did hang on the crosse basely and contemptibly and that he had the dispensation and disposing of it The second is a perswasion that he will not keepe it to himselfe but that he will impart it unto others The third is that he will impart it to others who are poore penitent sinners not onely to the just but to the penitent and this was the ground of his prayer Now every one of us must lay this ground of prayer First he must be perswaded that Christ hath a kingdome and that he was come into it and hath the power and dispensation of it so Matth. 28. 18. All power is given wee in heaven and in earth so Ioh. 5. 22. For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement to the Sonne Secondly a perswasion that he will not keepe it to himselfe but will impart it to others even as a conduite receiving water doth not keepe it to it selfe but conveies it to others so Christ received this kingdome not to keepe it to himselfe but to convey it unto us as Luk. 22. 29. therefore I appoint unto you a kingdome as my Father hath appointed unto me so Christ doth not retaine it to himselfe but hee doth impart it to all others Thirdly that he will impart it to poore penitent sinners Matth. 9. 13. our Saviour saith that he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance and therefore if men will repent of their sinnes let them not feare but that Christ will bestow it on them for he will not bestow his kingdome on the just onely but on poore penitent sinners this is the ground of his prayer Now for the prayer it selfe and herein wee observe two things 1. What he prayed for 2. The time when hee prayed First for what he prayed hee prayed to bee remembred when Christ came into his kingdome hee did not pray Christ to pull the nailes and spickes out of his hands and feet to have his body saved or his paines mitigated or asswaged but he desires to be remembred when he comes into his kingdome so he lets all the care of his body goe and applyeth himselfe to have his soule saved to be remembred when Christ comes into his kingdome Now with the other all his care was for the saving of his body and to have his body eased of his paines which because Christ would not asswage he railes on him but this man is contented to let all goe so his soule may be saved now in these Theâ—ves are figured out all the men in the world when they come to dye with some all their care is to have their life prolonged their bodies saved to have their paines asswaged and eased so wee see it was the care of Ahaziah king of Israel shall I recover my fall all his care was to know whether he should recover of a bodily cure so it is with the world all their care is to know whether they shall recover or no but the Saints care not so much for the saving of their bodies as their soules let the body suffer what it will they are contented to suffer any paines so they may have their soules saved I have shewed you heretofore that if an house bee on fire they will fetch out all the best things so that if any perish it shall bee the worst because if all cannot bee saved it is wisdome to save the best so if our soules and bodies bee in danger that wee cannot save both let us labour to save the best which is our soules as this theefe did not desire to have the spickes pulled out of his hands and feet to have his paines asswaged and eased but his desire is to bee remembred so what paines soever wee endure we must say I am contented to beare it save my soule onely If a man by a shipwracke bee cast into the sea a planke comming to him will hee not let goe his gold and silver and catch hold on the planke to save his life so we are all floating in the sea of this world ready to be drowned with the pleasures and profits therof ready to be sunke as low as hell therefore how much more had we need to castaway every thing that doth hinder us and take hold on the meanes that God hath appointed for saving of our soules I but what is it that he prayes for he prayes to be remembred why should he be remembred hee was a theefe a bad liver a notorious fellow one would have thought hee would have desired Christ to have forgotten him To this I answer that there be two kinds of Remembrances 1 Remembrance of God in Iudgement 2 Remembrance of God in Mercy First there is a remembrance of God in judgement as Psal 9. 12. For when the Lord maketh inquisition for blood he remembreth them he forgetteth not the complaint of the poore So likewise in Hos. 7. 2. And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickednesse The Lord remembreth all the others they have sworne all the lyes they have told all the Sabbaths they have prophaned all the houres they have mispent and so all their sinnes the Lord remembreth to punish them Secondly there is a remembrance of God in mercy as Gen. 8. it is said The Lord remembred Noah that was in goodnesse and mercy Psa and 132. 1. Lord remember David and all his afflictions and so the Theefe desired to be remembred not in judgment but in mercy in like manner David desired not to be remembred in judgment where he saith Psa 3. 25. Lord remember not the sinnes of my youth nor my rebellion hee desires God to remember him in his tender mercy and his loving kindnesse as also here the Theefe prayed Christ not to remember him in his sinnes and in his transgressions but to remember him in the multitude of his mercyes Secondly the time when he prayed and it was when hee was upon the crosse in paines and torments ready to dye then he stirred up himselfe to prayer and this must teach us that when wee come to dye wee must stirre up our selves to prayer and to repentance and to other Christian duties I know when paines be upon us wee shall have little minde to speake or to doe any thing but wee must then stirre up our selves to prayer and gather up our selves so wee see Stephen did in the 7. of the Act. even when a shoure of stones came about him then he stirred up himselfe and called on the name of God Now the next thing we are to speake of is the Answer of Christ and that is a Promise wherein we observe foure things 1 Vpon what his promise was made 2 Vnto whom it was made 3 What was promised 4 When he would performe his promise First upon what he made his promise upon his prayer which may teach us that true prayer shall not want his due fruit so Matth.
hands of God upon a perswasion of the Fatherly care of God that God was his Father this made him bold to commend his soule into the hands of God and may teach us that all that commend their soules to God must commend them upon a good ground we must not commend them upon a merry conceit without a ground but wee must have a ground for it Now there bee three grounds upon which a man may comfortably commend himselfe to God First because he is the Father of Spirits and the God of all mens soules our bodies wee have mediately from our parents but our soules immediately from God therefore he is called the Father of Spirits Heb. 12. and Eccles. 12. it is said The soule goeth to God that gave it therefore seeing God gave them and made them wee may bee bold upon this ground to commend our spirits backe againe unto him for every workeman will preserve his owne worke therefore let us commend our soules to God as a faithfull Creator for seeing he made them he will preserve them if we will commit them to him Secondly a perswasion that God is our Father by the meanes of Christ if God be our Father we may be bold to commend our soules to him for with whom may one bee bold if a childe may not with his father therefore as hee is the Father of Christs so labour to make him thy Father and then mayst thou with comfort commend thy selfe into the hands of God Christ when hee would comfort his Disciples saith to them Tell my brethren I goe to my Father and to your Father to my God and 〈◊〉 your God when we can finde this that hee is not onely the Father of Christ but my Father we may be bold to commend out soules into his hands upon this ground Thirdly we may be bold to commend our soules to God upon the former experience we have had of Gods favour and mercy towards us this made David bold to commend himselfe to God Psal 31. 5. Into thy hands Lord I commend my spirit because thou hast redeemed my soule O Lord God of truth I have had experience of thy love and mercy therefore into thine hands I commend my spirit In like manner when we have experience of Gods goodnesse and mercy it makes us bold to commend our soules into the hands of God And these be the grounds for we must not doe it of nothing or of a meere conceit but of a good ground as Christ did so must we Fifthly What comfort we may have by the practises of Christ in commending his soule into the hands of God I answer we may have a two-fold comfort First as Christ did not commend his owne soule only into the hands of God but my soule thy soule and all the soules of the faithfull men in the world because all the soules of the faithfull are bound in a bundle with his therefore deposing and laying downe his soule in the hands of God all the soules of the faithfull are deposed and laid downe with it for as his body was a pawne and a pledge for our bodies so his soule is a pawne and a pledge for our soules therefore Athanasius saith well Our Lord Iesus when he did commend his soule into the hands of God he did not onely commend his owne soule but with it all the soules of the faithfull men in the world for as they die in Christs death and rise in his resurrection and ascend by his ascension so by his deposing and laying downe his soule into the hands of God hee doth with it commend all the soules of the faithfull men in the world which may be a great comfort to a Christian at all times that his soule is safely deposed in the hands of God when he dies Secondly seeing he laid downe his owne soule in the hands of God and with it our soules therefore when men die their soules doe not sleepe in their bodies nor wander about the graves nor passe up and downe in the world nor are in a place of torment as the Papists say but they be in the hands of God I think there is no man here but takes this speech to be a metaphor and borrowed speech for God hath no hands but by hands is meant that they are under Gods protection in safetie and securitie For as a man that hath a Iewell will not lay it down at his friends feet but he will put it into his hands for the more safetie so Christ hath put all the soules of the faithfull into the hands of God to bee kept in safetie till the resurrection and the last day of judgement Act. 5. Wee may see when the people had sold their possessions they laid downe their money at the Apostles feet but the soules of the faithfull servants of God are not laid downe at the feet of God but are put into the hands of God for more safety and securitie as Revel 1. it is said that Christ holds the seven Stars in his right hand to shew that he that puls away a preacher he must pull him out of the hands of God and so Ioh. 10. 29. saith Christ My sheepe heare my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternall life and they shall never perish neither shall any plucke them out of my hands neither wicked man nor devill no power can plucke them out of my hands therefore it is a sweet comfort that when a Christian dies his soule goeth into the hands of God if it were in our owne keeping then it were subject to the temptations of the Devill and a number of troubles and much hurt but being in the hands of God they shall be kept from all danger all the powers in heaven and earth shall not be able to hurt them And thus wee have heard briefly and with a great deale of weaknesse the seven last Words of Christ expounded which he spake on the Crosse SERMON XXVI IOHN 19. 30. VVhen Jesus therefore had received the vineger he said It is finished and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost HAving spoken of the Crucifying of Christ now in the next place we are to speake of his Death for when he had hung three houres in paines and torments on the Crosse Hee bowed downe his head and gave up the ghost that is he died as wee doe his soule and bodie were parted Now in the Death of Christ there be divers things to be considered 1. Why it was needfull that Christ should die 2. The time when he died 3. The manner of his death 4. The manifestation of it 5. The power of it 6. The effects of it First Why it was needfull Christ should die of which there was three causes that made a necessitie of his death First To satisfie the justice of God for mans sinne for such was the hainousnesse of mans sinnes sentence being
we have Communion one with another First we have Communion with God whereas before we were strangers by nature and had not to doe with God nay there was none that could bring us into favor with him but by Christ so S. Iohn saith in this place and it is said Eph. 2. 13. But now in Christ Iesus ye which were once afarre off are made neere by the blood of Christ so also Heb. 12. 23. saith the Apostle But now ye are come to Mount Sion and to the Citie of the living God the celestiall Ierusalem and to the company of innumerable Angels and to the Congregation of the first borne whose names are in Heaven and to God the Iudge of all This communion is the comfortablest communion that is in this world therefore above all things let us be thankefull to God for it because other communions of this world though the best are not fit to compare with this for to have communion with kings princes and great men in the world with Angels Archangels and Saints and not to have communion with God all this were nothing because In his presence is fulnesse of joy and at his right hand pleasures for evermore We see holy Ruth was contented to forsake her Countrie and kindred and to live a poore life to have communion and fellowship with the People of God so much more we should be contented to leave our sinnes and corruptions and to endure some hardship to have communion with God as David Psal 84. had rather be a meane man in the Communion of Saints than to live in great estate without it the Queene of Sheba pronounced them happy and blessed that did stand in the presence of Salomon but how blessed and happy may they be pronounced that stand in the presence of God and have communion with him therefore above all things labour to have communion with God by his Spirit and doe not deprive thy selfe thereof by thy sinnes but nourish it in your selves by all good meanes Now this communion that we have with God stands in two things first He communicates to us his Wisedome Power Iustice Mercy and Glory so that there is not a drop or dramme of goodnesse in God but it is for the good of his servants and people as his Power to defend them his Wisedome to direct them his Mercie to save them and his Glory to impart to them so Psal 23. David saith The Lord is my Shepheard I shall not want and elsewhere The Lord is my light and my salvation the Lord is the strength of my salvation whom shall I feare the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid so Hannah saith 1 Sam. 2. Hee hath raised up the poore out of the dust and lifted up the begger out of the Dunghill to set them among Princes and to make them inherit the seate of glory for the pillars of the earth are the Lords and he hath set the World on them so then the People of God have Communion with him in that hee communicates all good things to them The second thing wherein our communion with God stands is that we may communicate all our griefes sorrowes troubles wants and necessities unto him and lay them downe in his lappe therefore in all our wants sorrowes and griefes let us goe to God and he will ease and releeve us as David saith Psal 34. 4. I sought the Lord and he heard me yea he delivered mee out of all my feare so we are exhorted 1 Pet. 5. 7. Cast all your care on him for hee careth for you And therefore dost thou want food to feed thy body or clothes seeke to God he will releeve thee dost thou finde troubles art grieved goe to God he will ease thee when a man hath any griefe or trouble in his minde it is an ease to him if he have a trustie friend to breake his minde to and many times there is somewhat that troubles a man that he dares not tell his friend lest hee should upbraid him with it or cast it in his teeth and againe a man may make his mind knowne to his friend who cannot ease him nor supply his wants but if we communicate our griefes to God hee will not cast us in the teeth with them but will ease us and supply all our wants and he is not only able but willing also to helpe us in what thing soever wee stand in need of therefore it is a blessed thing to have communion with God in that a man may communicate all his griefes sorrowes and wants to him Wee see that Adam had communion with God but when hee had sinned against him he lost it and hid himselfe from God therefore when we have communion with God let us take heed that we doe not sinne against him and lose our Communion with him but if wee bee overtaken let us labour to repent and so recover our selves againe this is the first part of our Communion The second part of our Communion is with Christ and indeed wee can have no communion with God but it must be by meanes of Christ for we are all sinners and great offenders so that wee are become enemies to God and there is no way to reconcile us but by a Mediator that is by Iesus Christ Philosophers say that things that be in extremes cannot be brought together but by some middle matter so God and sinnefull Man are two extremes whom none but Christ could bring together Iaakob saw in a vision a Ladder that reacht from Earth to Heaven this Ladder Saint Iohn tells us that brought Heaven and Earth together is Christ so all our communion with God is by meanes of Christ Now in our communion with Christ there are some things that Christ communicat's to us and there are some things that we communicate to him Foure things Christ communicates to us First Himselfe not his Spirit and his graces onely but Himselfe also therefore seeing that Christ giveth Himselfe let us be ready to receive him for this is the greatest blessing that can bee given us as Esay 9. 6. For unto us a Childe is borne and unto us a Sonne is given But some man may aske by what meanes is Christ given I answere by our willingnesse in receiving him offered in the preaching of the Word and in the use of the Sacraments Even as a father that meanes to give his childe house and land the father is willing to give it and the childe to receive it in both there is a mutuall agreement so God for his part is willing to give us Christ if we be willing to receive him and by this mutuall agreement Christ becomes ours and then we may say I thanke God Christ is mine even as sure as the meat I eat or the Coate I put on my backe or any lands or livings my father hath left me Secondly the right of his
Gods favour yet it shewes us that this forsaking is but for a time as it is said Esai 54. 8. For a little while have I forsaken thee but with great compassion will I gather thee for a moment in mine anger I hide my face from thee for a season but with ever lasting mercie I have had compassion on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer And therefore although wee feele not the Love of God at the present yet Faith must uphold us and wee must perswade our selves it is but for a little time And so likewise Psal 55. 22. it is said He will not suffer the righteous to fall for ever Howsoever they may fall yet they shall rise againe And Mic. 7. 8. The Church doth sustaine her selfe by this Rejoyce not against me O mine enemie although I fall yet I shall rise againe If a man fall into a swoond that he neither breathe nor pant yet bring him to the fire and chafe him put a little Aquavitae into his mouth and he will recover againe if there be any life in him even so if a man fall into a spirituall swoond that he neither breathe nor pant yet if he be brought to the use of good meanes as prayer preaching and the Sacraments if there be the life of grace in him he will recover againe This we see in David and Peter that when Nathan came to David and told him of his fault he straightway recovered and so Peter that had but a looke of Christ recovered If a man cast mud into a fountaine it will in time worke it selfe cleere So in Ioh. 4. 14. A Christian is compared to a fountaine in which although there be mud cast yet it will worke it selfe cleere The third action whereby faith sustaineth us in spiritual desertions is that al is for their good that God is departed from them For Ioh. 16. it is said It is expedient for you that I goe away from you So the absence of Christ from the Church is for their good that they may the more long for him when he is departed earnestly seeke after him and set the greater price upon him when they have him If a man have poysoned himselfe a Physition cannot helpe him but by giving him some ranke poyson even so the Lord lets us fall into some great sinne to expell some other sinnes And therefore as Christ said Ioh. 11. of Lazarus his sickenesse That it was not unto Death but for the glory of God So wee may say of all the falls of Gods people that there falls are not unto death but for the glory of God Now for worldly crosses faith sustaineth foure wayes First it perswadeth us that all the judgements of God that fal upon us are just and that he doth us no wrong thereby therefore that we must quiet our selves yeelding to the good will of God So we see the Church doth in Micah 7. 9. I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I have sinned against him So Ier. 10. saith he It is my sorrow and I must beare it As though he should say it is mine owne sinne I may thanke mine owne selfe for it it is my sorrow and I will beare it The good Theefe Luk. 23. 41. confesses Wee are indeed justly punished heere for wee receive things worthy for that we have done And therefore let us never murmur nor grieve at it we are heere righteously these things be justly come upon us Thus Faith makes us to quiet our selves in looking at the good will of God The second way whereby Faith sustaineth us in worldly crosses is that it makes us shut up our eyes and wholly to relie upon God So David in the Psal 73. 26. My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever So Psal 119. 49 50. Remember thy promise made unto thy servant wherein thou hast made me to hope It is my comfort in my trouble for thy promises have quickened me And so likewise Iob saith Though hee kill me yet I will trust in him Faith it makes believe one contrary in another that although we die and rot yet wee shall live and we shall live againe and rise againe though God doth seeme to be our enemie yet Faith doth perswade us that he is our friend and although wee bee miserable yet that wee are blessed and happie thus Faith makes us beleeve one contrary in another Thirdly Faith doth hereby sustaine us in worldly crosses because it assures us that God is present with us in all our troubles in our sicknesse about our beds in our graves and in the gaole Even as God was with Moses in the bush and with the three children in the fiery sornace so God is with all his servants in all their troubles and afflictions The want of this consideration that God was not present with Saul made his affliction the greater saith he The Philistims made warre against me and God is departed from mee therefore when Faith shall assure us that in all our troubles and afflictions God is present with us this is a mighty meanes to sustaine and uphold us So sayes David Psalme 23. 4. Yea though I should walke through the valley and shaddow of Death yet I will feare none ill thy rod thy staffe they comfort me and Rom. 8. 31. If God be with us saith he who can bee against us When old Iacob was sent for into Egypt as wee may see Gen. 46. 3. The Lord spake in a vision to Iacob and said Feare not Iacob to goe downe into Egypt for I will goe with thee Even so when the Lord shall say to us feare not to goe into the grave for I will bee with you or into the dennes of death or into the gaole or into any other trouble whatsoever seeing hee will bee present to sustaine and to uphold us we ought to doe it cheerefully Fourthly Faith doth sustaine us in worldly crosses with this consideration and comfort that when all temporall things faile yet wee shall bee made partakers of spirituall and heavenly things Thus wee see Iob did sustaine himselfe when all temporall things failed him when hee had lost his children his goods and all then he comforteth himselfe in this I know that my Redeemer liveth And although after my skinne wormes destroy this body yet shall I see God in my flesh c. So David in the person of Christ in Psal 16. 9. Howsoever they deprived him of these temporall things and killed him yet saith hee comfortably My heart is glad and my tongue rejoyceth my flesh also shall rest in hope for thou wilt not leave my soule in grave neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption And Psal 27. 13. I should have fainted but that I beleeved to see the goodnesse of God in the land of the living and therefore howsoever temporall things faile us yet Faith perswadeth us of most happy and heavenly
God so we should returne all to him againe by publike thankefulnesse for them as Paul saith in this place that we should turne from these vaine idols to the living God that made heaven and earth the sea and all that therein is because he made them therefore we should goe backe againe in the consideration of it and returne thankes to him Thirdly seeing God made all things wee should not looke upon his workes without great consideration of them as his workes of mercy or judgement If a workeman make an excellent worke it is a great indignity and injury offered to the workeman to passe by it slight it not to looke on it or regard it so seeing the Lord hath hanged as it were the chamber of this world with many goodly workes of his mercy and judgements it is a great injury and indignity offered unto God for men to passe by them and never to looke upon them so God complaines Psal 28. 5. Because they regard not the workes of the Lord nor the operations of his hands therefore hee shall breake them downe and not build them up so it is a great sinne to passe by his wonderous workes and not to looke upon them and consider of them The third point is how hee made them By no instrument but by his word as Psal 33. 6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens and all the hoast of them by the breath of his mouth Now wee are not to thinke it was a vocall word of God but it was his commandement Psal 33. 9. For he spake and it was done hee commanded and it stood or was created So Psal 148. 5. Hee commanded and they were created Solomon when hee builded the Temple had thousands of workmen to doe it but God when hee made the world made it with his word therefore we may see the excellent power of the word of God that let him but speake and there is a new heaven and an earth and a sea and skie and beasts and birds for the use of man Therefore the Centurion saith well Matthew 8. Doe but speake the word and thy servant shall be whole So we must learne to acknowledge the excellent power of the word of God that if hee say to sicknesse depart it shall depart if to health come it shall come looke what God speaketh shall be done as it is said in the Psalme he sent out his word and healed them Secondly seeing God made the world with a word wee may wonder at our untowardnesse that there is never a creature save man but doth yeeld to the Word of God the Lord hath spoken ten words in his Law nay many more in the gospell unto us and yet what adoe is there an almighty power must ioyne with the word to bring a sinner to repentance therefore wee may wonder at our untowardnesse that the creatures yeeld to the word of God and yet sinfull man cannot submit to a thousand words of God to bring him to repentance The fourth point is what hee made the world of and that was of nothing Hebrewes 11. 3. Through faith wee understand that the world was made by the Word of God so that the things wee see were made of things that did not appeare Philosophers say of nothing nothing can hee made It is true in Nature but not in regard of Gods power In Nature indeede there is no Artificer that can make any thing unlesse he hath matter to make it of as a Smith cannot worke without Iron and a Mason must have stone and a Carpenter must have timber but God is able to make all things of nothing The use is first that seeing God did make the world of nothing hee is able to make a man somewhat when he is nothing he is able to give grace where there is none to create faith where there is no faith and to worke repentance where there is none so saith Paul 2 Cor. 4. 6. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkenesse hath shined into our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ And therefore if God be able to make the world of nothing he is able to make a man something that is nothing in himselfe Secondly seeing God is able to make the world of nothing he is able when we are nothing in our worldly estates to raise us up of nothing and to make us great men in the world so faith Hanna 1 Sam. 2. 6 7. The Lord killeth maketh alive bringing downe to the grave and raising up the Lord maketh poore and maketh rich bringeth low and exalieth he raiseth the poore out of the dust and lifteth up the begger from the dunghill to set them amongst Princes Thirdly seeing God made the world of nothing so let us know the world would dissolve and come to nothing againe if God should not uphold it for naturally all things dissolve into that they were made of as a man made of dust so naturally turnes and comes to dust againe so Ice being made of water it turnes to water againe and Snow being made of raine it dissolves to it againe so the world being made of nothing would come to nothing if God should not uphold it Therefore how much are wee bound to God for every houres continuance of this world which Heb. 1. 3. is said to be upheld by his mighty power and word Fourthly seeing he made the world of nothing wee may see the meanes of our beginning that it was of nothing and therefore howsoever some swell with greatnesse of their Ancestors and of their Nobility yet we see the meannesse of our beginning wee came of nothing therefore this may serve to humble us how great soever we be Abraham hee confessed he was but dust this did humble him and were know the dust was made of nothing which should serve to humble us in that all our greatnesse came of nothing The fifth point is â— what estate God made this world in in exceeding good estate Genesis 1. 25. therefore if there be any creature that is not good or hath any defect in it we are to thanke our selves and our owne sinnes as we see in a clocke if there be any alteration or stop in the little wheeles it is because there was first a stop in the great wheeles for the little ones doe depend on the greater wheele so that if there bee a stand in that there is a stand in the little wheeles in like manner if there be any defect in the creatures or if there be any that be not good it is because there is a defect and a failing in us for man is as the great wheele of the Clocke therefore if hee bee out of order no marvell though the creatures be so also Hence we may learne that if there be any which be not good or have defect in them wee may
grapes and thy teeth are set on edge with them It is I that have sinned but Lord thou hast done nothing worthy of these great paines therefore O Lord that I may never forget this great love of thine though I cannot perfume thy body as Mary did with sweet spices yet will I never cease to wash it with the daily teares of true repentance for my sinnes But alas we can weepe for the losse of our wives of our children but we cannot weepe for our sinnes therefore we should doe as the Physitian who when hee findeth men dangerously bleeding at the nose lets them bloud in another place and so turnes the course of the bloud another way so our weeping for worldly losses we should turne to weeping for our sinnes and for the losse of Gods favour that thus Christ was crucified for them Secondly seeing Christ was crucified we should labour to see all our spirituall enemies crucified with him for when Christ was upon the Crosse he pulled the Devill sinne death and damnation to the Crosse with him and so also were crucified so Christ was not crucified alone but all the enemies of mans salvation with him So the Apostle Coloss 2. 14. speaking hereof saith And putting out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us he even tooke it out of the way and fastned it to his crosse and having spoiled the principalities and powers hee made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in it therefore the same Crosse that served to crucifie Christ the same hath served to crucifie our spirituall enemies and though the Iewes saw none but Christ upon the Crosse thou that art a Christian must goe further and see all the enemies of mans salvation the Devill damnation and sinne crucified with him Thirdly seeing Christ was crucified upon the crosse we must be contented to crucifie our selves and therefore after a spirituall manner we must goe to the Crosse of Christ and naile our hands and feet unto the Crosse that we may not move a hand or a foot to displease God Nay we must goe further and crucifie our sinfull and carnall lusts and inordinate affections for the Apostle saith that they that are in Christ have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof So that there is not a true Christian but hath beene upon the crosse already and hath carried his corruptions thither to be crucified therefore looke how busie the Iewes were in crucifying of Christ be thou as busie to crucifie thy sinnes and corruptions howsoever men may talke of the crucifying of Christ yet if thou have no care to crucifie thy sinnes and thy carnall lusts thou canst have no comfort by it be sure then as the Iewes did apprehend Christ condemned him set a crowne of thornes upon his head spet on his face nailed him to the Crosse killed him and flung him into the grave even so doe thou by thy sinnes labour thou to apprehend thy sinnes to condemne them set a crowne of thornes upon them spet at them doe all the disgrace that may be to them naile them to the crosse and bury them in the grave of Christ that so they never rise againe Fourthly seeing Christ was crucified and suffered such extremities This must teach us to see what extremitie all unrepentant sinners must looke for at the day of judgement for if Christ suffered such extremitie that had but the imputation of our sinnes upon him what shall become of them that live in their sinnes inherit them Our Saviour wee know saith If they doe this to the greene tree what shall become of the dry If they did so to Christ that had no sinne what shall become of thee I will tell thee if thou be found in thy sins and have not repented them thou must looke for no mercy for if he spared not his Sonne then look that he will not spare thee For as the Apostle saith Rom. 11. 21. if God spared not the naturall branches but cut them off take heed lest he spare not thee who art a wilde olive tree Fifthly seeing Christ was crucified and suffered such extremitie for the saving of thy soule then thou must be contented to suffer any thing to be saved For did Christ suffer for thee And art not thou that art a Christian contented to suffer any thing that thy soule may be saved If men did know the true value of their soules they would be contented to suffer any thing to save them as the Apostle ssaith Philip. 3. I count all things as dung and drosse to be found in Christ And so the holy Martyrs Hebr. 11. it is said Some of them were racked some were sawne asunder and would not be delivered that they might obtaine a better resurrection The third thing that the Evangelist shewes in his crucifying is how they did strip him they did pull off his clothes we see first they put off the purple robes and put on his owne garments and now when they naile him to the Crosse they strip off his owne garments and let him hang naked on the Crosse This sheweth the merit of our sinnes that wee deserve not the least bit of bread nor the meanest coat that may be to live or to die in hence we may learne that every must labour to finde this guiltinesse in himselfe for it is the Lords mercie that we have any thing as Christ was stripped at his death so we deserve to be stripped of all comfort at the day of death and as Iaakob said Lord I am lesse than the least of thy mercies so we may say Lord I am not worthy of the least bid of bread nor of the meanest coat nor of the least comfort that may be Thus the Prophet declares Gods goodnesse Lament 13. It is the Lords mercy that wee are not consumed and it is Gods mercy that we have a coat to put on our backes that we have a bit of bread to put in our mouths a bed to lye in an house to put our heads in and if we have any thing more than others we must acknowledge it is the Lords great mercy to us and wee are to blesse God for it that he hath made our life any way comfortable to us And the same Prophet Ieremie complaines of this neglect in his dayes Chap. 5. 24. Neither say they in their hearts let us now feare the Lord our God who gave us raine both early and late and appointed unto us the weekes of harvest And even so the Lord bestowes on us abundance of his blessings O that men would feare the Lord for those his blessings that from day to day they live in but we have our hearts hardened like them who Marke 6. 52. had not considered the matter of the loaves because their hearts were hardened Secondly seeing Christ was naked on the Crosse this must teach us how naked we are in the sight of God that wee have not a
in the comparison I shewed you a little before though a man turne his backe upon the Sunne and goe away from it yet the Sunne followes him with his heat light and beames so when we are going away from Christ he followes us with his kindnesse and followes us with his goodnesse and mercie so Christ did manifest himselfe to these two Disciples when they were going from him therefore let us thinke of the kindnesse and goodnesse of Christ Esay 55. saith the Lord I was found of them that sought me not It is a great mercy of God that he will be found of them that seeke him but a greater mercy that when men goe away from him and have not a thought of him then he to seeke after them The second circumstance is that although they were going from Christ and from Ierusalem yet they were talking of him by the way there was some sparkes and seeds of goodnesse left Now this Towne they went to was not a Towne of Religion though a Countrie Towne and it is very like that they went about country businesse yet as they went by the way they talked of Christ 〈◊〉 must teach us what manner of talke a Christian must have though 〈…〉 worldly businesse going to a Faire or to a Market or any other journey We read 2 Kings 2. 11. when Elias and Elisha went together they went walking and talking till a firie Chariot came and parted them tooke away Elias and left Elisha on his calling And what were they talking of not of money matters but of immortalitie and of Heavenly things so in the Acts when the Eunuch was on his way riding in his Chariot and had no body to talke with hee puls out his Bible and would have God to talke with him and to this end Deuter. 6. 7. wee have a Commandement from God to speake of his Word When wee rise when we lie downe when we goe by the way and when we be at our meate Thus Psal 37. 30. David saith The mouth of the righteous will speake of wisedome and his talke will be of judgement and he gives a reason of it because the Law of God is in his heart so a righteous mans mouth will speake of good things hee will be talking of Religion If a man have a Spring in his ground hee can hardly hold it but it breakes foorth into other grounds in like manner if there be a spring of grace and of goodnesse in a mans heart he cannot hold it but it will breake foorth and flow out to others therefore when men goe up and downe and never speake of the Word it shewes there is not a Spring of grace in them It is a good thing for a Christian to talke of Christ and of the worke of Redemption and of the great things that God hath prepared for them even when they are about their worldly businesse and labors and if it be a good thing to speake of Christ and of the Word when we be about our labors and businesse then it is much better to talke of the Word when we come from a Sermon and from hearing the Word preached on the Sabbath day or at other times Nehem. 8. 1◠It is said The people rejoyced that they had heard the law read unto them and that they did understand the sense of it so when wee heare the Word of God preached we should goe away rejoycing that we have heard it and understood the sense of it Luk. 2. 44. When they returned from Ierusalem from the feast they went in Troopes and a great company together the reason was because they might speake of the good things that they had heard so it is a Christians dutie to goe in companies together to conferre of the good things they have heard We see when men come from the Sea they will speake of the Sea or from the Warre they will speake of the Warre or from the Market they will talke of the Market and if men have beene at their worke they will talke of their worke but many times wee goe to a Sermon and speake not a word of that the Marriner may speake of the Sea the Souldier of his Warre the Husbandman of his Markets but it is a pittifull thing that Christians will not speake of the good things they have heard out of the Word of God There be three causes why men doe not speake of it The first a prophane contempt of God and goodnesse because they desire to have as little to doe with him as may be as the divels Matth. 8. 29. cryed out and said What have wee to doe with thee Iesus thou Sonne of God so they say What have we to doe with God and goodnesse and as in Iob 21. 15. the wicked said who is the Almightie that we should serve him and what profit should we have if we should pray to him The second is want of caution that 〈…〉 watchfull over their wayes but suffer a great deale of idle speech to come from them as the waste water of a conduit for many men doe not consider that they shall answere for every idle word not onely for the bad words but for the idle also that tend to no good end Wee see in a conduit there is not onely a pipe to let out the water but a cocke also to hold it in so we must have a cocke as it were to keepe in our speeches therefore as David praieth Psal 141. 3. Lord set a watch before the doore of my lips so we must goe to God and pray him to set a watch before the doore of our lips The third is want of love to our brethren because wee doe not love them therefore wee doe not speake of good things to them for if wee did love them then wee would be ready to impart the good things that God hath made knowne to us The second generall point is how he did manifest himselfe unto them and that was first when they were talking of Christ by the way then hee came and did joyne himselfe unto them Here wee see the blessing of God upon good talke let men talke of Christ when they be going on their way and when they be at their labours when they be journeying and they shall finde the blessing of God upon their speeches therefore wouldest thou have Christ present at thy table and at thy labors and as thou goest by the way then speake of him for there is such a drawing power in good speech as it will draw Christ to thee and let us speake of him and of Religion and then we shall finde the blessing of God upon us but as long as there is filthy speech and cursing amongst us Christ will not come to us but that will drive him away from us Secondly in the manner we may observe that Christ did manifest himselfe and they did not know of it their eyes were
said to Christ Tarry with us for the day is farre spent and the night drawes on so a Christian should say at the time of his death My life is farre spent old age is come upon me and sicknesse and death drawes on Lord tarry thou with me and I pray thee that I may so shut up mine eyes in this world and that they may bee opened in the kingdome of heaven and that I may dye in thy favour in the pardon and forgivenesse of my sinnes and in the peace of a quiet conscience Thus David praieth in the Psal Yea even untill mine old age and gray head O Lord forsake me not And so againe Psal 27. 9. Hide not therefore thy face from me nor cast thy servant away in displeasure thou hast bin my succour leave mee not nor forsake mee O God of my salvation And these be the two times when we are specially to desire Christ to be with us Now we come to the next thing which is how Christ was knowne of them and it is said In the breaking of the bread here two questions are to be answered 1 What is meant by Bread 2 How Christ was knowne by the breaking of Bread First what is meant by Bread whether it were ordinary common Bread or whether it were sacred and consecrated to an holy use I answer that the Bread heere spoken of is not Sacramentall but ordinary Bread The Papists take advantage by this place as they doe by all others that seeme to serve their turne for when they be urged and asked why they breake the Lords institutions to give Bread and not wine contrary to the commandement of Christ seeing Christ instituted both to this they answer that the Church of Rome hath an example to doe so because Christ did administer the Sacraments to the two Disciples going to Emmaus But we can prove by these two reasons taken out of their owne Doctrine and Canons that this breaking of Bread cannot bee meant of Bread used in the institution of the Sacraments but of ordinary and common Bread First because they hold it a sacriledge for any Priest to consecrate Bread without Wine for they will have them both consecrated together though none but the Bread be administred but in this place there is none but Bread spoken of and therefore it was not Bread used in the Sacraments Secondly because their owne Doctrine and Canons say that it cannot bee a Sacrament without the five words of consecration Take eate this is my body but there were not these five words of consecration and therefore it is not meant of the Sacrament Now they have two reasons against this argument First In that they say there is the same forme of words that is used in the institution of the Sacrament both in Matth. 26. and also in the Gospell of Saint Luke where the institution is spoken of and that is that he tooke the bread and blessed it and gave it c. To this I answer they may as well prove the five loaves and the two fishes that Christ fed the people with Matth. 15. to be a Sacrament for there it is said he tooke the bread and blessed the same and gave it so there are the same forme of words Secondly they say if it had not beene this Sacrament Christ would not have administred it he would not have blessed the bread and brake it and have given it because he was a stranger To this I answer that it was the manner of the Iewes that the best men in the company gave thankes brake the bread and did not put it off to a childe as many doe at these dayes therefore because he was the best and most gravity did appeare in his face therefore hee did blesse it and gave it Now then if it were an ordinary foode or Repast this must teach us two things First that we should not take a bit of bread into our mouths till wee have blessed God for it and so it was the manner of the people to doe 1 Sam. 9. 15. the maids said to Saul that The people would not eate till Samuel came and had blessed the sacrifice and so Act. 27. Paul when he was amongst strangers in the ship in the presence of them all he gave thankes We see Christ did not take bread till he had given thanks and blessed it Therefore how dare any man take a morsell or a bit of meate into his mouth till he hath by holy prayer drawne downe a blessing upon him Christ he would not he that was the Creator of all and therefore how dare a Man that is but flesh and bloud take his dinner and supper and never give thankes nor blesse the bread surely man hath not more liberty than Christ Secondly that as these two Disciples did travell with Christ and when they came at their waies end did then eat and drinke with Christ and comfortably refresh themselves so let us travell with Christ here in this world and when we come at our journeies end we shall eate and drinke with him in the Kingdome of Heaven so wee see Luke 22. 29. Therefore I appoint unto you a kingdome as my Father hath appointed to me that ye may eate and drinke at my table in my kingdome so Revel 2. To him that overcommeth will I give to eate of the hâ—dden Manna Therefore let us labour to travell with Christ here in this world and then howsoever we may have trouble and affliction heere yet when wee come at our journeyes end wee shall bee comfortably refreshed in the Kingdome of Heaven The second question is how Christ was knowne in the breaking of bread some say because hee brake the bread so smooth as if it had beene cut with a knife but it cannot be so because it is said hee was knowne in the breaking of the bread not by the breaking and some say he was knowne by the maner of his thanks-giving but it is not said that he was knowne by this but in breaking of the bread therefore it is best to follow the words of the Text That he was knowne of them in the breaking of the bread for their eies were held that they knew him not before and at that very instant at the act of breaking the bread then the Lord opened their eyes which may teach us that there may be a presence of God in our houses in the fields and in the places where we be and yet wee cannot see it unlesse the Lord open our eyes Therefore as the two blinde men cryed unto Christ and said O Sonne of David have mercy on us whom Christ asked what they would have they said Lord that our eyes may bee opened so we must cry to Christ to open our eyes that wee may see his goodnesse and mercy to us The next thing is what they did when Christ was vanished out of their sight here be divers things to be considered only
cleansing of the Lepers but in Christs bleeding and dying on the crosse so the comfort of a Christian is from the wounds of Christ. The fourth generall point is The effect and fruit of his appearing Thomas conversion for he presently saith with great affection my Lord and my God as if he should say what a pitifull estate was I in I might have perished in mine infidelity and unbeleefe if thou hadst not condescended to my weakenesse therefore seeing thou hast shewed so great mercy Thou art my God and my Lord so a Christian may say when he feeles the goodnesse and the mercy of Christ unto him in the pardon of his sinnes O Lord I thanke thee I might have perished in mine ignorance and blindnesse I was going the broad way to hell and it hath pleased thee to give me faith in thy promises repentance for my sinnes care to walke before thee in newnesse of life thou art therefore my God and my Lord I am glad and I rejoyce in it SERMON XXXVII ACTS 1. 9 10 11. And when hee had spoken these things while they beheld hee was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as hee went up behold two men stood by them in white apparell Which also said Yee men of Galilee why stand yee gazing up into heaven This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seene him goe into heaven WEe heard the last day that though wee have not kept our Easter with Christ and his Disciples the first day that he rose yet that we should labour to keepe it with Thomas the eighth day that is if we cannot bee of the first ranke of those that have repented and beleeved yet to labour to be of the second ranke if not of the second then yet of the third yea labour to be of the last sort rather than none at all and though wee cannot see Christ in his rising the first day with the Disciples nor yet with Thomas the eighth day yet let us cleare our eyes and see Iesus Christ triumphantly ascending into heaven Now having spoken of the Resurrection of Christ wee come to speake of his Ascension wherein we are to observe these particulars 1. Why it was needfull Christ should Ascend 2. The time when he did Ascend 3. The place from whence he did Ascend 4. The manner of his Ascension 5. The fruits and benefits of his Ascension First Why it was needfull that Christ should Ascend Howsoever wee may thinke it had beene better for Christ to converse with us here yet Christ tels us that it is for our good and benefit that he doth ascend Iohn 16. 7. It is expedient for you that I goe away for if I goe not away the Comforter will not come unto you For as the Sunne doth us more good being in the Skie than if it were amongst us because then every Hill and House and every Barne would keepe the light from us so if Christ were personally heere amongst us then hee would be confined to one Countrey Towne House or to one Man and when he were present in one place he would be absent in another Therefore as the Sunne being in the Skie doth send out his light heate and beames to all So Christ being in Heaven doth infuse his graces unto all his people every where Now this argument of utility may make us quietly rest on God for as a mother when she is going from her childe uses to still and quiet it by saying hold thy peace I will fetch thee a good thing so Christ did still his Disciples when they were in heavinesse It is for your good that I goe away to convey the rich graces of my Spirit to you There be five reasons why Christ ascended First To prepare a place for us for wee cannot alwaies live here in this World a time will come when wee must away and therefore Christ is gone to prepare a place for us that when Earth excludes us Heaven may receive us when we part with men wee may goe to God and when wee leave these Earthly houses wee may have in Heaven a Mansion house As Christ saith Iohn 14. 4. I goe to prepare a place for you If I goe not away the Comforter will not come But if I goe I will come againe and receive you to my selfe that where I am there may ye be also For as I said Christ is gone to prepare a place for us and to hold possession for us till wee bee ready to enter and take possession our selves As Genes 45. it is said That Ioseph was sent into Egypt to prepare a place for his old father and for his bretheren and to take up the best of the land So the true Ioseph Christ is gone into Heaven to prepare a place for us even the best Heaven it selfe and to take possesion till we come and enter our selves 1 Pet. 1. 4. To an inheritance immortall and undefiled and that fadeth not reserved in Heaven for us This inheritance is kept in the hands of our Lord Iesus till wee bee ready for it who will faithfully deliver it to us Even as a Guardian doth not take up land for himselfe but for the Heire who when the time doth come doth willingly resigne it againe to him So Christ is ascended into Heaven to take possession of it for us and when the time comes hee will faithfully deliver it to us Ephes 2. 6. It is said God hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Iesus Christ Here Augustine saith we sit not in our selves nor in our owne persons but Christ sits in our right till wee bee ready for it This is a sweet comfort to a Christian in all extremitie that Heaven is our inheritance and Christ sits there in our right till wee bee ready for it well may death take away our lives bad neighbors our good name theeves our goods but they cannot take Heaven from us Therefore a poore christian may say though I am not a great man in this world though I have no great Revenewes Lands or Livings yet I thanke God Heaven is mine Inheritance Christ doth keepe possession of it till I am ready And when he lookes up to Heaven he may say There is my Countrey there is my house Christ holds possession of it and one day hee will faithfully deliver it to me If a stranger should goe into a farre countrey if he should see a number of little Cabbins or Cottages and but one brave Building and asking whose house it is a poore man should answere and say It is mine house a good friend did purchase it with a great deale of gold and silver for mee and one day I shall have it would not this man thinke that his estate were good though hee dwelt now in a Cottage a
anger so God is angry with us many times and would kill us but the true Ionathan Iesus Christ doth interpose himselfe and labour to mitigate his anger by presenting his wounds and body before God therefore when wee cannot lift up our voyce to God nor our hearts as wee should yet Christ makes intercession his body speakes when we cannot speake and his blood crieth when we cannot cry Now I shall not need to shew you the manner how Christ makes intercession for us having spoken of it but a little before and therfore I will now proceed without any repetition to the second end why Christ ascended Secondly That hee might more powerfully and more mightily administer and governe his Church for therefore God hath exalted him that he may rule the whole world for the good of the Church as the people rejoyced exceedingly at the crowning of Salomon so wee may much more rejoyce that Christ is all in all and that hee sits at the right hand of God for the good of the Church Now by foure actions Christ doth governe in his Church 1 He drawes people to himselfe 2 He doth guide and governe them 3 He doth exercise them with crosses and troubles 4 He doth protect and defend them against all their enemies First He doth draw and pull people unto himselfe and brings them to Faith and Repentance and an estate of grace that they may be saved so Christ saith to Ierusalem Matth. 23. 37. How often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and yee would not to the same effect also Ioh. 11. 52. It was said of him That hee dyed not for that nation onely but that hee should gather together in one the children of God which were scattered abroad so then it is Christ that doth gather and draw us there is not any man living that is able to draw himselfe out of the kingdome of the devill and pit of hell into the kingdome of grace and state of blessednesse it must be Christ onely that must draw him therefore it is said in the Acts that There were added to the Church daily such as should be saved so it was not they themselves that drew themselves out but it was Christ by his Word and by his Spirit that did draw them and pull them out of their sinnes and brought them to an estate of grace Now is there any man thus drawne out of his sinnes into an estate of grace let him know it is the hand of Christ that did draw and gather him for Christs sitting in heaven is as powerfull to draw and pull men out of their sinnes as the Adamant is to draw Iron to it Wherefore when men see themselves thus drawne out of their sinnes and pulled out of the kingdome of the devill and pit of hell they may say as Iudas did Ioh. 14. 22. What is the cause thou shewest thy selfe to us and not unto the world even so we must admire the goodnesse of Christ and say Lord what is the cause thou hast pulled us out of the kingdome of the devill and pit of hell and hast brought us to an estate of grace to Faith and to Repentance there was nothing in us Lord but it was thy good pleasure and meere mercy to doe it Now the meanes wherby he drawes and puls men unto himselfe is especially by the Preaching of the word and Gospell therefore Saint Paul saith Eph. 4. 12. he gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the gathering together of the Saints and for the worke of the ministery and for the edification of the body of Christ c. so Esai 53. 1. the Word of God is called the Arme of God because that even as men doe draw and gather with their armes things to themselves so the Lord doth draw and gather men to himselfe by the preaching of the Gospell so it is the Arme of God to draw men out of the estate of damnation into an estate of salvation and out of the kingdome of the devill into the kingdome of Christ Hereof wee may make these profitable Vses following First seeing the preaching of the Gospell is the Arme of God to draw men unto himselfe therefore faithfull Ministers must remember that they bee the hand of Christ to draw and to pull men out of their sinnes Chrysostome compares Preachers to a number of servants in a great shop of whom some bee in one place and some in another yet all comes to the common boxe and is for the advantage of the master so saith hee this world may bee compared to a shop wherein some of the Preachers are in one place and some in another imployed in preaching and yet all must come to the common boxe all must turne to the advantage of our Lord and Master they must not turne it to themselves and to their owne advantage but they must labour to draw and to pull men to God because this is the ordinary meanes to draw them by Secondly seeing the preaching of the Word is the Arme of God to draw and pull men to God therefore wee must hold us to the meanes and keep close to them that so we may be brought to an estate of grace to faith and repentance and so to be saved It may be objected All come to the means but all are not drawne and gathered to God a number hang in their sinnes still I answere though thou doe not finde thy selfe to be drawne to God presently yet doe not neglect but come still for if thou dost despise it and come not at it then it is not possible that ever thou shouldst bee gathered and brought into the state of grace but if wee come to the meanes then wee may have hope that one day God will draw us unto himselfe though not at the first houre of the day yet hee may at the second and if not at the second yet at the sixth and if not at the sixth yet at the last houre of the day Therefore we must wait on the meanes and attend that till God give his blessing unto it Iohn 5. we see a lame man came to the poole to bee helped of his diseases and lay there a long time for he was intercepted by one or other that did step in before him yet hee continued still because there was meanes of his helpe and at last Christ came and did help him so when we come to the meanes to the preaching of the Word and come a long time and we see others catch away the blessing others are drawne to faith and to repentance and to an estate of grace and we are not yet let us not tarry at home for then wee may die in our sinnes but let us come to the meanes and waite and attend on it and then at last we shall finde Gods blessing upon us
thankes unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in light Who hath delivered us from the power of darknesse and translated us into the kingdome of his deare Sonne WElbeloved in this Scripture and the like is set downe the ground of the first part of our Christian profession wherein as I told you there be foure points of Faith to be beleeved 1. That there is a distinction of Persons in the Godhead 2. That there is a Divine Person called the Father 3. That he is the Father of Christ of these three we have spoken 4. That he is our Father by the meanes of Christ which now wee are to handle By Faith we are made one with Christ and being one with Him God is our Father by the meanes of him This is comfort to a Christian when hee knowes God is his Father wee reade Iohn 20. 17. when Christ was to depart from his Disciples saith he to Mary Goe tell my brethren that I ascend to my Father and to your Father to my God and your God so Gal. 4. 6. He hath sent the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts whereby ye cry Abba Father This is a great Comfort and Blessing that we may call God our Father boldly which we have by the meanes of Christ all the Angels in heaven could not doe or procure it no not for the poorest or meanest man But Christ hath procured it and by no other meanes but by his death and bloudshed Indeed naturally we may say as Iob that Corruption is our father and the wormes our mother so naturally an earthly man may say Sinfull is our father the divell naturally is our father but yet by Adoption we are the sonnes and daughters of Almighty God the heires of heaven Therefore as it is written in the 1 Pet. 1. 3. Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us againe to a lively hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead to an Inheritance immortall and undefiled c. so also we may say Blessed be God that by the meanes of Iesus Christ is become our father O blessed be God our Father that hee hath begotten us to the hope of heaven Yea there is no man can looke up comfortably to call God Father but by the meanes of Christ The use of this is twofold for Instruction and Comfort First matter of Instruction that seeing God is our Father wee must labour to please to respect and obey him in all our courses and actions And therefore as Christ saith of himselfe that he was not come to doe his owne will but the will of his heavenly Father so we must say Lord I am not come to doe my owne will but to doe the will of my heavenly Father We see in Nature let a childe be betweene his father and a stranger let the stranger bid him to doe any thing and he will not regard it but let his father command him and straightway he will doe it so if God be a stranger unto us then we will not regard or obey him But if he be our Father then we will be ready to obey him in all things that hee commandeth us Ierem. 35. 5. we see it there related that there were pots full of wine and cups set before the Rechabites And I said unto them Drink wine but they said We will drinke no wine for Ionadab the sonne of Rechab our father commanded us saying Ye shall drinke no wine so a Christian man should say when he is tempted to sinne to lye or to sweare to deceive or to commit uncleannesse O I dare not doe it for God my heavenly Father hath forbidden it I dare not sweare or prophane the Sabbath day I dare not deceive commit uncleannesse for God my heavenly Father hath forbidden me and therefore if God be our Father we must respect and obey him It is a great sinne and corruption that men doe professe God to be their Father and yet they will not obey him but doe the quite contrary God hath commanded we should sanctifie the Sabboth but we prophane it that we should love our enemies and wee scant love our friends that we should speake with great reverence of his Name yet we take it in vaine and so of many others the Lord complaines of such Ierem. 3. 14. Didst thou not still cry unto me thou art my Father and the guide of my youth as if he should say Ye call me Father indeed but ye do not use me like a Father ye doe not obey me and walke in my wayes If I be your Father use me like a Father respect me obey me so Esay 1. 2. the Lord saith I have nourished and brought up children but behold rebellious children And therefore seeing we professe God to bee our Father we must obey him and regard him as a Father Secondly seeing God is our Father we must labour to be like him as much as may be for a Childe desires to bee like the Father and therefore seeing we professe to be the Children of God let us labour to be like him in all holinesse and uprightnesse So the Apostle exhorts Eph. 5. 1 2. Be ye therfore followers of God as deare children so 1 Pet. 1. 14. As obedient children not fashioning your selves unto the former lusts of your ignorance But as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation If we his Children we must be like him in three things First we must be like unto God in doing good unto all men within the compasse of our ability therefore Matth. 5. 45. our Saviour shewes how wee should bee like our heavenly Father Hee maketh the Sunne to shine upon the evill and the good and sendeth raine on the just and unjust so our goodnesse should be extended to all men Secondly we must be like God in forgiving the injuries and wrongs that bee done unto us As Col. 3. 21. Now therefore as the elect of God holy and beloved put on tender mercy kindnesse humblenesse of mind meeknesse long suffering forbearing and forgiving one another If any man have a quarrell to another even as Christ forgave you even so do ye Thirdly we must be like him in holinesse of life As 1 Pet. 1. 17. If yee call him Father which without respect of persons judgeth according to every mans workes passe the time of your dwelling here in feare and bee yee holy for hee is holy Wee see how wicked men imitate the steps of their fathers they will bee like them and therefore it is said of Abia 1 King 15. 3. That hee walked in all the sinnes of his father as hee had done before him So those wicked people Ier. 44. 17. say they Even as our Fathers have done before us so will wee doe Here wee see how ready
these were to follow the waies of their wicked fathers then how ready shold we be therfore to be like our heavenly Father God is mercifull and we be unmercifull ready to forgive us the injuries and wrongs that wee doe to him and wee backeward to forgive the injuries and wrongs that our brethren doe to us hee is holy and wee be unholy and therefore I marvell that we doe not blush to call God Father and yet walke in the steps of the divell God is holy and thou art prophane God is mercifull and thou art cruell This is the second instruction The third is that seeing God is our Father therefore wee must trust in him and rely on him as a Father we must labour to moderate the cares of this life because we have one God to take care for us Matth. 6. 25. our Saviour saith Bee not carefull what yee shall eate or what yee shall drinke nor yet for the body what ye shall put on c. and verse 32. he giveth a reason why wee should take no care for your heavenly Father knoweth that yee have need of all these things and out of his Fatherly care will make a supply of them by such good meanes as hee hath appointed therefore wee must wholy rely and trust on him If wee see a young man eager of the world carking caring scraping and gathering together riches men may say this man hath no Father to provide for him So if wee see men scraping gathering carking and caring for the things of this life surely wee may feare God is not his Father for if he were hee would rest upon him Chrysostome saith if a man were going to a feast would hee take care for meat if one were at a fountaine would hee take care for water God of his Fatherly care will provide a table for us and as a rich fountaine will make a supply of all our wants therefore we have no cause to carke or care for the things of this life let this bee thy comfort that if God bee our Father hee will provide for thee This therefore condemnes the scrapers and misers of this world that care not by what meanes they can get it or by what bad course they have it and therefore they doe not rest on God as a Father It is true indeed there is a provident care to bee had for the things of this life but this same carking and distrustfull care is that which the Scriptures condemne The fourth is that all the chastisements that come upon us we take as from the hand of a loving Father and patiently beare them so wee see Psal 39. 9. I was dumbe and said nothing because it was thy doing So 1 Sam. 3. 18. It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good And Luk. 22. 2. Father if thou wilt take away this cup from mee neverthelesse not my will but thy will bee done So every crosse and affliction we should take as a cup tempered and reached out by the hand of a loving Father and therefore wee should patiently beare it Wee see in experience if a stranger beat a child the child will murmur at it but if a Father correct it it will patiently beare that so if God bee a stranger to us then we will murmur at his corrections but if God be our Father then we will patiently beare his loving chastisements The fifth instruction hence is that seeing God is our Father we should bee content to part with any thing wee have to give unto Christ wee read in the story of Samson that when his Father and Mother was going to the wedding he went aside to looke on the carcase of the Lion which hee had killed where hee found a swarme of bees and hony whereof he did eate and gave to his Father and Mother so we should doe going to the heavenly wedding wee should give such good things as wee have seeing we cannot give them to Christs owne person let us give them to his needy members and Christ will accept it as done unto himselfe as Mat. 25. 45. Forsomuch saith he as ye have done it unto one of these little ones ye have done it unto mee Seeing God is our Father therefore all Christians are our brothers and wee should love them for our Fathers sake So Mal. 2. 10. Have wee not all one Father and hath not one God made us why doe wee transgresse every one against his brother and breake the covenant of our God and Father therefore seeing God is the Father of us all we must love them and regard them so Ioh. 8. 42. If God were your Father saith Christ then ye would love me so we may say if God were your Father then ye would love Christians but because yee hate and despise them therefore it is evident that God is not your Father The second thing that was observed was matter of comfort first that seeing God is our Father therefore wee are called to a greater dignity and honour than this world can afford us for it is the greatest preferment in the world to bee called the Sonnes of God and therefore 1 Ioh. 3. 1. hee bringeth it in with an ecce Behold what love the Father hath shewed on us that wee should bee called his Sonnes and therefore David to this purpose saith 1 Sam. 18. 23. Seemeth it a light thing unto you to bee the Sonne in law to a King Now then if it be such a matter to bee Sonne in law to a King what an honour is it to bee Son to the King of Kings to God if wee consider wee bee but dust and sinfull and the children of the divell therefore as David saith 1 Sam. 18. 18. Who am I and what is my life and the familie of my Father in Israel that I should bee Sonne in law to the King So wee may say Lord what am I or what is my Fathers house that this honour should bee put upon me to bee called thy Sonne And therefore whatsoever our estate be here in this world it is a great comfort to us to bee one of the Sonnes of God the greatest dignity that this world can afford I shewed you lately that it is the greatest goodnesse and mercy of God to put honour upon his servants that even Kings are glad of this favour and howsoever men cannot away with such now but despise and contemne them yet one day at the day of judgement or of their death to have honor with the meanest of Gods people they would bee glad if they could have but a looke and therefore it is a greater comfort to be one of Gods sonnes and daughters than to have all this world The second comfort is that seeing God is our Father therefore he will bee a Father to us as 2 Cor. 6. 18. I will bee a Father unto you and not in name but a Father in deed to us hee will performe the duty of a Father there
3. Faith Adoration as Heb. 1. 6. When he brings his first begotten into the world he saith And let all the Angels worship him Invocation as by Stephen who called on God and said Lord Iesus receive my spirit so of Saul Act. 9. 14. it is said that hee bound all that called on the name of the Lord. Faith as Iohn 14. 1. Ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me to which purpose is that Act. 17. 3. Therefore wee may see by these arguments that Christ is God and to take heed of this brutish opinion of the Arrians Now what be the consequents of this that he was not a bare man but he was God also who did redeeme us There bee divers reasons why he onely should redeeme us First because he that did redeem us must beare the burthen of al the sins due to al men that hath beene and shall be now there was none that could doe this because the wrath of God was infinite save Christ Iesus for let the wrath of God come upon the Angels they are not able to beare nor stand under the burthen of it but it will presse downe and sinke them as low as Hell Secondly he that should redeeme us must pay a price Incomparable better and more worth than the bodies and soules of all men that ever were now there was none that could doe this but God and therefore he must bee God who redeemed us Thirdly he that should redeeme us must put on all our sinnes even all the sinnes that had been committed and shall be from the beginning of the world to the latter end and apparell himselfe with them but there is no man no Angell able to doe this and to stand before God unlesse there be infinite goodnesse in him to countervaile the justice of God therefore it must be God that must doe it The second branch is that we doe beleeve he is the onely Sonne of God not by creation as the Angels spoken of Iob 1. 6. nor by adoption and grace as men Ioh. 1. but by communicating his nature and essence to him Now this doth commend the goodnesse and mercy of God to us that when wee had sinned against him and had no way to redeeme our selves he having but one Sonne and his onely begotten Sonne yet gave him to dye for us so to redeeme us The uses are first seeing Christ is the only Son of God let us labour to become one with him and then we shall also be the sonnes of God as Ioh. 1. 12. But as many as received him to them he gave power to be the sonnes of God and Gal. 3. 26. For ye are all the sonnes of God by faith in Christ Iesus I know there is never a one here present but could be contented to be the sonne of God let us then labour to bee with Christ by faith and so we shall become the sonnes of God for hee draweth all his members into the same dignity with him David accounted it a great matter to be the sonne in law to a king so Moses to be a sonne to Pharaohs daughter howsoever he refused it afterward Now if it bee such a great matter to bee sonne in law to an earthly king much more is it to bee a sonne to God therefore what a comfort is this to such poore people that are one with Christ by faith howsoever they bee hated and despised at the hands of wicked men 1 Ioh. 3. 1. hee bringeth it in with an ecce Behold what love the Father hath shewed to us that we should be called the sonnes of God All the world doth not know what a great blessing it is to be the sonnes unto God wee see how great men will talke of their nobility and of their great descent but alas what is all this if we be not the sonnes of God therefore thinke this with thy selfe I am a great man in the world and come of a noble blood and a great descent but what is this unto me unlesse I bee the sonne of God And therefore let us labour to bee one with Christ and then as Christ was raised from the dead so he will raise us up together with him and wee shall be found the sonnes of God Secondly seeing Christ is the onely Sonne of God wee may see the horriblenesse of our sinnes and the greatnesse of them that when wee had sinned all the creatures in heaven and earth could not doe it but it must be the Sonne of God he must come downe take our nature upon him and dye for us Augustine saith O man by the great price that was paied for thee thou maiest consider the greatnesse of thy sinnes that they cost the bloud of Christ the Sonne of God If a man should commit an offence and all the nobles should kneele on their knees before the king for him and could not get release but that it must be the kings sonne onely that must doe it hee must shed his blood take the place of a malefactor be arraigned condemned and executed in his roome all men would conceive that this was a horrible fact that must be the cause of this this is our case when we had sinned all the heavenly powers could not bring us into favour againe but it must be the Sonne of God hee must take our roome and place bee arraigned condemned and executed for us therefore sinne is no small matter neither must wee esteeme of our sinnes slightly but consider with our selves that great are our sinnes that hath brought this on Christ Thirdly we should heare his voyce it is the charge the God giveth Matth. 3. 17. This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him and therefore it is a great sinne to despise the voyce of Christ in the ministery of his Word Saint Paul sheweth what a great sinne it is saith he God spake by the Prophets at sundry times and in divers manners but now he hath spoken in these last times by his Sonne and therefore in the second Chapter he exhorteth us To take heede of it that wee doe not let it slip for if the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every transgression and disobedience receiveth a just recompence of reward How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation Therefore seeing Christ is become a Prophet of the Church let us take heede we doe not despise his Word or voyce It was a holy thought in God when the Church of the Iewes had killed the Prophets beaten and despised them I will send my Sonne it may be they will reverence him it was a sweet thought in God to doe so And therefore let us take heed we doe not despise the voyce of Christ Ioh. 5. 28. it is said The dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God even the dead cinders and ashes of men that have been rotting in the graves many thousand yeeres they shall startle and
a learned man saith there be two crucifiers There bee invisible and visible crucifiers the visible crucifiers are the Iewes the invisible are the people of all ages Wherefore seeing our sinnes have brought Christ to his death we should the more hate and detest them Augustine saith If a man should kill father or mother would we let him lie in our bosomes set him at our table let him be in our houses No we would hate abhorre and never abide him why man saith he thy sinnes have not killed thy father and thy mother only but thy Lord and Master one that hath done more for thee than all the world besides wherefore then wilt thou let sinne lye in thy bosome wilt thou nourish it and entertaine it still nay rather hate detest and spit at it Fourthly The end why Christ suffered was either generall to bring us home to God or particular to reconcile us to him and to abolish sinne The Generall end was to bring us to God that we might have communion and fellowship with him for all our happinesse consists in this bringing us to God and all our misery in this that we be strangers from him for by the reason of our sinnes we have no communion with him as Adam was cast out of Paradise so we be all cast from the presence of God and as he ranne away from Gods presence hid himselfe and could not abide it so we are all runne away from God we cannot abide his presence nor stand before God nor speake unto him but Christ hath suffered to this end to bring us unto him and hath appeased his anger so that now he doth looke after us and we may be bold to goe to him and speake to him in prayer Here we may observe three things First that we be strangers from God and dare not come into his presence but are abashed to stand before him or speake unto him before Christ hath carried and presented us to him As in Gen. 47. 2. when Iacob was come into Aegypt to see Ioseph he presented five of his brethren with his father Iacob to King Pharaoh because he was a stranger so seeing we be strangers from God who did not know us the true Ioseph doth present us unto him I but doth not God know us Doth he not know the creatures that he hath made This is a heavie thing that God should not know us To this I answer that sinne hath put upon us such a fearfull ugly face and so deformed that God doth not acknowledge us to be the creatures he made at first therefore the true Ioseph doth bring us to God and present us in his bloud saying O Father accept of them these be they for whose sake I was nine moneths in the dark wombe of the Virgin borne in a stable laid in a manger these be they for whose sakes I died that same cursed death on the crosse Father for my sake accept them and let my paines be their ease my shame their glory my death their life and my condemnation their absolution so that it is Christ that bringeth us home unto God which is the generall end of his sufferings In Ephes 2. 12. it is said Remember that at that time yee were without Christ being aliens from the common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world but now in Christ Iesus yee who sometimes were afarre off are made nigh to him by the blood of Christ so it is the great price that Christ hath paid for us that brings us into favour with God even his most precious blood Secondly herein we may see the marvellous love of Christ that hee would bring us home to God and into favour againe and that not with a word speaking but by dying and suffering for us it had beene a great love of Christ if he had but spoke for us although he had done no more but what a great love was this to suffer such great things that it cost him his life and blood hee was not at rest till he had wrought our redemption as Luk. 12. 15. saith he But I have a Baptisme to be baptized with and how am I straightned till it be accomplished And hee did it not by speaking for us but he did it by dying and suffering for us Exod 32. 32. saith Moses pleading for the people Yet now if thou wilt forgive their sinne thy mercy shall appeare But if not blot me I pray thee out of thy booke which thou hast written So saith Christ Father spare thy people or else wipe me out of the land of the liuing let my life goe for theirs spare them and take me Psal 40. 6 7. wee see that it is not the blood of calves and of goates and beasts that can redeeme us but Christ knew it must bee a more precious blood that must doe it and therefore doth hee offer his owne blood and saith take my life and my blood and let my people goe free Hence wee may see the marvelous love of Christ that hee did not redeeme us by speaking but by suffering and dying for us therefore seeing he loved us we should be content to love againe and to doe any thing that he requires of us Saint Andrew when he was charged of the Gentiles that he did not love their gods he made this answer Let me see if your gods can make mee such a heaven and earth and doe so much for me as my God hath done then I will love your gods but if they cannot then they are not to bee respected nor regarded so wee may say to our vile lusts and to our sinnes if ye can doe so much for me as Christ hath done then I will bestow my love upon you but if you cannot then you are not to be regarded nor respected He shall have my heart that hath done these great things for me Thirdly seeing Christ hath suffered to bring us to God wee must take heede we doe not defeate him of his labour which we doe if we hang still in our sinnes Deut. 24. 15. The Lord accounts the retaining and keeping of the labourers hire a great and grievous sinne even a crying sinne let us consider this that Christ hath laboured for us not for our meate nor money but to bring us to God to repentance and to heaven but if we hang still in our sinnes and doe not repent us of them nor bee brought home to God we defeate him and will not let him have for his labour what hee hath travelled for as it is said Esai 5. 31. Hee shall see of the travell of his soule and shall bee satisfied Christ hath travelled but to what end to bring us to God to Repentance to faith in Christ to make us conscionable in our courses this will satisfie him but if men be not brought home unto God if they doe not repent walke conscionably in
suffer all his paines at one time but there was some space and intermission betweene them which must teach us that it is the Goodnesse and Mercy of God that all our afflictions come not upon us at one time but there is a space betweene them this the Prophet Esai 57. 16. doth note as a mercy of God where it is said For I will not contend for ever neither will I bee alwaies wroth for the Spirit should faile before me and the Soules which I have made all our troubles shall not come at an instant nor all our temptations lest our spritis should faile but there shall bee a space and a time betwixt them so Matth. 4. it is said that the devill left Christ for a season hence appeares not onely the goodnesse but the mercy of God that the devill doth leave tempting of us for a season yea even God himselfe doth leave and cease to bring all his afflictions upon us at one time still there is some intermission and space betweene them that so wee may bee quite overcome but may have a breathing time to recover our strength againe The third is that it was the ninth houre of the day a little before his death This must teach us that greatest extremitie for the most part of a Christian is at the time of his death so we see Esai 38. 12. Hezekiah complaining Mine age is departed and is remooved from me like a shepheards tent I have cut off like a weaver my life he will cut me off with pining sicknesse from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me c. so in the Revelation wee see because the devill hath but a short time to continue therfore he rages and takes on the more and bends all his forces to bring troubles upon the people of God There bee two especiall times that the devill is busiest to disturbe Gods people first at their entrance into a Christian calling so Matth. 4. no sooner was Christ called to his office but he was straight-way tempted of the devill the same still he doth to us no sooner are we entred into a Christian course or calling having given our names to Christ but we are assailed by him I have shewed you heretofore if a prisoner breake prison the jaylor will lay all the country about till he hath gotten him againe and if he take him he will lay more irons upon him and use him worse than he did before so the devill doth when a man is once converted and brought to God escaped out of his thraldome hee will labour by all meanes to catch hold on him againe so that wee see at the entrance of a Christian into an holy course the devill will bee most busie Secondly at the time our death when because the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death the devill thrusts himselfe in with death that he might make death more bitter and strong thereby to destroy us if hee could Ioh. 14. 30. saith Christ for the prince of the world commeth and hath nought in me so Gen. 15. when the Sunne was downe the fowles came and fell upon the carkasse of the beast that Abraham had killed for a sacrifice in like maner when sorrow is at hand or when death is come the devill will be most busie to hinder us therefore being forewarned wee should labour to get faith patience repentance with other graces fitting for a Christian that so we may stand at that time before God and bee able to say with Christ Ioh. 14. 30. The prince of the world commeth and hath nought in me Secondly what he complained of that he was forsaken of God it is a very strange thing that the Sonne of God should be forsaken yet very true in respect of the bitternesse of his passion and sense of his humanity he being oppressed with infinite dolour and paines and this complaint of his is not of desperation and diffidence for he cals God his God but of contention and strife with his most bitter and sorrowfull tentation This must teach us that if the Sonne of God was forsaken when hee found sinne upon him though it were but imputed then wee may bee sure that if God finde sinne upon us he will forsake us Here we are to observe foure things 1. What it is to be forsaken 2. How farre He was forsaken 3. For what Hee was forsaken 4. His carriage in this estate First to be forsaken of God is nothing else but to want the gratefull presence of God in goodnesse and grace Now there is a twofold presence there is a generall presence to sustaine and uphold us in our being and actions which is common to all thus the devill hath the presence of God which is that presence Paul speaketh of in the Acts In him we live moove and have our being let a Carpenter make a house and when he hath done let him goe whether hee will the house will stand but it is not so with us for God when hee hath made us must uphold us or else wee fall to the grave and come to nothing as a staffe in a mans hand as long as he holds it so long the staffe stands but if hee withdraw his hand it fals so it is with the world and all things in it Now besides this generall presence there is a particular presence in grace and goodnesse such as is spoken of Psalm 145. 18. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him to all that call upon him in truth So that God is not onely present to sustaine and uphold us in the life of nature but to be present with us in the life of grace therfore to want the presence of God is to want the comfortable feeling of God in grace and goodnesse this is meant by being forsaken of God to finde Gods angry countenance against us for sinne Secondly how farre forth Christ and so a Christian may be said to bee forsaken I answer two waies 1. The one is in the life of nature 2. The other is in the life of grace First in the life of nature when God takes away our sight our strength our health our breath or life and thus the dearest servants of God may bee forsaken thus Christ was forsaken and the Theefe on the crosse he was not freed of his bodily paines yea and hee lost his life too but God did not forsake him in the life of grace hee gave him his Spirit and grace still And thus the poore Martyrs were forsaken in the life of nature Heb. 11. it is said some were racked and some were sawne asunder I but God did not forsake them in the life of grace therefore they suffered willingly the spoiling of their goods thus the dearest of Gods servants may be forsaken yea this kinde of forsaking is needefull as in some diseases when a Physitian comes and seeth a man hath abundance of blood whereby he is subject
me not are words of information and of instruction to her for shee would have imbraced Christ but Christ refused her Now this is strange that Marie had sought so long for Christ and sought him with teares and now finding him he forbids her to touch him therefore these words are words of instruction wherein are two limitations The first is Noli me tangere touch mee not now for I am not yet ascended there will be time enough hereafter but now I have a more needfull duty for you to doe Goe and tell my brethren that I am risen for the Disciples were at the grave and saw nothing but the grave-clothes therefore they went away with a conceit that some body had stollen away Christ taken away his body and so their faith was in danger and if it should bee longer held in suspence might bee sore shaken if not utterly ruined and therefore it was that Marie must be sent in such post to acquaint them with his rising and may not stay the time to touch Christ now though it were a good thing to doe so yet shee must preferre this more needfull thing First goe and tell his Disciples that hee was risen which must teach us that we must apply our selves to the duty that God cals us too there bee many examples of it in the Scripture as Ios 7. 10. Hee humbled himselfe fasted and prayed unto the Lord and the Lord said unto Ioshua Vp Ioshua what dost thou there I have another dutie for thee to doe it is a good thing indeed to fast and pray but I will not have thee to doe it now I have another service and dutie for thee to doe there is an execrable thing committed goe and finde it out And so Matth. 8. Christ bids the man to follow him but hee will first goe and bury his father though Christ saith Let the dead bury the dead but follow thou mee It is a good thing to bury ones father but Christ calls him to another duty therefore it was not needfull then to doe it To make use of it to ouer selves it is a good thing to performe the duties of our calling to buy and sell to bargaine plant and to sow and such like but when the Sabbath day commeth doe it not then God calleth us to doe duties of Prayer repentance hearing of the Word receiving of the Sacraments and such like so it is a good thing to read on a good booke or in the Scripture but when we come to Church God calls us to another duty to heare to pray with the Minister and therefore doe it not The second limitation is Noli me tangere Touch me not so touch me not with the hands of thy body but touch mee with The hands of thy faith it was Thomas his resolution Vnlesse I touch him with my hands and put my fingers into his side I will not beleeve Christ replies Thomas because thou hast seene mee thou hast beleeved Blessed are they that have not seene and yet have beleeved Ioh. 20. 29. It is a good thing to touch Christ with the hands of our bodies O but it is a blesseder thing to touch him with the hand of our faith hence we learne That to enioy Christs bodily presence is not so great a thing as to apprehend him by the hand of our faith Augustine speaking of the woman that had the bloody issue said There were a number of people that did throng and thrust Christ but they drew no vertue out of him shee onely did and that by a touch of her faith therefore it is a more blessed thing to touch Christ with the hand of faith than with the hand of our body there bee a number thinke that unlesse they touch Christ and feele him and handle him it is nothing I but doe thou labour to touch Christ by the hand of Faith and this will be of force to draw vertue from him The second end was to send comfort to his Disciples for Christ did not onely dye for them and us but when hee had done he tooke care to apply it this is the great goodnesse and mercy of Christ not only to dye for us but also to apply his death to us Now in this sending of Mary wee may observe three things 1. The party that did cary it It was Mary 2. Vnto whom To his brethren 3. The message it selfe That I ascend to my Father and to your Father to my God and your God First who it was that carried it Mary but why did not Christ goe himselfe I answere it was to finde them the more humbled for their sinnes and their offences It was a great wisedome in Christ and a singular dispensation to send Mary for what might the Disciples thinke of it that Christ had appeared to Mary and had not appeared to them Thus wee be unworthy of his company wee have so often denyed and forsaken him therefore that he might finde them the more humbled for their sinnes and their offences he sent Mary In like manner when wee see others receive comfort against their sinnes and we cannot others be in peace and we bee not what may we thinke but what we be unworthy of it therefore that we may be the more humbled for our sinnes and offences and the fitter to receive him Christ doth deferre his comfort from us as 1 King 19. when Elias was in the cave there came first a whirlewind then an earthquake then a fire then a still and soft voyce where God was why did God come thus with a whirlewinde an earthquake and fire it was to make the Prophet the more humbled when he came and the more fit to receive the charge that was to be imposed upon him so Act. 9. when Christ came unto Paul hee flung him off his horse and stroke him with blindenesse that hee might make him the more humbled for his sinnes and his offences and the fitter to receive the charge which should be given him Secondly to shew how ready wee should bee to communicate good things one to another for when we have received any good we should be ready to impart it to another We see the little birds when they have got a worme they fly home to their yong ones and make them partakers with them so when wee have gotten any good thing we should carry it home and make our families partakers of it As naturally the Sunne casts his light on the Moone and Stars and the Moone and Starres casts it downe againe on the earth so all the light of knowledge that is cast upon us we should cast upon our brethren and as Christ said to Mary Goe tell my brethren so I say to you Go and tell your friends your acquaintance your neighbours and your owne children and families the good things that God hath revealed unto you Thirdly to instruct the disciples which were the doctors and pastors of the Church Mary was but a
that did weaken their faith so men must take care of this that they doe not tye their faith to their eyes and fingers that they will beleeve God no longer than they see with their eyes and feele with their fingers for a Christian must beleeve God against sense and reason It is the manner of the world as long as they see with their eyes and feele with their hands as long as they have peace and ease and wealth so long they doe beleeve God but when this failes then their faith failes them I but Christ saith to Thomas Blessed are they which beleeve and see not Thomas did beleeve when he saw but it is a more blessed thing to beleeve and see not and therefore we must rest in the promises of God against sense and reason Now finding this weakenesse of faith in them hee doth labour to re-establish and strengthen them loe here we may see the goodnesse of God that by the weakenesse of their faith hee doth take occasion to strengthen the same It is the great mercy of God that all things shall worke together for the good of them that love him there be a number of things in the world that seeme to work against the people of God but God turnes all of them to the good of his people and of them that love him as we see in a Clocke that some wheeles turne one way and some another yet all serve to make the Clocke go so there be many crosses and contrary things in this world but all serve to one end even to worke for the good of them that love him This may bring comfort to Christians that the weakenesse of their faith the Lord can turne to their good wee see in experience if a man set yong Trees he will pull and shake the Tree as if he would pull it up and all that hee doth is but to settle the Tree the faster even so the Lord doth many times as if hee would overthrow a Christian and yet all is to settle his faith and to make him cleave the faster to God Now Christ doth strengthen the faith of his disciples two wayes 1. By reproving and rebuking of them 2. By informing them First hee reproves and rebukes them that they were slow of heart to beleeve the scriptures which may teach us that if there be a presence of God among us hee will bee reprooving of us whereas many thinke they may goe away with any sinne closely yet if there bee a presence of Christ among us hee will reprove us for our sinnes and for the weakenesse of our faith This is that which Christ speakes in the Gospell of Saint Iohn That when the Spirit of Christ is come into the world he shall reprove the world of sinne c. so if the spirit of Christ be come into our harts he will reprove us for misspending the time for our ignorance for every thing that is amisse but if it bee not so with thee but thou art at peace and securely sleepest in thy sinne then the spirit of Christ is not come into thee for if the spirit of Christ bee come into thee he will reprove thee of thy sinnes and make thee say as the Lâ—pers said We doe not well to tarry here c. O we doe not well to breake the Sabbath to be drunken to speake filthily wee doe not well to lye or to sweare Now what was that he reproves them for That they were slow of heart to beleeve the Scriptures and here wee are to take notice of a corruption that is in us that we are slow to beleeve the Scriptures and the Gospel but quicke to beleeve a foolish tale or a lye or a false report of our neighbours from this the Lord hath much adoe to stay us although hee hath strictly charged us to enquire the truth of it Deut. 17. 4. where hee saith If it bee told thee and thou hast heard it then shalt thou enquire diligently if it bee true and the thing certain before we speake of it If there be a false report of a good Minister or of a good Christian that wee can beleeve presently but we are slow to beleeve the Scripture or any good thing we are tardy here is our fault and this corruption hath beene in our nature ever since the fall of Man for we see Genes 3. The Lord told Adam That in the day that he did eate of the fruit he should dye the death but the divell came and told him Ye shall not dye at all cleane contrary and yet we see that they were more ready to beleeve the divell than God Will yee see a comparison to explaine it the better If an earthly king should say to us If yee will bee contented to doe mee some service a few dayes and to attend mee I will afterwards advance you and bestow great honour upon you what man is there that would not rest himselfe upon the kings promise In like manner God hath said unto us Attend me in the duties of holinesse and doe mee service a few dayes whilest thou livest heere and afterward I will make you an Heire of the Kingdome of Heaven and thou shalt bee neere unto mee and yet wee will not beleeve God Now there bee two uses to bee made of this Doctrine which shall bee declared unto you God assisting the next time of our meeting SERMON XXXIIII LVKE 24. 26 27. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himselfe WEe heard the last day how Christ did labour to strengthen the weake faith of his Disciples when they were going to Emmaus and therefore let us travell with them and over-heare them that so that which did serve to strengthen them in their faith may serve to strengthen us in ours If a man have a legge or an arme out of joynt he cannot bee at rest untill it be set againe even so when we feele weakenesse of faith let us not bee at rest till wee have gotten the same strength of faith that wee had before therefore let us creepe into the company of Christ and goe as farre as Emmaus with him If a man hang on the top of an high Tower by the hand and there bee a number of sharpe stones under him that if hee fall it will burst him in pieces how carefull will he be to strengthen that hand lest he fall downe so faith is the hand we lay hold on God by and wee hang as it were at the top of an high Tower whence if wee fall wee are like to fall to hell how carefull therefore should we bee to strengthen that hand Now two wayes I told you Christ doth labour to strengthen their faith 1. By reproving of them 2. By informing of them Of the first wee spake the last day and therefore are
gives them to performe their charge 4 The Authoritie First before Christ sends his Disciples He armes them saith he Peace be unto you It is a strange thing that seeing there is such great good offered in the Gospell that it should be so unwelcome one would have thought it would have beene entertained and received joyfully but Christ knew that of all messages this is unwelcomest and therefore Christ faies Behold I send you as sheepe among wolves though yee bee as sheepe yet yee shall meete with wolves and what is that he comforts thē with that God is at peace with them this is all the armor he fences them with against the unkindnesse and hard dealings of the world to know that God is at peace with them and loves them by the meanes of Christ so Ioh. 16. he saith In the world ye shall have trouble but in me ye shall have peace be of good comfort for I have overcome the world this may teach us that if a Christian bee at peace with God and knowes that his sinnes bee pardoned and that God loves him by the meanes of Christ here is enough to beare him out against al the encounters and unkindnesses that the world affords therefore when a Christian man is in any trouble or affliction let him descend into his owne heart and see if God be at peace with him by the meanes of Christ that his sinnes are pardoned and that he knowes he shall bee saved this will give a man comfort so we see Lam. 3. the Church did and Ier. 14. saith he in the greatest distresse that might be The Lord is my portion saith my soule therefore will I hope in him I have shewed you heretofore that if a man fall into the hands of theeves and robbers and they robbe him and take away his goods or his money if hee hath a jewell of infinite price about him and they leave him that hee will say Lord I thanke thee I have my jewell still howsoever I have lost my goods and my money so a man may say though sicknesse had taken away my health and bad neighbours my money yet Lord I thanke thee I have my jewell I have my peace with thee and assurance that my sinnes bee pardoned Heb. 10. 34. it is said of the good people That they suffered with joy the spoyling of their goods knowing that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance so as long as a man hath peace of conscience pardon of his sinnes hope of Heaven he is armed and fenced against all troubles and all the unkindnesses the world can offer unto him The second is the Commission As the Father sent me so send I you here are two things to be considered 1. Who it is that sends 2. To what end he sends First by whom they were sent by Christ As my Father sent me so send I you thence we learne It is Christ that is the Authour of all Ministery he it is that sends Ministers to the Church as Matt. 23. 34. Behold I send unto you Prophets and wise men Scribes c. so Esay saith The Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me so it is Christ that is the Author of all Ministery as Ephes. 4. 14. When he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men And these were the gifts He therfore gave some to be Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists some Pastors and some Teachers so it is Christ that sends Ministers at this day but yet there is a difference for he sent the Apostles immediately by himselfe and hee sends Ministers at this day mediatly by the meanes and authority of the Church Now there are good uses to be made of this point some that do concerne us Ministers and some that doe concerne you First seeing it is Christ that sends us hee will assist and blesse us in our labours as Matth. 28. Goe and teach all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost And loe I am with you alwayes to the end of the world Secondly seeing it is Christ that sends us we must doe the businesse and the worke he sends us to doe so Christ saith of himselfe Iohn 5. 30. Because I seeke not mine owne will but the will of my Father that sent mee If a Merchant should send his servant beyond sea to bee a Factor for him who should apply himselfe to gather money and to make an estate to himselfe neglecting his master hee may looke for a cold welcome home so seeing he hath sent us to bee Factors for him and to doe his businesse if wee shall apply our selves to get money and to make an estate to our selves and so leave the Lords businesse undone wee may looke for a cold welcome home when we shall goe to God Thirdly seeing it is Christ that sent us we must give our accompt to him at the day of judgement for every man must give account to him that sends him we see Luke 10. that the Disciples being sent of Christ to preach they returne againe and give account of that they have done And so in Iob. 2. the divell being sent of God returnes againe to tell what he hath done Now the uses that concerne you be these First seeing it is Christ that sends Preachers yee must learne to acknowledge the great goodnesse of Christ that he would make any sending to such as ye be it had beene much if he had sent to us men when we had sought him and turned to him but that he should send when we had not a thought of him but were sinning against him this is a farre greater mercy therefore how thankefull should we be to Christ that he sends to us Daniel chap. 6. 22. doth acknowledge this as a great blessing saith he My God hath sent his Angell and hath shut the mouthes of the Lions that they have not hurt me so wee are to acknowledge it a great mercy and kindnesse of God to send his Preachers and Ministers not when wee lay bound in the Lions denne but when wee lay fast bound with the divels and hath preserved us from them It was a great kindnesse and favour that Ioseph would send to his father and to his brethren and bade them leave all and come into the land of Egypt and willed them that they should not care for their stuffe for they should have the best of the land notwithstanding the unkindenesse of his brethren Iosephs brethren were not so unkinde to him as wee bee to Christ and yet wee may see the goodnesse and the mercy of the Lord Iesus that hee should send to such as we be Secondly seeing Christ sent Preachers and Teachers then it is your duties to receive them Esay saith The Lord sent me and Ieremie said so when the people would have stoned him one would thinke it were enough to
Lord. This then we see is a fearefull and lamentable corruption of our natures that wee soone fall into sinne but when we be fallen wee have no minde to recover nor turne backe againe till Christ bring us backe as appeares plainely Luk. 22. 60. When Peter had denied Christ his Master hee ranne further into sinne till Christ cast a gratious eye on him even so when wee sinne against God we shall goe further and further till hee cast a gratious eye on us Now the reason why Christ came not till the eighth day are chiefly these two following First to sanctifie this day as the Christian Sabbath and to dedicate it here wee may observe they had not a word of Christ all the dayes of the weeke besides but when the eight day came then Christ did appeare to them which may teach us to walke in the strength of that we get one Sabbath till the next for it may bee wee shall not heare a word of Christ till the next Sabboth therefore it must bee our wisedome to get so much at one baite as may serve to carrie us to another even as Travellers will so refresh themselves at one time as that it may carry them to the next baiting place so seeing we have a long journey to goe wee must so refresh our selves on the Sabbath as that it may comfortably carry us to the next Lords day Secondly to teach us that although wee cannot keepe our Easter with Christ and his Disciples the first day yet we should labour to keepe it with Thomas the eighth day that is if we cannot be of the first ranke of beleevers yet let us labour to be of the second ranke as Numb 9. 6. There were certain men that were defiled with a dead man so as they might not eate of the Passeover the same day therefore they came to Moses for resolution he referres the matter to God and the Lord answeres them that he that could not take it the first moneth in the season must take it the second Moneth so if we cannot bee of the first ranke of beleevers Let us labour to bee of the second ranke if not of the second then let us labour to bee of the third ranke if not of the third rather than to be of none let us labour to be of the last as Math. 20. the laborers that were sent into the vineyard some came in at the first houre some at the fourth and some at the eleventh houre so if wee cannot bee of the first ranke of those that beleeve and repent them of their sinnes yet let us labour to bee of the second sort nay to come into an estate of grace though it be in the last houre The third thing is The manner that he appeared in it was in the same sort as he did appeare before for he came in When the Doores were shut and stood â—â—ngst them and said Peace bee unto you and shewed them his hands and feete But why did Christ appeare in this manner There were two reasons of it First To confirme the faith of the Disciples for no doubt they had told to Thomas before how Christ was risen and had appeared to them before and therefore Christ comes in the same manner to confirme their faith Secondly Because Thomas had said in a private meeting that hee would not beleeve unlesse he did see therefore Christ answered him in his owne words and speeches which may teach us that Christ overheares us every word we speake in our private houses in our chambers when wee speake of this friend and that of this body and that and will relate them at the day of judgement even the same words we speake therefore every man must be carefull of his speech and of his words that he doe not speake filthy or idle words for at the day of judgement Christ will repeat them all againe as Hosea 7. 2. saith the Lord And they considered not in their hearts that I remembred all their wickednesse this is the reason why men run into sinne and wickednesse because they doe not consider that God remembers it for if they did then they would not doe as they doe they would not speake a word or thinke a thought contrary to Gods will Thomas indeede was much too blame to prescribe such a law to Christ and yet notwithstanding such was the goodnesse and mercy of Christ that he yeelds to his weaknesse And why doth Christ yeeld to him Because he did see there was a desire in him to beleeve and repent therefore Christ yeelds to him and his weaknesse Hence we may learne that such is the goodnesse and mercie of Christ to sinnefull men that notwithstanding they prescribe unjust and unequall lawes as Thomas did yet he will yeeld to their weaknesse if they have a true desire to beleeve So Marke 5. 23. It is said The Ruler of the Synagogue came unto Christ and besought him that hee would come and lay his hands upon his daughter and heale her where hee prescribed a kinde of law in thinking that unlesse hee would come to her he could not helpe her and if shee were dead hee could not give her life againe yet notwithstanding Christ condescends and yeelds to his weaknesse and goeth and helpeth his daughter This is the goodnesse and mercy of Christ to yeeld to our weaknesse Now here are two questions to bee answered First Whether there bee any wounds in a glorified body or no seeing Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 15. 43. That it is sowne in dishonour it riseth againe in honour it is sowne in weaknesse and it riseth in power I answer that commonly and ordinarily there is no wounds nor scars in a glorified body for as there is glory in one part so there is glory in all the parts as Tertullian saith of death that it is not in one part but in all so saith he there is not glory in one part but there is glory in every part and therefore commonly and ordinarily a glorified body hath no wounds but that Christs body had wounds in it it was by speciall dispensation for our good and benefit that wee might have faith in the resurrection of Christ for hee was contented for our good and benefit to abate of his glory this should teach us that wee should be content to abate of our glory for the good of our brethren and it is not mine but the lesson which S. Paul teacheth us Phil. 2. 5. Let the same minde be in you that was in Christ who humbled himselfe and became obedient to the death of the crosse for our good therefore wee should bee contented to humble our selves and to doe good to our brethren The second question is why hee would have his Disciples to looke on his wounds I answer to shew them where the comfort of a Christian was not in Christs walking on the water or raising of the dead or casting out of devils or
virgin Mary now then if we aske the Papists where is Christ they will bee ready to say in such a Church and such a Church or he is betweene such a Priests fingers but aske the faith of a Christian professor where hee is and that will tell you that hee is ascended into heaven and therefore to avoid this Doctrine of the Papists in all likelihood it is that our Saviour saith Matth. 24. 23. If any man shall say unto you here is Christ or there is Christ beleeve him not doe not goe after them for Christ is ascended into heaven whither seeing Christ is ascended let us gather after him and although our bodies cannot yet ascend yet let our hearts and mindes and as the Disciples did follow him with their eies till a cloud came and tooke him up out of their sight so let us follow him with our hearts and mindes till we be in his sight Fourthly The manner of this ascension Luk. 24. 50. He lifted up his hands upon them and blessed them this was the last farewell he did not leave unto his Disciples houses and lands castles and mannors but he left them his blessing as the best portion which must teach us when we are to depart this world though wee cannot leave lands and livings to our children yet let us leave Gods blessings behinde us the knowledge of God the hatred of sinne the love of vertue conscience to walke with God as Gen. 28. 3. when Rebeccah sent her son Iaakob for a wife though his father was rich yet he was to the eye of the world but meanly provided having for his journey onely a staffe in one hand and a bottle of oyle in the other but together with them he had his fathers blessings and Gods blessing laid up in it and with these his mother thought him better furnished than his rich brother Esau with all his wealth so let a poore man leave Gods blessings to his childn and then he shal have the best portion that can befall him Now by the vertue of this blessing the Apostles passed through many troubles and were fenced with it against all the hard dealings of this ungratefull world for they cared not who cursed them so God blessed them nor who hated them so God loved them so if we get Gods blessing if that be upon us then we are â—enced against all the hard dealings of the world I but some man mâ—â— sâ—y how shall I be partaker of this blessing of Christ O that I had lived at that time and had beene amongst the Disciples To this I answer David tels us who be the persons and how wee may have this blessing Psal 24. 4. Even hee that hath innocent hands and a pure heart which hath not lift up his soule to vanity nor sworne deceitfully be shall receive a blessing from God so then labour to be an innocent man and to have a pure heart doe not drinke in the sinnes of the age thou livest in and thou shalt bee the man that shall be blessed and though thou be not blessed in the sight of others in this world yet thou shalt be pronounced blessed at the day of Iudgement even that mouth that shall curse the wicked and drive them to hell shall blesse thee and say Come yee blessed of my Father receive the kingdome prepared for you Secondly it is said While hee blessed them hee was parted from them and carried up to heaven that is he went by little and little not sodainely as he went from the two Disciples that went to Emmaus but here he went leasurely by little and by little till he was taken up till a cloud came and tooke him up out of their sight after which manner hee shall come againe And so say the Angels Act. 1. and therefore so often as we looke upon the clouds wee may thinke that the same chariots shall bring Christ againe howsoever they doe now bring us snow and raine and haile and wind yet they shall bee the chariots to bring Christ to Iudgment at the last day But the inlargement hereof we deferre till the next time SERMON XXXVIII LVKE 24. 50 51. And he led them out as farre as to Bethanie and he lift up his hands and blessed them And it came to passe while hee blessed them hee was parted from them and carried up into heaven HAving before spoken of the Reasons why it was needefull that Christ should ascend and of the Time when he ascended and also à quo of the place whence he ascended and that was Bethania and ad quem whither he ascended and that was to Heaven As also we began to speake of the manner of his ascension and therein we first observed that at his ascension He lift up his hands and blessed them which was his last farewell to the Church and to his Disciples wee read Gen. 27. 33. what Isaac said Iaakob have I blessed and he shall bee blessed so Christ will say to his servants and people I have blessed them and they shall be blessed For if Christs â—â—essing be upon us wee are fenced against all the unkindnesse of this ungratefull world if a father give a bitter cup to drinke into his sonnes hands hee will put a little sugar to allay the bitternesse of it so though the Lord give us a bitter cup to drinke of troubles and afflictions in this world yet therewithall hee gives us a little sugar to allay the bitternesse of it the comfort of his Spirit the pardon of our sinnes and the feeling of his favour I but some man may say may every man have this blessing of Christ I answer No for as Iacob said to his mother when he went to get the blessing from his brother Esau It may be that my father will feele me and handle me and then if I bee found to bee a deceiver I shall bring a curse upon me instead of a blessing so Christ will handle us and feele us as it were to see if we bee right children if we be not wee cannot have his blessing for it belongs to none but children adopted by his grace and mercy Some will be ready to say how may this blessing come upon me would I had beene amongst the Disciples when Christ was upon the earth I will not answer thee but God shall by the mouth of the Prophet David declaring who shall obtaine this blessing Psal 24. 14. Even he that hath cleane hands and a pure heart which hath not lift up his soule to vanity nor sworne deceitfully he shall receive the blessing from God hee that is a harmelesse man and doth not wrong or injury to his neighbour hee that doth not drinke in the sinnes of the age hee liveth in hee that doth not lift up his minde to vanity for there is a great deale of vanity in man vanity in the speech vanity in apparell this is the man that shall receive this blessing from
judgments of this world for the world counts him a blessed and a happy man that is rich that hath his barnes full of corne that hath a great deale of Land and money O but indeed he is the blessed and happy man that is in favour with God hath repented of his sinnes made conscience of his wayes and therefore why doe men so dote on this world to rake and gather together a deale of pelfe that will not stand them in stead at that day Then they shall see that the godly man is the blessed and happy man and that a dramme of Religion and of true saving faith is better than all the world besides and will doe them more good If a man were to goe into France and did heare that the coine in this Land would not goe there he would goe and change all his money for the coine of that country so seeing we are to goe into another countrey where our goods lands and money will not goe let us labour to change all that we have for that which will passe at that day let us get repentance faith and sanctified grace and then we shall finde comfort when this whole world will afford us none Now when the godly be pronounced happy and blessed by Christ then all the wicked shall be driven to Hell where they shall goe to paines and torments and this shall make their happinesse the greater Matth. 28. 4 5. when the Angel of God came downe from heaven and appeared in glory the keepers were astonied and became as dead men But the Angel answered and said to the women Bee not afraid for I know that ye seeke Iesus that was cruciâ—â—ed Even so when Christ shall appeare to judge the world they shall be as dead men before him but he shall say to the holy people be not afraid for I know whom ye seeke ye seeke Iesus that was crucified and now him that ye have so long looked for ye shall enjoy as 2 Kings 10. 15. when Iohn was in a great fury and had killed the two Kings yâ—t meeting with 〈◊〉 the Sonne of Rechab he tooke him by the hand and lifts him up into his chariot even so Christ shall doe when he hath driven all the wicked into Hell and meets with a good man he will say You are a good 〈◊〉 you are a blessed man and he wil take him up into his Throne to sit in glory with him And this is the glory that the Saints shall have when all the wicked shall be driven into Hell Thirdly The assignation wherein we are to observe two things 1. What is assigned a Kingdome 2. By what Title by Inheritance First what it is that is assigned it is no lesse than a Kingdome that God hath promised his people as Luk. 12. Feare not little flocke for it is your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdome so Dan. 7. 27. it is said and the Kingdome and Dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome â—â—dee the whole â—eaven shall be given to the holy people of the most high whose Kingdome is everlasting Earthly Kings and Princes though they bâ—stow great gifts on their subjects yet they keepe the Kingdome to themselves meaner matters serve than a Kingdome so wee see although Pharoah did bestow great honor on Ioseph and did advance him yet he kept the Kingdome to himselfe none might sit on the Throne but the King but here is the bounty of Christ that hee bestowes a Kingdome on his servants It was a large proffer that Ahashuerosh made Hester 5. 6. in that hee would give Hester one halfe of his Kingdome but God hath made a larger promise to us not that wee shall have one halfe of his Kingdome but he will give us his whole Kingdome We read Luk. 12. 13. There was a Man that came to Christ and said unto him Master bid my brother divide the inheritance with me but Christ will not divide his Kingdome to his servants but will give it whole and the glory of it to them therefore men must labour to become converted and bee the servants of God because he will bestow a Kingdome on them Most men will labour and toyle in this world for lesse matters than a Kingdome some are scattered all the world over to gather straw and stubble as the children of Israel were and therefore how much more should men labour to repent of their sinnes to get faith in Christ to become one of Gods servants and then he will bestow a Kingdome on them But some man may be ready to say although it be a Kingdome that God will give his people yet it may be so meane as it is not worth the labour of obtaining therefore Christ tels us what a Kingdome it is it is an heavenly Kingdome a Kingdome prepared of God So it is such a Kingdome as is worth all our labour and paines Now this Kingdome is set out to us by three properties 1 It is a Kingdome prepared of God 2 It is prepared for his elect and chosen 3 It was prepared before the foundation of the world First it is a Kingdome prepared of God Therefore it is a most glorious Kingdome Saint Paul saith of it 1 Cor. 2. 9. The things which the eye hath not seene neither eare heard neither came into mans hart is that which God hath prepared for them that love him No tongue is able to expresse nor heart of man to conceive of the glory and excellency of this Kingdome so it is Psal. 31. 19. O how great is thy goodnesse which thou hast layd up for them that feare thee done to them that trust in thee before the Sonnes of Men We may well thinke it is no small matter that all Gods attributes are set aâ—worke to furnish this Kingdome his wisedome power mercy and justice Therefore we may will conceive thereby the excellency and glory of it We see the more magnificent wise and potent that the first founders were of Kingdomes and cities the more famous excellent and noble were the Kingdomes founded by them Therefore it is said Genes 10. 10. of Nimrod that the beginning of his Kingdome was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calâ—eh in the Land of Shinar that is famous and noble cities and so likewise Nabuchadnezzar was a golden head in regard of the other Kings that did follow him Salomon also was a wise King and of great power of whose Kingdome it is said 1 Kings 10. 17. That he gave Silver as stones and Cedars as the wild figtrees that grow abundantly in the plaine that is as the crabtrees amongst us So then the more magnificent wise and potent the first founders were the more excellent were their countries and Kingdomes which granted it must necessarily follow that because no mans wisedome is able to compare with Gods wisedome no power with his power therefore as much as he wisedome of God goes beyond the wisedome of men and his power beyond the
the Apostle saith All things shall worke to the good of them that love God There be many things that seeme to goe against Christians all which yet the Lord turnes to their good the Philistians could not resolve Sampsons riddle but every Christian can as honey came out of the dead body of the Lion so a Christian drawes sweetnesse from the dead body of Christ even in trouble and affliction by perswading of us that God will turne all to our good Thirdly the holy Ghost doth comfort us by perswading of us that God will set an end to all our troubles as it is said Psal 102. That God will arise and have mercy on Sion for the time to have mercy thereon is come even the appointed time is come so also Psal 62. 2. saith he yet hee is my strength and my salvation and my defenceâ— therefore I shall not much be moved Now three wayes the Holy Ghost giveth us comfort in affliction First by perswading us that God will take it away Secondly that if he doth not take it away he will mitigate and asswage it as Psal 18. David saith by my God I have leaped over a wall although God did not take away the wall or though hee doth not make the wall lower yet by the helpe of God I can leape over the wall Thirdly that though he doth not mitigate or asswage it that yet he will give us patience to beare and undergoe it as it is in the Psalme I cried unto the Lord and the Lord heard me and hath renewed my strength therefore we may say with Saint Paul Thankes bee to God who hath comforted us in all our tribulations The second time is In the distresse of Conscience of all distresse there is none like it as Salomon saith Proverb 18. 14. The spirit of a man will sustaine his infirmities but a wounded Spirit who can beare Now it is the Holy Ghost that doth comfort a man in this distresse First By perswading us that we are the Children of God Rom. 8. Saint Paul saith The same spirit beareth witnesse with our spirit that wee are the Children of GOD whereupon Chrysostome saith if GOD should send an Angell or an Archangell and should tell thee that thou art beloved of GOD and that thou art his Childe would not this comfort thee in this distresse of conscience but God hath not sent an Angell or an Archangell onely to perswade thee that thou art the childe of God but hee hath sent his Spirit into thy heart to beare witnesse unto thy spirit that thou art the Childe of God Secondly by perswading us that there is a seede of grace in our hearts as 1 Iohn 3. 9. Whosoever is borne of God sinneth not because his seed remaineth in him and Iohn 8. Christ saith He that beleeveth in mee out of his belly shall flow Rivers of living water therefore seeing there is a seede of grace remaining in all the faithfull though they goe astray and wander yet they doe as the sheepe cry unto the shepheard and are not at rest till they be brought home to God So we see David did in the Psal 119. saith he I have gone astray like a lost sheepe Lord seeke thy servant for I have not forgot thy Commandements The third speciall time is at the day of death when all comforts faile us then the holy Ghost comforts us by perswading us that God is our Father and that we are going home to him and are at peace with him Thus Iohn 17. 11. Christ saith I come to thee holy Father keepe them in thy Name even these which thou hast given me And 2 Pet. 3. 12. saith he Looking for and hasting unto the comming of the day of God So it should be comfort to a Christian that by death he is going home to God and that he cannot bee at rest till he come there Secondly The Holy Ghost doth comfort us by perswading that Heaven is opened for us and that the Angels are ready to receive us and that the ending of this life is the beginning of a better We read Gen. 26. 6. when Iaakob was going to Padan Aram he laid him downe to sleepe upon a stone where he saw a vision a ladder reared up that reacht to Heaven the Angels ascending and descending thereupon and Christ ready to receive them at the head of the ladder So Acts 7. Stephan at the time of death saw Heaven opened and Christ standing at the right hand of God ready to receive him such comfortable visions shall the people of God have at the time of death at least such comforts as shall be fit to comfort them in this Thirdly By perswading us that although our bodies rot and consume yet one day they shall rise againe to glory and happinesse so Iob saith I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand the last on the Earth and though after my skin worms destroy my body yet shall I see God with my eyes and Iohn 11. 23. Iesus saith to Mortha thy brother shall rise againe to whom Martha replies I know he shall rise in the resurrection at the last day Therefore howsoever our bodies rot and consume in the Grave yet one day they shall rise to glory and happinesse It is a good meditation of a learned man at the time of death and of thy departure thinke of all the good doctrines that have beene taught thee of good Preachers to comfort thy selfe with them remember that Iesus Christ is the Lambe of God that was crucified and killed for thy sinnes and is ready to receive thee who tooke order in his last Will and Testament for thee as Iohn 17. Father saith he I will that where I am there they be also and to the theefe on the Crosse This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise So rest thy selfe in this hope and goe thy way to thy Christ goe home to Abraham Isaak and Iaakob and to all the holy men departed and such as are behinde shall follow after where we shall all meete together to behold God in glory and sing praises to him world without end So this comfort that we have by the Holy Ghost will stand by us when all comfort will faile The sixth benefit we have by the Holy Ghost is abilitie and power to performe any speciall calling for there is no man that can performe any speciall calling till the holy Ghost hath enabled him as 1 Sam. 10. it is said The Spirit of God came upon Saul and made him fit for governement and Acts 2. the Spirit of God came downe upon the Apostles and made them fit to preach to all Nations so Exod. 38. 2. it is said of Bezaleel that He was filled with the Spirit of God in wisedome understanding knowledge and in all workemanship to finde out curious workes in gold silver and in brasse So there is no
things I write unto you that yee sinne not but if any man sinne wee have an advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the just therefore let our sins be what they will if we can repent of them God will forgive them without limitation of the number or the greatnesse of them There is but one sinne only that shall not be forgiven the sinne against the Holy Ghost which is spoken of Matth. 12. 31. Every sinne and blasphemy shall bee forgiven unto men but the blasphemie against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto them So 1 Iohn 5. 16. saith he there is a sin unto death I doe not say that thou shalt pray for it and Heb. 6. 6. it is said If a man hath tasted of the Word of God and of the powers of the world to come if he fall away it is impossible he should be renewed againe by repentance Now the reason why the Lord will not pardon it is not because his mercie cannot reach it for his mercy is infinite but because there is a defect in men that they cannot repent of it for this sinne is against all the beginnings of grace in them therefore they cannot relent for it nor repent so the defect is not in God but in men for if it were possible that men could repent this sinne God would forgive it The use of this is seeing God will forgive our sinnes though they be in number never so many and in measure never so great if we repent truely therefore we should repent and humble our selves before God that he may forgive us We see that David had committed two grosse and great sinnes yet he saith Psal 32. I said I will confesse against my selfe my owne wickednesse and thou forgavest the punishment of them and Saint Paul was a great sinner who faith of himselfe 1 Cor. 15. 9. I am not worthy to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God and 1 Tim. 1. 13. saith he I was a blasphemer a persecuter and an oppressor but I was received to mercy c. Therefore let no man despaire though his sinnes bee never so many or so great if they can repent they shall finde mercy at Gods hands Augustine saith well upon Psal 81. speaking of the Iewes how that they killed and crucified Christ and yet many of them were saved this saith he is left for an example for us that no man should despaire though his sins were never so great and so many yet if he can repent of them God will forgive them for if the greatest sinnes were forgiven that were committed in this world which was the killing of Christ then doe not doubt but the Lord will forgive thee thy sinnes if thou canst repent of them This is the condition as we shall heare more hereafter if we will repent our sinnes God will forgive them but if we will not accept of this condition but still live in them from day to day and nourish and keepe them in our bosomes then doe not marvell though God will not forgive us The fifth thing is That none but God can forgive sinnes hee that raises up our bodies at the day of judgement and giveth everlasting life hee it is that must forgive us our sinnes and therefore they are placed together in the Articles of our Christian faith wee doe beleeve that God will forgive us our sinnes here that hee will raise our bodies at the last day and give us life everlasting so it is God onely that must forgive us our sinnes this is cleere both by the Scripture and by Reason First by Scriptures as Esay 43. 25. I am he that putteth away thine iniquities for mine owne sake and will remember thy sinnes no more so Ieremiah 31. 34. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know ye the Lords for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquities and will remember their sinnes no more and 2 Sam. 12. 13. Nathan saith to David the Lord also hath put away thy sinnes thou shalt not die David Psal 32. saith I confessed my sinnes and thou forgavâ—st me the punishment of them so there can be no question about this but that it is God only that doth forgive sinnes This was a knowne truth amongst the Pharises as wee see Luke 5. for say they None but God can forgive sinnes A learned man speaking of this place saith that the ground was good that none but God can forgive but they failed in their application for they tooke Christ to be but a bare man And it is Augustines assertion The Donatists say that men may forgive sinnes but saith he in this they are worse than the Pharises for they say none but God can forgive sinnes Secondly by Reason and that first Because sinne is an infinite offence against God therefore it must be an infinite power that must take it away for as the Schoolemen say The thing that worketh must be of greater power and vertue than the thing that is wrought upon but all the power that is in man is finite and hath his bounds and limits therefore no man is able to forgive sinne For as a pecke cannot hold a thousand bushels so man being finite cannot have infinite power and threfore no man is able to take away sinne but God onely Secondly it is cleare from the doctrine of their owne Schoolemen who say that no man can take away sin unlesse he be able to infuse grace so Aquinas faith that there is no forgivenesse of sins but there must be therewith infusion of grace but there is no man that can infuse grace into any therefore there is no man that can take away sin or we may frame a reason thus He that justifieth a man he only it is that can forgive sins but there is none but God that can justifie a man therefore none but God can forgive sinnes Thirdly He that takes away the punishment of sinne Hee it is that must take away sinne as Christ promised to the man sicke of the Palsey Matth. 9. 6. for when Christ forgave him his sinnes hee forgave him the punishment of them also for saith hee unto him Take up thy bed and walke this he giveth him as a token that his sinnes are pardoned so if a man can take away the punishment of sinne with a word and say to a blinde man receive thy sight to a lame man goe then a man may pardon sinnes but there is no man that can take away the punishment of sinne therefore he cannot take away sinnes For if Man cannot take away the effect which is the lesser he cannot take away the cause which is the greater hence then it is manifest that none but God can take away sinne Some object if there is none but God that can forgive sinnes why then doth S.
Paul exhort to forgive one another their sinnes Col. 3. 13. To this I answer that in every sin of injustice there are two parties offended God and Man now man may forgive his part but it is God only that must forgive his part Levit. 6. 5 6. it is said Whatsoever one hath sworn falsely he shall even restore it in the principall and shall adde the fifth part more thereto and give it unto him unto whom it appertaineth the same day he offreth for his trespasses Also he shall bring unto the Lord a Ramme without blemish out of the flocke in thy estimation worth two sheckles for a trespasse offering to the Priest Hence I inferre it is not enough to make satisfaction to man but when we have done with him then wee must make our peace with God also Againe it is Objected the Ministers may forgive sinnes in the Gospell As Iohn 20. 23. saith Christ Whosoever sinnes ye retaine are retained I answere there is two courts that sinne hath to deale in In foro mundi the Court of this World and In foro Coeli the Court of heaven In the Court of this World the Minister may forgive and one Man may forgive another but in the Court of Heaven there is none but God that can forgive our sinnes Moreover there is the power of remission and the ministery of remission the power of remission that belongs to God for none but he hath power to forgive but the ministery of remission that belongs to the Minister hee may pronounce the forgivenesse of sinnes As we see Levit. 13. In the cleansing of the Lepers it was God onely that made them cleare the Priest did but pronounce them cleane So then this point is cleare that it is none but God that can forgive sinnes For use first let us consider what a grievous thing sinne is that none but God can forgive and free us from it We see how affraid men bee to breake a legge or arme or to hurt themselves because they would not fall into the Chirurgions hand and yet many of them can set a joynt and helpe us againe but when a man hath sinned there is none in Heaven nor in Earth that can helpe him but onely God therefore wee should be affraid to sinne against Him Wee see in nature that there are some diseasses that are hard to cure as the Stone the Gout the Strangury and many others notwithstanding the great difficulty of curing it yet there be some that can cure these but when a man hath sinned against God he hath done that that no man in the world can cure but God onely therefore how affraid should we be to commit sinne Secondly seeing there is none but God can forgive sinnes therefore when we have sinned wee should cast our eyes from this World and worldly friends and seeke to God for the pardon of them Great men may doe us some good when wee bee well and our friends may comfort us when wee be sicke but when our consciences are dejected for sinne there is none but God can give us comfort A man may looke upon his gold and silver his goods and his lands as a sicke man lookes on his meate not taking delight in any thing because he lookes for the judgement and sentence of God to passe upon him this whole world cannot release him nor give him comfort but it must be God that must doe it therefore we must seeke to him for the pardon of our sinnes for howsoever a man doth not feele his sinnes in the time of securitie and peace yet when his sinnes shall come upon him and accuse him then he shall feele them then is the time that they shall stand in need of God as Iudges 10. 14. the Lord saith to the people Goe and crie unto your gods which ye have chosen let them free you in the time of your trouble so the Lord will say to us in the time of our distresse if we despise him in the time of our health and peace Goe and crie to the Gods that ye have served and see if they can helpe you in the time of your neede goe to your pleasur's and profits and see if they can help you we see that such a time will come that we shall stand in neede of his helpe therefore let us seeke for it in time while we may have it Wee say at this time wee have neede of raine but can your Kings and Queenes give it can your Princes and Nobles no none can doe it but God therefore we must have recourse to him for it and seeke it at his hands If a man dwell by the Sea side where there is a great banke betweene him and the Sea the Shippes passe by and all the commodities none whereof can bee brought unto him but if he can digge downe the banke and cut a sluce through into the Sea then hee may bring the commodities home to himselfe so we dwell by an infinite Sea of Gods goodnesse there being a great banke between us and that which is a banke of sinne so that all the commodities goodnesse and mercie of God passeth by us therefore wee must digge downe this banke of sinne and make a sluce through by prayer and repentance so to draw Gods goodnesse and mercy home to our selves and seeing there is none but God can forgive us our sinnes let us keepe God our friend and if wee have at any time offended him let us not be at rest till we have sought his favour againe and feele the comfort of the pardon and forgivenesse of our sinnes Sixthly God doth not absolutely forgive men their sinnes without any condition but it is upon condition if they will repent It is such a condition that we cannot have pardon of our sinnes without it It is not the cause of it but it is a necessary condition whereby wee are made fit and capable of Heaven and Heavenly things these two goe together repentance and forgivenesse of sinnes these Christ hath conveyed together here in this Scripture that I read unto you that repentance and remission of sinnes should be preached in his Name so Acts 3. 15. Peter saith Amend your lives therefore and turne that your sinnes may be put away If wee will repent of them renounce them and labour to get strength against them then God will forgive them but if we will not repent of them nor renounce them but live in them and nourish them in our bosomes then wee can looke for no forgivenesse there are thousands that doe deceive themselves selves this way who thinke that forgivenesse of sinnes is absolute though they doe nothing but live as they list yet God will forgive them but we are to know it is conditionall if we doe repent of them And therefore let all men take heed that they doe not deceive themselves in this Thus much of the generall Now we come to the