeued not Lord let their damnation bee aggreadged All this that I speake tendes to this That hee who glories maye glorie in the Lord And they who woulde maruell let them maruell at the Lord. I speake not these thinges that yee shoulde wonder at the Thiefe that sillie creature But all this is That yee shoulde wonder at Iesus Christ who wrought such a wonder at this time and shewed such a power when Hee was weakened It is a wonder to shewe such power in His humiliation and such mercy on such a vile sinner who was not worthie that the earth shoulde beare him let bee to dwell in Heauen Wonder at Him who is so mercifull and gracious to poore sinners To Him therefore bee praise for euermore AMEN THE XVIII LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST LVKE CHAP. XXIII verse 43 Then Iesus said vnto him Verely J say vnto thee to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise IOHN CHAP. XIX verse 25 Then stood by the crosse of Iesus his mother and his mothers sister Marie the wife of Cleopas and Marie Magdalene verse 26 And when Iesus saw his mother and the disciples standing by whome he loued He said vnto his mother woman beholde thy sonne verse 27 Then said He to the disciple behold thy mother and from that houre the disciple tooke her home vnto him WEE heard the last day Beloued in Iesus of the repentance of one of the Thieues that hung on the Crosse with Christ in a moment wonderfully hee begins to be penitent for all his misdeedes and former life and hee vtters his penitencie and the displeasure that was in his heart for sinne in sundry effectes First hee rebukes bitterlie that blasphemie that the other Thiefe speakes out against the Lord and saies Fearest thou not God seeing thou art in the same damnation Thou and I suffer justly for we haue demerited all this but this man pointing out Christ hath done nothing amisse When hee hath thus rebuked the Thiefe hee turnes him about to Iesus Christ who hung in the middest and hee directs his prayer to Him and saies Lord remember mee when thou commest to thy Kingdome The other the blasphemer would faine haue liued in the vvorlde And therefore because hee sawe that IESVS had no power to giue him this earthlie life therefore hee blasphemeth CHRIST in His face But the penitent Thiefe seekes not this present life but desires that hee may gette entrie in to that Heauenly Kingdome The last day I spake concerning the petition of the penitent Thiefe I repeate nothing Onely wonder not at the Thiefe or at such an earnest repentance in him suddenly bâ—â— wonder at Iesus Christ vvho in such vveaknesse hanging so shamefully vpon the Crosse yet vttered such mercie and such infinite power yea one of the moste miserable catiues that euer was in the vvorlde I goe forwarde and first I shall shewe you of the answere that the Lord giues to the penitent Thiefe and then I shall come to the earnest recommendation that Iesus made of His Mother MARIE vnto IOHN The Lord answeres him Verily I say vnto thee this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise The answere containes a promise and the thing that the Lord promises is Thou shalt bee vvith mee thou seekest to bee vvith mee in my Kingdome thou shalt bee vvith mee and thou shalt bee a subject vvith mee and more a follower and vvhereas thou werest a vile Thiefe I shall make thee a glorious King in the Heauen And when shall this bee Without delay it shall not be to morrowe or other morrowe but this same day immediately thou shalt bee transported to that vnspeakeable glorie And where shall this bee It shall bee in Paradise Thou shalt not goe to Purgatorie but into Celestiâ—ll Paradise Of this worde Paradise wee reade in sundrie
powerfull let vs seeke from Him with this assurance that Hee can giue all thinges which either wee can seeke or can conceiue and that according to His effectuall power working in vs. Now I end with this History of the Thiefe I come to the other History concerning that recommendation that Iesus makes of His Mother Marie to John His Disciple whom Hee loued The Lord Iesus hanging on the Crosse in extreame torment paine He is not only a sufferer howbeit indeed He sufferes all extreamitie but in suffering Hee does manie workes First Hee does like a King in giuing life and glorie to the Thiefe All the Kinges in the Earth in their Royall Robes shall not doe so much as Hee did on that vile Crosse Nowe next Hee vtters a verie naturall and louing affection to His Mother who bare Him when He is to depart out of this life and to be taken away hastily He is carefull how shee shall liue when Hee is gone from her To come to the Historie Wee haue first the occasion that bringes on this and secondly the commendation it selfe and thirdly how Ihon accepts of her As concerning the occasion There standes by the Crosse a man and three women whilest the LORD is hanging quicke in extreame torment Hee spyes out these foure persons MARIE His Mother and MARIE His Mothers Sister that is her kinswoman according to ther HEBREVV phrase who was either the Wise or the Daughter of Cleopas and MARIE MAGDALENE a kinde vvoman out of vvhom He had casten seuen deuils kindnesse meetes kindnesse Their heartes vvere vvith Him howbeit Hee vvas hanging vpon the Crosse Then if thou canst doe no more vnto Him yet follow Him with these women to the death of the Crosse There are three Maries better Maries were neuer in the world and Iohn whom here he calles the disciple whō Jesus loued this stile he gets in y e Gospel because as Iesus loued him entirely so hee findes this loue deeply setled in his soule well is he that finds that the Lord loues him All the Kingdoms in the Earth are nothing in respect of that sense Well These are the foure that are standing by the Crosse together As for Iohn I see now certainely this doing of his in the following of the Lord this standing by the Crosse shewes albeit that Faith in Iesus Christ in the heart of Iohn and all the rest was wonderfully smoothered for all were offended in Him that night yet that Faith in his heart was not altogether quenched No it was not quenched in one of the Apostles nor in Peter who denied Him To speake of Iohn Thinke ye that except hee had had Faith that euer hee would haue followed Him to the Crosse and except hee had beleeued that Iesus after such a death should haue risen againe in glorie except he had looked for a glorious resurrection that euer hee could haue beholden such a miserable spectacle Faith gaue him boldnesse to follow Christ to the Crosse Hope furnished him comfort when he beheld Him in ignominie and paine These three women vtters a tender and louing heart towards Him Brethren if there had bene no more but this naturall loue that a mother beares to the sonne Marie would neuer haue followed her Sonne to such a vile death if shee had not beleeued that death should haue turned into such a glorious Life Would she haue stood beside her Sonne and seene Him torne and rent quicke in such torments What mother would haue done it 1. Thess 4.13 ye read what Paul writes to them I would not haue you ignorant that yee mourne not for them which are asleepe as the Gentiles who are desperat in their displeasure If thou haue but a naturall loue in thine heart when thou seest him or her whom thou louest depart that loue shall worke but impatiencie in thee a desperate displeasure that is if with that loue thou haue no hope of a glorious resurrection desperate shall be thy dolour and it were better for thee to want thy naturall affection Indeede it is true our Faith and Hope of glorie after this life will not extinguish the naturall loue neither puts it away the dolour that one should haue I desire not that a man should bee senslesse without loue and I count more of a stone than of one without loue and better were it that that person were a stone So I say Faith and Hope will not extinguish displeasure but it will mitigate it so that in a wonderfull heauinesse it will finde joy and thou wilt say albeit wee sunder nowe the day will come wherein wee shall haue a joyfull meeting Come yet to these women They may teach all men and women to the end of the worlde Thinke yee not that they should haue bene terrified at such a Crosse and that Marie should haue thought shame of her Sonne so shamefully tormented and railed out on by all men Well then if these women by the sight of that shameful death of Iesus Christ on the Crosse are not terrified nor diuerted from following albeit they saw His glorie to come but very obscurely and if their hearts were knit with Him whilst as Hee hang on the Crosse and there was neuer a band so surely knit as their hearts were with Him Fye on all men and women after these women who will thinke shame of the Crosse of Christ albeit they haue greater presence and sight of the glorie of Iesus Christ than these women had Shall a sillie worde shall the sword shall the fire terrifie thee And if it bee so these same women shall stand vp and condemne thee in that great day Now let vs consider these wordes whereby He recommends His mother to Iohn The Lord as He is looking from Him He sees these foure standing together for wicked scorners stood together so the godly who mourne for Christ drew together and Hee directs His speech to two of them First to Marie and next to Iohn Woman He sayes Beholde thy sonne poynting to Iohn not to Himselfe This stile that He giues her would not be passed by He calls her not mother but Woman and this is the common stile which Iesus gaue her whilst as He was in the world it lets vs see whilst Iesus was in the worlde as at all times so especially at the houre of death whilst Hee is liuing in the world He had His eyes raised vp from all earthly and carnall things which men in this life count much of as are mother sonne daughter husband wife kinred Countrie And by His example Hee would teach vs when we are here to know none according to the flesh No not Christ Himselfe for in Heauens there shall bee neither father nor mother nor husband nor wife but we shall be all olde things which accompanie the olde creature beeing abolished like Angels in Heauen Therefore Iesus as a patterne teaches vs this to turne away the eye piece and piece from this Earth all that is in
to worke this worke of redemption and saluation by base and naughty meanes that the world respects no more of than the dirt which they treade on Looke what is the difference betwixt the wisedome of GOD and the wisedome of man Will yee looke to the cause of our redemption to IESVS CHRIST or to the Professors and to Ministers they are the foolishest in the vvorlde sillie bodies and compare them vvith potent men they are but contemptible and of no valour and compare them with wise men they are but fooles So looke to the Crosse and to the Ministerie thereof whereby wee are saued all is weake base and contemptible and all to this ende that the LORD onelie maye gette the glorie and as the APOSTLE saies He that glorieth may onlie glory in the LORD And let euerie one of vs giue glorie to that LORD of Glorie To whome with the Father and the Holie Spirite bee all Honour and Praise for euermore AMEN THE XXI LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST MATTH CHAP. XXVII verse 47 And some of them that stood there when they heard it saide This man calleth Elias verse 48 And straightway one of them ranne and tooke a spunge and filled it with vineger and put it on a reede and gaue him to driâ—ke verse 49 Other said Let be let vs see if Elias will come and saue him verse 50 Then Iesus cryed againe with a loude voyce yeelded vp the ghost MARKE CHAP. XV. verse 35 And some of them that stood by when they heard it said Beholde hee calleth Elias verse 36 And one ranne and filled a spunge full of vineger and put it on a reede and gaue him to drinke saying Let him alone let vs see if Elias will come and take him downe verse 37 And Iesus cryed with a loude voyce and gaue vp the ghost LVKE CHAP. XXIII verse 46 And Iesus cryed with a loude voyce and saide Father into thine handes I commende my spirite And when hee had thus said hee gaue vp the ghost IOHN CHAP. XIX verse 28 After when Iesus knewe that all thinges were performed that the Scripture might bee fulfilled hee saide I thirst verse 29 And there was set a vessell full of vineger and they filled a spunge with vineger and put it about an hyssope stalke and put it to his mouth verse 30 Now when Iesus had receiued of the vineger hee said It is finished and bowed his head and gaue vp the ghost DVRING the time that the LORD IESVS hung quicke on the Crosse which was three houres and large more yee may reade well-beloued in Christ sundrie voyces that He vttered When I looke thorowe the foure Euangelistes I finde in number sixe sundrie voyces and euery one of them is well to be marked for at that time Hee vttered nothing in vaine The first voyce wee reade of was a voyce of diuine power together vvith mercy when one of the Thieues who hung at His right hand said to Him Lord remember me when thou commest to thy Kingdome The Lord answered him like a King and like a powerfull and mercifull God Verily J say vnto thee this day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise The next voyce was a voyce of humane pittie and naturall affection toward His Mother she being by the Crosse with Iohn and other women He recommendes her to the custodie of His wâ—ll beloued Disciple The thirde voyce wee reade of was a voyce of sadnesse proceeding from an heart that was sadde on euery side to the death and from that agonie on the Crosse My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee The fourth voyce in like manner was a voyce of sadnesse proceeding from a wonderfull heate in the soule and body I thirst The fifth voyce by all appearance was a voyce of joye seeing the worke of Redemption to bee wrought and the wrath of His Father to be asswaged He saies after He had drunken the vineger Jt is finished The sixt and last voyce in like manner was a voyce of joye for finding Hee was to giue vp the ghoste immediately and finding His Father sweetly to loose His soule from His bodie He saies Father into thine hands I commend my spirit Now Brethren all thâ—se foresaid voyces the Lord vttered during the time that He hung quick on y e Crosse Of these we haue heard the first the second the third which was that heauie complaint that Hee made to His Father My God my God c. This daye as God shall giue vs grace wee shall speake of the three other voyces one of them of sadnesse and the other two of joye But before wee come to these voyces which are the three lâ—st voyces wee haue to speake something of the misconstruing of the complaint of the Lord vttered to His God Nowe the Iewes that stood by Him and heard Him crie Eli Eli for Hee cryed aloude of maliciousnesse not of mistaking Him they begin to calumniate and to misconstrue His wordes because the worde Eli which is My God sounded like Elias Therefore they said Hee cryed for Elias when Hee cryed on His God Let vs see if Elias will come and take Him downe In the which wordes wee may see clearely that they sought not onelie to destroy His bodie but the Deuill in them sought to sunder and seuer Him both in soule and bodie from His God they woulde not heare Him crye vpon His God but they sought to destroy His bodie and His soule such was the insatiable malice of the hearts of these Iewes against Iesus Christ This is the common dealing of the Deuill and his instruments with the godly and chiefely in that last houre when the separation of the soule from the body is to follow Not only to get the body dead but the soule God separated if thou beginnest to pray call on God they will scorne thy prayer seeke to cut thee froÌ„ God all hope of life But to leaue them their bitter maliciousnes As in all the poinctes of the suffering of Christ I looke more to the disposition of His Father than to the Iewes to the deuil or his instrumeÌ„ts So I doe in this No question as His Father exercises Him inwardly with a bitter wrath eueÌ„ so wheÌ„ as the Lord by making an heauy mone seekes an outgaet cries My God my God c Hee will haue Him met outwardly with bitternes Aime where He wil He meetes Him with nothing but bitternes wrath inwardly outwardly hell inward outward no refuge nor escaping till y t ransome be payed to the least farthing Wel BrethreÌ„ if ye would see an image of hell see it here The Lord Iesus was for a time fealt nothing but extreame bitternes But the reprobate after they be once casten into hell there is nothing for them but bitternes let theÌ„ aime here there to escape houle cry they shal be met wiâ—h bitternes What if it were but for a time The Lord escaped His suffering
the pointes of his Iustice it behoued Him to suffer all the points of Iustice vnder the earthly judge Pontius Pilate in His condemnation in His taking from the crosse in His burial this was all to the intent that thou mightest be fully freed from all the points of the Iustice of GOD for whatsoeuer thing He either did or suffered it was for thy cause There is another thing here that would not be passed by There is no question but it comes of the Prouidence of God that this body is neither reaued away by violence nor stollen away by slight but the taking away comes of a speciall request◠no question this matter was so dispensed that the death of Iesus should bee made notable and come to the eares of Pilate and all other men the death was to be made notable to the world likewise the buriall was to be made notable to the end that His glorious resurrection might be made knowne to the world These are the two pillars of our Faith the death of Christ and His resurrection these are the two points that the deuill and the Heretiques haue from time to time striuen to hew and cut downe that they should not appeare to the world because they are the chiefe pillars of our Faith but honour glory be to the Lord who of His grace hath kept these pillars constantly in His Church in despite of the deuill all his instrumēts Now the God of Heauen grant vs grace to take holde on His death and glorious resurrection that through His death and resurrection we may bee raised from death to newnesse of life here that hereafter wee may reigne in glory with Him To whome with the Father and the Holy Spirite bee all honour praise and glorie world without end AMEN THE XXVI LECTVRE OF THE BVRIALL OF CHRIST MARKE CHAP. XV. verse 44 And Pilate marueiled if hee were alreadie dead and called vnto him the Centurion and asked of him whether hee had beene any while dead verse 45 And when hee know the trueth of the Centurion hee gaue the bodie to Ioseph verse 46 Who bought a linnen cloth and tooke him downe and wrapped him in the linnen cloth c. IOHN CHAP. XIX verse 38 And after these things Ioseph of Arimathea who was a disciple of Iesus but secretly for feare of the Iewes besought Pilate that hee might take downe the body of Iesus And Pilate gaue him licence Hee came then and tooke Iesus bodie verse 39 And there came also Nicodemus who first came to Iesus by night and brought of myrrhe and aloes mingled together about an hundreth pound verse 40 Then tooke they the bodie of Iesus and wrapped it in linnen clothes with the odours as the manner of the Iewes is to burie THE last day welbeloued in Iesus Christ wee entered into the History of the Buriall of the Lord Iesus and wee hearde that the Buriall came by a request made to Pilate the Romane Deputie for the time The request maker was one IOSEPH Hee is set down and described by all the foure EVANGELISTES in all his properties Hee was a man of ARIMATHEA a Towne in IVRIE Hee vvas a rich man and also an honourable and graue Counseller Then as concerning the qualities of his person Hee was a good and an vpright man who liued vprightlie in the worlde and yet hee had a further respect than vnto this life for he waited constantlie for the Kingdome of God And therefore when Christ came into the worlde and tooke vpon Him that great office of the Mediator betwixt GOD and man hee enters into His schoole and became His Disciple howbeit for feare of the IEVVES hee durst not manifest himselfe but lurked secretlie for a time euen to this time that it came to the Buriall of the bodie of Iesus and then hee shewes himselfe to bee a Disciple of Christ In that Councell which was against the Lorde hee vvas a Counseller but hee vvoulde neither giue counsell nor consent to the condemning and slaying of CHRIST Thus much yee hearde before concerning this man and his properties Then wee hearde howe hee goes forwarde boldlie to Pilate to seeke the Lordes bodie Hee lurked before so long as Iesus was in the worlde working such wonders as neuer man wrought speaking with such a grace as neuer man spake with But nowe when Hee is dead hee comes out boldlie and goes to Pilate and hee manifestes himselfe To let vs see that IESVS in His death had greater force to drawe the soules of men vnto Him than Hee had in His life for from that death there came so sweete and sensible a smell to the soules of sinners that it drewe the soules of sinners vnto Him Namelie the heart of this man IOSEPH So that hee comes out boldlie as saide is and hee goes to PILATE and requestes him to giue him the bodie of IESVS to bee buried Thus farre vvee hearde the last daye Nowe this daye wee haue PILATES answere to IOSEPHS request PILATE wonders that He was dead so soone and for the more certaintie hee calles a Centurion and askes him if Hee was dead alreadie The Centurion affirmes that Hee was dead alreadie PILATE grantes the request After this we come to the maner of His Buriall Wee shall goe forward as time shall suffer God shall giue vs grace Pilate wonders that hee was so soone dead This wondering of Pilate no question imports that the death of Iesus was extraordinary It was not after the common fashion of men y t were crucified for men who were crucified they vsed to hing long on the Crosse before they yeelded the spirit dayes nights and in end ere they yeelded the spirite the life was taken from them by violence They were broken on the Crosse So Pilate hearing that the Lorde was so soone dead hee wondered as at an extraordinarie thing There are sundrie thinges that testifie that death of Iesus to haue beene extraordinary as first That mighty and loude voyce crying which the Lord vttered on the Crosse immediately before He yeelded the spirit for who will giue a loud crie at the yeelding of his spirit for at the poinct of death when nature failes it is a rare thing to finde a man to haue a voyce or a word Next The yeelding of His spirit so suddenly whē by the power of nature He might haue liued longer Last This wondering of Pilate testifies That His death was extraordinarie that there was a power in Iesus which controlled nature When nature would haue kept life the diuine power puts it out In a word This wondering testifies That the death of Iesus was the death of God the death of a man but God in the man glorious and blessed for euermore Now it is said Pilate vnderstood of the Centurion that Iesus was dead when hee granted the request of Ioseph and gaue the bodie to him to bee buried First I see Pilate is a good Iustitier the Romane Iustice was
vnbeleeuers by their buriall passe to shame and confusion Now we goe vnto the second part of this Text to the part of the godly women good Marie Magdalene who neuer left the Lord but followed Him from Galile then the other Marie the mother of Joses As they followed Him to the Crosse so they followed Him to the buriall and they stand aside and see Him buried O that loue that wonderfull tender loue that could not suffer them to be reaued from the LORD for woe is the heart that is separate from Iesus and that loue that drew them to the Crosse that same drawes them to the graue with Him for nothing could separate these women from Iesus No the crosse the graue death it selfe cannot separate these womens heartes from the LORD so out of all question this following of Iesus to the graue was a token of an intiere loue that they bare to Him yea it was rather a token of that loue that came from Iesus to them that following of Him vttered such a loue and smell to flow from that dead bodie that hang on the crosse and was buried that neuer man nor woman felt the like He so loued the world that He died for it Hee gaue Himselfe for it for Brethren except that force that came from the bodie had drawen their heartes it had beene vnpossible that they could haue followed Him No man can loue GOD first but because He loues vs we loue Him None can come to mee sayes Christ except my Father draw him if Hee lay not holde on vs first our hearts will neuer incline to loue Him Now certainly I put no question in it these women looked with sad and heauie hearts on this buriall for when we see one buried whom we loue we will be sad nature dites this But as they were heauie hearted in looking on y e spectacle so their heart had joy in looking thereon for they had a great hope to see y t glorious body rise again so they had sadnes mixed w t joy for wo to y t sadnes y t hath not joy mixed with it Now yet I see as they cōtinued in following Him first to y e crosse then to the buriall so the Lord continues in honouring them for He sends them out as Preachers eye witnesses of his death which honour neuer one of the Apostles got but Iohn so He honoured them in His buriall therefore honour Christ followe Him to the crosse follow Him to the graue thinke not shame of His crosse or His graue loue Him with thine heart waite on Him for Hee will let thee see the most glorious things that euer the eye saw holde therefore the eye vpon Him looke to Him night day now when He is in the Heauens and I promise thee thou shalt finde by experience He shall make thee a proclaimer of His glory but thou who settest not thine heart to seeke Him now when He is gone to the Heauens thou shalt not haue a mouth to glorifie Him or to speake of His Name hereafter Now will ye looke to y e carefulnesse of these womē they stand against y e graue a far off they looke no doubt w t sad hearts how these two men Ioseph Nicodemus handles the glorious body of Iesus layes it in y e graue Men womē for curiosity delectatiō vse to look vpō such spectacles but these women looked w t a carefull sorrowfull heart looking that this body should be tēderly honorably handled buried Therefore if y u hast y t ability to be a handler medler with y e worke of y e Lord as Ioseph Nicodemus was look at least y t thou be a carefull onlooker tēder it in thy heart see y t all things go wel if thou doest that y e Lord shal count it a piece of good seruice for y e furthering of y e glory of His Kingdom If thou hast not to bestow on Christ yet speak wel of Him if y u canst not speake yet thinke well of Him yet these women are not cōtent to look on only but they will be also medlers in this actiō for this cause whē y e graue is closed they go home w t vnspeakable sadnes joy mixt together going home they prepare sweet odours for y e embalming of Him y e third day following they cease vpō y t morne because it was the Sabbath vpō y e third day He rose disappointed them of y e embalming of Him but yet their intentiō is to be cōmended they are not cōtent to looke on Him but according to their power they put to their hand but ere they prepared these odours a sweet smell came frō His body to them for except a sweeter smel come frō Him except He giue thee a greater grace y u wilt not bestow a pēny on Him except He giue thee a poūd but being once benefited by Him thou wilt bestow if it were thy own life let be thy goods for Him His glorie and if thou wilt not bestovv on Christ and vpon His Gospell I testifie thou hast neuer found the svveetnesse of the Lord nor of His grace It may be that He cast a Lordship to thee or portion of heritage as it were a bone to a dogge but if thou bestowest nothing on Him thou hast neuer felt the grace of God thy soule hath neuer tasted of that odour sweetnesse that is in Him Nowe I come to the last part which I haue read out of the Gospell of Matthew concerning the watching of Iesus after Hee was buried This watching came vpon a suite as all other thinges came vpon a suite for nothing durst be done without licence of the Magistrate of Pilate the Romane Deputie the Iudge was reuerenced without him nothing was done The time of the sute is noted to wit the next day after He was buried This was no doubt the Sabbath day for they began their day at Euen when the Sun goes downe as yee would say on Fryday at Euen for no doubt the vvatch stood about y e graue all night The sute is made to Pilate all is done by the Iudge it is a circumstance should be vvell noted thinke it not a light matter The Lord in all His suffering is subject to the Iudge it behoued Him to vnderly the sentence of the earthly Iudge in all sorts if Hee had not vnderlyed it it had behoued thee to vnderly the fearfull Iudgement of that euerlasting Iudge But vvho makes the sute It is not Ioseph nor Nicodemus none of them that loued Christ Ioseph indeed made a sute that the body should bee buried But vvho is it that makes this sute Who but they vvho suted to crucifie the LORD The Scribes the Pharises that vvere enemies to Him Looke thorovv all this Historie ye shal finde sundrie sutes some euil some good some on an euil mind some on a good mind many euill few
heart is wakened thou wilt seeke the Lord but if thine heart be not bowed it shall stand vp like a wall or a brasen pillar and this shall bee thine estate Thou vvilt haue no joye but sadnesse at the hearing of these tidinges for the stiffe heart receiues no joye but is in dolour and there is no seeking of CHRIST there to see vvhether Hee bee there or not So in a worde our lesson is this Let not a stiffe heart depriue thee of that solide joye which is in CHRIST fie vpon that heart Nowe to goe forwarde They runne and they ranne together striuing who should bee formost and who should come first to the graue to vnderstande the trueth of these vvomens reportes Now our lesson is this It is an happie thing to striue in good thinges vvho shoulde bee readiest farthest forwardes No I shall neuer blame one to striue to be first at CHRIST No striue with thy father and with thy mother No striue with all thy kinred to be first in Heauen and looke that thou neuer giue place to another to goe before thee but alas our people striue farre otherwise we striue who should runne fastest from the LORD and fastest forward to a mischiefe to murther blood and in oppression this is all the strife in this countrey Who striues to be first in Heauen The LORD sayes Matth. CHAPTER 11. VERSE 12. The Kingdome of Heauen suffer violence and the violent take it by force and possesse it The LORD meaneth that wee should striue to throng in and to see who should be first in Heauen Alas how farre are wee from this godly striuing dolefull experience teaches vs this day in Scotland Thou wilt possesse another mans heritage but who striues to possesse that heauenly heritage The LORD sayes in Luke 13. Chapter and verse 24. Striue to enter in at the strait gate Meaning that we should striue with our whole kinred to be first in Heauen suppose thou wilt let a King goe in before thee at an earthly gate yet striue to goe in before him to Heauen and striue to goe in before all thy kinred Paul that exhorted all men to runne hee ranne himselfe he sayes in the first Epistle to the Corinthians the ninth Chapter and the twentie three verse Hee ranne and hee ranne on to be partaker of the Gospell that he preached to others and hee ran so fast that hee neuer looked behind him No if thou standest to count thy footsteps another shall passe by thee and thou shalt come behind Hee sayes Hee looked to that prise of the high calling of GOD Philip. 3.14 If two be running here on the earth striuing to get the crowne the one will enuie the other and he will trauell to get himselfe forvvard and put his companion backvvard This earthly race is with enuie and euery one would take the feet from another Paul giues a reason hereof in the first Epistle to the Corinthians the ninth Chapter and the twentie foure verse and sayes There is but one crowne but it is not so with thee that runnest in that heauenly race the one will not enuie the other the one vvill not put the other behind he will not put him backe but hee vvill take him by the hand say Goe forward to the end brother and thou shalt get the crowne this is it that we should euery one exhort another to doe euer to goe forward to Heauen and euery one take another by the hand to helpe him forward because there is not a crowne only but many crownes looke how many runne there are as many crownes wilt thou runne thou shalt get a crowne will I runne I shall get a crowne and will the third runne he shall get a crowne neuer one who runnes shall be destitute of a crovvne PAVL in the second Epistle to Timothie the fourth Chapter and the 7. and eight verses sayes I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course J haue kept the faith nowe hencefoorth is laid vp for me the crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord that righteous Iudge will giue to mee at that day No he cannot be just but He must giue the crowne to thee that hast runne And not only to mee sayes hee but vnto all them also that loue that His appearing As he would say to all them that vvill runne vvith mee and I say to thee if thou wilt runne on lead thy neighbour by the hand that is vveaker than thou it shall be so farre from hindering thee from the crowne that thine honour and glorie shall be augmented when thou shalt come to Heauen Paul sayes in the first Epistle to the Thessalonians the 2. Chapter and the nineteenth verse What is our hope or ioy or crowne of reioycing Are not yee it euen in the presence of our Lord Iesus Christ at His comming And therefore well is that soule that winnes another to Heauen be thou King Lord Gentleman or Minister if thou helpest many to Heauē thou shalt get y e more glorious crowne To goe forward they run together but in y e running y e one is speedier than y e other Iohn leaues Peter behind him outruns him but when it comes to the graue he only lookes in and sees the linnen cloathes lying but hee enters not in to get knowledge but seeing the linnen cloathes hee stands still Peter that came behind him enters first in into the graue sees the matter as it was the windingsheete as we call it lying in one place and the kerchiefe that was vpon His head in another place by it selfe To speake this by the way it lets vs vnderstand this Amongst the Iewes that the windingsheete was not put ouer the whole body and head as we vse to doe but from the shoulders downe and the linnen was about the head after this manner Christ was wrapped Wherefore should I speake of the vanitie of the Papistes they will say to you they haue the same windingsheete and this same kerchiefe remaining as reliques and they will haue them in sixe or seuen places at one time is not this a great wonder it should haue lasted so long and yet should bee kept in so many places at one time and more they say the vine picture of Christ is in that windingsheete His body they say made such a dint that His picture might be seene there but thinke yee if it were so that the Euangelists who register smaller thinges would haue hid and conceiled it But I leaue them to their vanitie as vnworthie of any refutation and I come to the matter In this course and race of Peter and Iohn to the graue I see this course that wee haue in this life is verie vnequable it keepes not alwayes one constant tenour nor wee are not ay alike speedie sometimes one runnes fast sometimes hee will settle and wearie and goe slowly forwarde and whilst as hee wearies his neighbour will outrunne him and ere they come to the end hee
and as he sayes Ioh. Chap. 3. vers 29. It is the bridegroome that hath the bride and I stand sayes he heare Him and hearing Him I reioyce with an ioy vnspeakable and glorious No it is the greatest joy vnder the Heauen to heare Him speake and if thou hearest Him thou vvilt not desire to speake shee turnes her and shee sees IESVS standing vvhome she sought shee sought Himselfe and findes His Messengers but at the last she finds Himselfe In a word we haue our lesson Seeke euer the Lord thou will not get Him at the first Thou wilt not get a King at the first for Hee hath Messengers afore and wee His Ministers are all His Messengers and wee all tell you and I tell you that CHRIST is comming and blessed bee that commer I bidde thee stande a while and then the LORDE shall come at thy backe Happie and blessed art thou that shalt bee asking for Him thou shalt get such a joyfull meeting as Marie Magdalene did but woefull shall that meeting bee to thee who delitest not to heare nor to speake of Him for Hee shall come vpon thee like a thiefe in the night So blessed art thou who art talking with His Messengers for Hee shall call thee by name as Hee did Marie and that shall bee the joyefâ—llest voyce that euer thou heardest I saide before that shee got a preferment aboue the Apostles in getting a sight of the Angels but that was common to her with the other women Heere yee see further she got a preferment aboue all women shee gets the first sight of Iesus as MARKE sayes after His Resurrection And this argues that her desire to see Him exceeded the desire of all the Apostles and all the women So thou that longest moste for the LORD shall see Him first and joyefull shall that sight bee to thee Yet marke howe shee receiues it Shee knowes Him not This is a marueilous thing shee neuer left Him but followed Him from GALILE and yet when the LORDE offers Himselfe vnto her eyes shee knowes Him not This must bee imputed to that great stupiditie which was in her eyes they were so dimme that shee coulde not see If the LORDE had anie secrete dispensation in it or in what forme He appeared I will not dispute Our lesson is this There enters such a mist into our eyes that suppose the LORDE offer Himselfe to bee seene in the vvorde crucified and glorified in His Gospell yet thou vvilt not see Him till the beames vvhich glaunce from His face shine into thine hearte and scatter that cloude of darknesse and vvhen that cloude is awaye thou vvilt see vvith such a sweetenesse as cannot bee vttered and thou who diddest neuer see that sight thou neuer sawest joye Nowe blessed is that soule that can beholde the LORDE in the Mirrour as it were comming behinde and happie is that soule that can delite to see Him in the Mirrour for certainlie they shall see Him one daye face to face and the LORDE will turne them about as Hee did Marie and then these vile bodies shall bee like vnto His glorious bodie and that face which is now but vile shall then glaunce as the Sunne in the Noone daye So blessed are they that can awaite till the LORDE come Thou neuer mettest with one in this worlde who can make thee so joyefull as Hee will and euer the greater languor that thou hast for Him the greater shall bee thy joye Alas wee seeke joye heer and there is but fewe who seeke CHRIST in whome is all true joye Well Marie knewe not the LORDE but yet Hee knewe her No thou mayst wel forget Him but He wil not forget thee but He shall cause thee to knowe Him ere thou goe Hee sayes to Marie Woman why mournest thou At the first He lyes aloofe He sayes not Marie but like an vncouth man Hee sayes to her Woman why mournest thou Then Hee sayes not I knowe thou weepest for mee but Hee sayes Why weepest thou Hee sayes not I knowe whome thou seekest but Whome seekest thou So then at the first Hee holdes Him aloofe with His owne Hee giues them not His familiar presence at the first but as long as wee are heere on earth His speach shall bee a farre off As long as wee liue by faith Hee lookes to vs as it were afarre off And this speach is to waken a languor and piece of sadnesse in vs till wee meete with the LORDE for the more thou mournest the greater shall bee thy joye The Lord if Hee please in an instant maye take thee to the Heauens but Hee will let thee lye heere for a while and the greater that thy sadnesse is in this life the greater shall thy joye bee in the life to come O that joye which that bodie shall haue who hath longed for the LORDE Then thinke long and waite for that His bright and glorious comming as Paul speakes for no man shall get a crowne but thâ—y who haue waited for Him Nowe I shall ende in a worde Shee supposing that hee had beene the Gardener of the Garden where the LORDE was buried shee saide vnto him Sir if thou hast borne him hence tell mee where thou hast layed him that J maye take him awayâ— Looke if shee loued Him not well when Hee was liuing for in His death shee coulde not bee seuered from Him so did the loue of IESVS constraine her In the twentie and fourth CHAPTER OF MATTHEVV it is saide Wheresoeuer a dead carkeis is thither will the Eagles be gathered together Nowe shee is a Mirrour of loue and zeale Alas if thine heart coulde melt with loue as hers did Yet I see in her a marueilous stupiditie Shee knowes Him neither by sight nor voyce her heart was so ouer-come with dolour sadnesse And this senselessenesse that fell on good Marie Magdalene will often-times fall on the best man or vvoman in this life That as the Prophet sayes in hearing they will not heare and in seeing they will not see So all tendes to this Let euerie one judge charitablie of another Bee loath to condemne anie for as liuelie as thou art thou mayest fall downe dead and therefore waite on the LORDE and the voyce of the LORDE shall come vnto thee and call on thee as Hee called on Marie and that voyce shall open both the eyes of thy bodie and of thy soule and Hee shall let thee see and feele that it is Hee and that joye shall bee compleate vvhen thou shalt come and inherite that Kingdome which was prepared for thee before the foundation of the vvorlde The LORDE graunt it maye bee our onelie joye and that vvee maye holde vp our eyes and vvaite night and daye for that blessed comming of IESVS at the which time our joye begunne shall bee perfected and neuer haue ende To this LORDE IESVS vvith the Father and that blessed SPIRIT bee all Praise Honour and glorie for euer and euer AMEN THE XXXIV LECTVRE OF THE
to seeke that which the Lord hath not reueiled to thee but see thou studie to doe that which the Lord hath reueiled thou hast no warrand to seeke that which Hee hath not reueiled O Scotland thou hast no warrand whether GOD will stay with thee or not but thou hast this warrand to intreat Him earnestly by prayer and in a manner to constraine Him to stay with thee No Hee will depart if thou gettest not an heart to constraine Him Hee will not stay with thee if thou be not earnest to bid Him stay thou hast no warrand that Hee will stay vvith thee And I say to thee if Hee be not better intertained in Scotland than Hee is He shall leaue thee and woe to thee Scotland if Hee leaue thee this colde entertainement may justly make thee to feare that the Lord shall leaue thee Scotland Many in this Countrie of highest rancke would put Him away but if euer Hee depart a heauie judgement shall light vpon them Now vvhen Hee seemed as though Hee would goe further in a manner they doe Him violence and they sticke to Him taking Him to bee a man a passenger a gracious passenger and therefore they are lothe to sunder from Him and they vse arguments to mooue Him they say It is towards night and the day is farre spent and vvhere canst thou goe stay vvith vs all night then the Lord yeelded and taried with them Marke this We vse to say Prayer will breake hard weard and it is true repentance and supplication will holde off judgement that would light vpon vs. The Lord sayes in the eleuenth Chapter of Matthew and the twelfth verse The Kingdome of heauen suffereth violence and the violent take it by force What causes Him to tarie violence is done to Him and I say to thee if thou enterest into Heauen thou must doe violence and take it by force and I say more if thou throngest not seekest it not night day thou shalt neuer enter in it and if these disciples had not thronged on Him and constrained Him He had not remained with them thou shouldest euer pray to God and saye Lorde leaue vs not tarie with vs vvee may not sunder if thou stickest not to Him Hee shall leaue thee Then yee see vvhat it is to bee humane they vvould not let Him walke in the night but vvhat revvarde got they in steade of man they receiue God and man blessed for euer so I say humanitie to man hospitalitie to Pilgrimes hath a great revvard The Apost Heb. 13.2 sayes That some receiued Angels into their houses vnawares when they thought they had receiued men Abraham receiued Angels in his house Gen. 16.3 Lot receiued Angels Gen. 19.8 Now Brethren I say this to you as ye would receiue God haue mind of the poore and now especially in this extreame dearth giue them some part of that thou wouldest put in thine owne mouth that which thou wouldest put on thy backe there is none of you but yee will say If ye had Christ heere I should feede Him and if I saw Him naked I should giue Him clothes the reprobate shall say the same in that day We should haue cled thee if we had seene thee naked c. But what answeres the Lord Whē ye did it not to one of those litle ones ye did it not to me Knew Abraham or Lot that these men that they receiued in their houses were Angels and thought these two that He vvas Christ No they thought Him but a passenger We read they that haue shewed humanitie to men receiued God but we neuer reade that any that neuer delt humanely with men sought not to entertaine them got euer God to lodge with Him So in a word as thou wouldst not manifest thy loue to God be humane gentle and mercifull to man He who loues not his brother whō he sees dayly how can hee loue God whom he neuer saw No thou louedst Him neuer say what thou wil fye vpon that man that hath no humane entertainement in lodging of strangers Now when He is gone in with them He sits down at supper for it was Euening sitting down He takes the bread and giues thanks Take heed to this ye with prophane hands will pul rent swallow vp y e Lords benefites without knowing of God but the Lorde of glory nowe sitting dovvne as man Hee vvould not breake breade vntill Hee had sanctified it by prayer when Hee hath blessed the bread Hee takes it and distributes it to the disciples so ye see this is an Holy passenger whilst He makes Him to be a passenger Hee is Holy Marke this ye that are passengers all His communing in the way is holy then when He sits downe He blessed the bread ere He eate how euer He makes Him to be a passenger he dissembles neuer His holinesse but alwayes Hee is holie He is holy in the way He is holy in the house He is holy at the table that holy Lord will neuer take on the habite of prophanitie Marke this Be what thou wilt if thou be a Lord trauelling albeit thou dissemblest thy rancke behaue thy selfe as a commmon passenger or as a marchant c. yet with the companie thou art in behaue thy selfe holie be holie in thy journey be holie at the table and in thy eating shew that habite Ye that trauell either in this Countrey or to other countreyes see how farre men are from this if they meete with an euill person they will bee as euill if they meete with a filthie person they are filthier they will speake two filthie wordes for one if one goe to Germanie he wil be an Vbiquiter and in Rome a Papist in Scotland a Christian in as many places as many formes so thou y t is a Passēger as euer y u would look for rest hereafter look y t thou be holy a holy hearted mā in a company will not only haue great graces in himselfe but also he will be gracious to y t companie communicate these graces to them with whome He is in companie So dissemble as thou wilt be euer holy and as euer thou wouldest dwell with Iesus be euer like Him in some measure in holinesse and well is vs if in word and deede we be holy pilgrimes in this world This would not be passed by He sunders not from them in the house He goes not to one house and they to another but He will goe to one house with them and will sit at the same table with them then Hee will not stay still till they giue bread to Him but He beginnes to giue bread to them and feedes them with His owne hande So ye see Brethren what it is to be earnest to entreat the Lord to stay with thee Now certainly He shall be more homely with thee than thou canst be with Him if thou beginnest to entreat Him He will remaine with thee and feede thee with His owne hand and they that haue found the
Lorde they haue seene such an homelinesse as they could neuer thinke of In the 3. of the Reuelation verse 20. The Lord Iesus sayes I will stande at the doore and I will knocke hee that will open to mee I will come in and suppe with him Once let me in I shall be so homely as thou neuer wouldest haue thought I shall insinuate mee in thine heart I shall not only sit at thy table but I will sit in thine heart and shall feede thine heart with joy and food euerlasting Nowe to goe forwarde the Lord who no question bound vp their eyes before opens them now if He close thine eyes the world cannot open them He only can oppen them The meane whereby Hee opens them apparantly was that forme of prayer Hee vsed before He brake the bread Next they vnderstood that it vvas Hee by the distributing of the bread for Hee vsed to feede them with His owne hande and therefore by these signes they are made to know Him I see here grace growes after that once grace begins none end of grace after that once He hath inuited them He suppes with them then He feedes them with His owne hand and then at the last their eyes were opened and judge yee what joy that was to them No doubt that was the most joyfull sight that euer they saw So hold on and entertaine the Lord a while and set Him at thy table and neuer be glad to eat nor drinke except thou findest some presence of thy GOD for it is a lothsome dinner if thou wantest Him and if thou entreatest Him on thou shalt finde in ende an exceeding joy Entertaine Him now as a passenger and in the ende thou shalt see Him to thy comfort thine eyes shall bee opened to see Him as He is Then it is said as their eyes were opened He was lifted from them yee must not thinke that the Lord made His body inuisible it is contrarie to the order of nature a thicke body to be inuisible nor yee must not thinke that He brake out at the house side as the Papists dreame this departure was by the holding of their eyes He was not changed in this forme or that forme but the change vvas in their eyes so that they see not howe Hee departes or in what manner as before their eyes were holden that they could not know Him To leaue this yee would maruell Hee giues them but one blencke in an instant He goes away from them why stayes He not No it was not meete for them that Hee should stay nor yet was it possible for Him to stay after that manner that they would haue had Him to haue stayed seeing nowe sufficiently they were assured that Hee was risen it was not needfull that Hee should stay with them as of before as yee see the Apostles in the 1. of the Actes speaking to Him they say Lord wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdome to Israel That is in effect Lord wilt thou not remaine with vs here on the earth No He would not stay with them but giues them a glance of Him then secondly Hee could not dwell amongst them the earth could not be capable of a glorious body glorifie a man or a woman the earth cannot keepe them glorifie a man or a woman this earth is too euill for them they cannot dwell in the earth No that Paradice wherein Adam was set that pleasant Garden that He was placed in could not keepe a glorious body and a glorified man So the Lorde beeing glorified could not dwell and abide amongst men as of before so then wouldest thou dwell with Christ and dwell in that pleasant place and thou shalt neuer haue happinesse nor joy till thou dwellest with Him Thinke not to bring Him downe to the earth but if thou wouldest dwell vvith Him flit out of the earth make thee for flitting Paul sayes I desire to flit and to dwell with the Lord Wouldest thou desire to dvvell vvith the Lord desire to flit out of thy bodie for if thou hast not a desire but art afraide to flit it is a token that thou hast no langour of God and that thou shalt neuer dvvell vvith Him but that soule that desires to flit to enjoy that presence that soule that hath groaned for it for the soule that is godly groanes as a man that groanes vnder a burthen shall enjoy the presence of God dvvell with Him and that soule shall be glorified thy body indeed shall not bee glorified vntill that time that Hee shall appeare and then thy bodie and thy soule both shall bee glorified with Him and then our eyes shall see Him and our bodies shall dwell vvith Him in the Heauen in that euerlasting Paradise Nowe Brethren hitherto the Lorde hath manifested Himselfe then see what effect followes and is wrought in their heartes of this manifesting Yee woulde thinke that so soone as the Lorde had bene taken from them they shoulde haue bene sadde For who would not bee sadde to want Him For if thou sawest Him for all the world thou wouldest not bee content to want His presence Yee would maruell why they make no mone for that short time that Hee abode with them No doubt that sight that they got left such a comfort in their heartes as cannot bee spoken And if the Lorde giue His presence to anie man his heart will haue such a joye that it will feede vpon it Yee reade in the eight Chapter of the Actes of the Apostles howe the Eunuche who came from the Queene of Candare when Philippe came and baptized him Philippe was carried awaye from him yet the Scripture sayes not that hee mourned when Philippe was taken away No it is saide that hee went on his waye rejoycing From whence comes this joye No doubt it was the presence of Philippe that left this joye behinde it So in a worde The presence of God leaues alwayes joye and if thou get a blinke of Him in the morning thou shalt bee joyefull of Him all the daye and that joye shall feede thee and when thou art eating and drinking that presence will feede thee Woe to thee who seekest not to get a blinke of Him for if thou gettest not a blinke of Him thou shalt neuer haue solide joye in thine heart But the wordes would bee marked And they saide betweene themselus Did not our heartes burne within vs while hee talked with vs by the waye and when hee opened to vs the Scriptures There are the vvordes When these two men hearde Him the worde was effectuall but they thinke Him not to bee their Lord till hee manifested Himselfe vnto them and then they call to minde by their burning that they found that it was Hee that spake vnto them This confirmes them that it was Hee The same burning of the heart that one will haue is a sure token of the presence of Christ for if the Lorde were not present in thine heart it woulde not burne at the
GOD to cast downe holdes c. 2. Cor. Chapter 10. verse 4. Hee hath giuen them power to discharge their calling Yee may reade of this power at great length Matth. Chapter 16. verse 19. When the Lord speaking to Peter in his person sayes to all the Apostles I will giue vnto thee the keyes of the Kingdome of Heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt binde vpon earth shall be bound in Heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heauen And Matth. Chapter 18. verse 18. the Lord sayes to all his Apostles Whatsoeuer ye binde on earth shall be bound in Heauen and whatsoeuer yee loose on earth shall be loosed in Heauen So yee see the Lord giues them this power before His suffering and now after His Resurrection He renewes it againe Nowe wee must not thinke that this power was giuen only to the Apostles and their Ministerie which was then extraordinarie No but it is giuen also to the ordinarie Pastors and their ordinarie Ministerie to continue with them to the ende of the world Nowe Brethren because this power which the Lord giues to His Ministerie is a matter of great importance and serues much for our instruction Wee shall insist somewhat more largely in speaking of it First What are the meanes whereby this power is practised and put in execution The meanes are two the first is the preaching of the worde the preaching of the Law and the preaching of the Gospell The second is Ecclesiasticall discipline vvhich ought to be conjoyned with the preaching of the word should follow after it But wherein is this power placed Standes it in this that the Pastor himself should reteine or forgiue mens sins Is this the proper effect of the Ministerie No the Pastour himselfe hath no power to forgiue or reteine sinnes because that belongs only to God Himselfe and cannot be communicated to any creature The Pharises themselues acknowledged this for when CHRIST saide to the sicke of the Palsey Sonne thy sinnes are forgiuen thee they counted Him a blasphemer for say they Who can forgiue sinnes but GOD oly Marc. Chapter 2. verse 5. c. And the Lord sayes himselfe Esay 43.25 I euen I am Hee that puts away thine iniquities for mine owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes This is so proper to the Lord that He will not giue this power to any flesh because it is a part of His glorie and He sayes J will not giue my glorie to another Esay 48.11 And good reason it is that this power of forgiuing and reteining of sinnes belong only to Him for all sinne properly is against the Majestie of GOD Himselfe for Iohn sayes Sin is a transgression of the Law of God Therefore Dauid when He had slaine Vriah had committed adulterie with Bathsheba his wife he sayes to the Lord Against thee against thee only haue I sinned done euill in thy sight Psal 51.4 So this stands sure that properly it is a thing belonging to GOD only to forgiue and reteine sinnes to binde and to loose that is to pronounce the sentence of remitting and reteining of sinnes Then wherein stands this power that Christ hath giuen to His Pastours and Ministerie I answere It stands in the promulgation and proclaming in the earth of that sentence that is alreadie past giuen out in y e Heauens for this is manner of y e Lords dealing with men Hee will not lift them vp to Heauen immediatly make them to heare y e sentence of remitting or reteining of sinnes pronounced there by Himselfe No but He abases demits Himself to vs by His Ministry He comes down as it were out of Heauen to vs by His Ministerie He intimates proclames to vs in the earth that sentence which alreadie He hath pronounced in the Heauens and that either to our comfort and consolation if it bee the sentence of remission of sinnes or els to our griefe and downecasting if it be the sentence of reteining of sinnes And if wee despite and contemne this Ministerie wherein God abases and demits Himselfe vnto vs and by the which as the Apostle sayes 2. Cor. 5.20 He prayes vs to be reconciled vnto Him we can haue no warrand nor assurance of the remission of sinnes not of saluation Then yee see that this power that the Lord giues to this Ministerie stands in the proclaming declaring of that sentence which is alreadie past and pronounced in the Heauens and the words that the Lord vses here if we marke them wâ—ll import this same meaning for He sayes Whosoeuer sinnes ye forgiue they are forgiuen speaking in the time bypast as if Hee had saide this is a thing alreadie done the sentence is alreadie pronounced in the Heauen as for you who are my Ministers ye only intimate proclame in earth that sentence which is alreadie past in Heauen He sayes on the other part Whosoeuer sinnes yee reteine they are reteined vsing the time bypast as if He had said the sentence of reteining of their sins is already pronounced in Heauen ye only intimate declare on earth y e sentence which already is past in HeaueÌ„ Now hauing considered wherein this power consists we shal let you see what sort of power it is This power that the Lord hath giuen to His Ministerie either extraordinarie as the Apostles had or ordinarie which the Pastours haue is not a Kingly power not such a power as is giuen to Kings Rulers in the world No it is only a ministeriall power Let a man sayes Paul so thinke of vs as of the Ministers of Christ 1. Cor. 4.1 And againe He sayes We haue not dominion ouer your Faith but we are helpers of your ioy 2. Cor. 1.24 yet it is a power so the Apostle calles it 2. Cor. 13.10 According to the power which God hath giuen me to edification and not to destruction And a glorious Ministerie 2. Cor. 3.9 And as the word of God calles it a power so also the consciences of men finde it to bee a power Therefore the Apostle sayes 2 Cor. 13.3 Ye seeke experience of Christ that speaketh in me which toward you is not weake but is mightie in you And if we will compare it with the ciuile and kingly power we will finde it in this respect to be preferred to the ciuile power that whereas the ciuile power is extended only ouer the body the life and goods temporall this power of the Ministerie is extended to the soule to the spirituall graces of the soule and life euerlasting and therefore it is called by the Apostle the Ministerie of the Spirit and of righteousnesse 2 Cor. 3.8 9. Now to end shortly There may be a question moued When the Minister either remittes sinnes or reteines sinnes vpon earth how shall he be assured that y e Lord hath not remitted or reteined them in Heauen for it becomes the Herauld or Messenger to make intimation of nothing but of that whereof
Christ His ResurrectioÌ„ from the dead Alwayes what euer hath bene the cause of his absence wee may perceiue that he was depriued of that grace and presence of the LORD which the rest who were met together found Whereof we learne this lesson That whosoeuer doe absent themselues from the assembly of the LORDS Sainctes from these holy meetings whereinto the LORD hath promised His owne blessed presence they procure no small skaith and damage to themselues they depriue themselues of some grace and comfort that the LORD ministers to them that meet together What euer be the cause of thine absence it caÌ„not be but hurtfull to thee albeit all causes of absence be not alike hurtfull for if thou be absent by negligence the lesse is thy danger and losse but if wilfully and vpon contempt thou absentest thy selfe then not only depriuest thou thy sâ—lfe of grace and comfort but also thou procurest the wrath of GOD vpon thee for the contempt of His blessed ordinance Therefore if wee would bee partakers of the grace and blessing that the LORD hath promised to these holy assemblies we should postpone our priuate adoes and the cares of the world vnto these Holy exercises and we should embrace that counsell of our Sauiour Seeke first the Kingdome of Heauen and His righteousnesse and all other thinges shall bee ministred vnto you Matth. Chapter 6. verse 33. The man that makes this his first and his chiefe care to seeke the Kingdome of God when he hath gotten it hee will finde by experience that there is nothing necessarie for the sustaining of this present life that shall be inlaking to him It is a foolish thing to be too carefull for these worldly things for if thou seekest first the Kingdome of Heauen all these things will be casteâ— to thee Nowe to come to the preaching of the rest of the Disciples to Thomas it is said The other Disciples said vnto him We haue seene the Lord They preach to Thomas the Lordes Resurrection for the benefite they had receiued themselues in Thomas absence they willingly communicate to him they knewe and they sawe that the Lord was risen they tell this to Thomas as they beleeued so they wished and desired that hee should beleeue also This Example of the Apostles we ought all to followe When the Lorde communicates any spirituall benefite to vs we should not keepe it close to our selues but wee should bee carefull to communicate it to the well of others And thus doing we need not to feare that the grace shall be empaired and grow lesse No by the contrarie this communicating of the grace and vsing of the talent that the LORD hath giuen vs is the hie and readie way to augment the grace and to reape profite of the talent that wee haue receiued Albeit thou hast taken great paines and spent much time with the losse of some worldly goods to attaine to grace yet that should not make thee the more sparing in communicating it to others It is the Lords will that thou giue it to others freely chearfully and liberally Therefore trie and examine whether thou wilt be willing and carefull to communicate to others the grace that God hath giuen thee and if thou findest this then thou hast a good conscience and if thou findest it not thou hast no matter of rejoycing because thou doest not that which the LORD requires at thine hands When the Disciples haue informed Thomas of the Lordes Resurrection looke howe Thomas takes with it What is his part In a word hee beleeues not their report His incredulitie was very vvonderfull for albeit hee vvas compassed vvith such a cloud of witnesses of faithfull witnesses of eye-seeing witnesses yet he beleeues not Apparantly euery one of them who had seene the LORD course by course had tolde him of the LORDES Resurrection and first Marie Magdalene who got this honour first to see the LORD after His Resurrection hath witnessed to Thomas that she saw the LORD and spake with Him Next the other women who did meete with Him as they were returning froÌ„ the graue testifies the same Thirdly the two disciples who were going from Ierusalem to Emmaus informed him that they did meete with Him in the way of the conference they had with Him Fourthly Peter to whoÌ„ also y e Lord had appeared stroue to perswade him and last the whole number of the Apostles and the faithfull there assembled testified with one voyce that they had seene Him and spoken with Him yet Thomas is nothing mooued with all these speeches their witnessing makes not him to beleeue he remaines still in incredulity This example of Thomas telles vs that all the outward meanes that can be vsed all the testimonies of the worlde the testimonies of the most faithfull most godly most wise of the eye-witnesses will not mooue the heart of a man to beleeue will not perswade him of any point of doctrine necessarie to Saluation if there bee no more What then will make a man to beleeue Nothing but the Spirit of IESVS CHRIST it must be He that must witnesse vnto our heartes what is the will of GOD concerning vs it must be Hee that must take away the vale and illuminate our darke soules it must bee Hee that must open our heartes as Hee opened the heart of Lydia and make vs to beleeue If this Holy Spirit of CHRIST bee not present a man will not beleeue his owne eyes his owne senses will not perswade him We sawe the trueth of this before in the rest of the Disciples when the LORD stood in the middes of them when they sawe Him with their eyes when they heard Him speake face to face they beleeued not While as Luke sayes the LORD opened their vnderstanding that they might vnderstand the Scriptures Luke Chapter 24. verse 45. This doctrine would bee well marked because it serues to decide a controuersie that this day is betwixt vs and the Papists The controuersie and question which is betwixt vs and them concerning the chiefe and principall witnesse and judge First of authenticke Scripture Next of true interpretation of particular places of Scripture that is How shall a man knowe that this Scripture that wee haue and wee reade and vse dayly is the very worde of GOD and not the worde of any creature And againe Howe shall a man knowe what is the true meaning of any particular place of Scripture and whether this or that sense of the word is to bee receiued The Papistes affirme that the chiefe and principall witnesse judge both of the one or the other is the Church they say y t we could not be assured that y e Scripture is authenticke y t it is y e very word of God except y e church affirme it so to be likewise they say y t we cannot be assured of y e right meaning of any place of y e Scripture except it be by y e testimonie of y e same Church they teach
curiositie First hee forgets his owne calling Secondly hee is too curious in his brothers calling Lastly hee does an injurie to Christ makes an eruption vpon Christes office to spoyle Him of His authoritie and power to call all and thinke ye not albeit the Lord now adayes as Hee did Peter then but He lookes with an angrie eye vpon curious men This rebuke is registrated to rebuke thee if thou be giuen to curiositie But it would bee marked that albeit the Lord be angrie with Peter yet neuerthelesse He forgets not His mercie When He found him to linger in his course the Lord leaues him not but He puts out His hand and takes holde of him therefore He sayes Follow thou me This is the mercie of the Lord towards His owne that when He rebukes them He leaues them not there but He will put out His hand and pull them in againe to Him No neuer one of vs would goe forward except by a new grace pulled vs forward except the Lord led vs by the hand there could not be such a thing as a man could be saued There is such a stumbling and wauering in our nature therefore Paul saide I striue by all meanes to attaine to the Resurrection of the dead Yea rather sayes he I am comprehended of Christ Jesus Phil. 3.11 12. Therefore ay cry for grace after grace otherwise thou canst not goe one foot right forwarde much lesse perseuere to the end Ye will aske a question Should neuer one of vs be carefull of our brother in his calling Humanitie required that Peter should bee carefull of John is this the thing the Lord reprooues and forbids I answere there is a great difference betweene carefulnesse and curiositie it is not carefulnesse Hee findes fault with Woe to him that cares for himselfe only for why should not euery one of vs be helping one another be carefull to bring forward the stragling body But it is curiositie that the Lord reprooues Then the lesson is this shortly Take heede that by thy doing men should be very wise thou hinderest not thy selfe more by thy curiositie when thou enterest into the affaires of thy brother than thou profitest him by thy care when thou beginnest to care for him beware thou fall not in curiositie passe neuer the bounds of thy calling for there is none that hath a calling but it is joyned with care of his brother the higher calling the greater care The Kings calling requires a great care of others in the Policie Such like the Ministers calling is joyned vvith a care for the people not to feed himself but to feed the people It is joyned with a speciall and wonderfull care so that night and day his eye should not bee off his flocke Yet men should beware that their care turne not to curiositie Curiositie is very dangerous A curious man has no loue to thee for he takes pleasure in the hurt euill that falles to thee and it is his meat drinke hee feedes vpon the euill report of others Iohn subjoynes that when the Disciples hearde of these words of Christ they giue them a strange glosse They say Iohn should not die A faire glosse a faire commentarie Iohn sayes This was not the meaning of the Lord He spake not such a thing He saide not to him hee should not die and that was not His minde Hee tolde not whether hee should liue or die But Hee saide If I will hee tarrie till I come what is that to thee Yee see howe readie men are to misconstrue and peruert the one-folde meaning of the LORD If the Disciples vvho heard His owne liuelie voyce vvere so readie to giue a false and a lying glosse to His vvorde vvhich they hearde Him speake I pray you vvhat maruell is it albeit men daylie misconstrue the vvritten vvorde of GOD and neuer leaue off to father lies vpon the Scriptures Yee vvonder at the Papistes I vvonder not Looke the whole Scriptures these Traitors conclude euer a lye vpon the trueth Looke the Rhemish newe Testament and the rest of their vvrittes I vvonder not at them but I vvonder at this Considering this grossenesse of ignorance and the propension of men naturallie to misconstrue GODS Worde and Will that there is so much as one to open the trueth and to vnderstand the right meaning of the vvorde The cause of this misconstruing is not of the Scripture as if it vvere doubtsome harde obscure or as a nose of vvaxe as they blaspheme but the fault is partlie in the blindnesse of the minde of man and partlie in the peruersitie and frowardnesse of the vvill and malice of the heart for it falles out that either such is the blindnesse of man by nature they knowe not the minde of the LORDE or else if they knowe His minde yet vvillinglie they desire not to knowe it but to remaine ignorant for it is true that the Apostle PETER sayes They that are vnlearned and vnstable wreast the SCRIPTVRES to their owne destruction 2 Pet. Chap. 3. vers 16. And PAVL sayes Jf our GOSPELL bee hidden it is hidden to them who perishes whose eyes the god of this world hath blinded 2. Cor. 4.34 Againe we may perceiue that a lye ran speedily abroad and was easily receiued got soone place in the hearts of th'Apostles wherof we may learn that the multitude commonly drinkes in lyes vanities fables and Heresies very suddenly because naturally they are very bent thereunto Yet this errour remained not long vvith th'Apostles for after that according to the Lordes promise extraordinarily in the day of the PENTECOSTE they vvere illuminated and after the Holie Spirite vvas giuen them vvho called all thinges to remembrance which the Lord had spoken vnto them when Hee was present with them and gaue them the true meaning and vnderstanding of all these thinges as CHRIST sayes Joh. chap. 14. vers 26. This lye concerning IOHN euanished then all the Disciples knewe the LORDES meaning when Hee spake these wordes to Peter of Iohn If I will that hee tarrie till I come what is that to thee But the Papishe Kirke and that Antichristian Kingdome this day makes it plaine enough vnto vs howe bent men are by nature to receiue maintaine and entertaine lyes and vanities for in that Kingdome not onelie is this fable of IOHN retained but also an hudge multitude of lyes and of the vanities and fantasies of the braine of man which were deuised by the GENTILES are allowed and receiued for almoste all the Religion of the Papistes like a Beggers cloake is clouted and patched together partlie of the fables and superstitions of the GENTILES and partlie of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Iewes vvhich vvere abolished by the comming of CHRIST If anie vvould knowe what fables they maintaine and giue out concerning Iohn let them reade their golden Legende Nowe in the last two verses of this Euangell the Apostle concludes his GOSPELL and in the conclusion hee telles vs vvho
As He blessed them He departed froÌ„ them He went alitle froÌ„ them Next He was taken vp Tdirdly He was receiued in a cloud Fourthly being receiued in y t cloud His Apostles beholding Him the cloud toâ—ke Him out of their sight Fiftly being taken out of their sight by the cloud He was caried vp into heauen If we weigh coÌ„sider wel all these circumstaÌ„ces we wil see that th'AscensioÌ„ of our Lord was not only exceeding glorious but also very sensible visible for while He stood in the mids of them He depaâ—ted separated Himselfe a space from them to the end that they all might the better see Him ascending thereafter He was taken vp piece piece degree by degree so that sensibly piece piece they might haue followed Him with their eyes then as they are thus beholding a cloude interueenes takes Him out of their sight After this they see His person no more but they see y t cloud wherein He was receiued to be caried vp into heaueÌ„ al these circumstaÌ„ces were very sensiible for now He goes not froÌ„ them on a suddainty He conueyes not Himselfe out of their sight in a momeÌ„t as He did w t the two Disciples w t whom He sate at table in Emmaus no question the Lord of set purpose would haue His AscensioÌ„ to be so sensible to the end y t the disciples who saw it the whole form of it so clearly might haue a setled assuraÌ„ce ful perswasion in their hearts to the end y t w t the greater euidency liberty freedom they might preach proclaime it to the world for the ful perswasion of the heart made theÌ„ bold confideÌ„t in preaching as Paul saies Seeing we haue such trust we vse great boldnes of speech y t so y e world hearing theÌ„ speak w t such euidency freedome boldnes of the Lords AsceÌ„sion seeing theÌ„ paint out so vinely sensibly the whole forme processe y t therein was vsed might without any doubt fully beleeue y t the Lord was ascended to heaueÌ„ so the Lord had a regard respect vnto His Kirk in all the faithful y t shuld liue in th'ages to come yea euen of vs who liue this day wheÌ„ so sensibly visibly in the preseÌ„ce of His Apostles He asceÌ„ded into heaueÌ„ The Lord made not His Apostles eye witnesses of His Ascension so much for their own cause as for the Kirkes cause which by their Ministery was to be gathered together to be broght to th' obedience of Iesus so when y u coÌ„siderâ—st y t sensible forme progresse y t the Lord vsed in His Ascension for thy cause it is thy duty to praise glorifie His Majesty for it Now after the Lord is caried vp to heauen what followes was there no higher degree of glory Yes for Marke sayes After He was receiued into heauen He sate at the right hand of God After He had past throgh al the visible HeaueÌ„s He was set at the right hand of His Father in the highest Heauens farre aboue all principalitie and power and might and domination and euery name that is named not in this world only but also in that which is to come so that all things were made subiect vnder His feete Ephes 1.20 21. this the Father had spoken of Him before when He said Sit thou at my right hand vntill I make thine enemies thy footstoole Psal 110.1 To sit at the right hand of God is to obtaine y t highest degree of glory in the heauens as Mediator to haue equal power glory w t the Father to haue power ouer all creatures to doe w t them as He pleases to haue all things vnder His feete to be declared to be y e head of y e Kirk that person by whoÌ„ the Father immediatly guides gouernes all things for as He is y e Sonne of God equall with y e Father He was glorified with that glory which Hee had with the Father before the foundations of the world were laid according as He prayed before His Passion Joh. 17.5 as He is man He is exalted aboue euery creature in such sort that by y e hand of Christ the man God gouernes all things in heauen in earth so we see that y e Lord by degrees passed froÌ„ glory to glory now He is in such incomprehensiblâ— glory as this mortal eye of man caÌ„not be able to pierce into Indeed the disciples saw His glorious AscensioÌ„ but they could not be able to see that highnes sublimity of glory whereunto He was exalted wheÌ„ He sate at the right hand of y e Father SteueÌ„ saw the heaueÌ„ opened the Sonne of man standing at the right hand of God Acts 7.55 but how sober meane a portioÌ„ of His glory was y t which He saw in respâ—ct of y e fulnes of glory y t He had theÌ„ in y e heaueÌ„s but albeit we be not able w t our bodily eyes to pierce behold y e greatnes of y t glory whereinto He is exalted yet this is our coÌ„fort y t we find sensibly by experience in our own soules y t Iesus is sitting in his Kingdome w t exceeding glory power by these comfortable effects motions y t He workes within vs. Th'Apostles albeit they saw Him not sitting at y e right hand of God in glory yet in y t same momeÌ„t y t He sate down in His throne of glory they found in their own hearts his kingly power that dominioÌ„ y t He hath ouer al creatures for what meaned y t exceeding joy y t they had after that He was taken out of their sight wheÌ„ they were returning to Jerusalem eueÌ„ this that Christ was entred in His kingdome that His kingdome power was effectuall into their soules what meanes these spiritual motions which are raised vp in the hearts of the godly this sadnes for sinne this vnspeakable joy this peace traÌ„quillity of coÌ„science this loue to God desire to see Him euen this y t the Lord Iesus is come into His Kingdome is now reigning in y e heaueÌ„s y t He hath established this Kingdome in our soules For the Kingdome of God sayes Paul is righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 therefore wheÌ„ y u findest any spiritual motioÌ„ in thy soule take it for a sure argument of Christs sitting at the right hand of God in His kingdome Now hauing spokeÌ„ of Christs Ascension let vs see what was the Apostles behauiour wheÌ„ they saw the Lord thus asceÌ„d whâ—t did they It is said that they worshipped Him next that they looked stedfastly toward heauen what moued theÌ„ to worship Him no question the sight of a wonderfull glory Majestie in Iesus because at this time they saw Him in an higher glory majesty than euer they did before therfore of necessity their worshipping of Him at this time
him that which before he had committed vnto him to be kept The soule y t has this faith hope has no cause to complaine of His bodily absence for they recompense it abundaÌ„tlie but if thou wantest this faith apprehending thy Sauiour w t all His graces this hope waiting patieÌ„tly for His returning thou caÌ„st haue no true matter of rejoycing albeit thou hadst al y â— outward benefits of y e world heaped abundantly vpoÌ„ thee Now come to y e next thing that the disciples doe vvhen they are returned to Hierusalem it it saide that they went vp into an vpper chamber then is reckoned out particularly who they were where abode both Peter Iames Iohn Andrew Philip Thomas Bartlemew Matthew James the son of Alpheus Simon Zelotes Iudas Iames brother after he subjoynes in a general word The women particularly Mary the mother of Iesus his brethren These were they who most familiarly conuersed w t Iesus whom he kept together while he was in the world now when he is gone out of y e world ascended to heauen they abide together And what was their exercise They all continued with one accord in prayer supplicatioÌ„ This was an holy exercise they seuered theÌ„selues froÌ„ y e rest of y e world withdrue theÌ„selues from worldly impedimeÌ„ts kept theÌ„selues alone together to th' end they might entertain nourish y t joy which they fouÌ„d of the beholding of y t glorious AsceÌ„sion of Christ through y e hope y t they had of his glorious returning again to judgemeÌ„t whereof th'Angels had instructed theÌ„ Then mark the lesson they y t rejoyce together in Iesus desire to be seuered from the coÌ„mon society of meÌ„ froÌ„ outward distractions impediments desire to remain liue together The childreÌ„ of God delite take pleasure in the society one of another and good reason they so doe for wheÌ„ this life is ended they shal remain liue together in heauen without any seuering Yea further al spiritual graces are acquired entertained only in the society of the Saints without this society no faith hope joy nor grace of Christ caÌ„ be gotten or intertained al grace y t is giueÌ„ a maÌ„ is giuen to him as a meÌ„ber of y t body as to one of the Saints Therfore wheÌ„ Paul speakes of any grace or benefite y t the Lord is to bestow on any faithful maÌ„ coÌ„monly he vses to say thâ—t that grace is withall the Saints as when he wishes to th' Ephesians the sense of the breadth the leÌ„gth the depth the height of that loue of God in Christ he wishes they might be able to coÌ„prehend it with al the Saints Eph. 3.18 Likewise wheÌ„ he prayes y t y e Thessalonians might haue their hearts established in holines before God he craues that this establishmeÌ„t might be with all the Saints 1 Thess 3.13 speaking of y e riches of y e glory of y e inheritaÌ„ce he sayes y u shalt neuer get it but amoÌ„g y e Saints Eph. 1.18 for as one member being cut off froÌ„ y e body can receiue no sappe nor life froÌ„ it euen so if thou be cut off froÌ„ y e socitie of y e Saints froÌ„ y e Kirk of God y u shalt neuer get any grace of Christ to conclude our joy blessednes will be perfected in the kingdome of heaueÌ„ in y e society fellowship of the Saints Many meÌ„ despise disdaine y e society of y e Lords Saints here on earth they count them vile contemptible the offscourings of the world they scarcely will giue them a countenaÌ„ce yet in the meane time they flatter theÌ„selues foolishly that they shal be in heauen as soone as they but if thou haue no pleasure in their societie here in earth thou shalt finde thou shalt neuer get that priuiledge to enjoy any grace or blessing with them in the heauen I giue thee this doome the Lord shall ratify it one day Now wheÌ„ the disciples are met together in the vpper chamber they stay not there but Luke in the last words of his gospel sayes that They were continually in the Temple praising and lauding God And this is the third thing that y e disciples doe after they haue stayed for a space in y e vpper chamber occupied in holy exercises in prayer and supplication they beginne to be more bold and they take greater courage vnto them and they goe out into a publike place to the Temple to vse these same spirituall exercises which they vsed in the vpper chamber for the Apostles with the Lordes brethren with Marie his mother and other holy women assembled publikely in the Temple and there praised and glorified God We see heere what are these meanes wherby spiritual graces are intertained increased in y e societie of y e Saints to wit the preaching of the Gospel prayers supplications praising blessing of God in Psalmes Hymnes spirituall songs holy communication without these holy exercises no faith no hope no joy no grace of Christ can either be obtained or entertained increased if thou contemnest despisest these exercises thou needest neuer to looke for grace Againe we see here y t they assemble as frequeÌ„tly in as great number as they may or can in y e most publike solemne place they could find for they came together with one accord in y e TeÌ„ple this they do to y e intent y t both greater glory might redouÌ„d to y e Lord greater joy coÌ„fort to theÌ„selues the more frequent that y e assemblies of y e Saints be the more publike solemne the place of their meeting be the greater the more effectuall is the Lords presence among them the greater is their joy the greater glory redounds to God for if the Lord has promised That where two or three are gathered together in his name there he wil be in the middes of theÌ„ Mat. 18.20 Much more where the Saincts are frequently in great number gathered together in a publicke solemne place for spirituall exercises will the Lord manifest His powerful presence amoÌ„g them The fourth and last thing that th'Apostles doe is set downe by Marke in the last verse of his Gospel where we haue two things expressely mentioned First the going out of the disciples to preach to the worlde Next the successe that the Lord gaue to their preaching These two points comprehend the summe and substance of al the history of th' Acts of th'Apostles Then first he saies They went foorth and preached euery where That grace y t they got theÌ„selues they are careful to coÌ„municate it to others But when was this that they went out into the worlde Was it immediatly after the Lords Ascension Was it before they receiued the holy Spirit were sufficiently furnished with grace theÌ„selues No but they stayed still in
vsed it not 1. Cor. 7.31 That is When he is exercised in worldly things he hath not his heart fixed on the world for that is the right vsing of the world for that man that hath his heart fixed on the world when he is occupied in a worldly calling he abuses the world If euer in all thine actions thine heart bee glewed to the vvorlde and thine affections teddered to the earth if thou haue no pleasure to thinke of Heauen and heauenly thinges thou mayest take that for a sure token that as yet thou art not called to the participation of grace Nowe when Peter drawes the net with an hundreth fiftie and three great fishes in it the Euangelist markes that Albeit they were so many yet was not the nette broken No question as the taking of so many fishes the hote coales fish laide thereon with bread was effectuate as ye heard by the secret extraordinarie miraculous prouidence of God so was this also and all was to this end that the Disciples might see that the Godhead dwelt in Him bodily and that the Godhead which before the Passion was obscured and kept the selfe close did nowe vtter the selfe gloriously When Peter hath drawen the net vvith the fish to the land The Lord saide vnto them Come and dine In the former doings ye haue heard Hee vttered His Godhead now heere by His familiar and accustomed forme of doing He makes it manifest that Hee vvas man also Yee haue heard before that by the actions of eating and drinking He prooued that Hee was not a Spirit but a man Luke 24.39 And as Hee is carefull to enforme their mindes and by these actions to perswade them that He is both God and man so likewise He hath a care of their bodies and of the sustentation of this temporall life He knew that by their long painfull trauell they were both wearied and hungrie and had great need of refreshment the Lord had a care of this and Hee feedes them as it were with His owne hand so that at one time both their soules and their bodies are fedde by Him and this should be thy care that when thou findest that the Lord feedes thy body and hath a care of this temporall life that thou also striue to finde that the Lord feedes thy soule hath a care to bring thee vnto eternall life And indeede if thou receiuest these temporall benefites which serue for the sustentation of thy body with thankesgiuing and prayer thou wilt finde that when the Lord feedes thy body He feedes also thy soule Now the Euangelist markes by the way interrupting the Historie That none of the Disciples durst aske Him Who art thou seeing they knew that Hâ—e was the Lord. No question the Euangelists sets downe these wordes partly to let vs see what great reuerence they caried to the Lord while they sate at table with Him and partly to let vs see how full and sure perswasion they had that it was the Lord for he telles the cause why they durst not aske Him who He was because They knewe that He was the Lord and it had bene too great boldnesse and impudencie in them to haue asked that at the Lord which they knewe well enough and the Lord had reueiled Himselfe to them sufficiently before and now also By this behauiour of the Disciples wee may marke what is the nature of Faith and the force and effect of it in the regenerate man it is not vnreuerent but thinkes reuerently of the Lord whome it apprehends it is not impudent and shamelesse but humble and shamefast it is not immoderate it passes not measure but it is moderate and conteines the selfe within bounds and measure that is it is not euermore curiously seeking many and new reuelations but it is content with that measure that the Lord hath reueiled By the contrarie looke to the nature of infidelitie it is euer vnreuerent toward GOD impudent and immoderate it is neuer content with that measure of reuelations which the Lord hath giuen but it is euer curiously out of measure seeking new reuelations and what if it were for any good end what if it were to learne and grow better then it were somewhat more excusable but it is all to this ende that either it may tempt the Majestie of God or els to satisfie the immoderate and vnsatiable curiositie wee may see the example of these fruites of infidelitie in sundrie persons as in the Iewes who as Dauid sayes oft times tempted the Lord in the Wildernesse by their infidelitie but chiefly in the Scribes and Pharises they euer tempted the LORD for albeit both by His Word and doctrine and also by His diuine workes and miracles Hee had sufficiently reueiled Himselfe vnto them and albeit also they had beene conuicted in their conscience that Hee was the Messias yet notwithstanding of all this they continue still in tempting of Him and they say Master we desire to see a signe of thee Matth. Chapter 12. verse 38. But the LORD answered them An euill and adulierous generation seekes a signe but no signe shall be giuen to it but the signe of the Prophet Ionah The Papists this day are very like the Scribes and Pharises they cannot be content with that measure of reuelation which the LORD hath giuen vs in the Scriptures and namely in the Newe Testament wherein the Mysterie of CHRIST and the doctrine of Saluation is fully and clearly set downe a clearer reuelation than is there set downe shall we neuer finde vntill the LORD come in the cloudes to judge the world they cannot be content with all the Miracles which wee reade wrought in the Olde and Newe Testaments by the Prophets by the Lord Himselfe and the Apostles but they are euer seeking for new and extraordinarie reuelations they are seeking vnwritten verities which may be calâ—ed vanities they are euer seeking newe miracles and such other toyes and dreames they can neuer bee content But wee may answere them as the LORD answered the Pharises They shall get no moe signes nor reuelations than they haue gotten alreadie they are too bold and impudent after that the LORD hath sufficiently reueiled Himselfe to sâ—eke for new reuelations This their doing testifies sufficiently that they haue no Faith for faith is reuerent shamefast and moderate keeping the selfe within the bounds of Gods reueiled will but by the contrarie it beares witnesse of their infidelitie for this impudencie and immoderate seeking of newe miracles and reuelations are fruites of infidelitie But a question may bee mooued vpon these wordes When hee sayes And none of the Disciples durst aske Him Who art thou seeing they knew that Hee was the LORD Is it vnlawfull for vs to seeke increase and growth of knowledge Yea are we not commanded to seeke it dayly Sayes not the LORD Seeke and ye shall finde aske and it shall bee giuen you knocke and it shall bee opened vnto you Luke Chapter 11. verse 9. Yea is
it not saide The violent take the Kingdome of Heauen by force Matth. Chap. 11. vers 12. And doth not the Lord recommend importunitie and earnestnesse in crauing by the Parable of the widowe who importunated the vnrighteous Iudge To this I answere It is lawfull indeede to seeke continually the increase and growth of knowledge as well as of all other spirituall graces yea it is a thing that the Lord recommends vnto vs commands But of what knowledge should we seeke the increase Only the knowledge of these thinges that are reueiled and set downe in the Olde and New Testament it is the Lords will that wee euer grow in knowledge of these thinges and that we goe from knowledge to knowledge But this increase of knowledge is farre different from curiositie in seeking new reuelations besides the thinges that are reueiled in the writes of the Prophets and the Apostles The Lord likes well growth of knowledge but Hee mislikes curiositie yea I say to thee if thou seekest a clearer and more ample reuelation than that which is alreadie set downe in the Olde and New Testament thou offendest highly the Majestie of God for by so doing thou deniest that Christ when Hee came into the world brought with Him a full and perfect reuelation of all things necessarie Read what the Apostle Paul sayes Rom. 10.6 Now to end shortly In the last wordes of our Text wee haue set downe the Conclusion of this appearing of Christ whereof we haue spoken wherein hee telles that it was the third in number for hee sayes This nowe is the third time that Iesus shewed Himselfe vnto His Disciples after He was raised againe from the dead I thinke he calles it the third in number not absolutely but in respect of the Disciples and so the words import for it is said This is the third time that He shewed Himselfe vnto His Disciples for if we number precisely the particular appearing of Christ after His Resurrection vnto this time whereof wee haue any mention made in the Scripture we will finde that this is the eight in number He shewed Himselfe first to Marie Magdalene Next to other certaine women Thirdly to the two Apostles who were going to Emmaus Fourthly to Simon Peter Fifthly to lames as we may read 1. Cor. 15.6 Sixtly to the Disciples assembled together in Ierusalem Thomas only being absent Seuenthly to the same Disciples assembled together Thomas beeing present with them Eightly He appeared vnto these sâ—uen at this time when they were fishing Nowe it was not without cause that the Lord reueiled Himselfe so oft after Hee rose againe No question Hee did it not onely to confirme the Disciples of the trueth of His Resurrection but also for our cause that wee might haue stedfast faith and full assurance that Hee is risen againe for our comfort And it is the Lords will that when wee reade that there were so many that saw Him with their eyes heard Him spake with Him handeled Him and haunted with Him wee should bee fully perswaded and assured of His Resurrection But I will not insist in this matter because I haue spoken of it alreadie Nowe seeing the Lord has had such a great care of our faith that by beleeuing we might haue comfort seeing so oft times and to so manie Hee appeared the LORD make these meanes effectuall to worke and to encrease faith in vs that both in our life and especiallie in the houre of death wee may haue matter of rejoycing in Him To vvhome vvith the Father and the Holie Spirit bee all praise and honour AMEN THE L. LECTVRE OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP. XXI verse 15 So when they had dined Iesus said to Simon Peter Simon the sonne of Iona louest thou me more than these He said vnto him Yea Lord thou knowest that I loue thee He said vnto him Feede my lambes verse 16 He said to him againe the second time Simon the sonne of Iona louest thou me He said vnto him Yea Lord thou knowest that I loue thee He said vnto him Feede my sheepe verse 17 He said vnto him the third time Simon the sonne of Iona louest thou me Peter was sorie because hee said to him the third time Louest thou mee and said vnto him Lord thou knowest all thinges thou knowest that I loue thee Iesus said to him Feede my sheepe WEE haue hearde these dayes past Beloued in the Lord Iesus of the third generall appearance of the Lord Iesus after His glorious Resurrection The place we heard was by the Sea of Tiberias The persons to whom He appeared we heard were seuen in number The manner how He appeared was by miracle by wonderfull working He shewes a miracle in the Sea by taking of many great fishes there Then by land by the extraordinary preparation of meat fire to His disciples comming off the sea to the land To this He joyned y e third miracle in keeping whole the net so that there was not a threed broken notwithstanding of the great number of fishes taken therein Thereafter as He manifested Himselfe in His Godhead diuine power in working of miracles so He comes on more familiarly manifestes Himselfe in His humane nature lets theÌ„ see y t He was a maÌ„ ate drunk with theÌ„ as other men therfore He sits down dines with them Hee eates Himself giues them to eat also Then hauing dined He enters in conference with Peter which conference we haue to entreat of this day as God wil giue vs grace The end of His conference with Peter was not to make him an Vniuersall Bishop His Vicar here on y e earth as the Papists speake that is to say To make vp a Popedome for the Papists make these words relatiue to that promise which they saye He made to Peter before Matth. 16.18 I say vnto thee Thou art Peter vpon this Rocke I will build my Kirke That was not the end but y e end of it was to restore him again to his own rowm of th'Apostleship from the which he fell for Peter had made a foule defection froÌ„ his Lord he denied Him thrise so by this defection threefold denial he depriued himselfe of his rowm of th'Apostleship wherunto he was called Looke how verily Judas fell by his traitorie as verilie did Peter fall for he that denies the Lord Iesus vnto the time he bee restored againe he cannot be a Christian man let bee an Apostle or Minister So in a word the ende of this conference was to restore Peter again by taking out of his own mouth a threefold confession of his loue to the Lord of the hatred of that foule sin which hee committed by denying of the Lord. Indeed it is true at Christs first meeting with His disciples at HierusaleÌ„ in a maÌ„ner he was restored because he got a dâ—rection with the rest to go foorth preach the Gospel where Christ sayes As my Father sends me so send J