action to bee against credit profit his sensuality headstrongly headlonging him upon its satisfaction but yet not between wil and will affection and affection minde and minde no strife in the same faculty as in a beleever And there may bee a victory that an unbeleevers minde and his judgement may have over his sensuality pleading to him his losse of credit profit friends c. which is but a bare restraining of corruption in some one particular but this is far from a victory subduing and mortifying the power and body of sin to bring it into a languishing consumption which is the worke of faith Sin may live yea and rebell in a beleeving heart for it is with lusts in a beleevers heart as with those beasts Dan. 7. 12. As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time They had their lives for a time prolonged but their dominion was taken away So in a beleever his lusts have their lives prolonged for a time but yet their dominion is taken away they live but they live slaves and they dye gradually both they and their rebellions 4 Fourthly True faith growes and increases 2 Pet. 3. 18. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ yea it growes exceedingly 2 Thess 1. 3. Your faith growes exceedingly and Rom. 1. 17. The righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith Graines of mustard-seed grow to the procerity and spred of trees in which the fowles of heaven may nestle Men may try themselves by this So much growth so much truth of faith But how would it puzzle the most to find any such growth They have beleeved ever since they can remember and yet what beleeve they more now than at the first The faith that grows not lives not the faith that lives not is dead Most mens faith therefore is fit for the grave Lord saies Martha of Lazarus Hee by this time stinketh for he hath beene dead foure dayes And what is theirs then but a carrion faith that hath beene dead more than so many yeeres for what more spirituall strength have they then at first what more experience of Gods dealing what neerer acquaintance with Christ or what sweeter communion with him Not a jot therefore not a jot of true faith 3 Thirdly Effects respecting our brethren and they are these 1 First Mercy Love Compassion and beneficence to the members of Christ in necessity Gal. 5. 6. Faith workes by love as by love to God so also to our brethren Therfore so often joyned together as an individuall paire 2 Thess 1. 3. Psal 5. 1 Tim. 1. 5. And therefore when Tyrus should be converted to the faith she should leave hoarding and heaping up her wealth and should find another manner of imployment for it namely to feed and cloath Gods Saints Isay 23. 18. Her merchandise shall not be treasured nor layed up for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord to eat sufficiently and for durable cloathing When Tyrus should once beleeve she should trade in a new kind of merchandise she should trade in workes of mercy and bounty in releeving and refreshing the necessities of Gods Saints Faith is full of bowels tender-hearted and open-handed to Christs members in want She is a right Dorcas Acts 9. 39. that makes coates and garments to cloath and keepe warme the backs and loynes of Christs servants in want If we finde such compassionate bowels in us hands ready to the good workes of mercy to do poore Christians good for Christs sake in those bowels there lyes faith If we do love a Saint because a Saint that love is of faiths working How doth this one thing damne the common faith of the world They beleeve in Christ that they do but how love they a godly man Is there any whom they more disaffect distast or against whom they shew more imbittered malice This malicious spitefull faith is not the faith of Christians Thus divels beleeve they beleeve and are malicious This is a divelish faith the divels so beleeve as that they tremble and yet tremble not to be malicious against those that doe beleeve And what is their bounty and mercy Alas they are not only close fisted but with the man in the Gospell they have a withered hand not able to stretch out their hand in any worke of compassion Such a creeple and same-handed faith is not the faith that will passe with God 2 Secondly a desire and an endeavour to bring others to the faith It having once tasted and found the sweetnesse and goodnesse that is in Christ and in the wayes of God it cannot rest but it must seeke others to bring them to participate of the same goodnesse with it selfe Phil. 6. That the communication of thy faith Faith is a communicative grace and a generative grace S. Paul once come to the faith hath Timothy his own son in the faith 1 Tim. 1. 2. When Andrew hath found Christ he cals Peter when Philip hath met with he must bring Nathaniel Faith indeed in one sense doth impropriat Christ and speakes as Thomas My Lord and my God but yet though in its application it make Christ her own yet not so as it would exclude others but knowing the all-sufficiency of Christ doth desire to make him common to as many as it can and in that regard sayes Our Lord and our God So far forth then as thou endeavourest to bring on others to faith in Christ so much evidence hast thou of faith in thy self But if others specially such as neere unto thee may be what they will for any care or endeavour of thine it is an evill signe that thou thy selfe wantest that to which thou hast no care to bring others Many other trials might be added for the discerning of our faith but these shall suffice referring the Reader to the larger treatises of such as have bestowed their profitable paines in this argument Chap. 12. The examination of Repentance CHAP. 12 HOw faith is to be examined we have seene let us now see how we may try and examine the truth of repentance How true repentance may be discerned we may know by that speech of Iohn Baptist Mat. 3. 8. Bring forth fruits therefore worthy of repentance fruits meet for repentance such as become and evidence repentance where true repentance is there bee ever such fruits And those fruits are these 1 First shame for sin True repentance is ever accompanied with shame Ier. 31. 19. I was ashamed yea even confounded c. Ezek. 16. 61. Then shalt thou remember thy wayes and be ashamed yea it so individually goes with repentance that it is put for repentance it selfe 2 Thess 3. 14. That they may be ashamed that is that they may repent and reforme their evill course The Heathens said That blushing was the colour of Vertue meaning that it was a good signe to see a
against which a man hath an indignation hee must needs put it and cast it away from him see Isay 30. 22. Thou shalt cast them away namely their Idols and why so Because they loathed them they were as a menstruous cloath and because they had indignation against them Thou shalt say unto it Get thee hence So that let there once be abomination and indignation and there will be a casting away Try thy repentance by this consider what have thy sins thy beloved sins beene is thy drunkennesse with loathing and indignation forsaken are thine oathes uncleannesse covetous courses c with loathing and indignation Nam qui plangit peccatum iterum facit peccatum quasi si quis lavet laterem crudum qui qui quanto amplius laverit tam amplius faciet lutum Bern. de modo bene vivendi abandoned it is a good signe But how idely talke they of repentance who because they have blubbered out a few teares thinke all is well when yet they still live and lye in their sins and hold them as fast as ever The Mariners when they found out Ionas yet faine they would have saved him wondrous loath to cast him over-board Many see their sins and know them to be dangerous sins but yet exceeding loth to shake hands with them loth to throw them into the sea but will rather adventure their owne casting away than cast them over-board Never deceive thy selfe though thou hast sighed cried prayed beg'd mercy yet if still thou live and goe on in thy sinfull courses there is no truth of repentance in thee 4 Fourthly A walking in holinesse and obedience and bringing forth the fruits thereof Bring forth fruits meet for repentance There is mention Rom. 6. Of fruits in holinesse and Phil. 1. 11. Of fruits of righteousnesse and Col. 1. 5. Of fruits of obedience Now such fruits are meet for repentance Bring forth fruits saith S. Iohn meet for repentance It is a metaphor taken from trees transplanted or grafted into other stocks Before their grafting they bring forth fruit but it is bitter and sowre fruit wildings and crabs but new siances grafted upon those stocks there is new fruit brought forth A Pepon being grafted upon a Crab stock the stock brings forth no more Crabs but Pepons a new and a good fruit Such a change and renovation is there in repentance it makes a man a new man walking in newnesse of life Ephes 4. 23 24. Be renewed in the spirit of your minde and put on the new man How shall it appeare that this is done Amongst other things by that Vers 28. Let him that stole steale no more there is the former thing in the forsaking of sin But that is not all there is yet more to be done But rather let him labour working with his hands the thing that is good that he may have to give to him that needs So that repentance not only bindes the hands from theeving but opens them to giving It makes a theefe become a mercifull man It was the Churches sin Cant. 5. 3. that when Christ knockt and would have had her opened unto him she neglects him and puts him off with excuses But afterwards V. 4. Her bowels were moved for him or in her her bowels made a troubled noise sounded and rumbled that is she was exceedingly grieved and disquieted that she had done so foolishly But that doth not serve her turne to grieve for her fault but shee will mend it too and fals to doing of duty Vers 5. I rose up to open to my beloved Many have their bowels move within them but yet it will not move them out of their beds they lye still but I rose up and open'd sayes the Church and makes after CHRIST whom she had foolishly neglected Try thy repentance by it Sonne goe worke to day in my Vineyard sayes the Father in the Parable to his Son he answered and said I will not but afterwards he repented and went Mat. 21. 28 29. He repented because he was not only grieved for his former disobedience but also because he went did his Fathers work in the Vineyard If thou doe the like if thou so grieve for former disobediences as that now thou fallest to thy Fathers worke and fallest hard and close to it then thou repentest The contrary convinces men of impenitency It is not weeping but working that must evidence repentance wee may see many weepe but we cannot see them worke and all that repent must turne to God and doe workes meet for repentance Acts 26. 20. Where no such workes of holinesse and obedience there is no turning to God nor truth of repentance Chap. 13. The Examination of Love COme we now in the next place to the Examination of Love There is deceit and hypocrisie in love as well as in faith Let love sayes the Apostle bee without dissimulation Rom. 12. 9. or without hypocrisie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 1. 22. Vnto unfained love of the brethren 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vnto a love of the brethren without hypocrisie So that there may be hypocrisie in love and a man may play the hypocrite in his love as well as in the profession of his faith God hates hypocrisie wheresoever as well in the second Table as the first And therefore requires sincerity in our love to our brethren 1 Iohn 3. 18. My little children let us not love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth Men must have love in their tongues and love in their words but CHAP. 13 that is not all men must have and shew love in their deeds Love that is all words and all tongue and no deeds is hypocri 〈…〉 and dissembling love Iames 2. 15 â—6 There we finde love in words a loving tongue but where 〈…〉 deeds There is no loving hand Notwithstanding ye give them not those things c. Love that hath a smoth and a kinde tongue and yet hath a withered hand shewes it selfe in no good deeds and workes it is but a fained and a dissembling love It is no more than an hypocrite may doe Nay a man may have a loving tongue and be like Nepthali Gen. 49. 21. Give goodly words yea and may doe goodly deeds not be wanting in outward actions and expressions and yet for all this may play the hypocrite and his love not be without dissimulation Therefore the Apostle yet addes one thing more Let us love in deed and in truth Therefore there may be words and tongue and deeds and yet not truth And so long as that is wanting bee there else what there will all is but hypocrisie words tongue and deeds may bee without truth 〈…〉 uth will never be without them 〈…〉 ve will creep where it cannot goe That therefore the Apostle gives in cha 〈…〉 to elder men belongs to all Tit. 2. 2. That the aged men be sound in faith and charity It is not enough to be sound in faith but we must be
sound in love As faith must bee without hypocrisie 1 Tim. 1. 5. so must love Rom. 12. 9. It is dangerous to bee rotten in the faith it is also dangerous to be rotten in our love It therefore concernes a man as well to examine the truth of his love as of other graces Men may doe much and go far in the love of Gods people and yet not love them as they ought to be loved First they may hold an outward correspondency with them in outward peace and neighbourhood they may live quietly by them and with them bee free from quarrels suits contentions vexations and oppositions against them and in these respects may keepe faire quarter with them and yet for all this not love them as godly people are to be loved Abimelech and Phicol Gen. 26. 28 29. desire to live peaceably and quietly with Isaac that there may bee an oath and a covenant betweene them But yet these being heathens could not love Isaac as a godly man should be loved They departed from him in peace Vers 31. Peace is one thing and love is another 2 Secondly they may preferre dignifie advance and honour them and yet not love them as godly men should be loved Besides Gods sanctifying graces there are oftentimes in Gods children other gifts of wisdome prudence learning fidelity skill and activity in secular imployments All which may gaine them great respect in other mens hearts So Pharaoh honoured Ioseph and we see his ground Gen. 41. 38 39 40. So Nebuchadnezzar preferred Daniel and we see his ground Dan. 2. 47 48. So Laban set Iacob over his flocks and we see his ground Gen. 30. 27. So many a Master loves a godly servant not because he is a good man but because he is a good servant This is self-selfe-love they love them because they love themselves such men are for their ends of profit advantage c. and for their turnes and therefore out of a selfe-love and selfe-respect love and respect them That their love of them is not for their godlinesse appeares by this because though there were not one dram of grace and godlinesse in them yet for their other abilities should they be no lesse deere unto them then now they are with all their graces 3 Thirdly they may magnifie them highly commend and reverence them for good men and yet not love them as godly men should be loved Abimelech called Isaac The blessed of the Lord Gen. 26. Herod observed and reverenced Iohn Marke 6. The people magnified the beleevers Acts 5. 13. There were a great many that hated opposed and vilefied them but yet among the Iewes there were some that were of a more tolerable and equall temper and though they durst not goe so far as to joyne themselves with them yet thus farre they went that when others reproached scorned and calumniated them they were ready to commend and pleade for them They would haply thus speake Well you may say this and that and speake your pleasure of them but when you have said all that ever you can yet we see they be very good people very conscionable and godly men they are 〈◊〉 other but what you and we should â—â— Here was magnifying of them but yet not loving them as they should have beene loved because as the Text saies Of these no man durst joyne himselfe to them All this arises not from love but from the conviction of conscience upon the sight of the lustre and beauty of their shining graces and upon the experience of the integrity of their wayes Conscience convinced cannot but open the mouth to give godly men an honourable testimoniall in magnifying and reverencing them 4 Fourthly they may doe them many kinde offices courtesies and favours and yet for all this not love them as godly men are to be loved Ieroboâ—m may invite a Prophet to dinner The very Barbarians did shew courtesie to them Acts 28. 2. and yet were farre enough from this love Humanity civility good nature and good nurture may carry men farre in this kinde 5 Fifthly they may as honour their lives so desire their deaths and yet not love them as godly men should be loved Balaam desires the death of the righteous and that his latter end may be like unto his and yet Balaam that faine would have cursed Israel was farre enough from the love of a Saint Many when they see a godly mans end may speake honorably of him and wish Oh that my soule might rest with his oh that my soule might speed as his for I am perswaded he is in heaven and yet all this while not love a godly man as a godly man should be loved 6 Sixthly they may honour the memory of them when dead and gone and upon all occasions give them honourable testimonialls for their piety godlinesse c. and yet not love them as godly men should be loved The Pharisees Matth. 23. built up the Sepulchres of the Prophets and seemed to shew great love to their memorials and yet if they had beene alive they would have dealt no better by them than their Fathers did Thus much may be done and yet love wanting that love wanting wherewith a Saint is to be loved For with such a love must a man come to the Sacrament in which there is so speciall an exercise of the communion of Saints Since therefore all this is not enough let us see then what it is that is required more that our love may bee such as will qualifie us for the orderly receiving of the Sacrament True love then to the members of Christ to godly and gracious persons may bee thus knowne 1 First it loves them as Saints under the relation of brethren because they be brethren because they bee sons of God the same Father sons of the Church the same common mother and members of Christ our elder Brother When a man loves godly men not because they be great rich learned wise because they may doe or have done him a pleasure but meerely because they have Gods Image upon them in grace and holinesse he loves them as godly persons should be loved When Gods grace in them is the ground and Gods Image upon them is the Loadstone of our love when we love them not because we love our gaine respect c. but because we love God and see them to be his then is our love right 1 Iohn 5. 2. Hereby wee know that wee love the children of God and love them as the children of God bearing Gods Image upon them when wee love God That is true love of godly men when our love to them is grounded upon and flowes from our love to God On the contrary may it be said of many that they love not the children of God No not love the children of God Why I love such and such a man and you will not say but they are the deere children of God I but by this wee know that men love not the children of God
when men love themselves and seek their owne base ends It is one thing in some sort to love a man that is a childe of God and another to love him because he is a childe of God It is one thing to love a godly man and another because he is a godly man A man may love one who is a Scholler and a Preacher but yet not love him because he is a Scholler or a Preacher nay it may be he could love him a great deale better if he were neither The Apostle speakes of love out of a pure heart 1 Tim. 1. 5. And S. Peter of loving the brethren with a pure heart 1 Pet. 1. 22. When love is pure it is true Then it is pure love when it springs from none other Fountaine but the lovelinesse of Gods grace and Image in those whom we love 2 Secondly true love to the children of God and to Saints it loves such above all others the best of all others 1 Pet. 2. 17. Honour all men love the brotherhood There is a love and a respect to be given to all men according to their relations worth quality c. but yet true Christian love bestowes its Beniamins portion the specialty and choise of its affection upon godly ones It loves a godly religious man better than a learned man and the more godly a man is it loves him the more Doe good to all but specially to the houshold of faith Gal. 6. So love all men in their order and degree but let your brotherly love your heartiest and sweet affection be towards such as are brethren Love the brother-hood A love of the brother-hood must be a brotherly love a love as to brethren In a Family a man loves all the servants but yet he beares a more speciall neerenesse and deerenesse of affection to his brethren than to servants 1 Pet. 3. 8. Love as brethren We reade of a young man Mark 10. that came running to Christ and enquiring how he might inherit eternall life And we reade of Lazarus whom Christ raised from the dead Ioh. 11. It is said of both that Christ loved them of the rich young man Marke 10. 21. Then Iesus beholding him loved him of Lazarus Iohn 11. 3. Lord he whom thou lovest is sick Now the young man was a Pharisee only he had some candour and ingenuity in him more than usually was in Pharisaicall spirits and so farre Christ loved him shewed loving respect and carriage towards him But now Lazarus was a godly and an holy man and therefore Christ loved him with a more specialty of affection He loved the one as a morall faire conditioned man that had some good desires and inclination towards good but he loved Lazarus deerely and intimately as a godly and a good man with such specialty of affection that it was enough to know him without his Name by Christs love to him The man whom thou lovest By this try the truth of thy love Whom lovest thou best Have the best men the best of thine affection Are those deerest to thee who are deerest to God the best evidence that can be of the truth of thy love But this proves many to want this love and that they love not the godly as godly men should be loved what ever their professions and protestations of love be For let it be granted that they love them yet let it bee enquired whom they love best to whom their hearts and affections are closest knit Looke upon those that are deepest in their affections and judge whether they be at the best more than morall and civill and whether those that be godly and religious have halfe that affection and love that meere civill persons have Thou doest not love godly men best therefore thy love is hypocriticall thou lovest a morall man better than one that is religious therefore thy love is with dissimulation 3 Thirdly true love loves as the Colossians did Gol. 1. 4. It loves all the Saints Where grace is the ground of love where ever grace is there is love as fire still followes the fuell Grace hath the same beauty in all and if grace be the attractive of affection it drawes affection to all in whom it is The love that is amongst Gods Saints is compared to the ointment that was powred upon Aarons head Psal 133. 2. It was powred upon his head but it rested not there it ran also downe upon his beard nay it ran downe to the skirts of his garments So the love that is among the Saints it diffuses it selfe to all the members of Christ it runs not only upon the head and beard but upon the skirts of the garments to the very lowest and meanest of Gods people in whom there is grace It excludes not any whom God hath received Rom. 14. 3. despises not any whom God hath chosen Iames 2. 5 6. Love the brotherhood sayes S. Peter He doth not say love a brother or such of the brethren but love the brother-hood the whole fraternity society and company of the Saints the whole brood and brother-hood of Gods people Try thy love by this He that loves a godly man for his grace that hath no other thing to commend him neither friends nor riches nor credit nor profit that can love poore godlinesse as well as rich godlinesse that can love grace in rags as well as in robes in russet and leather as well as in silkes and velvets such a love to all Saints is a good evidence of truth of love But when men love onely some great and rich ones that have grace and regard not meaner ones though gracious it is a signe that it is not true love Yea it is a blameable errour in many that though their love be indeed to the godly yet it is with a kinde of confinement only to some as worthy of their communion and affection It is not to be denied but that a man may love some godly men more than othersome Christ himselfe had his beloved Disciple and wee shall finde that thrice Christ shewed some speciality of favour and affection to three of them above the rest Luke 8. 51. He suffered none to goe in save Peter Iames and Iohn Luk. 9. 28. in his transfiguration he tooke up with him onely Peter Iames and Iohn And in his agony when he sequestered himself from the rest of his Disciples yet he takes these three along with him Mat. 26. 37. But yet such a confinement of our affection to some choise ones as goes with a contempt or plaine neglect and exclusion of others of meaner abilities and graces is an unwarrantable thing such as will not be allowed by this signe of love now instanced in 4 Fourthly true love loves and delights in the fellowship and society of the godly Love the brother-hood sayes S. Peter He doth not say love the brethren but love the brother-hood that is as some expound it the fellowship of the brethren and so our former translation reades it Love
am not bound to testifie my forgiving him and to say to him I forgive thee unlesse he say I repent To forgive is one thing and to say I forgive and make a solemne profession of remission is another For the third A man is not bound in that particular to forgive till just satisfaction be given Satisfaction being duly given I must forgive so far but satisfaction obstinately denied I may refuse society and fellowship with him Religion bindes not to receive an enemy into bosome communion now so long as he stands out in his enmity he can be interpreted to be none other so long as hee sayes not It repents him yea and though a man doe not forgive in these two cases yet may he with a good conscience come to the Sacrament And therefore marke how our Saviour speakes Matth. 5. 23 24. If there thou remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee go thy wayes and bee first reconciled c. He doth not say If there thou remembrest that thou hast ought against thy brother Thereby shewing that the barre is against the party delinquent and that a person receiving injury and wrong so he come without malice and forgive in the first respect is not debarred Gods ordinance though he remit not in both the last just satisfaction not being tendred upon wrong done 6 Sixthly true love loves fervently fervent love and unfained love are joyned together 1 Pet. 1. 22. True love will abound and increase more and more 1 Thess 4. 10. Yee love all the brethren but we beseech you that ye increase more and more It sets it selfe no sint nor bounds it is ready and willing to give and take all occasions for increase and confirmation As fire is not only ready to kindle when blowne but ready to catch of it selfe any combustible matter being ministred True love hates all hypocriticall reservations and le ts out it selfe to the giving and imbracing of all opportunities that may prove incentives to it Thereby try and examine the truth of thy love A sparke will kindle to a flame if it bee true But this one thing discovers a great deale of hallow-hearted hypocriticall love in the world There bee that for their turnes and ends can doe more and dispense further than they will for God and his Commandement if God and his Commandement and coales heaped upon their heads call for the letting fall of their stomacks they cannot stoope to it nay with scorne and pride of spirit reject tenders and offers of love But if some end of their own to be compassed or turn of their own to be served then they can make a shift to make some shewes of love and desire of friendship but yet with resolutions to keepe a faire distance that there shall never bee an intire knitting and mutuall closing of affections and therefore set themselves bounds and a stint beyond which they are resolved never to passe They will not be wanting in common courtesies civill correspondencies but yet for intirenesse and intimate familiarity will be sure to block up the way thereto by affected distances and reservations of themselves They will be pardoned for familiarity that is more than needs A carriage faire to the worlds eye that the world shall not see but all is well they will frame to but further they resolve never to goe Surely they were as good say they will play the hypocrites with men and that their love shall be with dissimulation For love which sets it selfe bounds and bars beyond which it will not step that love steps not beyond hypocrisie That love which will not kindle which will neither bee blowne to a flame nor take flame it is love dissembled True fire though it bee ever so little a spark may be blowne and be brought to a flame but all the blowing in the world will never make painted fire burne Such persons are but like Salomons silverd potsheard Prov. 26. 23. Burning lips and a wicked heart are a potsheard covered with silver drosse What ever faire silverly shewes they make they are potsheards slubbered over with drosse Such love as is not fervent is fained So much for the examination of love Chap. 14. The Examination of Obedience CHAP. 14 THe last thing whose truth is to be examined is Obedience There is deceit in obedience and much hypocrisie may be in it Saul glories in his obedience 1 Sam. 15. 13. I have performed the commandement of the Lord. Behold I have obeyed God Yea after Samuel had pinched him with so close an answer he still stands to it Vers 20. Yea I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me And yet Samuel charges him still with rebellion and disobedience and leaves him not till he makes him confesse his sinne So ready are men to deceive themselves in their obedience to God as if their obedience were good and acceptable when there is no such matter Men will not be borne downe but that they are obedient people to God I have performed the commandement of the Lord Behold I have obeyed God sayes Saul and so say many as well as he as farre from it as was he But as Samuel there convinced Saul 1 Sam. 15. 14. so may men be convinced of disobedience What meanes then sayes Samuel this bleating of the sheepe in mine eares and the lowing of the Oxen which I heare There was not an Oxe that Iowed not a Sheepe that bleated but openly and loudly proclaimed Saul a disobedient person So men say they doe obey God and they are wronged to be charged with disobedience But what then meanes the bleating and the lowing of their oathes What meanes then the neglect of God in the publike ordinances in their private families what meane their Lords-day profanations what meane their whoredomes drunkennesse and other not bleating not lowing but crying loud crying sins in the eares of God and man It is needfull therefore that men examine their obedience whether it be such as is required in him that will be an orderly Communicant True obedience then may be knowne by these things 1 The Grounds of it 2 The End of it 3 The Properties of it The Grounds of obedience are 3. 1 First the ground of true obedience is the authority and will of God Gods will is that such a thing bee done and his power is soveraigne and absolute to command so as whatsoever hee commands it must bee done because he commands Therefore we shall finde Levit. 19. that in that one Chapter this one reason I am the Lord is used thirteene severall times The meaning whereof is this such and such commandements I enjoyne you if you will know the ground why you shold obey thē this is the ground I am the Lord a God of soveraigne power and authority and my will it is that such things be done And therefore it is that Gods will is brought in Scripture as the reason of the obedience that is required
brotherly fellowship Brother-hood implyes sometimes fellowship as Zech. 11. 14. I will breake the brother-hood betweene Iudah and Israel The naturall relation between them could not be broken but their mutuall society and fellowship should be broken they should be divided and dispersed each from other So then they that love the godly love their brother-hood their company their conference and communion with them This evidenceâ— tâ—â— truth of Davids love Psal 1â— 3. All my delight is in the Saints on earth my delight is in their company and conference Many in the world magnifie the Saints in heaven yea some over magnifie them whilest they would give divine worship to them but in the meane time make little account of the Saints on earth nay hate them imprison kill and burne them Apoc. 13. 7. but David delights in the Saints on earth Psal 119. 63. I am a companion of all them that feare thee and of them that keepe thy precepts Try then where lyes thy delight What is the company and society thou affectest If it be the society of the godly thy love is to them But this discovers the hypocrisie of many mens love They doe love godly men with all their hearts But yet examine who be their companions and marke who they be in whose society they delight and are they such as are godly and religious Take they not more delight in the fellowship of drunkards vaine and â—â—â—thy persons Is not godly company the most irkesome wearisome thing in the world to them What can cleere it more that men love not the godly It may be thou commendest them and speakest all good of them but if thou joyne not in society with them thou doest but as those before spoken of Acts 5. 13. They gave the beleevers good words but they durst not joyne themselves unto them It may be thou speakest not against them not because thou lovest them but because thou lovest thy selfe that they may not speake against thee It may be thou speakest well of them and all because with good words thou wouldest buy good words againe This is love in word in tongue but not in deed and in truth Look where thy delight and company is there is thy love 5 True love is hardly angred easily pleased Hardly angred 1 Cor. 13. 4. Charity suffers long Vers 5. It is not easily provoked It will suffer long and beare much ere it will break It may be provoked but not easily Easily pleased 1 Cor. 13. 4. Charity is kind Iames 3. 17. The wisdome that is from above is gentle easily to be intreated God is love sayes the Apostle 1 Iohn 4. 8. And God is slow to anger Ps 103. 8. He suffers long Exod. 34. 6. He is not easily provoked And he is easily reconciled Psal 103. 9. Neither will he keepe his anger for ever Nay not easily to be intreated but he intreates and beseeches us the offending parties to bee reconciled 2 Cor. 5. 20. Now what makes God so slow to anger so quick so easie to be appeased Because God is love It is the nature of love so to be and love is his nature The Apostle presses Christians to two speciall things Col. 3. 13. For bearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrell against any I but these bee hard things to bee done how shall a man come to be able to doe these things Therefore the Apostle teaches us a way how to doe it in the very next verse and words And above all things put on charity which is the bond of perfectnesse The way to do these things is to get charity and love Mark then the nature of love It is not easily provoked it is hardly angred it is a forbearing grace It is easie to be pleased It is a forgiving grace It is hardly angred because it forbeares It is easily pleased because it forgives Love is a forbearer and a forgiver Try thy selfe by this If thou art exceeding loth to be provoked sufferest much and sufferest long and art willing to beare till the number and weight of the burthens grow so heavie and unsupportable that thy back is ready to breake before thou complaine If thou art willing to swallow injuries and wrongs one in the neck of another so long as they are swallowable that they would not choake or poison thee if thou shouldest offer to swallow any more for no charity bindes a man openly to wrong himselfe such forbearance argues that thou hast put on charity If offences be given thee and wrong grosse wrong done thee yet if thou canst readily cheerefully willingly and cordially forgive it is a good signe of true love But how farre are many from the truth of this grace in their hearts who are easily off the hookes and presently provoked and all to peeces upon a small offence given nay it may be upon no offence given at all only upon an accidentall slip or a faile in a formality and complement No forbearance argues small charity As far are they from love that are of implacable irreconcileable spirits once lost and lost for ever whom no kindnesses can overcome whom no satisfactions can appease nor no wisdome can set in joynt againe Quest But what if a man have done me wrong and diverse wayes injured me by offensive carriages whether am I bound to forgive him or no hee seeking no reconciliation with me Am I bound to forgive where forgivenesse is not sought and must I stay from the Sacrament because I have not forgiven one that wrongs me and seekes not peace Answ In forgiving of an offender there be three things 1 The letting fall of al wrath malice and desire of revenge 2 The testification of forgivenesse A solemne profession of remission 3 The re-acceptance and re-admission of an offendour into former society communion and familiar converse For the first A man is bound to forgive in that respect whether the party offending aske forgivenesse or aske it not A man must so forgive as that he must beare no malice nor nourish any thoughts of revenge For though mine adversary sinne in his obstinacy yet his sin will not warrant me to sin in malice and thoughts of revenge If mine enemy will not doe that which belongs to him yet I may not doe that which belongs to God Therefore for matter of revenge and malice we must alwayes forgive and unlesse a man doe so forgive as to let fall all malice and thoughts of revenge he sins in comming to the Sacrament For the second Our Saviour gives a rule Luke 17. 4. If he trespasse against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turne againe unto thee saying It repents me or I repent thou shalt forgive him He doth not say If thy brother offend against thee seven times thou shalt forgive him seven times but if he say I repent Whether he say so or not I must forgive him in regard of malicious and vindictive thoughts But I
1 Thess 4. 3. For this is the will of God even your sanctification So 1 Thes 5. 18. 1 Pet. 2. 15. The ground therefore of all obedience must be the will and Commandement that if a man bee asked a reason of his obedience why he doth this or that he may be able to say I see it is Gods will and commandement it should be done and because it is his will therefore I doe it This was the ground of Davids obedience Psal 119. 4. 5. Thou hast commanded us to keepe thy precepts diligently Oh that my wayes were directed to keepe thy Statutes His desires were exceeding strong to give God obedience in keeping his statutes and the ground of it was Thou hast commanded That onely and properly is obedience which is done Intuitu voluntatis by looking at Gods will by having a respect or an eye to Gods commandement Psal 119. 6. and doing it because it is his will Looke as it is in the case of faith so is it in the case of obedience Then a man beleeves when the ground of his faith is onely the Word of God he beleeves onely because it is the Word and will of God he should beleeve If a man beleeve such a truth because he hath good arguments and reasons for it by which he is led to beleeve it this is science but not faith Thus is it in obedience to doe things commanded upon other grounds then the commandement is not obedience Suppose a man doe the same same thing that God commands and yet know not that God commands it this is no obedience or if a man do know that it is commanded but doth it not because it is commanded neither is this obedience to God for as where there is no Law there is no transgression so where there is no knowledge of a Law there is no obedience In all true obedience there must be a knowledge of and an eye to the will of God Rom. 12. 2. Proving what is the will of God that is searching and trying and so allowing the good and acceptable will of the Lord Ephes 5. 17. Vnderstanding what the will of the Lord is Both which places imply thus much that that onely is obedience indeed which is done upon the knowledge and conscience of being Gods will To doe that which is Gods will and not to doe it because it is his will is not obedience By this may a man try his obedience If thine heart can sincerely witnesse that the ground of thy obedience and all thine actions therein is Gods will that thou seest it is his will to have it done and because it is his will thou doest it such obedience is upon the right ground But by this may the unsoundnesse of many a mans obedience be discovered Some men come duly to publike duties of Gods worship and service but what is the ground Is it the will of God or the law of Man or the talke of the World that brings them thereunto Many a man is diligent in his calling followes it close and it is a thing commanded of God so to do But if a man doe it not because God wils it but because desire of gaine carries him on or necessity of maintenance forces him thereto this is no obedience to God but obedience to his covetousnesse or obedience to his necessities which call upon him for diligence and painfulnesse 2 Second ground of obedience The grace of faith True obedience must spring and flow from faith S. Paul speakes Rom. 16. 26. Of the obedience of faith that is that obedience which in beleeving we give to God But yet in a larger sense all obedience may be called the obedience of faith because by it we give God that obedience we give him Heb. 11. 8. By faith Abraham obeyed God Faith quickens and enables to obedience so as without it wee can give God no obedience Therefore Rom. 3. 3â— Faith stablishes the Law because it is faith that helpes a man to performe all the obedience he performes to it Faith is the ground of obedience thus 1 First a man must first beleeve what the will of God is before hee will goe about to yeeld it any obedience 2 Secondly all obedience flowes from a mans laying hold on the covenant of grace In that covenant God articles with us and binds himselfe to enable to obedience Ezek. 36. 27. Now this covenant must be laid hold on for ability and strength to obedience before a man can obey God It is true in obedience to every Commandement which is spoken of the fourth Isay 56. 4. That keepe my Sabbath and take hold of my Covenant In the Covenant there is promised strength unto obedience and this covenant being taken hold on strength to obedience is given Now that which layes hold upon the covenant is faith which from the covenant fetches ability to obedience 3 Thirdly CHRIST is the principle of all spirituall life and activity Iohn 15. 5. Phil 4. 13. Christ must first dwell in a man before hee hath strength in the inner man Ephes 3. 16 17. Now all vertue to be fetcht from Christ must be drawne out of him by faith And he by faith dwels in us Ephes 3. 17. No obedience till we have Christ effectually working in us and quickning us by his spirit and no Christ but by faith By this then a man may try the truth of his obedience If it be fruit comming from a root of faith it is good fruit I beleeved therefore I spake Psal 116. So if thou canst say I beleeve therefore I pray and doe God service Iohn 9. 38. He said Lord I beleeve and he worshipped him I beleeve therefore I sanctifie the Lords-day I beleeve and therefore I doe duties of obedience then is thine obedience true fruit of Paradise because it growes upon the tree of life But if thine obedience arise from a root only of morality it is but hedge fruit 3 Third ground of obedience is the true love of God and Christ Indeed obedience must not bee upon constraint but in one sense it is by constraint yet by the constraint of Love 2 Cor. 5. 14. For the love of Christ constrains us Love hath such an active power that it constraines us to obedience not only that love which Christ beares to us but which wee beare to him Obedience to God must be filiall obedience 1 Pet. 1. 14. As obedient children Now the obedience of a son to his Father flowes from love The love of his Father sets him on worke to do what his father commands The good son in the Vineyard Mat. 21. When his Father bid him go work in his Vineyard he at first said I will not but afterwards he repented and went and wrought in the Vineyard Now what was it that made him obey his Father his Father promised no wages if hee would go worke nor threatned him any evill if hee did not worke but there was only a bare command Mat. 21. 28.
Son go work to day in my Vineyard here are neither wages promised nor anger threatned and yet hee went It was neither hope of wages nor feare of punishment that carried him but meerely a sonlike love and the dutifull affection he owed to his Father that wrought upon his heart and constrained him to goe though at first he refused it And such is true obedience unto God Love unto God is the weight that sets the wheeles on going Iohn 14. If ye love me keepe my commandements 1 Iohn 5. 3. This is the love of God that we keepe his commandements Try we our obedience by this What is it that moves to obedience If thou canst plainely say as the servant Exod. 21. 5. I love my Master I will not goe out free so I love my God I will not sweare c. I love my God therfore I will yeeld him all carefull obedience If love be the weight and the oile that makes the wheeles run thine obedience is such as it ought to bee But this discovers a great deale of false obedience Some men yeeld obedience for the love of themselves the love of their credit Such was the Pharisees obedience in their almes prayers and fastings onely to purchase credit with men Such is a civill mans obedience whose obedience is only to such commandements and onely to such branches of those commandements the breach whereof would blemish his reputation and blurre his credit in the world Some yeeld obedience and worke in the Vineyard for their penny such as doe all they doe with a conceipt of binding God to them and bringing him into their debt Some againe yeeld some obedience neither for love nor wages but for meere feare for feare either of the penall lawes of men which fence any commandement of God or for feare of a greater measure of wrath in Hell None of all these is filiall obedience rising from love These are obedient workemen obedient slaves that dread the whip but not obedient children It is love to the Father not wages from the Father that is the ground of a childes obedience The sonne of a poore man that hath not a penny to give or leave him yeelds his father obedience as cheerfully as the sonne of a rich man that lookes for a great inheritance If there were no heaven Gods children would obey him and though no hell yet would they doe their duty So powerfully doth the love of their Father constraine them 2 Secondly the end of obedience that is obedience indeed is the honour and glory of God 1 Cor. 10. Whatsoever ye doe let all be done to the glory of God Iohn 15. 8. Herein is my Father glorified that yee beare much fruit The maine end that true obedience propounds is the glory of him that commands When Christs people give him obedience it is the setting of the crowne upon his head what makes him more a King than obedience Cant. 3. 11. Behold King Salomon with the Crowne wherewith his mother crowned him Now this is the main end of right obedience that the Crown may be set on Christs head that it may bring him in the honour of the King the crowned King of the Church Phil. 1. 11. Filled with the fruits of righteousnes which are unto the glory and praise of God Let every man examine his owne heart what his end is in his obedience If wee have any other maine end but Gods glory it makes it obedience to our end and not to God How many yeeld that obedience they do not to set the Crowne on Christs head but to set the crown upon their owne heads So doe hypocrites that seeke their owne praise and credit or profit so doe all specially that doe any thing with a conceit of meriting at Gods hand Such obedience as hath squint respects at base and by ends is in Gods sight as base as the ends it lookes at 3 Thirdly the properties of obedience And they are these 1 First true obedience to God must bee universall And that in a three-fold respect 1 In regard of the subject or person that yeelds obedience he must do it with the strength of his whole man and all the faculties thereof Ps 119. 4. To bee kept exceedingly Psal 103. 1. All that is within me And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. 2 In regard of the object and of the commandements to be obeyed They must be all obeyed Deut. 6. 25. Psal 119. 128. The obedience to bee given to God is a filiall obedience 1 Pet. 1. 14. Now filiall obedience must be universall Col. 3. 20. Children obey your parents in all things for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. It is not well pleasing to God when children will obey their parents only in what they thinke good That is to yeeld obedience upon courtesie and not upon duty See what a filiall obedience the sons of Ionadab gave their father Ier. 35. 8 10. In all that he hath charged us According to all our father commanded It was but an homely businesse that Kish sent Saul about all considered Kish a man of great substance A mighty man of power 1 Sam. 9. 1. And Saul his son a choise young man and a goodly not a goodlier man amongst all the children of Israel and yet his father sends him with one of his servants to seeke the Asses And though it were but a meane service yet Saul yeelds him obedience Our obedience to God must be a child-like obedience a childe-like obedience is universall to all commandements without exceptions dispensations and reservations Here Saul failed 1 Sam. 15. 3 In regard of all time Obedience must not be for some times nor for a time Not for sometimes to bee sometimes on and sometimes off but it must be a constant setled even course of obedience that God lookes for Some men have their fits of goodnesse and have their good daies as men in an ague but are fickle and loose hearted hold not their hearts close to God and good duties Thus is that obedience which the Scripture calls walking with God Some take a turne or two with him go with him three or foure steps but that is not walking with him Walking with God implies a setled even course of obedience to him Neither must obedience be for a time but it must be continuall to our lives end Luk. 1. 75. All the dayes of our lives 2 King 17. 37. He shall observe to doe for ever more Phil. 2. 8. Christ became obedient unto death that is as Beza expounds it Vnto his dying day not onely obedient in his death but Christs obedience as it begun at his incarnation so it continued to his dying day on the crosse 2 Secondly true obedience is prompt and present ready and speedy without shucking and hucking without delayes and consults Psal 119. 60. I made hast and delayed not Mar. 1. 18. And immediately they forsooke their nets and followed him Zech. 5. 9. They
that is commanded me and when I have done that which is my duty to doe I must say I am an unprofitable servant then how much more must I say it that am far short of doing all that in this particular I am commanded to do and have not done that which is my duty to do I doubt therefore that I may not come to the Sacrament because I cannot finde my selfe thus prepared I were better keepe away than come unlesse I were thus prepared I have done what I possibly can do but alas how short am I of what is required Answ 1. First have recourse here to that which before was said in the last point of the second Chapter Labour and endeavour to be as exactly prepared as possibly thou canst but if thou canst not attaine to that measure and degree of preparation thou desirest yet if thy heart witnesse to thee that what is wanting in thy preparation is not from sloth idlenesse and lothnesse to take paines but it is the highest degree that with all thy paines thou art able to attaine unto I say unto thee in this case as Saul spake to David in that 1 Sam. 17. 37. Goe and the Lord be with thee Go to the Sacrament and feare not but that the Lord will be with thee 2 Secondly if indeed thou hast no faith no repentance at all wrought or renewed in thee I would in any case advise thee to forbeare for why shouldest thou destroy thy selfe as Salomon speakes in that case Eccl. 7. 16. But now deale uprightly as in Gods presence and take heed as well of bearing false witnesse against thy self as against thy neighbour It is a sin to beare false witnesse against thy selfe as well as to foredoe thy selfe and therefore make conscience of it deale sincerely therefore Darest thou confidently and upon unquestionable grounds affirme it that thou hast no faith no repentance I much feare me sayest thou that I have not That is not the point what thou fearest but what thou assuredly knowest A man may have much faith that feares hee hath none yea there may bee greatest faith where there be greatest feares Thou upon serious examination of thine owne condition not upon an ignorant self-selfe-love darest not for a world resolutely and peremptorily say thou hast no faith no grace no part in Christ then take heed how thou upon thy feares forbeare Gods Ordinance 3 Thirdly if thou have done thine utmost in the sincerity of thy spirit to fit thy selfe for the duty and thine heart charges thee neither with any grosse guilt in thy life nor with any slothfull formality in thy preparation though thou canst not finde thy selfe so fitted as thou wouldest yet go to the Ordinance if it be upon conscience of giving God obedience Christ commands the use of the Sacrament Doe this in remembrance of me Now though thine owne feares discourage and dis-hearten thee and when thou lookest at thy selfe thou fearest to go yet if when thou lookest at Gods commandement and in the conscience of it fearest to stay away here in this conflict of feares let this last feare get the victory and be more afraid to stay from the Sacrament in regard of Gods commandement then to come to the Sacrament in regard of thy discouragement Gods commandement sayes Go thine own discouragements sayes Goe not Give obedience rather to Gods commandement than to thine owne feares Obedience yeelded to God out of pure conscience to his commandement yeelded I say against discouragements and feares may be no whit inferiour unto nor lesse acceptable then a preparation in a more exact and excellent degree then yet thou hast Such obedience is most excellent and most acceptable for that is the most excellent obedience when there is nothing else to toll and draw us on but only Gods commandement When a man finds himselfe in such a frame of spirit as that he questions not but to meet with comfort and a good answer at the Sacrament then possibly not Gods commandement but that comfort may rather seeme to draw him to the duty But now when a man hath some discouragements in regard of the feares of the indisposition of his spirit and yet in regard of Gods commandement dares not absent himself dares not but go it is cleere that such obedience is pure obedience because there is nothing to draw him on but Gods commandement and that hee doth the duty upon this ground Because God will have him do it that he doth it more for Gods sake than his own Excellent is that Exo. 14. 15. The Lord said unto Moses speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward Forwards Why there was great danger before them they go upon a manifest danger the Sea is before them As good go backward to the Aegyptians or as good stand still and let the Aegyptians come and put them to the sword as to goe forward It is but death to stand still but death to go backward and it is no better than death to goe forward What safety can be expected by going into the Sea Well for all this speake to the children of Israel that they go forward Now to go forward because God commands it when nothing but present danger in sight was an argument of pure obedience it was not safety but conscience of obedience to Gods commandement that carried them forwards A man in the truth and sincerity of his spirit hath done his utmost in his preparation and yet his heart misgives him that he shall sin to go to the Sacrament and that he shall run himselfe upon a manifest danger speake unto such a man that he go forward because God commands him to doe him this service and his going forward in obedience being pure obedience it shall returne him at last as great comfort as if he had beene so prepared as his desire was to have beene Object I but my heart is full of feares and doubts I feare and tremble to come to Gods Ordinance in my feares Answ Yet come Feares in comming are no barre to comfort Thou mayest come in feare and yet goe away with much comfort See Mark 5. 33. The Woman fearing and trembling came and fell downe before him And what sayes Christ to her Vers 34. Daughter go in peace She comes to Christ with feare she goes away in peace she came trembling she goes away rejoycing If her feare and trembling had kept her from Christ she had missed of that sweet and comfortable answer Daughter go in peace We know not what comfort we deprive our selves of when we suffer our feares and jealousies to prevaile so farre with us as to keepe us from Christ in his Ordinances Object But my feare is that I shall not meet with Christ nor finde him in his Ordinance and therefore what should I do there Answ A man may then meet with Christ and find him when he least of all hopes to finde him Mary meets with Christ Iohn 20. 15. and supposes
semper passio sist in memoâ—ia c. Cypr. de caena Dom. Mâ—dâ—tâ—â—io â—uminat â—â—vores vulne 〈◊〉 fixuâ—as â—la vorum lanceam ut acetum persecutoâ—uÌ„ faeviâ—iam Apostoloâ—um fugam moâ—â—em â—urpissimam corporis sepulturum Bernard Hom de dâ—ob Discip eâ—nt ad Eâ—â— wrath upon the crosse Behold the man saies Pilate That is our duty to doe now by meditation to represent unto our selves the bitternesse of Christ's passion Exod. 24. 8. And Moses tooke the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said Behold the blood of the Covenant So here Behold the Lambe of God that takes away the sins of the world Ioh. 1. and behold the blood of that innocent and spotlesse Lambe yea behold him now shedding his precious blood to take away the sinnes of the world and looke upon him as the Scape-goat bearing and carrying our sinnes upon him Represent we unto our selves in our meditations as lively as wee are able all the sorrowes of Christ's passion Ps 26. 6. How prodigious a darkenesse was there at Christ's passion for three houres together Surely a speciall end of this darknesse was to shew the dreadfull and horrible wrath of God against his owne Sonne now hanging on the crosse a sacrifice for the worlds sinnes was it nothing or was it but a small matter that God did manifest his wrath against him by letting loose the tongues and hands of all his carnall enemies against him but that the Lord himselfe from heaven would reveale his wrath against the unrighteousnesse of the world which now lay upon him Now stood Christ in our stead we should have suffered the horrour of darkenesse for ever even that blacknesse of darknesse as Iude calls it Now Christ undertaking for us he suffers darknesse And God by this as by a visible signe would testifie that the blacknesse of darkenesse caused by Gods wrath for sin was upon him Thereby conceive wee in some sort the sad plight and wofull agony in which Christ then was God causes the Sun to shine upon the Iust and the unjust Mat. 5. 45. But now that Christ is a sacrifice for our sinnes and to suffer his Fathers wrath for them he must not have so much as the common comfort of the light of the Sunne but as if hee were of all vnjust ones the most unjust the very light of the Sunne shall be taken from him and hee be left in horrid darknesse Do but looke upon Christ on the crosse under all our sins lying upon him and how heavie a presse how ponderous a waight was that But consider besides this how many were the paines of his body by their inhumane and barbarous usages what was the bitter exacerbation of his Spirit by so many base and ignominious reproches of all his malignant opposites what was it nothing to be scourged to give his cheekes to the smiters to be spitefully intreated to be spitted on and indure all those outragious insolencies of his enemies before and at his crucifying Oh! how bitter were these things But consider besides all this to have all the power of Hell against him and all those Lyons Bulls Vnicornes and Dogs to be taken up and imployed in assaulting and afflicting him Oh! how past all conception of the understanding of man was the smart of this misery Heere was Earth against him here was Hell against him And yet Earth and Hell not enough but Heaven it selfe against him After all this to have God his Father from Heaven by this prodigious dreadfull and long darkenesse to testifie his wrath against him here was that which added waight and perfection to all the rest To be three whole houres together under a visible signe of the darkenesse of Gods countenance under the darkenesse of the sense of his wrath witnessed from Heaven by the darkenesse of the Sun how bitter and sharp a conflict was this above all the rest Thus represent we to our selves Christ hanging on the crosse thus Behold the Lambe of God rosting in the fire of wrath yea further After that we have seene Christ thus for three houres space in deepe silence conflicting in this time of darknesse with all these sorrowes Now as not able any longer to hold his peace thinke wee that we heare him by that formidable cry manifesting the bitternesse and unutterable extremity of his passion My God my God Why hast thou forsaken me All these three darke houres was Christ drinking this bitter cup and now at the third houres end was he come to the dregs and lees of it This was the sharpest paroxisme and fit of his passion Now were the envenomed arrowes of the Almighty shot up to the heads in his soule And how can we see and heare Christ suffering all this for us and not withall in our meditations stand astonished at the heynousnesse and hideousnesse of our sinnes for which no other way of expiation could be made but by this bitter passion of Christ Behold in the passion of Christ as in a glasse the greatnesse of sinne Thinke we sadly with our selves Surely sinne against God must needs be more than men commonly esteeme it It could be no small matter for which the deare Sonne of God did suffer such horrible and dreadfull torments on the crosse Let we out our hearts therefore here in the meditation of the greatnesse of our sinnes And withall Ad victimam illam pendentem in cruce nos conferemus Ibi vere contemplabimur Deum ibi in ipsum cor Dei introspiciemus quod fit misericors quod nobis mortem peccatoris c. Luther in Gen. 19. let we out our hearts especially in the meditation and admiration of such unmatchable love and goodnesse as God hath shewen in the worke of our Redemption Labour to comprehend what is the bredth and length and depth and height and to know and see the love of Christ which passeth knowledge What heart is able sufficiently to admire the depth of the riches the bottomelesse depth the unfadomable depth of the riches of Gods love and mercy in Christ How may wee with David cry out Lord what is man that thou art mindefull of him Psalm 8. 4. and upon a better ground with Iob Iob 7. 17. What is man that thou shouldest magnifie him and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him especially that thou shouldest so be mindefull of him that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him as to give the Sonne of thy love to suffer the cursed death of the crosse to make us cursed children firebrands of hell damned hell-hounds heires of blessings and eternall life Is not here matter of meditation and admiration to take up all the thoughts and hearts of men and Angels And how should such love fire and inflame our hearts with holy love to God and Christ How should our hearts grow warme and hot within Tribue ut concaleat cor meum intra me in meditatione mea exardescat ignis Aug. medit c. 17. us That as David
speakes in another case Psalme 39. 3. Mine heart was hot within me whilest I was musing the fire burned So whilest we are thus musing and meditating of the love of Christ in his passion the fire should burne and our hearts should waxe hot within us the fire and flame of our love to Christ should kindle and grow hot in our hearts The view of his passion should worke in us an holy Rogo te per illa salutifera vulnera tua quae passus es in cruce pro salute nostra e quibus emanavit pretiosus ille sanguis quo sumus redemptiâ— vulnera hanc animam meam peccatricem pro qua etiam mori dignatus es vulnera eam igneo potentissimo telâ— tuae nimiae Charitatis Configcor meum jaculo tui amoris ut di cat tibi anima mea Charitate tua vulnerata sum c. Aug. lib. medit c. 37. passion of love The view of his wounds should wound our hearts with holy and enlarged affection to him Follow and goe along with CHRIST in all his sufferings in thy meditations Begin where his passion begun Iohn 12. 27. follow him thence into the Garden from thence into the High Priests Hall from thence into the Iudgement Hall from thence to the Crosse There is not a passage in all the story that affordes not matter of meditation and not a meditation that may not set forth his love to thee and kindle thine to him Thus therefore at the Sacrament should our hearts be imployed in the meditation of CHRISTS death and passion and thus should we make that good Cant. 1. 12. Whilest the King Sitâ—â— at his Table my spikenard sends forth the smell thereof that is whilest CHRIST had communion with me my graces were exercised and manifested themselves even then whilest I had fellowship with him As CHRIST sate at Table Mary tooke a pound of oyntment of Spikenard very costly and annoynted the feete of Iesus and the house was filled with the odour of the oyntment So the King sits at his table and when wee sit at his table in the SacrameÌ„t we shold cause our spikenards to send forth the smell thereof That we do when in the ordinance we take up our hearts with the holy meditations of the love of Christ in his bitter passion Such holy meditations are the smell of the spikenards and are as pleasing to Christ as Maries spikneard was that filled the whole house with the odour therof This Christ commandes and makes it one maine end of the Institution of the Sacrament Doe this in remembrance of me therefore appointed he the Sacrament that therein we might in speciall manner meditate upon his passion and his love to us therein David had a Psalme of Remembrance Psalme 38. in the title But for the death of Christ his love in it and the benefits by it we have not onely some Psalmes of Remembrance as Psalme 16. 22 and 69. and others but besides the Lord Christ hath to the worlds end appointed a Sacrament of Remembrance that this great worke of CHRISTS death and his infinite love and mercy therin might above all other workes bee meditated upon and had in remembrance One specially in the Evangelists is worth our notice Some of Christs workes are specified only by one Evangelist at his turning of Water to wine as his healing the sick man at the poole of Bethesda his healing that blind man Ioh. 9. Some of them are specified by two Evangelists as the history of Christs birth by Matthew and Luke Some things are recorded by three of them as the Institution of the Sacrament of the Supper But as for Christs death and Passion it is recorded by them all foure Onely two write the History of his birth but all foure the History of his death without doubt to teach us that though all Christs workes and actions are to be seriously minded meditated upon and remembred yet none so speciall as his death and sufferings And therefore specially should his death be meditated upon at the Sacrament whose institution was purposely for the remembrance of it Therefore ought men to make speciall conscience of this duely How cold and dead a remembrance of Christs death is the receiving of the Sacrament without this serious meditation of the bitternesse of his death and the sweetnesse of his love therein Wee make not good the end of the Sacrament without it yea wee as much as in us lyes make the Sacrament but a dumbe shew What remembrance is there of Christs death in such receiving the Sacrament Makes it bee in a fresh crucifying him againe by our unworthy receiving 2 Secondly An exercise of Repentance And this exercise of Repentance must be in two things 1. First in godly sorrow for sinne 2. Secondly in a solemne renewing of our Covenants with God 1. First in godly sorrow for sinne for our owne sinnes in particular for which Christ did undergoe all that sorrow and smart in his sufferings Wee have in the Sacrament a representation of the sufferings of Christ wee have him crucified before our eyes Behold saies Iohn the Lambe of God that takes away the sinnes of the world In the Sacrament should we behold him taking away the sinnes of the world In it we see and behold Christ crucified wee see his hands feete and side pierced now this sight should so affect us as it should pierce the very hearts of us What The blessed Sonne of GOD to strip himselfe of his glory to humble and abase himselfe to the ignominious and accursed death of the Crosse The glorious Sonne of GOD thus abused and abased Why How comes this about The only begotten Sonne of the Father to make such bitter lamentation My God my God why hast thou forsaken me What may the cause of all this be Alas all this was for our sinnes It was not Iudas not the Iewes not Pilate not the Souldiers but they were our sinnes thy sinnes my sinnes that put the Sonne of God to all his sorrow We we and none but we were the evill beasts that devour'd this Ioseph Our sinnes were so heinous and had so provoked the Iustice of God that there was no way to satisfie Gods Iustice to appease his wrath and to make our atonement but by the pretious bloud of the Sonne of God crucified on the Crosse And shall I now see my sins lye so heavy upon him as to make him sweate bloud shall I see him even squeezed under the huge weight of my sinnes shall I see my sinnes crowne him with thornes nayle his hands and feete to the Crosse Gore his side with the speare with an unpierced heart Oh the deepe sorrow that our hearts should bee leavened withall when wee see Christs body brusing and bleeding in the Sacrament Christ our Passeover is sanctified for us The Passeover was to be eaten with bitter herbes or will bitternesses Exod. 12. 5. And how happy is that soule that in this respect can say at the