Scripture The one was when he came in the flesh in the form of a servant to die for us that he might reign upon the tree as some readings have it in the Psalms The other will be when he shall come in the clouds with power and glory attended with Angels to judge the world at that great and dreadful day when the trumpet shall summon all to appear before the tribunal And when that 's done he shall deliver up the Kingdom to his Father and the time of this his coming and the end of the world he hath left here to be the subject of our prayers and not of our inquiries to exercise devotion not curiosity the uncertainty of the time being an argument to quicken our diligence in preparing for it that we may watch and pray he having told us afore-hand that he will steal upon us as a thief in the night But what need we trouble our selves about the age of the world when our own time is so uncertain that we cannot call the next hour our own and know not how soon the arrest of death may hurry us away to judgement He that dies now in the Lord rests from his labour his good works follow him and if we cannot properly say that the Kingdom of God is come to him we may safely say he is gone to it At the end of the world then is Christ's great coming and the general judgement but at every single death there is a particular doom past when the soul immediately after it's delivery out of the body is dispatched either into the regions of life or lodged in the chambers of death so that in this sense Christ may be said to come too And there is a gracious visit when he comes and knocks at the heart and calls to his beloved by his word When he comes into us to a feast and banquet of love furnished with the consolations of the spirit The sum of this request is that God would declare his power even to the heathen that know not his name and make discoveries of his Majesty by his outward administrations not leaving himself without witness but convince profane spirits that there is a God that rules in the world that he would manage the affairs of the world for his peoples good and for the advancement of the Kingdom of his Son that he would bless the civill societies of men that he would fill Soveraigns with wisdom to go in and out before the people and people with loyalty to their rulers and with love to one another That he would establish the state wherein we live in peace and order preserving us on one hand from the tyranny and oppression of superiours and on the other hand from rebellion and conspiracy of inferiors That he would save the King whom he hath set under himself our supream Head and Governor from all treasons and treacherous designs that he would subdue the people under him cloath his enemies with shame and upon himself let his crown flourish that he would give the King his judgements and make our Magistrates men of courage fearing God and hating covetousness That he would preserve us from all dreadfull calamities the plague pestilence and famine from wars fires inundations from murder and sudden death That he would take a special care of his Church and his chosen ones that he would send labourers into his vineyard that he would endue his Ministers with righteousness that he would illuminate all Bishops and Pastours with true knowledge and understanding of his word that both by their preaching and living they may set it forth and shew it accordingly That he would inlarge the tents of Japhet remember his ancient people the Iewes gather in the remnant of the gentiles send forth his Gospell into the dark corners of the earth and publish the glad tidings of salvation unto all mankind that he would fill up the number of his elect and hasten the glorious appearance of Christ That he would confound the devices of all that have evill will to Zion and turn the hearts of hereticks schismaticks and bloody tyrants That he would assist those that suffer for the testimony of a good conscience with strength from above and send them the comforter That he would destroy the man of sin with the breath of his mouth That he would garrison our hearts with his grace that he would teach us his laws that we may walk in his statutes and keep his commands That he would mortify the desires and lusts of the flesh subdue us to himself and make us a willing people in the day of his power That he would open our hearts for the receiving of his word and rule in them by his spirit That his Kingdom may first enter into us that we may enter into it Lastly that we may have our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospell live in a constant exspectation of our great change that when our Lord comes he may find us doing his will on earth as it is in Heaven And blessed is he whom his Lord when he comes shall find so doing THY WILL BE DONE The nature of God is not made up of a body and soul nor hath he bodily parts as eyes hands feet c. or faculties of mind as understanding memory affections and 't is no less improper to say of God that he knows or wills any thing as that he walks sees c. which are metaphorical expressions taken from men God being pleased in holy writ to condescend to our capacity and speak of himself after the manner of men God is all understanding all will nor is there any thing in God which is not infinite i.e. himself His will then is not a thing really distinct from his understanding or indeed from his essence neither is it a blind power as it is in us that needs the guidance of reason and the light of another faculty to be convey'd into it to represent the object and advise it to choose the good and eschew the evil but is of it self most free most wise most good It self is a law and rule to it self determins it self and is the measure and standard of all goodness righteousness and holiness The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works And his pracepts are more to be desired then gold yea then fine gold sweeter then hony the hony-comb Now there is a twofold will of God that of his decrees and that of his commands Nor do these two cross and oppose the one the other as if God decreed one thing should be and commanded the contrary but they keep a sweet harmony and mutuall correspondence God's word and his providence may seem sometimes to clash and justle one another yet they do keep the same road of righteousness nor does God ever contradict himself or speak one thing and mean another Let God be true and every man a lyar '
then what is to be exspected of God himself If we that are wicked forgive one another surely God cannot choose but forgive us WE ALSO This carryes a great emphasis with it and makes the request very easy and layes a force upon God As if one should say will God suffer himself to be out done and out-brav'd by man will the divine bounty contract it self because he sees humane kindness enlarged will he withdraw his own mercy and let ours crow over his justice will his love want measure shall ours overflow no on the contrary 't is a good evidence that he has shed his love abroad in our hearts already that we can thus forgive one another is a consequent of his having forgiven us first and a fruit of justification whereby we obtein the remission of sins For he justifies us by the blood of his son and sanctifies us by his Spirit Now the fruits of the spirit are love peace joy long-suffering gentleness meekness God other while commands us to imitate his example as in the Sabbath-rest c. And on this very subject to be mercifull as he is mercifull and to be followers of Christ who when he was reviled answer'd not again but was led as a lamb dumb before the shearers But here he is pleased to set himself a copy from our actions and to take pattern of us whereby as he does make a low condescension to draw his goodness parallel to ours so he doth deeply oblige us to forgive one another by putting words into our mouths by which we shall be judged if we do not For the uncharitable person that sayes this prayer prayes backward and does indeed but curse himself and he who bears a grudging mind against his brother puts in a caveat against himself and prayes that he may not be heard And to a peevish humorous passionate revengefull spirited man God will retort the argument Art thou a worm and canst not indure to be trod upon canst not thou who dwellest in the dust brook an affront nor bear with an injury And canst expect that the living God who is a consuming fire should tamely put up the injuries which are offer'd to his honour Dost think it reason for him to pardon thy talents when thou canst not forbear to use violence for the recovery of a few pence Our Saviour layes a great stress upon this argument therefore he repeats and inforces it For if ye forgive others then will your Father also forgive you But if ye forgive not one another neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive you And at the last though infidelity impenitency may have a main hand in shutting heaven-gates against unbelievers and sinners yet if our Saviour give us a true account of the proceedings which shall be at those great Assises as 't is Blasphemy to think he did not the great damning sin for which reprobates will stand arraign'd will be the want of charity His offences then will be inexcusable who was a rigid exactor of other's duties to him and who knew not how to pass by others small faults shall not have his own great ones pardon'd he who shew'd no mercy shall have no mercy shew'd him as he did by others so shall it be done by him for that measure as you mete the same shall be meted to you again The niggard does not take a course to thrive Give good measure and it shall be given to you heap'd and running over into your bosom Forgive much and thy own pardons shall be multiplyed and this kind of charity by which thou forgiv'st others shall hide a multitude of thine own sins FORGIVE And alas what wrong is done to us which is worth revenge which doth not deserve a forgiveness for our own sake The poor heathen Philosophers had that brave principle in them that they would not disorder the quiet of their own mind by entertaining passion for another's miscarriage Out of a generous contempt of the world they thought nothing here worth the quarrel or at least consulting their own ease and being in love with their tranquillity ne're troubled themselves about what was not in their power to help Let fools and knaves abuse Socrates make mouths at him twitch him by the cloak libell him draw up articles against him and at last confute his Philosophy with a draught of hemlock he 's no more angry with them then he is with the rain for wetting him to the skin with the puddle for wet shodding him with a stone he stumbles at or a post that stands in his way Hee 'd tell his enemy Friend take heed what thou dost thou wrongst thy self thou canst doe me no hurt my mind 's an invincible for t thou canst not disturb it nor is it concern'd in thy weak assaults 'T is thy nature perhaps to doe ill 't is mine to suffer it an iron head-piece for a box o' th' ear If providence hath order'd thee my executioner I can more cheerfully forgive the injury then thou canst doe it Kill me thou mayst but canst not hurt me So high had Philosophy wrought them above the region of cloud and trouble and the pitch of humanity into a calm and clear serety of mind that they liv'd beyond discontent mischief that ill turns could not reach them that passion was an utter stranger to them that they baffled wrongs by taking no notice of them and their dissimulation of injuries was their great art of living In so much that one of them layes it down for a maxim that A good man has no enemies Oh! how far short are we heathen Christians of those Christian heathens what a different temper are we of How ready are we to quarrel about every trifle when a word conjures up our passion every punctilio ingages our honour who are so critical in the study of our reputation that we examin looks censure behaviour and let nothing pass unscan'd that 't is dangerous even for innocence to enter our company and our conversation is an inquisition We make our very tables snares and whosoever or whatsoever we like not we judge and condemn at our pleasure hang and draw within our selves and spare none we catch tripping And if any one hath indeed deserved ill at our hands to be sure we let fly at him bitter words murder him in our thoughts and seek all opportunities for a desir'd revenge And can such a one exspect that God should swallow his camels who has so queasy a stomack and narrow a throat himself that he streins at gnats O let no one be so desperately revengefull so ill natured to himself as to persue an enemy beyond the hopes of heaven and purchase a revenge with the loss of his soul. He forfeits his own pardon that can't forgive another Consider at what a cheap rate God sets his pardons to sale For thou maist wipe off thy own score with thy brother's faults his moats will remove
of honour set him above Angels principalities and powers and hath committed to his trust the Government of the world FROM THENCE To wit out of Heaven whither he ascended and where he now is Christ God Man at the last day in the end of the world riding upon the clouds shall shew himself and HE SHALL COME Attended with innumerable Angels and Saints with the voice of a Trumpet in a glorious manner to the joy of his servants and the terrour of his enemies TO JUDGE For all mankind shall be gathered together from the four quarters of the earth and we must all appear before the Iudgment-seat of Christ to give an account of our works Then shall the books be open'd and every man's conscience shall witness against him and that which hath bin done in secret shall be made known and the thoughts of the heart shall be discovered Then righteous sentence shall proceed from the Iudges mouth according to the Law and the Gospell Then shall be put a difference betwixt the good and bad the righteous and the wicked when God shall reward his servants with a Crown of Glory and destroy his enemies with an everlasting destruction endless torments There is a twofold coming of Christ Christ came first to be judged the second time he will come to judge THE QUICK Those who shall then be found alive who shall be suddenly changed in the twinckling of an eye and without death shall pass from death to life AND THE DEAD For the dead shall rise again as many as from the beginning of the world throughout all ages have lived upon the face of the earth and though they have been mouldered into dust or torn by wild beasts or buried in the waves of the Sea yet they shall take up the very same bodies again to which the soul may again be united God's power bringing this about and his justice so requiring it that every man may in his body reap the fruit of those things which he hath done in the body I BELIEV With the same Faith by which I believ the Father and the Son I believ also in the third Person of the holy and blessed Trinity Being verily perswaded that he is true God and the power of the most High depending upon his assistance and finding by experience that whatsoever good I either doe or have comes all from him IN THE SPIRIT He is therefore called Ghost or Spirit because he partly proceeds from the Father and the Son by way of breathing partly because he breaths into us good thoughts and holy desires wherefore it is added HOLY Seeing that he is not only Holy in himself with such holiness as far exceeds all other blessed Spirits both Angels Saints but also makes us holy by an effectual working of grace in our hearts He it is that applyes the benefits of Christ's death unto us and makes us partakers of the salvation which he hath purchased for us by his blood The holy Prophets and Apostles were the penmen of the Holy Ghost who wrote as they were inspired by him He gathers the Church by the Preaching of the word having furnisht the Apostles with the gifts of tongues provided a ministry and other holy ordinances for the propagation of the Gospell filling up the number of the elect and bringing souls to life THE CHURCH The company of believers whom God hath ordained to life before the foundation of the world was laid whom he hath called out of a state of sin to the profession of Faith in Christ and a holy conversation whom he also doth rule by his Word and Spirit HOLY Gathered and guided by the Holy Ghost distinguished from the rest of the world by holy appointments adorning their profession with holy works CATHOLICK or Vniversal in respect of time place and persons being to last through all ages of the world spread abroad over all quarters of the earth consisting of men of all ranks and conditions God having shut the gate of his Kingdom to none but such as wilfully refuse to enter Now the Holy Ghost bestows upon the Church which he gathers by the word and sanctifies by grace these Blessings which follow THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS Whereby the Saints who are the faithfull ones the chosen and the children of light are united to Christ as their head and amongst themselves as members of the same body the Church drawing virtue life and efficacy from Christ and performing to one another all offices of Charity as being knit together with a spirit of love and bond of peace THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS Which the spirit on our unfeined repentance assures us of by applying the merit of Christ and sprinkling our consciences from dead works with his blood which he powred forth to be a price of souls neither doth he onely seal to our hearts a pardon of former offences shewing us the favour of God reconciled in his Son but doth withall give us power to resist sin for the time to come cleansing us from every defilement of the flesh and spirit subduing our lusts changing our wils and renewing our natures according to righteousness THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY For in the last day when Christ shall come to judgement the trump shall sound and the dead shall arise with the very same bodyes that they had before and every one shall receive according to his works For as much as the wicked shall be thrown into Hell there to be tormented with the Divel with the worm which never dyes and the fire which is never quenched But the good shall enter into LIFE EVERLASTING Where they shall rest from their labours and enjoy God for ever living in abundance of joys and pleasures which neither eye hath seen nor ear hath heard nor can the heart of man conceiv And all these things I believ not onely with an Historical Faith but appropriate unto my self being fully perswaded that God made me by his power preserves me by his goodness and provides for me both in soul and body by his infinite wisdome And that the Son of God whatsoever he hath done or suffered he performed and underwent for my sake that I through him might live And that the Spirit of God dwelleth in me working in me Faith Repentance that I am a true member of the Church that my sins are forgiven me that I shall rise again and see my Redeemer with these eyes who shall out of his free bounty reward me his unworthiest servant with the Glory which shall have no end FINIS THE EXPLANATION OF THE TEN COMMANDEMENTS The Ten Commandements Exodus xx GOD spake all these words saying I am the Lord thy God which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage I. Thou shalt have no other gods before me II. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above or that is in the earth
in his â—y supplyes their wants opens his hand and fils them with his goodness cherishes and maintains them And having built this goodly frame of heaven and earth doth with his everlasting armes what vain story sayes of Atlas support and uphold it or rather as his Vice-gerents are pictur'd with a Globe in one hand and a Scepter in the other grasps the whole world in his hand and dandles it in his lap as a tender hearted mother her playsom child Can he that implanted so tender an affection in all mothers dammes to their young ones himself be without large bowels of compassion full breasts of mercy and a tender bosom of love His goodness exceeds all comparison Though a mother should forget her child yet saith he I will not forget my people Providence is that great dug at which every creature hangs and draws its comfort by which all things are maintain'd whence are issued forth daily allowances and constant provisions dealt out For he commands blessing and deliverance Thou art my shepheard saith the Psalmist and I shall want nothing The Spirit of God saith the sacred Historian mov'd upon the face of the deep that Chaos and first matter out of which the several kinds of creatures were afterwards to be particularly produced A word proper to birds that sit upon their eggs brood them He flutter'd and sate upon it and kept it in a lively warmth and quicken'd that rude lump that he might out of that great confused ball wherein the seeds of things lay jumbled which therefore an ancient Philosopher call'd Natures Egg hatch a well order'd world And since God hath compar'd himself in one place to a broody eagle Christ in another himself to a hen the one teaching her young ones to fly and shift for themselves by carrying them on her back the other clucking her chickens with great pains scraping up their subsistence cherishing them under her wings and with all her might protecting them from rapine We may from these similitudes learn what a dear love and careful fear God hath for all his least they come to hurt God then may very well be styled a Father in this sense too that he hath not only as a Father given being to all things but as a Father of a family provides for al about him furnishing them with convenient accommodations and seasonable supplyes Nor is this all yet but he orders all things disposes chance overrules events to his own ends doing whatsoever he pleaseth both in heaven and earth even as Fathers order the affairs of their family or as magistrates who are the Fathers of their country manage the civil state making lawes and putting them in execution rewarding the obedient punishing the disobedient Indeed all government is naturally bottom'd upon this relation and grounded in a paternal authority the Father at first exercising all power even to life and death over those of his own family nor is a city or common-wealth any other then a more numerous family subject to the same ruler and govern'd by the same laws God then it is that gives order for every thing by whom and when and how it should be done Not a sparrow fals to the ground without his leave The whole series of second causes is but that golden chain the Poets fancied whose uppermost link is fasten'd to Iove's chair He is the Lord of Hoasts such as are the stars in their courses thunder lightning hail snow rain wind and storm fulfilling his word nay frogs and lice when he hath service for them will muster into armies and the locusts gather themselves into bands He knows best what will make for our good and his own glory and by his wise contrivance carry's things in that nature that they shall all work together for those ends He is in the world as a King in his Kingdom Where his word is there is power and who shall say to him what dost thou Angels are his attendants and menials the other creatures his utensils But men though they are term'd vessels too in his great house yet they are priviledg'd with a nearer relation to him They are his children for he is our Father OUR This word denotes a propriety and closer interest seeing he is not our Father alone in that general sense in that he made us not we our selves as he is styled the Father of rain and the Father of lights nor for the greater likeness we have to him more then our fellow creatures which is common to us with the Angels who are therefore call'd the Sons of God But by redemption also having purchas'd us by the Blood of his Son and made us a peculiar people to himself and having begotten us anew by the word and spirit and adopted us by grace that we who are by nature children of wrath might be made the children of God and to which of the Angels ever said he thus my Son Oh! what a condescension of love that God should suffer himself to be styled our Father who have corruption for our mother that Christ should become our brother whose sisters are the worms For if we be sons then are we heirs and if heirs then coheirs with Christ Oh infinite love and kindness unspeakable how dearly obliging an expression that our Saviour who is the only Son of God begotten of his substance should not permit but command us to call God our Father too my Father and your Father sayes he Now as Father is a word of authority and signifies love and care bespeaking from us a reciprocal love a filial reverence and obedience so Our is a note of indearment which should teach us charity which indeed the whole prayer breaths in all the parts of it Give us Forgive us and Deliver us bringing in all mankind to partake the benefit of our prayers And seeing it hath pleased God to own us for children and Christ to make us partners of his relation to become brethren it would very ill beseem the best of saints or greatest of men to disdain any of their fellow-brethren he they never so miserable never so wicked Since were there not a community of the same nature the sense of humanity the tyes of reason and religion and the laws of nations to bring us to some kind of unity and mutual affection God's love to us is an invincible argument why we should love one another WHICH ART And there is none beside thee For whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of thee Indeed the original doth not so express it making use of the article alone and leaving the verb to be understood which as 't is elliptical so 't is an emphatical kind of speaking He or The in Heaven which should note a superlative excellence above all others to whom the title of Father can belong the
't is true in a temporal sense and observation will make it good that the wicked children of godly parents have some what extraordinary providence attend them in this world and 〈◊〉 much 〈…〉 for their fathers 〈…〉 God 〈…〉 tender of their concerns 〈…〉 for his and 〈…〉 promis'd that it shall be well with those that fear him and with their 〈◊〉 after them He owns them here as friends and will not forget them in their relations but will shew them all the kindness which the◠are capable of And thus the Israelites in their distresses thought it a great argument in their Prayers to plead with God not the merits but the memoryes of their fore-fathers Abraham 〈◊〉 and Iacob What better portion can a loving father provide for his children what greater legacy of love leave behind him then God's favour and 〈◊〉 est in divine mercy Who are those God here calls his Lovers his Friends those 〈◊〉 keep his commands that observe his precepts For indeed friendship consists in the union of minds and the compliance of wills And 't is the nature of love to seek by all means to please the party loved and not to cross his desires or give him any offence This is the true mark of our love to God if we are carefull to keep his commands to doe what he would have us doe And who would not love God that loves himself and seek his friendship who is so ready to engage his kindness to us and our heirs for ever and requite our love a thousand fold This reason as it contains a threat and a promise and is grounded upon the Iustice and mercy of God is common to all the Commandements but is peculiarly annex'd to this as that which God takes the greatest care of and is most jealous of the breach and it may justly occasion our wonder to consider that notwithstanding God's strictness in propounding the command and his severity upon the breaches yet his own people have been ever forward to run into Idolatry and to take example from those very nations whom they themselves for this very sin have by God's command rooted out of their land and country So that it should seem there was but too great reason why this reason should be set particularly to back this command The meaning of the precept is this Thou shalt not make use of any Image whether graven of whatsoever metall gold or silver or cut out of stone or carv'd in wood or fashion'd in wax or what other material soever or any picture drawn or pourtray'd in cloth paper c. or any likeness and resemblance of any creature in the whole world for a religious purpose in the way of worship upon any pretence Thou shalt not worship the work of mens hands or the work of their brains neither Image nor imagination none of my creatures much less any of thine own Thou shalt neither worship them nor me by them but shalt consult my word and fetch thence the rules and wayes of worship Thou shalt not be led by the example of Heathen-people whose ignorance of me may be some excuse to their Idolatry to follow their practises and turn my glory into the likeness of any corruptible thing The Sun and Moon and Stars above thee shall not dazzle thy mind by their lustre so as to forget me and pay that homage to those glorious lights which is due to me who live in unapproachable light The trees and springs bread and wine and other blessings of life shall not for their usefulness and for that helpful virtue which I their Creator have put into them win so much upon thy affections as to asscribe that honour to them which belongs to their Maker nor shall the wonders of the deep and the prodigious secrets which I have laid in the womb of the seas swallow up thy admiration so as to drown that respect which thou oughtst to have for me the sight of whatsoever excellency or convenience or dreadfulness in any of the creatures shall but serve to give thee an occasion of magnifying my glorious perfections and goodness and power not to fix thy devotion upon them for I commanded and they were made for my own glory and for thy use not for thy worship The Angels thou shalt respect as my messengers and receive my errands with reverence but shalt not by worshipping them make them my fellows The Saints who now rest from their labour and have left thee their examples of a holy life thou shalt remember with thanks and endeavour to imitate and thus make them the object not of my jealousy but of thy emulation The evill spirits shall not fright thee into religious observance being able to doe no more hurt then I let them Thou shalt not with base flattery Idolize the persons of men whether they be Good or Great but carry a respect subordinate to me In fine Thou shalt not set thy affections and respects upon any thing so as to make it an Image of jealousy Thou shalt not fall flat on thy face before any creature or its resemblance nor bow thy knee nor kiss thy hand nor make any other sign of adoration nor pray to them or before them or use any other gesture of worship however thou mayst pretend to direct thy intention nor shalt thou pay them any religious service or attendance by building groves temples and altars by making priests and appointing sacrifices or any other rites But thou shalt worship me the Lord thy God and me alone shalt thou serve in body as well as soul for I am the Creatour of both and though I am a spirit and am to be worshipped in spirit and in truth yet your bodyes also shall be temples of my holy spirit I will be sanctified in them in the use of such holy rites and Ceremonies as I have appointed shall hereafter appoint in my word and by my Church that all things in my service may be done decently in order Thou shalt therefore worship me according to my appointments come to my house in my fear behave thy self with care and reverence in the holy place whilst thou art in my presence in the performance of all religious acts and shalt bow down to me kneel before the Lord thy Maker Thou shalt not consult with witches or use other unlawful means nor shalt thou regard sorceries or any superstitious observances Lastly thou shalt give thy self up wholly both in body soul and spirit to my worship and shalt dedicate thy self so to my service that thy body also may become a Temple of the holy Ghost And all this thou must be the more carefull of that thou mayst not deprive me of that homage which I expect from thee and give away my glory to another when thou considerst my jealousy to observe such indignityes and my power to avenge them the severity of my Iustice in punishing Idolaters and their posterity after them and the multitude of my