needs be weak and groundless that our blessed Saviour is the true Messias whom God hath long since sent forth into the World and that none other is to be expected by us and this I have done according to my propounded method chiefly by those Arguments with which my Text furnishes us taken from the Consideration of the time when the manner how and the reason and end wherefore he came into the World And in the doing of it I have insisted more or less upon all the material Circumstances mentioned by the Prophets as it were so many infallible Notes and Characters by which the Messias was to be known and discerned from all the rest of Mankind and shewed you that every one of them is exactly fulfilled to a tittle in the person of our Saviour and that it is absolutely impossible that they ever should agree to any other person whatsoever the time prefixed by God for the coming of the Messias being long since past so that it is now beyond the Power of Omnipotence it self to recal it If then our blessed Saviour be the true Messias whom God out of his great love to Mankind hath sent into the World to reconcile it unto himself redeem us from the Curse of the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons and that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life woe be to all those that receive him not as such How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation For there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved but that of the Lord Jesus Christ In him therefore let us stedfastly believe committing the keeping of our souls unto him in well-doing as unto a faithful Redeemer that is both mighty and willing to save us owning him to be our great Prophet that hath revealed unto us the whole Will of God by our firm Belief of all his Divine Doctrine owning him to be our great High Priest who by the Sacrifice of himself once offered hath made an atonement for our Sins and ever liveth to make Intercession unto God for us by our relying wholly upon his merits for Salvation owning him to be our Soveraign our Almighty Lord and King able to defend and protect us in this World and to reward us in the next by yielding a constant impartial and universal Obedience to all his most holy Laws and Commandments Thus if we own him here before men he will hereafter own us before his Father which is in Heaven and when those that have rejected him shall be covered with eternal Shame and Confusion blacker than that darkness into which they must be for ever banished from the Presence of the Lord he shall cloath us with the glorious Robe of his own righteousness and admit us into the everlasting Happiness of his heavenly Kingdom to those Pleasures which are at God's right hand for evermore SERMON IV. 1 COR. VI. 20. For ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods INgratitude is a Crime so base and unnatural so repugnant to the Dictates of reason that no Man of a generous Spirit can endure to be guilty of it The slightest Favour we receive from any of our Friends if it proceed from an hearty Intention to do us good deserves at least our kind acceptance and thanks But such a Signal and extraordinary Obligation may be laid upon us even by an earthly Benefactor that we can do no less than devote our lives and fortunes to his Service and think it little enough for an acknowledgment of his kindness But still the greatest Benefits that we can receive from the hand of Man are nothing in comparison of the least of those which we receive daily from the hand of God from whom alone comes every good and perfect gift Every Favour of his is inestimable that we breath his Air that we drink his Water that we tread upon his Earth that we seed upon his Creatures that we behold his Light that he created us and brought us out of the dark Abyss when before we had no Being and that he still preserves and protects us these Mercies sufficiently declare that all that we have all that we are except what we made our selves by sin we have and are from him and that therefore he most justly Challenges a right both to our Bodies and our Souls all that we can do or suffer for him is inconsiderable in comparison of the good we have received from him And yet all these Mercies which I have already mentioned are nothing to that which is behind his Redemption of us by the Death of his only begotten Son whereas otherwise we had been lost and undone for ever This surely was the utmost Effort of infinite Love and Goodness a Mercy which the more it is considered the more it will be admired and will be the eternal Subject of our wonder as well as of our Praise and Thanksgiving in Heaven And now what doth God require of us as an acknowledgment of this unconceivable Favour Not thousands of rams nor ten thousands of rivers of oyl 't is only this that we will glorifie him that hath redeemed us For ye are bought c. Which words contain these three things 1. God's Mercy towards us he hath bought us with a Price and so we are his by right of Purchase 2. The Duty which thereupon he requires us to perform to him we must therefore glorifie him 3. The manner how we must do it in our Body and in our Spirit forasmuch as he hath redeemed and purchased both of them and both are his For ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods Let us take a view of God's mercy towards us first and when we have had a true Prospect of that we shall be the better enabled to discern how great an Obligation lies upon us to perform that Duty which thereupon the Apostle in the name of God requires of us To take a view of God's mercy is an hard Task though it is a very pleasant one to take a full view of it is indeed impossible for either Men or Angels since his mercy is as himself is infinite and the greatest instance of his mercy which the Scripture makes mention of is that which he hath shewed to Mankind 'T is true he created Creatures of an higher order and nobler nature than Man even the glorious Angels of Light whom he ordained to be the immediate Attendants about his Throne and advanced to the highest Honour and Felicity in his heavenly Kingdom These as they were the First-born of the Creation so they received a double Portion from their Creator and whereas he made Man only the Lord of his Footstool here below he admitted them to be Inhabitants of his Palace above and assigned to them everlasting Mansions of Light and Glory Thus far God's Love
Almighty Creatour But though the reasonableness of this Duty must needs be apparent to all Men that believe that there is a God and they that believe not that though they may seem to be Rational Creatures are certainly most notorious Fools yet all Men are not so clearly agreed how to perform this Duty and that is the next thing that falls under our Consideration and the last Particular to be handled in my Text the manner how we must glorifie God we must do it in our Body and in our Spirit forasmuch as he hath redeemed and purchased both of them and both are his For ye are bought with a price c. First We must glorifie God in our Spirit that is in our Soul and in this all Parties are agreed even the very Quakers themselves the most stupid and senseless Fanaticks that have surfeited upon Religion and overwhelmed and oppressed their Reason by that very thing which was designed to refine and perfect it will all of them acknowledge that God is to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth and that their Soul ought to bow to him though their Body be as inflexible as a Pillar of Marble And indeed this is the chief and main thing that we are to take care of in the worship of God that our Soul be zealously and earnestly intent upon what we are about for God sees not as Man sees he regards not so much the outward Gestures of our Body though as I shall shew hereafter he expects these from us too but he looks especially upon the inward Thoughts and Intentions of our Heart and if these be not right all our bodily worship is nothing worth If we draw near to God with our Lips and our Heart be far from him if we lift up our Eyes and our Hands to Heaven and our Mind be wedded to the World if we prostrate our Bodies upon the Earth and lay our Mouths in the Dust yet if our Spirit be not proportionably humbled all this is no better than gross Hypocrisie a downright mocking of God who cannot be deceived with counterfeit shews and shadows of Religion If therefore we desire to glorifie God aright we must be sure chiefly and principally to glorifie him in our Spirit and as Solomon advises us we must keep our Heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life Prov. 4.23 Now this glorifying God in our Spirit implies briefly thus much That we make a free-will-offering of our Soul unto God committing the keeping of it unto him as unto a faithful Creator permitting him to guide and govern it according to his own good will and pleasure throughout the whole course of our life in whatsoever circumstances both in Prosperity and Adversity so that every thought and motion of it may evermore tend to his Glory He that hath made such an Offering as this unto God will always remember that he is not his own but that his Body and Soul are bought with a price and that both of them are God's and consequently will be careful to direct all his Thoughts Words and Actions to this one end that the Glory of God may be advanced by whatsoever he undertakes He will have God always in his thoughts as the only Object of his highest Love and Adoration and this will make him watch continually over his Soul and keep it pure and undefiled that no unclean thing may enter into that Spirit which is wholly devoted to the God of Purity For certainly nothing can be a more powerful motive to induce us to keep our Heart with all diligence than the consideration of God's Omnipresence and Omniscience that he sees us perpetually in our most private Retirements and searches and knows our most secret and hidden thoughts Hence it was that God himself gave that command to the Father of the Faithful Gen. 17.1 Walk before me and be thou perfect He that walks before God that is he that orders his whole Life and Conversation as knowing and considering that God's Eye is always upon him cannot chuse but endeavour to keep both his Soul and his Body blameless and undefiled and strive to be perfect as his Father which is in Heaven is perfect Again he that hath made such an Offering as this of his Soul unto God will be careful that in all things his Soul be obedient and conformable to the Will of God In his Health and Prosperity if Riches increase he will not set his Heart upon them but with Humility and Thankfulness will receive them as knowing himself not to be a Proprietor but a Steward only of the manifold Blessings of God and will accordingly dispose of them so that God may have the Glory and his distressed Brethren the benefit of his Wealth On the other hand if God sends Trouble and Affliction unto him if he deprives him of his Estate or his Health or both together whatsoever Calamity befalls him he will still bless and praise his Name as well when he takes away as when he gives when he smites as well as when he heals knowing and considering that whatsoever he either enjoys or suffers in this World comes to him from the Hand of an infinitely wise and good and gracious Father that will be sure first or last to make all things work together for good to them that love him Thus will the blessed Will and Pleasure of God be unto him as it were the Load-star to guide and direct his Soul how to steer its course towards the Haven of everlasting Happiness streight and steddy through all the Changes and Chances of this mortal life teaching him that hard Lesson which so few can learn how to separate Riches from Pride and Poverty from Impatience that neither the one may prevail with him to forget God and worship Mammon nor the other to repine at the Divine Providence and to fret and vex himself at the Prosperity of his Brethren If God blesses him he will acknowledge himself to be less than the least of all his Mercies and if he afflicts him he will receive it as the Correction of a tender Father that pities and loves his Children even when he chastizes them Lastly He that hath made this Offering of his Soul unto God whensoever he is in God's House in order to the celebration of his Publick Worship or whensoever he is in his Closet performing his Private Devotions will be exceeding careful to set his Heart and Affections then especially upon those things which are above he will be sure to banish all worldly thoughts out of his Mind and study to behave himself so as becomes one that is admitted to appear in the Presence-Chamber of the King of Kings either to put up his Petitions to him or to receive his Commands following that excellent Counsel of Solomon Eccl. 5.1 Keep thy Foot when thou goest to the House of God and be more ready to hear than to give the Sacrifice of Fools for they consider not that
themselves in the Worship of God may justly expect such an answer from him as he gives to the Priests that offered polluted bread upon his Altar Mal. 1.8 Offer it now unto thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy Person saith the Lord of Hosts In the Oriental Countries therefore where men never use this Ceremony of uncovering their Heads to their Superiours but stand covered even in the Presence of their Emperour neither is it practicable in their Temples since amongst them the uncovering of the Head is so far from being acknowledged to be a Demonstration of Honour and Respect that it is indeed lookt upon to be an absurd and ridiculous thing and therefore instead thereof they use to put their Shooes off their feet whensoever they enter'd into their Churches which is a Custom in those parts of greater Antiquity perhaps than Moses himself it being not at all improbable that that command which God gave to him in the Bush Exod. 3.5 was no institution of a new Ceremony but only an information that that place was hallowed by the extraordinary Presence of God and therefore he ought to behave himself with the same fear and reverence and to use the same manner of Worship and Adoration which in those Countries was usual and customary in the Temples and holy Places dedicated to the Service of God Put off thy shooes saith he from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground And had the Ceremony of uncovering the Head been in use in those Countries as it is here we may rationally conjecture that God would have altered his Command accordingly But to leave these remote Countries with which we are not much concerned and to return to our own from what hath been said it is plain that the outward Gestures and Ceremonies which we are obliged to use in the publick Worship of God are chiefly these three kneeling at Prayers Standing up at other times when it is appointed by the Church and having our Heads uncovered at all times As for sitting though the general practice of all men hath made it to be connived at in the time of the Sermon or the like yet it is a posture that is never very commendable in the Church it is certainly in the time of Prayer most intolerable and he that uses it least at other times deserves most commendation and comes nearest to the practice of the first and purest Ages of Christianity It was therefore a pious resolution of Biship Hall to this purpose in one of his Meditations God saith he is the Lord of my Body also and therefore challenges as well reverent Gesture as inward Devotion I will ever in my Prayers either stand as a servant before my Master or kneel as a Subject to my Prince I might instance in more particulars but that I may hasten to a conclusion I shall name only this one which will comprehend all the rest and that is That our Bodily Worship may be compleat we must take care that our Tongue be duly employed in bearing its part in the publick Service of God as the Church hath appointed which if we would do we should avoid that scandalous Behaviour which is too commonly seen in our Churches of whispering and laughing and playing idle Tricks which is a thing to be abominated by all pious and devout Christians Thus I have shewed you according to my ability the Summ and Substance of this duty of glorifying God in our Body and in our Spirit which that we may evermore perform effectually God of his infinite mercy vouchsafe to direct sanctifie amd govern both our hearts and Bodies in the ways of his Laws and in the Works of his Commandments that through his most mighty protection both here and ever we may be preserved in Body and Soul through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ SERMON VI. HEB. IV. 14. Seeing then that we have a great High-priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our Profession THERE are four several Steps or Degrees of our Saviour's Exaltation Three of which are already past and the other is yet to come The first is his Resurrection from the Dead The second is his Ascension into Heaven The third is his Session at the Right Hand of God The fourth is his coming again with Glory to judge both the Quick and the Dead The first of these his Resurrection from the Dead we Commemorated at Easter and the present time invites us now to Exercise our Meditations upon the second his Ascension into Heaven and any Text furnishes us with a very excellent Method for the doing of it to the Glory of God and the Good and Comfort of our own Souls For first the Apostle lays down the Truth of this Doctrine that our Saviour is ascended into Heaven and secondly he shews us what influence the consideration of his Ascension should have upon us So that the Text it self is an Epitome of a Sermon containing both Doctrine and Application The Doctrine that our Saviour is ascended into Heaven the Apostle takes for granted in the former part of the Verse Seeing then that we have a great High-priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God And this Doctrine he confirms chap. 9. ver 24. For Christ is not entred into the Holy Places made with Hands which are the Figures of the true but into Heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us and chap. 7. ver 26. Such an High-priest became us who is Holy Harmless Vndefiled separate from Sinners and made higher than the Heavens The Application which the Apostle makes of this Doctrine is in the latter part of my Text and it is this that since Christ is ascended into Heaven we ought stoutly and resolutely to maintain the Profession of our Christian Religion and to contend earnestly for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints Seeing then c. In speaking to which Text I shall do these three Things First I shall shew that Jesus Christ our Redeemer the Eternal Son of God is truly ascended into Heaven Secondly That he ascended thither as our High-priest And Thirdly I shall conclude with the Apostles Application and shew you how strongly this should oblige us to hold fast our Profession First I shall shew you That Jesus Christ our Redeemer the Eternal Son of God he who we own and believe to be the true Messias whom all the Prophets pointed at is truly ascended into Heaven And here it will be necessary to clear two Things by the way First What is meant by that Heaven into which Christ is ascended And secondly how and in what manner he is said to have ascended thither For the first of these not to trouble you with an account of all the several Significations of the word Heaven in Scripture we are to understand by that Heaven into which our Saviour is ascended the Heaven of
and incorruptible Inheritance which our High-priest hath purchased for us in Heaven Thus I say if in this World God hath blessed us with Wealth and Honour the consideration of our Saviour's Ascension will be a powerful means to restrain us from the abuse of those Blessings so that we shall neither Idolize our Wealth with the Covetous nor with the Prodigal waste and consume it upon our Lusts But shall wisely improve it to our best advantage so as to make to our selves friends of the Mammon of Unrighteousness Secondly On the contrary hath God dealt otherwise with us Hath he with-held these Blessings from us Is our Condition in this World very Poor and Mean so that we have not where-withal to help our selves but are fain to be beholding both for Food and Raiment and whatsoever is necessary to the support of our Lives to our richer Neighbours The consideration of our Saviour's Ascension into Heaven will exceedingly comfort us and support our Spirits in the midst of our Want and Penury For how can we be troubled at our low Fortune in this World when we remember that we have an High-priest in Heaven that hath a Crown of Glory in his Hand ready to put on our Heads as soon as our Earthly Tabernacle is dissolved Nay more than this is our Condition here yet worse Are we not only Poor and Despicable but are we moreover Persecuted for Righteousness sake Doth the World frown upon us and rage against us with all its Fury Let us not be discouraged for all this And we cannot be if we consider as it follows in the Verse after my Text that in Heaven we have not an High-priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without Sin He himself when he was here on Earth was so Poor that he had not an House wherein to lay his Head He was all his Life long a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief and was at the last most cruelly and despightfully Persecuted even unto Death And as he himself was for the suffering of Death crowned with Glory and Honour so hath he promised the same Reward to all those that suffer for his sake Blessed are they which are Persecuted for Righteousness sake For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5.10 How then can Persecution seem grievous to us when we consider that we suffer for our High-priest who hath suffered far greater and bitterer Torments for us than we can do for him and who now sits on the Right Hand of God ready to make us a vast amends for our light and momentary Affliction here by bestowing upon us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Thus powerful is the Meditation of our Saviour's Ascension to guide and direct us to make us wary and cautious in Prosperity and to strengthen and comfort us and to make us patient and couragious in Adversity and to arm and fortifie us both against the smiles and frowns of the World Nay Secondly When Death it self approaches near us when the King of Terrors is ready to seize upon us the same Meditation will make us bid that Hour welcome when we consider that we have an High-priest in Heaven that hath swallowed up Death in Victory so that to all true Believers it is now but asleep the Gate through which we must enter into Eternal Life Again Thirdly Which is worse than Death and which is the very sting and poyson of Death it self are we at any time terrified and affrighted at the sight of any grievous Sin into which by the Temptation of the Devil and through our own Lusts we have fallen Is our Soul smitten into the place of Dragons and brought down as it were even to Hell with the dreadful apprehension of the Wrath of God which thereby we have justly deserved Let not the Devil who in such a Case is ever ready to do it perswade us to Despair that there is no hopes of Mercy for us but that now God hath hid his Face from us for ever and that he will be no more intreated by us But let us say with the Psalmist Why art thou cast down O my Soul and why art thou disquieted within me Hope thou in God For I shall yet praise him who is the health of my Countenance and my God Let us remember that tho' we have sinned yet we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is the Propitiation for our Sins Let us remember that tho' we have sinned yet we have a great High-priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God who ever lives to make Intercession for us Let us not therefore Despair but Repent Let us trusting in the Merits and Righteousness of our High-priest come boldly tho' humbly and penitently to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain Mercy and find Grace to help in time of need And if we do so come we may assure our selves that we shall find both Grace and Mercy Not one Tear that proceeds from godly Sorrow shall drop to the ground not one penitential Sigh shall be breathed in vain but our High-priest will be sure to present all our Tears our Sighs our Prayers and Supplications before his Father and never cease his Intercession in our behalf until our Pardon be Sealed in Heaven Thus you see that in whatsoever Circumstances we are engaged the Meditation of our Saviour's Ascension is ever extremely beneficial to our Souls And seeing that it is so how should it oblige us to hold fast our Profession How should the thoughts of this as they are ever profitable so be ever welcome and dear unto us Let us not then set up our Staff on this side Jordan let us not lie groveling upon Earth nor suffer our selves to be enamoured of the Things of this World which are not worthy of our Thoughts but let us seek those Things which are above where Christ sitteth on the Right Hand of God Let us remember that here we are but Strangers and Pilgrims and therefore let us behave our selves so as becomes Sojourners using this World so as if we used it not knowing that our own Native Country where we expect our Inheritance is afar off even in Heaven whither our High-priest is passed before us to prepare a place for us Oh then if we desire hereafter to ascend up thither after him that we may for ever be Happy in his Presence let us now hold fast our Profession That we may be able at that great Day to meet the Lord in the Air and to ascend up with him into Heaven let us now Purifie our selves even as he is Pure Let us lay aside every Weight and the Sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the Race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our Faith who for the Joy that was set before him endured the