not too long a time and that they should in his good and appointed time be changed up into the glory of Heaven and that all the Enemies of the Church should at length by the power of Christ their victorious Captain be thrown into the ever burning Lake of fire and brimstone We may divide the whole Booke briefly Partitio libri for I must not stand long upon this Discourse Divide it I may I come not to expound the whole Book and the Text it selfe affords matter enough for this short time though I eke it out with a borrowed part of another hour into a Preface Paraeus to the ninth verse of the first Chapter the Prophecy it self from thence to the sixteenth verse of the last Chapter and from thence to the end the Epilogue or Conclusion We are now in the midst of the Prophecy and the whole Prophecy may be distinguished into 7 several visions notoriously distinct asunder to them that read them with careful observation which Christ was pleased for the future good of his Church to shew to his beloved St. John whilst he lived a banisht man in the Isle of Pathmos I may not stand now to shew you these 7 Visions with the subject-matter of them I read not a Lecture upon them all nor upon any one intirely This Text is a small part of the fourth Vision which takes up three whole Chapters the twelfth thirteenth and fourteenth It is of the Woman travelling in birth and the Draggon gaping to devour the fruit of her womb of her flight into the Wildernesse and his pursuit after her resisted by Michael and his Angels then of the two Beasts one with seven heads and ten horns the other with two horns like a Lamb which spake as a Draggon both persecuting the Saints then of the victorious Lamb upon that Mount Sion and of the three Angels one preaching the Gospel another proclaiming the fall of Babylon a third denouncing punishment to them that worship the Beast Lastly of Christ upon the Cloud with a sharp sickle in his hand and the Angel proclaiming the last Harvest of the World and the Vintage and Wine-presse of the Wrath of God All this is the subject of the fourth Vision in which the future estate of Gods Church in this World even from the Infancy of it under the Ministry of Christs Apostles unto the end of the World is far more cleerly shaddowed out unto us than in the former Visions The third Angel begins at the 9. verse of this Chapter and continues to the end of the 11. Then in the 12. and 13. verses part of the last whereof I read unto you follows an Epiphonema of exhortation and consolation to the Saints of God that in all these vexations with which Antichrist shall grate them they persevere with patience and constancy in the faith of Christ and obedience to his Gospel that they faint not under their tribulations but hold out to the end being held up with the hope of eternal felicity in Heaven which is here propounded The Exhortation to perseverance is in the 12. verse the Argument for it is taken from that Tragical end that miserable and wofull event which must befall Antichrist and his unsound followers that seeing they shall at last drink of the Wine of the Wrath of God and drink it off the very dregs of it that they shall be tormented with fire and brimstone and shall have no rest day and night here is the patience of the Saints v. 12. Here is an Argument for their perseverance that the Holy ones of God who keep the Commandments of God and the saith of Jesus that they suffer manfully under the bitterest Tyranny of their Adversaries as knowing that it shall at last be guerdon'd to them with the fearfull endlesnesse of insufferable torments in Hell fire Then follows the Consolation in this verse of my Text And I heard a voice from Heaven saying Write blessed are the Dead that die in the Lord The Argument which the Holy Ghost here useth to strengthen and comfort them ready now to droop under the weight of their sufferings is drawn from the assurance of the most inestimable Reward eternal bessednesse in Heaven and that Death it selfe the last and greatest evil with which the faithfull can be afflicted by their most despiting enemies is no evil at all for it is the ready though straight and narrow and severe Way to the certain joy and glory of the Heavenly Kingdome I heard a voice from Heaven from thence we see though through a cloud through the water of that and the tears of our owne eyes our comfort comes 'T is most certain most true were it the voice of God himselfe or of one of his Angels at his command St. John sayes not whether but the voice of Christ himselfe his Sheep are sure it is they know his voice the same in effect which we have heard from him before in his holy Gospel more than once Joh. 5.24 Verily verily I say unto you he that hears my Words and believes on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Rom. 8.1 and there is no condemnation too to them in the ears of whose Souls are the words of Christ and in John 8.51 not without another and another a double Verily I say unto you to cast off all doubt If a man keep my saying he shall nevtr see death the eternall the cursed death The very same to all purposes that this Voice sayes here Write blessed are the dead c. There are three things observable in this Voice from Heaven Divisio Versus first the command to Write Christ will not put his Church to trust to the uncertainty the deceivableness of unwritten Traditions but as in the beginning there was a generall command for the writing of this whole Prophecy Write sayes Christ to the Prophet St. John chap. 1. v. 19. Write the things which thou hast seen and the things which are and the things which shall be hereafter so has he here again a special command for the writing of this heavenly voice concerning the blessednesse of them who die in the Lord he will have our comfort confirm'd to us here as the Divel 's several suggestions were rejected and confuted by himselfe Matt. 4. with a Scriptum est the Scripture the written Word of God shall be the ground as of our Faith so of our Hope our incouragement and consolation through that Faith Secondly the Argument the substance of what he is commanded to deliver to the Church by writing blessednesse And thirdly the assurance and proofe of this blessednesse by two strong Reasons one that they are now gotten to the end of their Race that they enjoy a perpetual rest from all the labours and sufferings which they have sustained under the Sun they rest from their labours and the other that they have so
is the end even the salvation of their souls 1 Pet. 1.9 that they truly and indeed are possest of in this life Haec est vita aeterna says our Saviour John 17.3 This is life eternal to know thee and Jesus He that hears my words and beleeveth on him hath eternal life John 5.24 he hath it in that degree as here he is capable of it But Beatitudo patriae the perfection of blisse the sight and fruition of God in Heaven that intire union with him when we shall be like unto himselfe for we shall see him as he is 1 John 3.2 This is for another life this is the crown laid up which the righteous Judge shall give at that day 2 Tim. 4.8 Vltima semper Expectando dies homini est Dicique beatus Antiobitum nemo supremaque funera debet Ovid. This expect not till death for thus only the dead are blessed To take away all scruple 't is an observable truth that S. Gregory Nyscen hath in his book De Beatitud that God in himselfe is Verè Beatus most properly blessed as having it in and from him-himselfe and that from him as from a Fountain it issues forth upon Angels and Men who are blessed in the participation of it which they receive from him Such as is the difference between the face of man which God made and his Picture drawn by an earthly skilfull hand though this be too distant to expresse it yet 't is the best we can light upon there the prime and true beauty is in the living face and the second the resemblance the counterfeit of it in his image so here the most excelling blessednesse is in the Deity it selfe and the next from him upon those creatures of his who were facti ad similitudinem ejus made after his likenesse and are his Image He is true Blessednesse in himselfe and to us but to us how no otherwise than as he is applied unto us and we conjoyn'd unto him which act of joyning us unto him and applying him unto us is that which is called Fruitio or Visio Dei when we perfectly enjoy him by our sight of him and see him as he is This is that act which is our formall blessednesse For God though he be blessednesse yet he is not formally in us but objectivè as the School speaks or effectivè That which makes us formally blessed is the sight of his glorious countenance that which makes us thus like to him is that we see him as he is His servants shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads Revel 22.3 4 5. Now can this be the portion of any living man to see his face this which was denied to Moses his so beloved Servant to whom he had said I know thee by name and thou hast found grace in my sight Exod. 33.12 grace in it but not the sight it selfe yet to him Thou canst not see my face no no man shall see me and live v. 20. if not see his face and live then not that true blessednesse which consists in that sight while we live There is a measure of seeing God in this life and so a measure of happiness but neither full we see God in his workes O come hither and behold the works of the Lord Psal 46.8 And These see the workes of the Lord Psal 107.24 And Behold the goodnesse and severity of God Rom. 11.22 This is with Moses to see the back parts of Jehovah Exod. 33.23 to behold him in his workes of Power and Justice and Goodnesse So then there is a cleer and open seeing of our Creator that true beatifical Vision which the blessed Saints and Angels in Heaven only enjoy and there is a weaker sight a more obscure glimpse of the Deity which only the servants of God have here by faith they and none else neither Heathen who are not called to the knowledge of God nor wicked men who resist the Grace of God calling them who do not open to him when he knocks nor yield obedience to the good motions of his Spirit these see him not at all They have eyes but see not Matth. 13.14 at most seeing they see but do not perceive the eye of their mind is so wholly darkned that it is and they are darknesse it selfe as S. Paul tels the Ephesians before they were called to the light of grace Eph. 5.8 Now if the eye of thy winde if the light that is in thee be darknesse how great is that darknesse Matth. 6.23 And can darknesse it selfe see so great a darknesse see God himselfe him whom eye hath not seen Isa 64.4 He is seen but by one of these two wayes cleerly by them in heaven and sub-obscurely by his on earth we have ground for them both in one verse of St. Pauls 1 Cor. 13.12 Now we see through a glasse darkly but then face to face just the same that I told you from 1 John 3.2 We shall see him as he is In a word we are blessed here onely in that we hope we shall be blessed hereafter and that hope of blessednesse is grounded upon the hope we have that we shall see God face to face Blessed are the pure in heart saies Christ Matth. 5.8 why they shall see God they are blessed because they shall be blessed This was the ground of Job's happinesse while he liv'd in regard whereto death and destruction could not hurt him Though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God Job 19.26 This was it that made David blessed here and was such a preservative to him against fainting in the midst of all his troubles I should utterly have fainted but that I believe verily to see the goodnesse of the Lord where in the land of the living Psal 27.15 So that the blessednesse which we have here consists in the hope that we shall be blessed in Heaven Without salvation no perfect blessednesse that 's sure but we are saved by hope Rom. 8.24 and we are blessed only by hope whilst here we live neither is revealed yet the glory that shall be revealed so the Apostle cals it Rom. 8.8 for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for v. 24. I hope we may now conclude this point with that saying of the wise-man Ecclesiasticus 11.28 Judge no man blessed before his death for before blessed he shall be die he must sayes our Text Blessednesse is first in the order of the words but in the order of nature death and with that exhortation of the Prophet David which follows upon the confidence he had that he should see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living Psal 27. that for blessednesse sake we would not rush upon death as some Heathens being taught the immortality of the soul cast themselves and their souls away that they might be immortal but rather Tarry the Lords leisure be strong and he shall comfort thy heart and put
unto his servant John 'T is a slight cavil that some have made against it The place which it holds amongst the other Books of Canonical Scripture because forsooth it stands the last and was written some time after the other and therefore say they was added and foisted in after the whole body of the Canon was perfected Where there are many several Books must not some one be the last And if this had not been added added but not foisted for God and not Man put it in would they have made the same exception against the Epistle of S. Jude which was the last before this or against any other which instead of this Themselves call the last They cannot for they own it Or would they have God Date all his Letters Epistles Writings to Man at the same time what man does so But as for the Order of it that it stands last in place it is so far from diminishing the Authority of it that indeed it addes unto it and does exceedingly commend it to us for it is intruth as the Signet of God with which the Holy Spirit would seal up and conclude the whole Canon both Old and New of Divine Scripture in regard whereof we have it more extraordinarily approv'd unto us both in the begining of it with a Blessing upon him that readeth and upon them that hear the words of this Prophecy and keep those things that are written therein vers 3. And in the end of it with the same Blessing upon him that keeps the sayings of the Prophecy of this Book 22.7 and with a dreadfull curse upon him who shall either adde unto these things God shall adde unto him the Plagues that are written in this Book or shall take away from the words of the book of this Prophecy God shall take away his part out of the book of life c. 22. v. 18 19. he shall have no part nor lot in it Beloved What could be spoken more throughly to ratifie the authority of it If we may adde nothing to it 't is already every way absolute and perfect the word of God without question the onely word to which we may not adde our own inventions without great offence If we may take nothing from it again 't is a forcible Argument of the sacred in violablenesse of it for what bold foisting man would ever dare to speak so arrogantly of the most Holy his own Endeavours He that could write all the rest so holily could never be guilty of such a pride nor ever able to counterfeit so exact a Holinesse and that it is indeed the Holy Scripture for it is the Scripture of which Christ sayes John 10. that It cannot be broken v. 35. This is a main point observable in which this Book stands equall'd to the sacred unquestion'd Writings of Moses himselfe the first and chiefe of all the Prophets and Penmen of Gods Book For as those Books of his because they usher in and are as it were the Fore-door the entrance into the rest of the whole Scripture are therefore in several places strengthned and fenc'd with such a seal as this Deut. 4.2 Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you neither shall ye diminish ought from it And again c. 12. v. 32. Thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it So this Book standing in the rear and as it were shutting up the back-Gate of the same Canonical Scripture is likewise furnisht and stampt with the same Authentick Seale of Gods Holy Spirit to signifie how perfect how inviolable it is that nothing must be put to no Postscript or taken from it no Deleatur no Index expurgatorius neither that as Moses was a main Coryphaeus to lead on the Van-guard in Gods Spiritual Warfare so was S. John another Coryphaeus of special Note to bring up the Rear in the same Battel Why it was order'd by the Church which took care to gather together the Writings of the Apostles Evangelists to be plac'd the last of all the Books there is a manifest reason not that it is behinde the rest in worth and excellence but in regard of the Time wherein it was written In vita Johannis S. Jerome reports that in the time of the second great Persecution of the Christians under Domitian the Roman Emperor the first Tyranny they tasted of was under Nero in the 14. year of his Reign did S. Lib. 3. cap. 25. Vid. Euseb Hist Ecclesias L. 3. c. 18. John write this Book in the Island Pathmos And Irenaeus a Father in the Church far more ancient than St. Jerome affirms as much that it was not then long since St. John wrote his Revelation Sed pene sub nostro saeculo sayes he almost about our time toward the end of Domitians Reign so that An. Dom. 96. it was written after all both Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament for he outliv'd all the Apostles even to the third year of Traian the 14th Roman Emperor sayes Sophronius and that was 102 after the birth of Christ and the 68. from his passion by St. Jerom's computation and 25 years after the Destruction of Jerusalem Therefore 't is plac'd last because written last not because least in Dignity and Divine Authority no 't is truth which Beza speaks of it in his Preface to it that the Holy Ghost did set down in this precious Book whatsoever Predictions of the former Prophets did remain to be fulfill'd after Christs comming and therefore Ocolampadius in his Preface to Daniel's Prophecy calls this Book the best Paraphrase upon all the other Prophets The Argument of this whole Book is Argum. Libri principally Propheticall though there be Doctrinal Exhortative and Instructive passages sprinkled here and there among the Prophecies but Propheticall for the most part it is whence St. John in the beginning calls it the words of this Prophecy a Prophecy of things that should come to passe even from the time that he wrote to the end of the world of some Occurrents that should befall the Church of God then presently in St. John's time and of other Trials that the Church should indure continually through the whole course of her warfare here on earth first from the Roman Tyrants afterward from divers Hereticks and lastly from Antichrist himselfe of their several oppositions and insultings against her wherewith they should grievously vex her seeming in a manner to be forsaken of Christ her Head and almost utterly oppresse her But withall of those sweet consolations which the Elect of God should have under their crosse and that those Tempests of Afflictions which they underwent were not carnal blown upon them with every winde or meerly from the rage and malice of their Enemies but that God that Winde Joh. 3.8 that Spirit which bloweth where it will had the chiefe hand in them and that by his providence things were so ordered for the exercise of the faithfull and that they should not alwayes continue no
thy trust thy hope in the Lord Let none by their impatience to bear a lesse misery rid themselves into a greater whoever he be that can speak with that Emphasis I am the man that have seen affliction Lam. 3.1 and does therefore with Job abandon the day of his birth Job 3.3 and importune for the hour of death would this man have death be good unto him and save him O then let him apply the counsel of the 26. verse as a remedy against the complaint of the first It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Well Non omnes post obitum the last part remains yet to be handled no man can obtain true blessednesse till he leaves this world that we have done with nor then all men but morientes in Domino they who so cease to live as that they die in the Lord these are they who are blessed Beza renders it propter Dominum who die for the Lord who in their fervent love to him lay down their life for his sake as his Son did for theirs and lose it or rather give it or rather yet sell it in his quarrel and for the defence of his truth true this but not all for thus to expound it ties this promised blessednesse onely upon the Martyrs of God those valiant and faithfull Servants of his as if his many many promises to the faithfull became void if they were not valiant too or though valiant if they had not a cruel occasion to trie their valour who patiently underwent the torments of a violent death at the hands of persecutors for the witnesse-bearing to the truth of his Gospel These no doubt are blessed in Heaven He that loses his life for my sake shall finde it Matth. 10.39 blessed with a double crown both as they regarded the glory of God and the good of their Christian brethren by their example of constancy the bloud of the Martyrs having ever been the seed of the Church and that which is fire to their flesh and bones water to the Gospel to make it slourish a good confession witnessed before the wicked Tyrants of the world doth good service to God and his truth so it fell out in that martyrdome of S. Paul which he suffered in his life time for they are Martyrs too which for Gods cause stoutly endure any kind of misery besides death and yet to humour some rigid Interpreters who will not be brought to allow of a living Martyr let us for once call every affliction a death too not onely by the example of Pharaoh who persecuted the Church of God Take away this death Exod. 10.17 but especially by that of S. Paul who in this afflicted sense suffered many yea dayly deaths for the Church he was in deaths often 2 Cor. 11.23 he did die dayly 1 Cor. 15.31 The things which bappened unto him in his persecution at Rome they fell out unto the furtherance of the Gospel insomuch that many of the brethren in the Lord waxing confident by his bonds were much imboldned to speak the word without fear Phil. 1.12 14. This is it that has made many of Gods righteous servants not sparing of themselves that Christ might be magnified in their bodies whether it be by life or by death by life I say and S. Paul sayes so too as well as by death v. 20. and that they might be blessed after this life and death as those Martyrs the Apostle speaks of Heb. 11.35 who were tortured and cared not to be delivered that they might obtain a better resurrection But we must not restrain this blessednesse to those only who thus die for the Lord since the Lord bestows this crown of blisse upon them also who are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so the Text who die in the Lord. If we will know what this is Mori in Domino to die in the Lord and who they be that so do we must first understand what it is to be in the Lord while we live for even then this happinesse begins in us when we begin to be in Christ There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Rom. 8.1 If no condemnation then no wrath of God if not that then Grace and Love and Favour and consequently salvation and eternal life Man is no indifferent thing to his Maker if he does not hate he loves nay the very earth upon which Man is God does either blesse it with encrease or curse it with barrennesse and the Lord of the earth under the Lord of Heaven Man much more and no lesse than this is the effect of Gods love to Mankinde God so loved the World John 3.16 So how even to everlasting life v. the same Now what it is thus uncondemnedly to be in Christ we have it explained John 3.18 He that believes on him is not condemned so in the verse before Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish 16. Not be condemned not perish what them he shall have life everlasting that 's the effect of Gods love that 's the consequent of Gods not condeming So then to be in Christ is to be in the love of God and faith of Christ to cleave unto him and rely upon him then are we by his Holy Spirit ingrafted into him made his members spiritually joyn'd unto him and live in him There is a general conjunction which all men living have with the Son of God in that he took upon him our humane nature not the flesh of man but of mankinde Forasmuch as the Children are partakers of flesh and bloud he also himselfe likewise took part of the same Heb. 2.14 But this conjunction which is so general with all men does not therefore make all men to be in him we are thus conjoyned with him as I may say only in regard of the matter and to say sooth all this notwithstanding there is a great disjunction betwixt him and us and the nature of men as of men does much differ from that nature which the Son of God took upon him that Humane Nature of his now with him in Heaven is of it selfe immortal without spot or stain free from all sin adorned with all holinesse and purity and the fulnesse of all excellent graces ours is impure and unholy and wofully subject to corruption because miserably defiled with sin we are conceived in sin Psa 51.5 saies holy David we are by nature the sons of wrath saies S. Paul Ephes 2.3 our natural our first birth in the flesh separates us from him keeps us out of him but our second our spiritual birth our regeneration when we are born again Joh. 3.5 of water and the spirit when we are indued with the spirit of Christ to believe in him to live according to the direction of his Holy Spirit then is our nature so repaired so renewed that we come near to his nature we are thereby conformed to the image of the Son of God
them and the esteem which the people had of them daily to decrease This drives them to a consultation what pity it is so holsome a word should be infected by their conspiracy for to make him away and to censure whosoever should acknowledge him to be the Messiah The Messiah in the mean while bestirs himselfe he knowes he has not much time through Judea and Galilee to bid a farewel to his Auditors whom he had lately foretold of his passion and death They poor souls hearing they were like to lose him and having had good trial of his miraculous power and what good they had received from him by the imposition of his hands and by his prayer now therefore as Joseph when he hears his old Father Jacob is sick makes haste to bring his yong sons unto him that he may lay his hands on them and they may partake of his blessing ere he leaves them Gen. 48.1 so these here come with their babes i' their arms that they also may receive some benediction from him before his last departure that he should lay his hands on them saies the Text and pray That was their part The next part was acted by the Disciples but not so well they were out i' their part nothing like the Disciples of such a Master we cannot here say of them as he of Theophrastus his Scholar Vt Christi Discipulos possis agnoscere They whom he had entertained for that service sake specially to be Fishers of men to get all into their nets to draw all to him they must be the forwardest to make them stand back to forbid their approach I to rebuke them that brought them who did in this perform the duty of Disciples better than they But now enters the best Actor i'th is Scene he spake Never man spake like this man John 7.46 he put life and spirit into his words the words that I spake unto you saies himselfe they are spirit and they are life 6.63 and his speech was not without action they go together in this story a comfortable speech a charitable action Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not c. there is his speech he laid his hands on them S. Mark tels what he did more he took them up in his arms put his hands on them and blessed them Mark 10.16 that 's his action Of all these we have only the last and best Actor to intend at this time and in him if we can make good use of his speech alone 't will be an hour well spent so much was the Text read at first Suffer little children to come c. It is Christs general command Division concerning the Children of believing Parents for such were these and of such he speakes that they be admitted to him An absolute command and a reasonable one and shewed to be so he gives a Reason of it as a righteous Lord who does not though his least word might bind us to strict obedience inforce any thing by his absolute and meer anthority but deals reasonably and justly with us he gives an account of whom no man wisely durst ask What doest thou why doest thou this So there is not only a command in the Text Suffer them to come but a reason of it also for of such is c. Two general parts And the command it selfe is not lightly given lest so they should slight it Sub-division but to shew the importance of it and the necessity of the duty he charges it upon them a second time he commands affirmatively and he commands negatively there is Sinite and there is Ne prohibite Suffer them that is once and again I say unto you Forbid them not So there be two points in the first part And in the Reason too there is an Observation that scarce any Expositor misses whom I have read upon the place that in the Original it is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not illorum theirs is the Kingdome of Heaven but talium of such is c. So in all the three Evangelists and that saies Musculus and indeed who not is much more than if he had said theirs to give notice that not only those little ones did belong to Heaven but also that they did so belong to it that whosoever were not like them were not such a one as they he must have no entrance there And this observation will require also a two-fold discourse in the second part one for Illorum and another for Talium the first for these children their right to this Kingdome for they are included the second for those that are like them and that whosoever is not such is excluded We begin with the Command and first with the affirmative part of it Sinite parvulos Suffer little children to come unto me Christ therefore came to us Sinite that he might make us able to come to him And as his comming to us was generall not to some one man not to some one Family not to some one People but in Mundum into the whole World Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 As he came to all so he invites all to come to him Venite omnes Matth. 11.28 Come unto me all If the Jew may come the Greek may come also if the free may come the bond may come also if the Male may come the Female may come also and as S. Paul speaks there Gal. 3.27 concerning Nations and Sexes and Conditions of life that there is no difference they are all alike in this respect There is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither bond nor free there is neither Male nor Female ye are all one in Christ Jesus So may we go further upon the same ground to all estates all fortunes all ages there is neither noble nor ignoble there is neither rich nor poor there is neither old nor yong there is neither man nor child but as both of them are Homo so all of them are unum Omnes unum ye are all one in Christ Jesus But yet lest Generalities should not take enough deep impression in mens mindes and that these little children who are not able to plead their owne cause nor to urge the strength of this Grant which they have as largely from God as any others lest they should lie neglected as not contained in the Roll of them that are invited as if Christ had not room and entertainment for their children as well as themselvs when they come to his House therefore upon the sight of these Children he does from them as from thender flowers gather the sweet comfort of this more particular Doctrine to feed his Disciples with add after this general invitation Matth. 11. he claps down this as a Postscript that they be not left out Sinite parvulos bring them with you too he that provides for Pulli Corvorum Job 38.41 the young ones of the Ravens and is still a
of their faith that they might be blessed in not seeing and yet believing as Christ speaks to Thomas Joh. 20.29 for 't is not he that seeth but he that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life John 3.36 and Sicarni carnaliter adhaeseritis S. Austin tels us Capaces spiritus non eritis we cannot receive the Holy Ghost so long as we persist to know Christ and to love him according to the flesh onely And lastly expedient for this cause in my Text to which both the former tend 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to prepare a place for you So that these are shortly the two Parts of our Text Divisio The Tristitia implevit cor vestrum the sorrow which the Disciples of Christ conceiv'd in their hearts upon notice of his departure from them in the first word Vado I go And secondly the Non conturbetur cor vestrum the removing that sorrow from their hearts by informing them of the expediency of his departure in regard of themselves in the other words Parare vobis locum To prepare a place for you First he brings his Disciples and us into the Mount Calvary there we see him going departing from us by his death Vado I go then he brings us into the Mount Thabor where he shews himselfe unto us in his glory He prepares a place for us where we shall partake of his glory I go to prepare a place for you I go Vado Here it would be considered how Christ is said to go And for the better understanding it it will be needfull to answer Simon Peters question to calm his expostulation Lord whither Lord why to what end dost thou go And for that we have some light in this verse where my Text lies I go to prepare a place and that place is among those many Manfions in his Fathers House In my Fathers House are many Mansions And that thither he goes it is most evident by his owne cleare answer to the question John 16.5 I go my way to him that sent me or if we be ignorant who that is he gives it us in plainer termes yet John 14.12 Vado ad Patrem I go to my Father Now this brings in the difficulty that would be cleared Quomodo how Christ can be said to go to his Father God to God I will not take up time with that common objection that God is every where and fills all places Heaven and Earth full of his glory the answer is obvious but for this particular how Christ should go to the Father who has told us before that the Father is in him and he in the Father John 10.38 and that the Father who dwelleth in him he doth the works John 14.10 how can he be said to go to him shal we think that thought of blasphemy that the Father was now gone from him had forsaken him No Non derelinques Ps 16.10 thou shalt not leave my soul when it is in Hell not his Godhead only which he had from the Father but also his soul and that humane nature which he took from the Virgin Ego Pater unum John 10.30 I and my Father are one The Father is with that in that also and yet for all this relinquo mundum vado ad Patrem saies Christ I leave the World and go unto the Father Jo. 16.28 I leaven the World and go See if this phrase will help any thing for our satisfaction in this doubt we indeed do then go to God when we leave the World that is Col. 3.2 when we cease to set our affections on things which are below when we give over to love the World 1 Jo. 2.15 and the things that are in the World when by strength of faith we unintangle our selves from the Birdlime the baits and allurements of it when 2 Pet. 2.20 as speaks S. Peter we get to escape the pollutions of the world when having our mindes enlightned by Faith and our hearts encouraged with Hope and our brests inflamed with divine Love we begin to know God to contemplate his Goodnesse to delight in his Testimonies to trust in the Lord God then we go to him and we cleave fast to him andhaerere bonum we crie with David It is good for me to hold me fast by God Ps 73.28 Thus we leave the World and go to the Father But Christ does not so for he was never intangled never polluted he was that holy Innocent unpolluted he had never set his affections on things below that by a change of them he should go to the Father But yet we too go one step nearer than this by this we but begin to go to God we do not perfectly arrive at our journeys end we but come to the threshold the outward Court Gods House we then enter into his Privy Chamber Lu. 22.30 to eat and drink in his Kingdome when after this life instead of our faith we shall obtain the light of God instead of our Hope we shall come into possession instead of our weak imperfect charity here we shall be most safe in that degree of perfect love which casteth out all fear 1 Jo. 4.18 when in the light of his glory we shall heare himselfe speaking to our souls Euge bone serve Well done Matt. 25.21 good and faithfull servant enter into the joy of thy Lord. But neither does this assoil the doubt nor can Christs going to the Father hold any proportion with this second step of ours he in the very beginning of his Conception in the womb was thus forward that blessed Soule of his at the very instant of being created by God and joyn'd unto the Word had in it the fulnesse of all Wisdome Grace Glory eternal beatitude and therefore could not in this respect to speak properly pronounce his Vado ad Patrem I go unto the Father Proceed we then yet one step further in Mans journey and see if by that we can finde out the way that Christ went for all this while we have drawn but one part of Man his Soul out of the world and reduc'd it to its native home But at the last day when this Mortal body of ours shall put on immortality 1 Cor. 15 53. this corruptible flesh shall put on incorruption when it shall also be freed from those necessities with which it is incumbred in this world when it shall have no need to be refresh'd with meat and drink and sleep to be warm'd with cloathes and fire or cool'd with gentle blasts or defended with house and harbor then shall we go quite out of the world finish the utmost of our journey and the whole man come to the end of it to his God in Heaven This beloved is the third and last step which Christ himselfe had not yet gone and must go his Body was not yet in Heaven This was it he meant when he said of himselfe I came forth from the Father