every thing by name he knows every thing of a man to the very hair he knowes their parts and their very excrements of their parts he knew her and acknowledged her too Mary 1. It is a word of knowledg and familiar acquaintance and acknowledgment 2. It is a word of compassion because he had held her long and now could not longer He pittieth the state she was in he saw her ready to â—ink for grief and melt for sorrow and therefore he said Mary 3. As it is a word of compassion so it is a word full of exceeding love 4. And it is a word of peculiar appropriation Mary whom I have so much respected heretofore And a word of satisfaction on his part out of his pitty and out of his love and former familiarity acquaintance Mary I am the man thou seekest I know what all thy seekings tend to thou wantest him whom thou lovest thou wantest me I am he whom thou seekest She answered him again Rabboni which is interpreted Master She returned him an answer again she spake to him he first began then she follows she found the virtue of his speech in her heart there was an influence of it to her heart and his love witnessing to her heart raised her love to him again So it was an answer of Christs speech and from the same affection an answer of love and an answer of exceeding large affection and satisfaction to her soul Oh my Rabboni the soul of my soule the life of my life my joy my rock my all that can be dear to me Rabboni I have enough As he desired to give her satisfaction so she takes satisfaction in the word And yet it was not full satisfaction for after she claspes about him and would not let him go It was an affection that stirred up much desire more and more to have communion with him so that he was fain to check her afterward Touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father she had not enough as indeed a believing affectionate soul hath never enough till it be in Heaven And thus you see the sweet intercourse upon the apparition and first discovery of Christ to Mary He spake to her and she answered him again with the same affection And it is a word of dependance as it is fit Rabboni my Master it is not only a word of honour not any superior but a superior in way of teaching there was submission of conscience to the Rabboni as the Rabboni labouring to sit in the consciences of people It is a Syriack word which signifieth in the originall Multiplication of knowledge in him that speaketh that laboureth to breed much knowledg in him that is spoken to and therefore it is a word of great respect and dependance She might well call him Rabboni for he was Master of Masters Rabboni of Rabbonies the Angel of the Covenant the great Doctor of the Church the great Gamaliel at whose feet all must fit and be taught So ye see what sense and affections are in these little words The fulness of heart that was in this Couple cannot be exprest were it possible to say all that could be said And therefore we leave the Hypothesis and come to make application of it to our selves First we may learn here that till Christ himself discovers himself no teaching will serve the turn No the teaching of Angels will not serve turn till Christ himself by his holy spirit discovers himself when Christ doth it it is done And therefore it should teach us so to attend upon the ministery as to look up to the great Doctor that hath his Chair in Heaven and teacheth the heart If he teach it is no matter how dull the Scholar is He is able to make any Scholar if he instruct I will not inlarge the point because there be particular places wherein they will be inlarged The second thing I will observe is this That Christ when he teacheth he doth it by words not by Crucifixes not by sights We lost our salvation and all our happiness by the ear and we must come to it by the ear again Adam by hearkening to Eve and Eve to the Serpent lost all and we must recover salvation therefore by the ear As we have heard so we shall see We must first hear and then see Life cometh in at the eare as well as death Faith ye know is the quickning of a Christian the spirituall life of a Christian now faith comes by hearing And therefore I beseech you in the bowels of Christ set aside prejudice and meekly attend Gods Ordinances Do not conâ—ider who we are we are but poor Ministers frail men as your selves But consider the Lord that is pleased to convey life and salvation and grace and whatsoever is fit to bring to Heaven this way therefore they that despise this way set light by salvation as the Apostle saith Acts 14. They judge themselves unworthy of the Kingdom of Heaven They can read at home but is that the way God hath sanctified Did not the Manna stink when gathered on the Sabbath day There is a curse upon all private industry and devotion when it is with neglect of publick Ordinances She could have no comfort till Christ spake Nay the very sight of Christ could not comfort her Let this I pray you be enough that I may not inlarge the point any further This is the way for comfort We must hear him in his Ministers here if we 〈…〉 him comfortably 〈…〉 after Come ye blessed oâ— m◠〈◊〉 c. 3. It was but one word Mary and is there so much force in one word yea when it is uttered by Christ One word coming from Christ and set on the heart by the spirit of Christ hath a mighty efficacy The word had an efficacy in creating all things fiat fuit Let it be done it was done Let there be light there was light So let there be light in the understanding and there it shall be presently So in all Christs cures he said the word and it was done So in all spirituall cures let him say the word it is done Nay a very look of Christ if the spirit go along with it is able to convert the soul Respexit Christus flevit Petrus amare Christ lookt on Peter he wept bitterly what will his word do when his look will do so much It was but a word and but one word say but the word saith he in the Gospel and my Servant shall be healed This should make us desire that Christ would speak though but few words to the soul That he would cloath the words of men mightily with his word and with his spirit and then they will be mighty in operatioâ—â—nd works One word but it was a prâ—gnant word It was full of affection she knew it well enough Mary What to call her so familiarly so sweetly by her accustomed name it wrought on her bowels
of reverence for it includeth a mixt affection of fear and love And it is an affection of an inferior to a superior He is great therefore we ought to fear him He is good therefore we ought to love him There is with him beams of Majesty and bowels of compassion As there is beams of Majesty we ought to fear him as bowels of compassion we ought to love him so that fear and love mixt together is the affection we owe to God as our Father If we tremble and are afraid to go to him we know not he is loving If we go to him over boldly and sawcily we forget that he is great therefore we must think of his greatness that we forget not his goodness We must so think of his goodness that we forget not his greatness therefore go boldly to him with reverence to the Throne of Christ In the word Father there is more saving power then in ten thousand it toucheth his very bowels when a Child wanteth any thing and is in distress let it but say Father or Mother and the bowels of the Parents yearn upon him If God be our Father go to him boldly but with reverence go with affyance to his bowels Oh it is a perswasive word What cannot we look for from that Majesty that hath condescended to be called Father and to be a Father to us in all our necessities either we shall have what we want and lack or else we shall have that which is better he is a wise Father he answereth not alwayes according to our wills but alwayes according to our good He seeth it is for our good that we are not presently cōforted The Physitian giveth a sharp potion O I cannot indure the Chyrurgion lanceth oh I cannot indure it but the Chyrurgion knoweth it is not healing time even so we would be presently taken off from under crosses but God is a wise Father knoweth how long it is fit for us to continue under the Crosse Come to him boldly therefore under the name of a Father that he may move his bowels and surely will hear us For as in Psalm 27. when all forsook me my Father and Mother forsook me but the Lord took me up Fathers in the flesh and Mothers die but the Lord taketh us up he is an eternal Father and therefore a ground of eternal boldnesse with God and of everlasting comfort He was our Father before we had a Father in the world and he will be our Father when we shall cease to be in the world They be but Instruments under God to bring us into the world God is our true Father Our other Fathers are but under God to give us a being to fit us for Heaven He provideth the best inheritance and paternity for us in Heaven And therefore never be disconsolate but remember I go to my Father and your Father which is a word of eternal comfort He was our Father from eternity in election he will be our Father to eternity in glorification Can a Mother forget her Child yea though she should yet can I not forget thee thou art written in the palm of my hand God hath us alwayes in his eye A mother cannot alwayes think of her Child she sleepeth sometimes but God is a Father that never sleepeth The Keeper of Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth And this is our comfort in all times and for eternity And therefore we ought to carry our selves to God reverently and go boldly to him and alwayes make use of him And this we should learn likewise to maintain a sweet frame between God and us shall God open such an advantage to us shall God be our Father and bear the gracious eternal affection of a Father and shall not we by prayer and faith fetch from our Father all we stand in need of As our Saviour saith you that be earthly Fathers when your Children ask such a thing will you deny And have we a Father so rich so loving and shall not we have intercourse with him in all our daily necessities What a Trade is open to us if we know what a comfort is laid up in the sweet relation of a Father Your Father knoweth what we stand in need of and he will give thee the spring of all graces not only a broken heart a spirit of life and vigor in his service but go to God and he will give thee his holy spirit which is the best thing next Christ that can be And therefore be incouraged to make intercourse between thee and God considering we have a Brother in Heaven our nature is there and our spirit is below we have the best things in Heaven next Christ on earth and God hath our flesh in Heaven by Christ and therefore why should we not be much in prayer and much in prayses in all our necessities Beloved it is a comfort of that largeness that I cannot express it I rather leave it to your admiration that you may see what use to make of this sweet relation of Father 1. But we must know that every one cannot say my Father for there are a company of men in the world that may say in some respects our Father but in other respects they cannot As our Saviour Christ saith peremptorily John 8. 44. You be of your Father the Devil They bragged of God their Father and they were of their Father the Devil Therefore consider who is fit to take this name into their mouths My Father mark the disposition of the Scribes and Pharisees and then you shall see who be fit to bragg of God as their Father They be very formal men look to their outward devotion who so devout as they They studied it but what were they for the inside they were malitious men they were satanical men men opposite to the power of Religion arrant Hypocrites painted Sepulchres It is no matter for Complement or formality an Hypocrite may have much of that in the eys of the world yet may be a Child of the Devil for all that and a Pharisee for all that Thou maist be malitious against the truth as the Pharisees sought Christs blood A man may be like Herod seeking the blood of Christ in his Members persecuting Christ as all cruel men do They seek to devour Christ in his professors what they can they disparage and dishearten them they are enemies to the power of Religion and to the Ordinances of God they be the Children of the Devil and therefore have no reason at all to bragg that God is their Father Indeed an inward bitter disposition against the power of Religion though under any formality is a Character of a satanical spirit such cannot say Our Father If they do it is an usurpation for their true Father is the Devil ◠Who then can say our Father those that by the spirit of the Father and the Son by the Holy Ghost are ingraffed
up in believers reverence and obedience Let us sin because grace abounds is the Devils application of Christs Doctrine These and several other particulars are with much brevity spirituality and perspicuity handled in this Treatise and with that liveliness that they shew they come from one whose own heart savored what he taught to others The largest part of this Book is spent upon that sweet Doctrine viz. A Believers interest in God as a Father and the comforts that flowe from that sweet relation The foundation of our relation to God is here handled and how God is first a Father to Christ and in him to us What can be more comfortable in this earthly interest shaking disjoynting confounding age then to clear up to our souls an interest in God Tolle meum tolle Deum as he said it were better for me there were no God then that he should not be my God this will be thy comfort that when thou canst not say my state my liberty my House my Land my friend my Trade thou may'st be able to say my Father my God If therefore thou savorest the things of God this subject will be acceptable and grateful to thee and if this Treatise may be any wayes instrumental for putting thee upon study how to get it or upon practice how to improve it or in casethy soulsits in darknes how to endeare and clear thy interest the publishers shal have much of their aim and thou wilt have no cause to repent thy cost in buying or thy pains in reading We shall adde no more but this Blessed is that man or woman that hath an interest in him who is the Father of Jesus Christ by eternal Generation and of all believers in Christ by adoption and regeneration in which inheritance and portion that thou may'st have a share shall be the prayer of Thy souls and thy faiths Servants in the work of the Ministery for Jesus sake Simeon Ash James Nalton Joseph Church A heavenly Discourse between Christ and Mary after his Resurrection JOHN 20. 16. Jesus said unto her Mary she turned her self and said to him Rabboni that is to say Master And Jesus said to her touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father but go to my Brethren and say to them I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God THe same love of Christ that drew him from Heaven to the womb of the Virgin from the womb of the Virgin to the Crosse and from the Crosse to the grave the same love of Christ moved him to discover himself after he was risen from the grave to them that he knew did intirely and wonderfully love him And therefore before he would ascend to Heaven he did vouchsafe many apparitions and discoveries of himself partly to instruct them in the certainty of his Resurrection and partly but especially to comfort them Those that he knew did love him His first apparition of all was made to Mary the woman out of whom he had cast seven Devils She was much beholding to him and therefore loved much No Sex may discourage any sinner from Christ She expresseth her love to Christ by her desire of finding him by her seeking weeping notwithstanding all impediments before she found him As she wept she stooped down and looked into the Sepulchre and there saw two Angels in white a colour of glory purity and joy because it was a time of joy they were one at the head and the other at the feet As in the Law when the Mercy-Seat was made two Cherubims were also fram'd and placed one at the one end and the other at the other end thereof with their faces looking one towards another And when Christ was risen there were two Angels one at the head another at the feet to shew that peace was to be expected in the true propitiatory Jesus Christ One at the head the other at the feet of the body of Jesus And they sate there it was a time of peace peace was made between Heaven and Earth God and man and here is a posture of peace They sate quietly In Christ Angels and we are at one God and we and all There is a recapitulation and gathering of all things in Heaven and Earth The Angels they attended on Christ in all the passages of his life death till they brought him to heaven They brought news of his birth comforted him in his agony they were at his resurrection and you see here they attend At his ascension they accompany him And as they did to the head so they will to the Members In our Infancy they take charge of our tender years in our dangers they pitch their tents about us in our deaths they carry our souls to Abrahams bosome a place of happiness At our Resurrection their Office is to gather our bodies together That service and attendance they afforded the head they afford to the Members to mysticall Christ as well as naturall Therefore let us comfort our selves in the service they did to Christ Now besides the apparition of the Angells here is the speech of the Angels Woman why weepest thou they knew she had no cause of weeping for Christ whom she sought was ris n again She answereth because they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him If it had been as she supposed there had been cause enough of her weeping if her Lord had been taken away for when the Lord is taken away what remaineth that is comfortable And if the Lord be not taken away it matters not what is taken away for he is all in all Carnall people so they have their wealth and friends and comforts in the world they care not what is taken away But she is of another mind They have taken away my Lord and what comfort can I have if my Lord be taken away But it was but the speech of an opinion she did but think it And there were two things might lead her truth and probability which is the foundation of opinion Probability he is not here therefore he is taken away Truth Christ promised he would rise again therefore he would take away himself There was certain truth to ground faith and weak probability to ground opinion yet such is the nature of weak persons in distress if there be probability certain truth yet they will be sure to cleave to their probabilities Oh their 's be great sins I but there is greater mercy for faith to lay hold upon So the presumptuous sinner faith God is mercifull I but God hath excluded thee from Heaven thou art an adulterer a swearer a filthy person thy opinion is grounded scarce upon probability God is mercifull but not to such sinners as live in sins against reconciliation as thou dost Therefore when one hath but probability to ground opinion and the other certain truth to ground faith be so wise for our souls
as to take the best and leave the other If she had remembered his promise to raise himself out of the grave she needed not to have doubted They have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him They have taken away she instanceth none And when she had thus said she turneth her back and saw Jesus standing and knew not that it was Jesus The Angels hold their peace when Christ speaks and it is their place so to do But she knew not that it was Jesus in respect of her passion Her senses were held partly by the power of God partly by a kind of passion that was a Cloud between her and Jesus that she knew him not at that time What doth Jesus say to her Woman why weepest thou whom seekest thou The first words that ever Christ spake after his resurrection to them he appeared to is woman why weepest thou It is a good question after Christs Resurrection what cause of weeping when Christ is risen Our sins are forgiven because he our head and surety hath suffered death for us and if Christ be risen again why weep we If we be broken-hearted humbled sinners that have interest in his death and resurrection we have no cause to grieve It is therefore a good question to them that believe why weepest thou whom seekest thou They were questions not for satisfaction to him he knew it well enough but to draw out her mind and to draw out by confession what God had hid in her heart that he might comfort her afterwards But she supposing him to be the Gardiner said Sir if thou hast born him hence tell me c. She had a misconceit of Christ as if he had been the Gardiner Beloved so it is with a sinner especially in times of desolation of spirit and disconsolate condition they present Christ to themselves as an enemy She in passion thinks Christ the Gardiner Do not many when they be melancholy of body and troubled in mind conceive of Christ as an Austere Judge that will undoubtedly damn such wretches as they are who present Christ to themselves in that fashion that the Scripture doth not doth not he bid all that be weary and heavy laden come to him and yet they out of passion will present Christ to be an austere judge that will take them at their disadvantage observe all their wayes and will surely damn them It is a great violence that passion and opinion offers to truth and to saving truth and the hardest matter in the world for a distressed conscience to apprehend God aright and to apprehend Christ aright Secure persons apprehend God under a false notion they apprehend God as a God all of mercy and Christ as if he were not judge of the world as if he observed them not nor their sinfull courses and therefore they care not whether they serve him or no. And Satan presenteth Christ all of mercy and Satan and their hearts meeting together the mistake is dangerous It is a great art of faith and an excellent skill to apprehend Christ sutable to our condition that we are in When we be in any sin then think him a Judge then think of Moses rather then of Christ then think of Christ as one that will judge both quick and dead for their hard and wicked actions But when we be humble and broken-harted and touched with sence of sin present him as a sweet Saviour inviting and alluring all to come to him Come to me all ye c. Present him as a gentle Shepheard present him in all the sweet relations he names himself by in the Scriptures lest otherwise we do Christ dishonour and our selves wrong If thou have born him hence tell me where thou hast laid him and I will take him away She was a likely woman indeed to take Christ away for a weak woman to take a heavy body away But love thinks nothing impossible Faith and Love agree in this nothing is impossible Love is strong as death Neither love nor faith care for difficulties they arm the soul to break through all Tell me where thou hast laid him and I will take him away One would think the dead body might have frighted the woman and the heavy body might have been above her strength but she was in such an extasie of love and desire and grief for want of her desire that she considered not well what she said They be words of passion and indeed if you observe the story of Mary Magdalen she was a woman of extremity in all conditions like Jonah when he grieves he grieves exceedingly when he rejoyces his joy is wound to the highest pitch So she was full of love when she loved and full of grief when she grieved and full of joy when she joyed she had large affections all were in the highest measure and strained to the highest pin in her and that made her say If thou hast c. Jesus could not indure her longer in this perplext condition he was too mercifull and therefore saith Mary she turned to him and saith Rabboni which is to say Master And Jesus said to her Mary The words are a sweet and loving intercourse between Christ and Mary in a seasonable time when she was in all her perplexity and depth of sorrow for losse of her Lord. Christ seasonably at length as not being able to hold any longer but must needs discover himself saith to her Mary You see first of all Christ beginneth and saith Mary she answereth in the second place and saith Rabboni and till Christ begins no voice in the world can do any good The Angels they spake to her but till Christ spake nothing could comfort her Christ began and till Christ began nothing would comfort Mary Christ began himself and used but one word It is a word and but one word Nothing will comfort but the word of Christ The word that comforted her when he spake and it was but one word and yet enough therâ— was such fulness of spirit and comfort in that one word And she answered with one word again You may aske why they spake but one word Beloved he was full of affection and she was full of affection also too full to expreâ—s themselves in many words As it is in grief Grief sometimes may be so great that scarce any words are able to express it and if any words then broken words which shew fulness of affection rather then any distinct sense Christ was so full and she so full that a word discovers And indeed there was so much sense and so much love so much contained in these little words Mary and Rabboni that it is impossible to express them shorter and her passion would not stay any longer discourse it was by words and by one word Mary it was by a word which sheweth he took notice of her Christ knowes the names of the Starres he knowes
himself as indeed she had Long deferring of a thing doth but inlarge the soule Want inlargeth the desire and capacity of the soul so doth love Now when we want that we love that emptieth the soul marvellously much it mortifieth affection When God keeps off a long time and we see it is God only must do it then the affection is taken off from earthly things and the heart inlarged to God by love and the want of the thing we love And therefore we set a price on the thing so that we are wonderfully pleasing to God It is very beneficiall to our selves What lost Mary by it so shall we lose nothing We have it at last more abundantly We have it as a mighty favour Mary taketh this as a new blessing all together When things are kept long from us God only must discover When the heart is kept from second causes the heart is inlarged Certainly this comes from God and God should have all the glory of it God is wise and therefore makes us to stay a long time for that we do desire We all of us are in Maries case in a spirituall sense sometimes or other we misse Christ I mean the sweet sense of Christ Lay this down for a râ—le that Christians ought to walk in sweet communion with God and Christ that it ought to be the life of a Christian to maintain the CoÌ„munion that Christ hath vouchsafed between us and himself Then certainly we lose Christ wonderfully and not against our minds but willingly by our own slighting of him and by our own undervaluing of him or by our negligence and presumption Christ though he be low yet he is great and he will have us to know his greatness There must be communion with due respect One way or other we deprive our selves of the sense sweetnesse of communion with Christ What must we do then we must do as this woman did turn over every stone use all kind of means leave not one till we find him and when all means are used wait still Persevere in waiting as Peter speaks Believers wait hold out in waiting for Christ in his time will come he cannot hold long As Joseph did suppresse his love and affection for politick ends a great while but his pitty towards his Brethren was such that his bowels would not suffer him to conceal himself longer his passion was above his policy I am Joseph And so let us in the use of all things seek Christ and the sweet sense of his love which is better then life it self And indeed what is all without Christ Christ is so full of compassion he will not long suffer us to be prolonged but will at length satisfie the hungry soul how many promises have vve to this end Take heed of such a temper of soul as cares not vvhether vve find Christ or no. Oh take heed of that if vve vvill seek him seek him as Mary she sought him early in the morning she brake her sleep and sought him vvith tears If any thing be to be sought vvith tears it is Christ and communion vvith him she sought him instantly and constantly she sought him so that no impediment could hinder her she vvas so full of grief and love She sought him vvith her vvhole heart she vvaited in seeking that is the vvay to find Christ Seek him early in our younger times in the morning of our years Oh that we could seek Christ as we seek our pleasures we should find more pleasure in Christ then in all the pleasures of the world if we could perswade our base hearts so much Seek him above all other things Awake with this resolution in our hearts to find Christ never to be quiet till we may say with some comfort I am Christs and Christ is mine When we have him we have all seek him with tears at length we are sure to find him He hath bound himself that if we knock he will open And if we seek we shall find If we seek wisdom early with our whole hearts intirely sincerely seek Christ for Christ and then we shall be sure to find him as she did Thus seek him in the word Sacraments wherein he discovers himself familiarly Seek him in the Temple Christ was found in the Temple and then we shall be sure to find him both here and hereafter Specially we shall find him in our hearts You see how familiarly he comes to us in the word speaks to us by a man like our selves And how familiarly by the Sacrament by common bread and common wine sanctified to do great matters above nature to strengthen faith He cometh to us through our faces into our souls in the Sacrament He cometh to us through our ears in hearing the word through our sight in seeing the bread broken He comes by familiar things and by a familiar manner of conveying as if he should name every one I come to thee and give thee my body Think with our selvs now Christ cometh to me when the Minister reacheth the bread and come to me think of heavenly bread of the gift of Christ to me by means can he do it more familiarly Is it not as if he should say Mary and that is the excellency of the Sacrament It conveyeth Christ to all the Saints and to every one in particular as if he named every one And what an incouragement is this to answer again to open our hearts to receive him together with the Elements to imbrace Christ joyn with Christ and then to keep him when we have him do not lose him he will not be so dealt withall remember the Covenant we have made to him I beseech you let these sweet considerations of Christ dwell in us and work on every one of our hearts If they do good on us here on earth if we by faith lay hold on him and have intercourse with him what will it be in the day of judgement How comfortable will it be to hear him say to every one in particular Come thou and thou stand on my right hand sit and judge the world with me Doth he know our names now on earth and giveth to every one particularly by himself if we come worthily and will not he know us then oh that is far more worth then the worlds good to know us then and to call us by our names Therefore I beseech you be acquainted with Christ Have intercourse all we can with him in the word and Sacraments and never rest till we find this sweet result in the use of the means That he is ours and we are his Take heed therefore in these times desperately addicted to formality and Popery I say take heed we do depend not upon any outward thing but look to Christ in all his Ordinances look to the spirit all Gods children the church of the first born they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such
ever it is fit for him he will come If he should come sooner he would come too soon if afterward it would be too late He is the best discerner of times and seasons that can be and therefore wait his leasure If thou want comfort humble soul whatsoever thou art wait his leasure certainly he knoweth the best time and when the time is come he will come He that will come shall come there is no question of that Now as he sent her in all hast preferring it before any Complement to his own person so it is a constant love as it is a quick love that God bears to his Children so it is a constant invincible love They had dealt most unbrotherly with him for every one had forsaken him and Peter had denyed him yet go tell my Brethren One would think this water would have quenched this fire this unkind and unbrotherly dealing would have quenched this love in Christs breast It is true if it had been the meer love of man it had been something but it was the love of an infinite person that took our nature out of love and therefore it was a constant and invincible love nothing could conquer it not the thoughts of their unkind dealings no not their denying and forsaking of him But still go tell my Brethren Love is strong as death Death could not hold Christ in the grave but love held him on the Crosse When he came to the work of our Redemption love then held him on earth but when he was in the grave it brake through all there Indeed it was stronger then death in Christ Why is Christs love so constant so invincible that nothing can alter it The ground of it is it is free love He fetcheth the ground of his love from his own heart not from our worthiness or unworthiness but from his own freedom and Gods eternal purpose God hath purposed to save so many and those and no more he giveth to Christ to save And God looketh on his own purpose and Christs free love and that is the ground of all And therefore whom he loveth he loveth to the end because he looked on us in his election The Lord knoweth who are his the foundation is so sure if once we be Gods we are ever Gods For Christ looks on us in Gods election therefore if ever he sheweth his love to us once his love and for ever his love If any thing in man could hinder it it would have hindered it at our first conversion when we were at worst even enemies if nothing could hinder it then what can hinder it afterwards as the Apostle reasoneth strongly Rom. 5. 10. If we be reconciled by his death much more will he save us by his life If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son now much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life If when we had no goodness but opposition and rebellion in us we were saved by his death Christ is much more able to save us now by his life triumphing over death and being glorious in the Heavens Oh but saith the poor soul I am a poor weak Creature and ready to fall away every day I but Christs love is constant whom he loveth he loveth to the end What saith the Apostle Rom. 8. neither things present nor things to come shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ and therefore be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might do not trust to your selves nor trouble your selves for things to come If thou be free from guilt of former sins never question time to come God is unchangeable in his nature unchangeable in his love He is Jehovah I am alwayes not I was or will be but I am alwayes If ever he loved thee he will love thee for ever You see the constancy of Christs love go tell my Brethren now when they had most deeply offended him they were Renegadoes having all left him and then when he had most need of their comfort being in greatest extremity and yet go tell my Brethren Beloved let us not lose the comfort of the constancy and immutability of Christs love Let us conceive that all the sweet links of salvation are held on Gods part strong not on ours the firmness is on Gods part not on ours Election is firm on Gods part not on ours We chuse indeed as he chuseth us but the firmness is of his chusing so he calleth us we answer but the firmness is of his action He justifieth we are made righteous but the firmness is of his imputation Will he forgive sins to day and bring us into Court and damn us to morrow no the firmnesse is of his action We are ready to run into new debts every day but whom he justifieth he will glorifie The whole chain so holdeth that all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth cannot break a link of it whom he calleth he will justifie and glorifie therefore never doubt of continuance for it holds firm on Gods part not thine God imbraceth us in the arms of his everlasting love not that we imbraced him first When the Child falleth not it is from the Mothers holding the Child and not from the Childs holding the Mother So it is Gods holding of us knowing of us imbracing of us and justifying of us that maketh the state firm and not ours for ours is but a reflexion and result of his which is unvariable The sight of the Sun varieth but the Sun in the Firmament keepeth alwayes his constant course so Gods love is as the Sun invariable and for ever the same I only touch it as the foundation of wonderful comfort which they undermine that hold the contrary The next point is that Christ chose Mary to go tell his Brethren and under the sweet title of Brethren to deliver this sweet message I am going to my Father and your Father to my God and your God He telleth them the sweetest words in the worst times This point differeth from the former thus The former was that Christs love is constant and alwayes the same but now Christ most sheweth his love when we are most cast down in the worst times if our casting down be with repentance He never said Brethren before but reserved the tearm of Brethren for the worst time of all The sweetest discoveries of Christ are in the worst times of all to his Children Mothers will bring out any thing to their Children that is sweet comfortable to them in their sicknesse though they frowned on them before yet the exigency of the Child requires it when there is need any thing cometh out that may please the Child The poor Disciples were not only in affliction being the scorn of the world the Shepheard being smitten and the sheep scattered but their inward grief was greater they were inwardly confounded and
many ye shall see the Devil in them in their lying and opposing of goodness And God will alwayes have some amongst men to shew others what they would be if God left them to themselves God abaseth himself to behold things below Not that it is a diminution of Majesty to do it but God in Christ hath stooped so low that he could go no lower and he is advanced as high in our nature as can be How could God become a man a curse God in the second person with us God in the first person to be so near to us as a Father and God in the second person to make him a Father to be so low as Christ was which is to be as low as hell it self 2. Consider to whom this message is sent He is your Father even a Father to you the Disciples now you are disconsolate God owneth us for his Children at the worst He took our condition notwithstanding all our infirmities When we be pronest by a work of the spirit to condemn our selves then God is nearest to justifie us When the poor prodigal said I am unworthy to be a Son make me an Houshold Servant you see how the Father entertaineth him So the poor Publican dareth not lift up his eyes and yet went away justified David when he could not pray but murmur and rebell and said in his heart all men are lyars yet thou heardst the voice of my prayer even then when he could not pray but groan and sigh to God I said I am cast out of thy sight yet thou regardest the voice of my prayers When he said out of a murmuring spirit and rebelliousness of nature I am cast out of thy sight A Speech that tended to desperation yet God heard the voice of his prayer When Job said I clothed my self in dust and ashes God said to him I have accepted thee When we by the spirit think our selves unworthy to be accepted or to look to Heaven or to tread upon the Earth then God looketh on us worthy in his Son and never more worthy then when we acknowledg our own unworthiness Go tell my Disciples at this time when they had dealt so unworthily I go to their Father It is from his own bowels and not any goodness in us that he loveth us He loveth the work of his own spirit his own nature that that is of his own Though the Child hath many infirmities yet the Father seeth the nature of the Child and therefore loveth it God seeth his Image of holiness in us in some poor measure and he loveth his own in us And he loveth our love to him which is in some measure Though the Disciples had got into corners after their unkind dealing with Christ yet he knew they loved him As where there is love there will be a reflection of his love back again And then God knoweth if he should not shew mercy to sinners he should have none to serve him on earth And therefore saith the Psalmist Psal 130. v. 4. There is mercy with thee that thou maist be feared that is worshipped If God were not merciful to sinners where should he have any to worship him And therefore God sheweth himself to be a Father even to sinful Creatures even in their wickedness he seeth his own nature in them He seeth some love some work of respect in them and if he should not love them he would have none to fear him Beloved live upon this I spake before of the love of Christ Here is the love of God the Father who is content to be a Father even in our sinful condition If God be a Father to us as to Christ then let not our hearts be discouraged in afflictions persecutions temptations God was a Father to Christ in his desertion God leaveth us to our selves sometimes and we fear his love Did not he leave his own Son upon the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me yet he ceased not to be a Father For persecution of enemies was not Christs whole life fill'd up with persecution and yet a Son For temptations thou art tempted and thinkest thou art none of Gods Children Satan did tempt our blessed Saviour that he might be a merciful Saviour and know how to succour thee in times of temptation therefore be not discouraged say not when thou art deserted persecuted asflicted tempted God is not thy Father for by that reason thou maist argue God was none of Christs Father God was Christs Father notwithstanding his desertion for a time and notwithstanding his afflictions in the world his persecutions of all sorts of men and notwithstanding his temptations God was his Father still This we must observe Father is not a relation to day and none to morrow It is an eternal relation Dum percutis pater es Dum Castigas pater es saith Augustine while thou strikest us thou art our Father whilst thou correctest us thou art our Father Parents are tender to their weakest and sick Children and God is most tender of all to them that be weak Go tell Peter And therefore never be out of conceipt of God or Christ we cannot be in a condition wherein on any sound grounds we may run from God But if this be so let us learn of God to be indulgent If it were to speak to Ministers I should be large to advise them to preach the Law and the Gospel The very Law is preached in mercy The Lord taketh a severe course but it is to order us All Gods severity is reducible to mercy and Christ all his afflictions humiliations and abasements do they come from unfatherly affection no but to draw us home to him And therefore never be terrible to any but with a bowel of compassion but with a mind that they may see themselves and see the comforts they have in Christ We ought to be of his affection the great Pastor and Bishop of the Church And so for ordinary Christians they should be indulgent one to another Some are alwayes cutting in Ulcers always wounding and tearing themselves with ill usage and misconstruction keeping themselves from growing up in a better life by observing the infirmities of them that be better then themselves Oh but go tell my Brethren that my Father owneth them for his Children which may be a use of marvellous comfort to us Shall a Child be always prowling for it self we think there is neither Father nor Mother to take care for it your heavenly Father knoweth what you need We ought to labor for contentment in all conditions for God is our Father And for others if God be our Father let us look to others that be our brethren own them and carry our selves to them as brethren Let the strong carythēselves lowly to the weak it is a sign of greatest strength to be most indulgent Many account it great commendations on their part to be censorious and to
to that which is naught There is a love of that which is good So things good things are connatural to a good man There is a relish in good Company and good things As there is sweetness in the best things so there is something in the Children of God that is answerable to the God whom they serve He is never so out of tast but he findeth his chief comfort in this thing and he is never himself so much as when he is conversant in these things though in different measure sometimes more and sometimes lesse There is an inward antipathy to God in a proud carnal man that hath not his heart subdued by grace there is a contrariety to the power of that grace which outwardly he professeth and a sympathy with the world and the spirit of the world Take a good Christian at the worst he is better then another at the best I beseech you therefore examine our dispositions how we stand affected to things of an higher nature then the things of the world to spiritual things how we can relish spiritual things Gods Ordinances any thing that is holy surely if there be the life of God and Christ in us there will be a kind of coÌ„naturalness suitableness of taste to the sweetnes that is in holy things To come to the next mark the order here Go to my Father and your Father We are the Sons of God at the second hand God is the Father of Christ first and then ours He is his God first then our God This is a weighty point for directing of our devotion that we may know in what order to look on God See God in Christ see all things in Christ first and then in us Look upon him as Father to Christ and then to us Look on him as a God to Christ first and in Christ a God to us Look on him as having elected us but elect in Christ first See our selves justified but see Christ justified first from our sins and his justification declared by his resurrection See our resurrection and ascension and glorification in Heaven not directly but in Christ our head who is in Heaven and taketh up place for us See God loving us but look on it in Christ who is Sedes amoris The next thing to God is his Son and he loveth none but in him When we consider of any spiritual blessing say with the Apostle Blessed be God who hath filled us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Otherwise we do not know our selves nor God Whatsoever is derived from God to us is through Christ all promises are his first they are made to him and to our nature in him and they are performed for his sake he taketh them from God the Father and they be performed for his sake He is the true Aaron we are but the skirts the Oyl that is powered upon his head runneth down to his skirts it runneth to the meanest Christian but the Oyntment of grace is first powred on his head Of his grace we receive grace for grace and of his fulness The first fulness is God himself the second receptacle of all is Christ God-man the third are we we have it at the third hand God emptieth himself into Christ as Mediator In him are the fulnesse of all riches the treasures of all wisdom and knowledg we are compleated in him and in him we are full His is not only a fulness of the Vessel as ours is but a fulness of the Fountain And it is for our comfort that it is so that Gods love is to Christ first There is a firm foundation when God loveth us in his Son and we are Children in his natural Son in whom we are adopted then our state is firm Oâ—r first state in the first Adam was not firm but now our nature is taken into the unity of the second person it is firm So that the love and care and Fatherly disposition of God towards us it is sweet to us because it is tender to his Son It is eternal to us because it is eternal to him He can as soon cease to love his Son as cease to love us For with the same love he loveth all Christ mystical head and members There is not the least finger of Christ the least despised member of Christ but God looketh on him with that sweet eternal tenderness with which he looketh upon his Son preserving the prerogative of the head Oh this is a sweet comfort that now all the excellent priviledges of a Christian are set on Christ and then on us and therefore we should not lose them for Christ will lose nothing When the favour of a Prince is founded on his Son whom he always loveth the affection is unalterable on the Son and therefore the case is good So Gods favour to us is foâ—nded on his love to his Son therefore unalterable and eternal we should therefore look up to God in his son put up all our PetitioÌ„s to him in his son expect all from him in his sonne He is in Heaven for us to do that that belongeth to us Expect all from God through Christ and do all to God through Christ love God in Christ and Christ in God our selves in Christ and our selves in the love of God Christ is in God and God is in Christ God and Christ are in us there is a marvellous sweet relation and communion between God and us and Christ and us It is a sweet communion and mysterious to us How sweet is the communion between the soul and the body the soule being so spiritual and the body a peece of earth But what is this to the mystery of mysteries when God takes clay and dust into unity of his person and all this is for this union The great and glorious union of Christ to our natures is that he may take us into his mystical body and so make us one with himself and one with the Father He took our natures that he might convey his Fatherly goodness and love and spirit to us The sweet union of the two natures of Christ is to confirm union between the Father and us and Christ and us And we are never happy till we be assured thaâ— we are one with Christ which is the issue of his excellent prayer John 17. Our blessed Saviour fetcheth the comfort of our Father from this that God is his Father first and so to joyn both together That God is our God because he is his God first It is a point very considerable That whatsoever comfort we look for from God and in God we must see it in Christ first before we see it in our selves because we be but Sons by adoption and we have all we have from God through Christ Whatsoever we see in Christ think this will belong to us And whatsoever we look should belong to us see it first in him As verily as he ascended we shall ascend As verily
he hath called us effectually when we answer Gods call when he biddeth us believe he giveth us an influence of power to be able to say I believe Lord help my unbelief We may know he loveth us when we reflect love again and love him we may know he compasseth us when we imbrace him we may know he delighteth in us when we can delight in him and his Servants Whence is the strength of this Argument from hence All good things whatsoever we do from God is but by reflection God shineth on us first God owneth us for his first and God must do so in the order of causes God being the spring of all goodness he must begin we love him because he loved us first else we could never love him therefore if we love him and his truth he loveth us that is sure VVhat have I in Heaven but thee and in earth in comparison of thee surely he owneth us because in order of causes we can have nothing but from him first 2. And then again out of the nature of conscience if we can go boldly to him as a reconciled God notwithstanding guilt of conscience it is a sign he hath obtained peace of conscience because it is the nature of conscience if it hath not peace from God not to dare to appear in Gods presence So then when there is inward peace and love answering to Gods love choice answerable to Gods choice apprehending of him answerable to his apprehension this reflection and return and rebounding back to God is an invincible argument that God hath first shined upon that soul God sometimes will let us see things in the effect and hide them in thecause Perhaps he wil not perswade bâ— his spirit that he loveth us hath chosen us and that we are his but he will work something in our hearts because he will have us search our spirits what good thing he hath wrought what love what choice of the best side are in any of these surely then God is theirs though there be not an open voice yet we may know God hath loved this soul and spoken peace to that soul because we can return nothing to God but he must shine on us first Therefore beloved let us make use of this and let us take heed of sacrilegious usurpations that we do not usurp upon Gods house or God in a peculiar respect Indeed we may come to God as his Creatures we are the workmanship of thy hands and say the truth though we be in a wicked course of life but to say thou art my God in Christ I am thine thou hast chosen me for thine when we have not chosen him for our God nor loved him nor his cause nor sided with him nor have any stamp of him on the soul have nothing but common favour that castawayes have as well as we and the Devils as well as we for the Devilâ— go beyond all men in parts and yet to usurp the prerogative of being Gods in a peculiar manner and to be bold with the holy things of God as if we were of his family this is a dangerous usurpation take heed of it And therefore they that live in courses of rebellion and resolve not to mend they take the holy things of God as the Psalmist speaks Psal 50. in an holy indignation what art thou that takest my word in thy mouth since thou hatest to be reformed Thou art an enemy to God and goodness and wilt be so thou art in a course of rebellion and wilt be so The Devils works you do and will do can we not take the word of the Covenant into our mouths and shall we take the seal of the Covenant therefore resolve to amend else have nothing to do with God do not add one sin to another It is Childrens food and not for Doggs it belongeth to them of the family If thou be none of the Family what hast thou to do with them If thou be of the Family whatsoever thy infirmities are thou maist come boldly for the seals are to strengthen our weak faith When the Father is Father of a Child the Father will not cast away the Child for breaking out with deformity or lameness when God hath taken us into his Family infirmities cannot discard us But I speak of them that in a wilful opposite course of sin shew they never had to do with God in familiar entercourse God never gave them a spirit to alter their natures Propriety and proportion and suitableness of disposition go together propriety joyneth with suitableness where God owneth any man he makes them like himself by his word and spirit that their natures shall be even and agreeable to holy things shall have a tast of holy things And where there is not suitableness of holy things there is no propriety Will God own a man and not make him suitable will God take his friend and not give him a friendly nature he will not for he first fitteth our natures for communion with himself else there can be no propriety Let us not deceive our selves but if vve find some beginnings of grace and can say without arrogancy or usurpation doubtless thou art our Father our God we be not worthy to be thine but we be thine If we finde something that cast-awayes cannot have some grief of heart for sin some faith some little measure of love some love of truth and inclination to the best things then we may come boldly to increase our familiarity and communion with God but otherwise it is dangerous to come to God we approach a consuming fire who shall dwell in everlasting burnings say they in Isaiah and if God be not in covenant with us oh he will be consuming fire everlasting burnings and we but stubble it will increase spiritual judgment in us hardness of heart and going on from sin to sin till we be accursed for sin therefore it is a fearful thing to be given up to hardness of heart they that do continue in sin God giveth them up to hardness of heart to be insensible of his dealings with them Vse 3. If we can in any degree make it good that God is our God and we his people then let us make use of it for our comfort in all times that we have a God to go to though we have no friend in the world yet we have him in whom all friends meet If we have no comfort here yet we have him in whom all comforts meet for all concenter in him He hath Father and friends and worth and grace and peace and comfort in him and all is in him if we go to him we shall find a confluence of every thing that is good suitable to any necessity of ours And therefore let us learn to single out of God whatsoever may help us to be in covenant with him He having made himself over to be ours let us learn this wisdom to single out
as are taught of God Who can take away the opposite disposition of mans nature to goodness but God by his spirit who can shine into the soul and quicken the soul but Christ by his spirit who is above the heart and conscience but Christ by his spirit therefore take heed of formality submit your hearts to the great Prophet of the Church that Moses speaketh of Deut. 18. who shall be the great teacher of the Church lift up our hearts to him that he would teach our hearts and remove the naturall disposition that is in us that he would take off the veil from our hearts and teach not only what to do but to teach the very doing of them Teach us to hate what is ill teach us to believe and to resist all Satans temptations who can teach this but the great Teacher whose Chair is in Heaven therefore take heed of depending on formall things Lift your hearts to God that he would joyn his teaching with all other teaching This cannot be too much stood upon I beseech you therefore take it to heart Give me leave to add a few things more If Christ speaketh in generall to Mary she answereth in generall And when he speaks aloof to her she answereth aloof to him a far off and never gave him a direct answer till he gave a direct word to her When he said Mary she gave him a direct answer Rabboni not before I beseech you therefore let us not rest in generall promises and the generall graces that be so much stood on by some That God hath a like respect to all Trust not to that we must not enter into his secrets but let us obey his precepts and Commandements And withall remember this When we hear of a generall mercy and Commandement for all Nations to believe and that Christ came to save a world of sinners alas what is that to me unless thou by thy holy spirit speakest to my soul and saist in particular I am thy salvation and speakest familiarly to my soul Generalls are in some degrees comfortable But if I find not particular interest by the witness of thy holy spirit to my soul if thou sayst not to my soul I am thine and thou art mine all is to little purpose Therefore in the desires of our souls in prayer let us desire the Lord to reveal himself in particular We trust too much in Generalls God is mercifull and Christ came to redeem the World They be truths and good foundations for to sound faith upon but they will not do the deed till by daily prayer vve seek to the Lord that he vvould in a particular manner reveal himself to us This doth Paul pray for Ephes 1. That God would vouch safe to them the spirit of Revelation And this is the office of the holy Spirit his speciall office is to reveal to every one in particular his estate and condition to God-ward The Holy Ghost knoweth the secrets in the brest of God and in our own hearts Now the Holy Ghost only can reveal the particular love that lyeth in Gods brest to our particular souls And therefore we should desire God that the holy spirit may be sent to seal to us our particular salvation and never be quiet till we be sealed in particular assurance that we be they whom Christ came to save This we ought to labour for if we labour for it we shall have it sometime or other for God loveth to be familiar with his Children He loveth not to be strange to them if they seek his love but to reveal himself first or last And few seek it but God revealeth himself by his spirit to them before they die if he doth not they are sure of it in Heaven And therefore they that be against particulars they are enemies to their own salvation Mary regarded not while Christ spake of generalls But when he came to particulars then Rabboni and not before Jesus saith unto her touch me not I am not yet ascended to my Father c. This verse containeth Christs Prohibition or Christs Commission or Charge His prohibition Touch me not and his reason for I am not yet ascended to my Father His Charge Go to my Brethren And then directeth what to say to them I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God The words be very naturall and need no breaking up to you But I shall handle them as they follow one another Jesus said to her touch me not Touch me not Why he would have Thomas not only touch but to put his finger into his side that is more then touching him But our Saviours intent is to meet with a disposition in Mary something carnall something low and mean in regard of this glorious occasion Christ being now risen and glorified for his resurrection was the first degree of his glorification And therefore touch me not She came with too much a carnall mind to touch him when we said Rabboni it was not satisfaction enough for her to answer Rabboni but she runneth to him and claspeth him and clingeth about him as the affection of love did dictate to her But saith he touch me not in such a manner this is not a fit manner for thee to touch me in now I am risen again In a word she had a thought to converse with Christ in as familiar a manner as before when she powred oyntment on his head He was the same person but the case is altered that was in the dayes of his humiliation now he was risen again and it was the first degree of his glorification There was another manner of converse due to him and therefore touch me not Thou thinkest to touch me as thou didst before but thou must not do it She was too much addicted to his bodily presence 1. It is that that men will labour after and have laboured for even from the beginning of the world to be too much addicted to present things and to sense They will worship Christ but they must have a picture before them They will adore Christ but they must bring his body down into a peece of bread they must have a presence And so instead of raising their hearts to God and Christ in a heavenly manner they pull down God and Christ to them this the pride and base earthliness of man will do And therefore saith Christ touch me not in that manner It is not with me now as it was before We must take heed of mean and base conceits of Christ What saith Paul 2 Cor. 5. I know uo man now according to the flesh no not Christ himself now he is risen Christ was of such a Tribe Stature had such gifts and qualities What is that to me Christ is now Lord of Lords and King of Kings He is glorious in Heaven and so I conceive of him I know no man after the flesh no not Christ himself I forget what
into Christ by a spirit of adoption and have the stamp of the Father upon them The likeness of the Father and of Christ whom God begetsto his own likeness that are in a word like Christ Christ is the first Son and in him and for his sake we are Sons He is the natural Son and they may say our Father that labor to express the disposition of Christ who is the first Son See this disposition of Christ in the Gospel how marvellously patient he was under the hand of his Father obedienâ— to the death of his Crosse humbled full of love full of goodness He went about doing good Do we thâ—n walk as Christ did carry we the image of the second Adam have we the patient humble meek disposition of Christ in our measure do we love Christ in his members God in his Image do we love the Ordinances and the power of Reâ—igion this sheweth what we are and is our conversation sutable to our inward disposition do we walk in light do we shew by our conversation whose Children we are do our speeches give a Character of the inward man If this be in us though in never so small a measure with comfort we may say our Father But may not another man that is not in Christ come to God under the sweet name of our Father yea he may come to him as his Father by creation and providence or sacramentally a Father or as brought into the Church and having God to create him and to provide for him Lord thou hast shewed thy self a gracious Father thus far though I cannot from any inward perswasion say My Father Thus far as I can I say my Father strive against our spiritual infidelity believe God and cast our selves on his gracious promises in Christ God will meet us at the same time and he will send us his spirit to make us his Sons And therefore let no man that hath been a wicked liver be discouraged from going to God in the name of a Father in that wherein he is a Father Lord thou hast created me and preserved me and it is thy mercy I am not in Hell yet thou offer'st to be my Father in Christ thou hast made gracious promises and invited me and upon this when the heart yieldeth to the gracious apprehensions of God as a Father there is a spirit of faith wrought in the heart presently therefore think of the name of a Father and the very thoughts of it will bring the spirit of adoption Only it speaks no comfort to the bitter malicious satanical enemies of Christ and the power of Religion they be Children of the Devil But now poor souls that groan under the burden of sin let them think that God is a Father and of the mercies of God though they do not see they be interested in them By the very contemplation of the mercies of God in Christ and his inviting them to receive them the spirit of God will be wrought in the soul whereby they may have confidence to come to God as a Father I desire you therefore to remember this it is the first Sermon of our Saviour Christ after his Resurrection and therefore forget not to think of God as a Father and Christ as a Brother Indeed whatsoever comfort is in any relation God and Christ have taken it on them A Father is more comprehensive then any other Title Christ is Father and Husband and Spouse And God is our Rock and Shield and whatsoever is comfortable he hath taken on him and in Christ we may command him to be so And if we had ten thousand Worlds they could not be compared to the comforts that arise from hence that we can call God Father It is more to us if we could improve it in our spiritual Trade for Heaven then if we had a thousand worlds especially in dayes of affliction and in the hour of death For it improveth whatsoev er is in the bowels of God for poor distressed souls When nothing else will comfort this will comfort if we can say to God Father Though we cannot make a distinct prayer yet if we can say Father God can pick matter out of our broken Language Now Christ is ascended up to Heaven he doth us more good then he did when he was upon the earth The Sun in the Firmament yieldeth us heat and comfort but if it were nearer it would do us hurt or if further off it would not do us so much good God hath placed it being a common light of the world high to inlighten inferior bodies and to convey influence by means into them And so Christ the Son of righteousness being ascended and advanced to Heaven doth more good then on earth And therefore saith he it is for your good that I ascend It is for our good that we have Christ in Heaven to appear there for us I ascend to my Father and to your Father Father is here taken personally not essentially though it be true in that sense to my Father as the first person of the Trinity especially Christ might well say I ascend to my Father now for he was risen again and was mightily declared to be the Son of God by his Resurrection from the dead Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee that is this day have I declared thee It is said of things fiunt cum pate fiunt they are done when they be open and declared to be done Christ was the Son of God when he rose again because he was discovered by his glorious Resurrection to be so indeed And therefore Christ may well say after his Resurrection I go to my Father and your Father Observe from hence That God in Christ is our Father We say Relations are Minimae entitatis they are little entities founded on others but they are maximae consequentiae of great concernment I beseech you before I leave the point give me leave to go on a little further in this to shew that wonderful mercy that admirable goodness which the tongues and hearts of all the men in the world and Angels in Heaven are not able to express that love of God which is contained in the Relation he hath taken on him in Christ to be our Father 1. Consider who and whom Who the great God that hath the Son to solace himself in he did not adopt us because he wanted Sons he had Sons of his own and Sons of his love to sollace himself in what need he have took Traitors Rebels enemies to make them his Sons Oh it is a marvellous advancement of our nature that God should in Christ become our Father It is said Psalm 113. God abaseth himself to behold things below and indeed so he doth with reverence be it spoken to his great Majesty he abaseth himself in regard of things below In regard of us worms of the earth that be enemies yea Devils by nature For
Gods enemies Now there be two sorts of enemies that we are especially to have nothing to do withall if we side with God enemies within us and enemies without us Sin within us we must take part against our sins take Gods part and the spirits part against corrupt motions and affections Divinity must begin from within else it is faction without It is not Religion but faction if the Religion begin not in our hearts and if we hate not sin in our selves Where there is true antipathy the nearer any thing is that is opposite to our nature the more hateful it is He that hateth a Toad hateth it in his bosom most of all And he that hates sin as sin hates it in his own heart most of all And therefore they that will pretend Religion and be naught in their own particular it cometh not from a true principle for they that will side with God side with God in their own hearts and be good men in their own particulars therefore I beseech you try your selves by this Likewise 〈◊〉 men estâ—em sinne Gods enemy wâ—â—â—esoever they see it and so far as their authority and power reacheth they will take Gods part in themselves against themselves and in the world too I will not inlarge the point because it cometh in by way of tryal and I cannot but touch it as a tryal Thus you see how we may know whether we be Gods or no by owning his cause and siding with him you have some expressions in Scripture to this purpose Micah 4. 5. All people will walk every one in the name of his God and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever Every man will walk and converse in the name of his God they will own their God and take part with him and we will walk in the name of our God for ever and ever and own his cause at all times and constantly for ever and ever And likewise in Esay 44. speaking of gratious times there when men shall be bold for the Lord as in all times some men will One shall say I am the Lords and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob and another shall subscribe with his hand to the Lord and tearm himself Israel God shall have his tongue his hand and all He shall say I am the Lords he shall call himself by the name of God he shall subscribe to it and own the cause 4. Again if we would know whether God be our God we must know whether we may lay just claim to our God as a peculiar God to us or no and that way in which God sheweth himself to be a God in peculiar respect to us Now how doth God shew himself a God in a peculiar respect to his Children He sheweth himself to have a peculiar respect to them 1. By peculiar gifts when he gives to them that which he giveth to none else shall we imagine God to be our God by common gifts and common graces no for thou comest to hear the word so Herod did Thou receivest the Sacrament so did Judas so did Simon Magus Thou hearest the truth with some joy so did the third ground Thou hast excellent partâ— so hath the Devil himself But thou art in such a place of the Church teachest others so did Judas Are these evidences to try whether we be Gods or no what then is the peculiar gift and love-token that God bestowes upon his favorites they be the graces of his spirit especially in regard of God an humble broken heart and a believing heart and a lowly heart that goeth out of it self that goeth unto God by faith and towards man full of love which argueth a great deal of self-denyal when a man can love others with denyal of his own profit and ease He that hath a humble believing lowly heart hath more then all the world besides for he hath Gods peculiar gift Many poor souls complain as if God had no regard to them and yet in the mean time they have humble broken hearts which is more then if they had all the wealth and worâ—h that the world hath which have proud hearts never broken The return of these favours will be comfort in death and glory in Heaven What will the fruit of a believing heart be he hath God and Christ if he hath a lowly large heart to do good he doth that which in the issue shall further his accompt at the day of judgement and there is the love of God shewed in his special favour 2. So the love of God especially shall be a special peculiar comfort that the world is ignorant of especially in times of extremity Inward peace of conscience inward joy and inward comforts these are signs of love that God bestoweth upon a man when he will own him in the worst times and speak peace to his soul when nothing in the world will speak peace When the Lyons roar the great Lyons of the world roar in extremity he hath inward peace and joy and comforts of the holy Ghost that inward intercourse of God with the soul is a sign of Gods peculiar love when God speaketh peace to the soul when he sheweth the light of his countenance which David in the 4th Psalm prefers before all outward comforts whatsoever Gods revealing of himself as the Scripture calleth it When God revealeth himself to his to be theirs with peace and joy and comfort accompanying it this is peculiar 3. Again a peculiar favour and love-token of God as to have seasonable and sanctifying correction To have corrections when they be seasonable when we be in a way of straying and God will bring us home by correction and when we have sanctifying correction we find by experience that all is turned to our good If I find any thing turn me to my God I know I am his if my Crosse be seasonable and sanctified he is my God for he takes that course with me which he takes with his own people These be singular signs of Gods love when he bestoweth the graces of his spirit his comforts peace and joy though not largely yet so much as shall sustain the soul And then when he seasonably meeteth us and will not suffer us to thrive in an evil couâ—se Oh it is a judgment of judgements to be hardned in sinful courses of life how can it but end in desperation at length and therefore it is a great favour to be chastized it sheweth we are Sons and not Bastardâ— Thus we see how we may lay just claim to this that God is our God in a peculiar manner 5. To name but one more to distinguish a spirit of presumption from a spirit of faith and truth that God is our God is this 1. If we have grace to answer his dealings towards us When we can eccho to Gods dealings God hath chosen us if we have grace to chuse him for our God We may know
they can lay no claim to him for they serve another God in their hearts their vile courses are instead of their God and in their affections above their God and therefore let them not think any promise belongeth to them in that course Let them think of God as a consuming sire as everlasting burnings while they be such and that their peace is as the peace that the soul hath when the strong man holdeth all in possession When the conscience is speechless and God hath given them up to hardness of heart which is a desperate peace This belongeth to them that are resolved not to live in any sin that have given themselves up to God and yet by reason of the remainder of corruption are driven to make use of that Petition which Christ bids them to pray forgive us our daily sins Hence issueth this truth that a Christian may be assured of his salvation in this world For first of all grant that we ought particularly to apply as God offers himself to us and that no infirmities nor sins hinder this claim then what followeth but a Christian believing and repenting of his sins daily may be assured that he is in the state of grace because there be grounds of particular application that therefore which seems to disable that interest hinders not at all And therefore labor to maintain that comfortable state of assurance by all means the grounds of it is particular application notwithstanding all sins and infirmities whatsoever because Satan envieth it most because it is a state wherein we honor God most I will not enter largely into the point because I have spoken of it in other Texts but for as much as concerneth this time we must labor for that without the which we cannot go through that which God calleth us to 1. There be many duties and dispositions that God requires which we cannot be in without assurance of salvation on good grounds what is that God bids us be thankful in all things how can I know that unless I know God is mine and Christ is mine can I be thankful for that which I doubt of and think I ought to doubt of therefore it is such a state without which I cannot perform other duties and particularly the grand duty of thankfulness And what a pittiful state is this that a man should not be thankful for Christ nor Heaven nor for the state of another world that there should be such great matters and yet they cannot thank God for them 2. Again God enjoyneth us to rejoyce Rejoyce and again I say rejoyce Can a man rejoyce that his name is written in Heaven and not know his name is written there The Disciples were very weak now and yet notwithstanding all their infirmities they loved Christ they cast themselves upon him and had not chosen another Saviour Therefore rejoyce that your names are written in Heaven and how can a man rejoyce that knoweth it not to be so By Gods writing of the Law in a mans heart he may know his name is written in Heaven Can a man alwayes rejoyce if he hath not grounds why 3. Again God requires chearfulness God loveth a chearful giver and a chearful doer It is the disposition that is required in every thing give me thy heart in every thing thou dost Alas how can I perform chearful service to God when I doubt whether he be my God and Father or no shall not I labor for a heart to yield chearful obedience doth it not come deadly off surely it doth We ought to comfort our selves and how can a man comfort himself in a condition full of uncertainties no comforts are comfortable without this That God is our God and our Father unless we know this comforts themselves are not comfortable unto us None of the comforts we have the comforts of this life are not comforts to us when the soul saith perhaps God feeds me to slaughter and perhaps I have these mercies as my portion in this world and how can he be comfortable when he apprehendeth not that they issue from a spring of love alas comforts themselves are uncomfortable And therefore shall not I labor for that without which I cannot be comforted especially it being a disposition for our good to be thankful and chearful and joyful and large hearted 4. God requires a disposition in us that we should be full of incouragements and strong in the Lord and that we should be couragious for his cause in withstanding his enemies and our enemies How can there be courage in resisting our corruptions Satans temptations how can there be courage in suffering persecution and crosses in the world if there be not some particular interest we have in Christ and in God it cannot be so unlesse we will denie obedience to all duty injoyned we must have this assurance which enters into all which is the spirit that quickeneth and enliveneth all Therefore labor for it 2. Else we shall take away the grounds that God inforceth good duties from in Scripture as he doth inforce duty from this ground As Elect see ye put on bowels of compassion I beseech you by the mercies of God Rom. 12. offer your selves as a sacrifice to God Alas I know not whether I shall have mercy or no why take away your ground and overthrow your principles And therefore shall not we labor for that state of soul wherein we are fitted to be in that disposition and to perform duty as God would have us I therefore beseech you labor for assurance of salvation That we may maintain it the better see the grounds of it It is not in our perfection for then the poor Disciples where had they been Alas they had dealt unfaithfully with Christ but the ground of firmness is on Gods side the certainty is on Gods part not ours Tell them I go to my Father and my God and their Father and their God Though we make breaches every day yet God breaketh not as Mal. 3. Verily I the Lord am not changeable and therefore you are not consumed We change ebbe and flowe are to and fro up and down every day varying in our dispositions though there be some root and seed of grace in us alwayes yet there is a change in our dispositions every day but it holdeth on Gods part and therefore Christ nameth not any qualification in them to build comfort on but my God and your God will yet maintain the relation of a Father to you that have not dealt as you should do and maintaineth the relation of a God notwithstanding your fall So that we maintain not our assurance on any part in us but on Gods love Whom he loveth he loveth to the end Our God unchangably loveth us in whom there is not so much as a shadow of change And therefore in the last of the Hebrews it is called an everlasting Covenant The God of peace that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant By the blood of Christ there is an everlasting Covenant God will be our God to death and in death and for ever For this relation being on Gods part extendeth it self from forgiveness of sins to life everlasting It is alwayes the blood of Christ is the blood of an everlasting Covenant I will marry thee to me for ever It holdeth sure on Gods part Let us therefore labor to maintain this assurance of salvation from Gods love 2. But for our comfort we must do our parts too though it begin with God It beginneth on Gods part He loveth us first and imbraceth us first and we must love again and imbrace again We must desire of God grace to answer relation Therefore I will prescribe some rules how we may say God is our God with comfort That we may have the comfort of it by making good our interest in him to make it good that we are Sonnes as well as to call him Father that we are his people as well as to call him our God his spouse as well as call him our Husband And because this cometh from God joyn this withall our endeavors Lord thou must begin I desire to shew my self as a spouse to thee but thou must discover thy self to me I desire to love thee but discover thy love first all I can do is but reflection Thou must shine on me first so desire God to reveal himself more and more in Christ Jesus and then we cannot but carry our selves to him as we should do in our Relation This day we must perform the relation on our sides there be two words that go to this heavenly bargain The Covenant consisteth of two parts Now deâ—ire God by his grace to inable us to do our part for he doth both And desire him according to his promise to teach us to love him and to write his Law in our hearts to do what is good and circumcise our hearts and give his holy spirit We aske no more then he hath promised and so go boldly to him Lord thou hast made a Covenant with us we cannot keep it without thee thou hast not only promised grace and gifts but the grace to perform the Covenant on our parts must come from thee And this God will do therefore in the use of means attend upon him and looking to him we shall have grace to do our parts and then maintain this assurance without which we cannot live as Christians should live That we may further maintain this Relation that God is our God Let us labor to get into Christ for it is in him that God is our Father and to grow up in Christ to growe more and more to grow up in faith and in all grace A gratious Christian never wanteth arguments of assurance of salvation It is the dead-hearted Christian the careless Christian therefore labor as to be in Christ so to grow up in the knowledge of Christ And so to know God in Christ labor to see the face of God in Christ for in him are all the beams of his love as the beames of the Sun in a glasse are gathered so the beams of all Gods love meet in Christ So lovely is God in Christ whatsoever we have in Christ it is from God in Christ And whatsoever we have from God it is through Christ therefore growe in the knowledge of Christ in faith in Christ To this end are the Sacraments that we might growe up in him and be fed into Christ And then we may make right use of it as the Ordinance that God hath sanctified for this end And as God doth take us out set a stamp upoÌ„ us so labor to make choyce of God more more choice of God in Christ for there be the 2. objects of our faith love Chuse God for our God esteem him above all and renounce all other and resign our selves wholly to him for all is ours when God is ours He setteth us apart from other men taking us out and appropriateth us to himself chuseth us for his Jewels I beseech you labor daily to chuse God to be your God If we say we are Gods let us make choyce of him at the same time and appropriate him with our choyce He is mine in particular there is renunciation of all others I have served other Gods heretofore the world and the flesh and the favor of man have been my God but they shall be my God no more If we chuse him not and appropriate him as ours and renounce all other and give our selves to him we cannot say he is our God this we should practice every day In the solicitation of sin or despair for sin make use of this choice and appropriation and resignation If we be tempted to any sin why I am not mine own I am Gods I have chosen him to be my God I have appropriated my self to him I have renounced all other I have offered my self to him therefore what have I to do with sin with this temptation I have taken the Sacrament on it that God is mine and Christ is mine with all his benefits therefor e if there be any solicitatioÌ„ to sin make this use of it so we shal grow in assurance of our interest in God when we can make use of it on all occasions If when we be moved to any sin by Satan or our own flesh which is a Devil within us this is contrary to my Covenant this is contrary to the renewing of the Covenant so often renewed in the Sacrament therefore I will not commit it It is contrary to the State I am advanced to and contrary to my relation God is my Father and my God and therefore I must be his and what have I to do with sin what hath pride to do with a heart bequeathed to God what hath lust and filthiness what hath injustice or any thing else that is sinful to do in a heart that hath dedicated and consecrated it self to God who hath given up himself and all he can do and to whom we have given up all we have and shall we give our strength to sin and Satan his enemies Thus we should grow in assurance exercising the increase and knowledge of our interest I beseech you therefore let us use these and the like things to make God our God And if any temptation for sin be joyned as Satan cannot but solicit to sin so he laboreth when we have sinned to tempt to despair for sin for they be the two wayes by which Satan prevails Now fetch comfort against both from hence God is my God and my Father and Christ teacheth them to call him so and therefore notwithstanding sin I may go to God and call him Father The Disciples though their sin was great yet on their humility they were to
Comfort in that Christ is our Brother Christ in glory owns his Churches Cause Use of exhortation by faith to labor to be one with Christ John 1. 16 Faiths usual work Christs calling his Disciples brethren adds much to our comfort Faith presents things to come as present Love teacheth what it knowes Humility will be instructed in what it knowes not Christ ascended into glory forgets not his people in debasement It is the highâ—st honor to be a member of Christ By faith in Christ both sin death and hell are overcome The freedom of a Christian The Christians dignity Satans Objection The Christians Reply Christ to be believed and not Satan Mother and brother in spirit is preferred before mother and brother in the flesh Christians are fruitful Trees of righteousnesse The world knowes not the excellency of Gods people and therefore regards them not The constancy and humility of Christ Christ speedy in comforting Object Christ takes his owâ— time to comfort the humble soul Christs love constant Question Resol Gods love is constant because grounded on his own eternall purpose Fuâ—damenta taâ—en stant inconcussâ— Syoâ—is Christ by death reconciles us by his life he saves us Obj. Answ Trusting in Christ takes off trouble The links of salvation hold firm on Gods part Gods love â—n Iterable In darkest times Christ is near to comfort Simile Note The Churches care to find her beloved Christs sweet and comfortab e spâ—ech â—o his beloved Christs high commendations of his spouâ—e Note Reason 1 Kindnesse shewed after dejection is very seasonable Reason 2. Christ deals not with us after our deserts Reason 3 Satan by laying guilt to our charge labors to carry us further fâ—om God Comfort to those that sh me themselves John 2â— 15 16 17 We are not so ready to come as Christ is to receive Well mâ— when Christ and the soul mâ—et together Presumptuous sinners The most humble Christian most subject to be discouraged Rom. 5. 20. Object Answ Jer. â— 1. Comforts against great sins Our comforts fail not because he is God and not man Note Difference between a carnal and a gratious heart Sin imputed to Christ as our surety Faith makes things absent present Saints look forward as Christ did Till we come to Heaven our desires are unsatisfied Simile Notes of our spiritual Resurrection Heavenly mindednesse Converse with the world be not defiled with the world Heaven injoyed on earth Quaere Reasons of Christs ascension Our enemies conquered and God appeased by Christs resurrection Victory triumph Heb. 9. 24 Christs blood speaks mercy and pardon The spirit hâ—râ— and Christ in Heaven here together His Resurrection ascension declares the Father to be satisfied to the utmost Rom. 10 6. 7. Christs intercession Apoc. 12. 9 Christ more skilful to save then Satan is to destroy The super excellent advantage of Gods people above the world 1 Joh. 21. Rom. 8. All Scriptures are for consolation The flighting of the Ministry is the havock of conscience Faith makes all present Fath the Christians priviledge Think on Christ as ascended with him Ephes 5. 20. 1 Joh. 2. 1. Mat. 6. 12. Go to God for pardon of sinners in the name of Christ To rely on Christ is to feed upon him God is first Christs God and Father and then our God Father How God is the Father of Christ Christ coequal with his Father Joh. 20. 28 1 Col. 20. God a Father All comfort is from God reconciled to us in Christ Mal. 3. 17. Father is a tearm of indulgence Luk. 15. 18 Gods infinite love to a sinful man Heb. 12. 6. A name of provision Luk. 12. 32 Luk 12 30 Father is a name of protection Pro. 18. 20 What we owe to God as a Father Fear God for his greatness love him for his goodness Gods wisdom and love God keeps the best things till the last Esay 49. 15 16. Psal 121. 4. Faith and prayer fetcheth all from God Mat. 7. 9. 10. Mat. 6. 8. God not a Father in Christ to the wicked The Hypocrite disposition To whom God is a Father Christs disposition The Character of a gratious Christian Quaere Solution No sin should hinder us from going to God as our Father The name of Father speaks no comfort to the malitious enemies of Christ Simile Rom. 1. 4. Heb. 1. 5. Gods unexpressible and wonderful love to mankind Psal 113. 6. Our nature advanced in Christ as high as can be God a Father to his discâ—nsolate Disciples Psal 117. 11. Job 42. 6. 8 Gods love to us is from his own bowels not from our goodnesâ— If mercy were not shewed to sinners none could be saved Comfort in afflictions Mat. 27. 46 God Christs Father in all his persecâ—tions The Law necessary to be teached Contentation in all conditions to be laboured for Humility a lesson to be learned from Brotherhood 2 Cor. 5. 16. Love to the Saints the highest mark of sincerity Notes of adoption God may be our God though we cannot alwayes make it Even sighs groans pierce through thick Clouds get to God Good things connatural to good men How to go to God in prayer Ephes 1. 3. 1 John 17 Mans insinite happiness by Christ Clay and dust taken into unity of the person of God Ephes 2 6. All we have or can expect to have must be obtained through Christ Use Blesse God for Christ as well as for our selves Luk. â— â—8 Christ as man the object of Gods love and predestination as well as we 1 Pet. 1. 4. How God is Christs God God our God in the state of grace 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. The Covenant of grace founded on Christ By vertue of Christs resurrection God is not only our Father but our God God our God in covenant with Christ Interest in God great comfort Even afflictions Satan himself conspires to make us happy Eccles 1. 2. Eccles 2. 17. Never rest till God be made our portion God our joy our comfort our Rock our all Examine our hearts what we make our God It is of eternalconcernment to make God our God Exo. 20. 2. Do all for God in obedience God gives us our being and wel being and doth all for us till we come to Heaven Humane nature nearer to Christ then the nature of the Angels Doct. What God is whâ—t he is able to do what he hath all is ours Answ Want it self is for the good of Gods people God all in all immediatly in Heaven Use Simile Pro. 18. 20 Go to God in things of extremity by faith and prayer Exo. 9. 28. The wicked outwardly make a shew to feaâ— God but hate him in their hearts A carnal man professes hiâ— own safety before the advancement of Religion Rom. 7. 8. The fearful condition of a wicked man at the hour of death Who are Gods enemiâ—t A Christian is a good man in his own particular Quest Answ The humble man more excellent then the proud Peace of conscience inward joy and comfort signs of love Mark 9. 24 Psal 73. 25. Arguments of Gods shining upon the soul Caution To call God our God when he is not so is an usurpation full of danger Psal 50. 16 17. Simile Propriety by â—itting our natures for communion with God Heb. 12. 29 Esa 33. 14 Comfort in our interest in God Particular exigencie supplyed by his all-sufficiency Religion is to know God â—nd to make use of him for good to honor him and to be thankful Sacrament seals God to be ours Man by some sins worse then the Devil Gods spirit both a severing spirit and an uniting spirit Friendship in mutual office of duty Doct. God to be apprehended as he offers himself Particular application of Christ how grounded Sacraments seal a particular faith Failings do not cut uâ— off from Christ If Christ hath satisfied for us notwithstanding our infirmities we may call God our God Heb. 12. 24. Mercy part of our mariage portion Object Answ Use Assurance Joy springs from knowledg Luk. 10. 20 Gods service must be performed with chearfulnesse No worldly comforts can satisfie the soul Assurance earnestly to be labored for 3 Col. 12. Grounds of assurance Assurance maintained to us on Gods part John 13. 1. Heb. 13. 20 Hos 2. 18. Ruleâ— to know how God is our God Simile God and Christ the Objects of faiâ—h and love Interest in God an argument against sin The flesh a Devil within us That God is our God â—nd our Father is ground of infinite comfort Assurance that God is our God wrought by the sealing of the spirit and the spirits sanctifying Conscience is a little God within us 1 Joh. 3. Respect with God preserved with much industry holiness 2 Pet. 1. 20 Psal 2. 11. The fearful condition of those that have not God to be their God The office of the Ministry is to prâ—ach life to all repentant sinners God preventeth us by his mercies God our comfort in the losse of all things 1. Glorie under hope of glory 2. Glory in affl ctions 3. Glory in God 2 Pet. 1. 10