affliction 2 Cor. 4.17 18. The Cross is light in comparison of the Cross which Christ conformed to The Cross is light in comparison of the weight of glory and thus faith makes the Soul go through affliction Thirdly This kissing of Christ by faith pleases God more than any thing we can do besides it is better than to give God Rivers of Oil it is better than Sacrifice it is faith that pleases God this is the savoury meat which God loves to tast of And the reason why believing is thus pleasing to God is this because by believing we bring a righteousness into Gods presence which is perfectly meritorious We don't bring the righteousness of Adam into Court or the righteousness of Angels but we bring the righteousness of God and this is that which makes believing so pleasing to God. If then to kiss Christ by faith be the great work under the Gospel why then let us labour thus to kiss the Son of God by believing in him and puting and placing our full hope in him That 's the first thing Kiss him with a kiss of faith Secondly We must kiss the Son of God with a kiss of Love. Indeed Christ he is the wonder of beauty he is nothing but Love. God is love 1 Iohn 4.8 Christ hath that majesty in him which may draw reverence and he hath that mercy in him that may draw love to him The Lord Jesus he is a whole Paradice of delight why then kiss him with a kiss of love Let it be a sincere love 1 Cor. 16.21 Grace be with them that love the Lord Iesus in sincerity and truth Don't kiss him with a Iudas kiss to betray him but love him sincerely that is love his person more than Jewels Love Christ more for what he is than for what he hath and then love Christ with a superlative love a love above all things whatsoever Christ hath loved you more than others you that are Believers he hath loved you with such a love that he doth not bestow upon the wicked You have Electing love you have Adopting love let your love to Christ be such a love that none else but Christ may be a sharer that is give Christ a love that is joyned with adoration Don't only kiss Christ with your lips but worship him in your hearts That 's a second Kiss Christ with a kiss of Love he deserves your love most and he deserves your love best Thirdly Kiss Christ with a kiss of Obedience This is to kiss Christ when we submit to him when we obey his Laws when we are under his Jurisdiction There are many in the world give Christ a complemental kiss they seem devout and zealous they bow and cringe O but they don't obey the Son they kiss Christ as their Saviour but they will not submit to him as their Prince The truth is they would have Christ and their lusts together they would embrace his Promises but they will not obey his Commands O kiss the Son with a kiss of Subjection We should be like the Needle that points that way which the Loadstone draws Those persons that will not have Christs Laws to rule them they shall never have Christs Blood to save them Now to perswade you to kiss the Lord Jesus with a kiss of Obedience consider these two things 1. The first is in the Text lest he be angry Anger is not in Christ as a passion but anger is said to be in Christ as a displeasure in him And his punishing of offenders is the effect of his displeasure Who knows the power of his anger O therefore kiss the Son lest he be angry See that place in Rev. 6. v. 15. The Kings of the Earth the great men hid themselves in the Dens and in the Rocks of the Mountains and said to the Rocks and the Mountains Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sits on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Now the Lamb of God is turn'd into a Lion and therefore they cry out to the Rocks O hide us from the wrath of the Lamb He that hath no part in the Blood of the Lamb will have a part in the wrath of the Lamb. If you will not kiss the â—on and lie down at his feet and submit to him then you must fall into his hands and the Apostle saith It 's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God Heb. 10.31 It is good for to fall into his hands when he is a friend O but it 's sad to fall into his hands when he is an adversary God is the sweetest friend but he is the sourest enemy When but one spark of Gods wrath doth light upon a man it is so terrible what is it then to have the whole Furnace of his wrath How easily can the Lord Jesus crumble us to dust he can unpin the whole world O then kiss the Son lest he be angry The Mountains quake at his presence and will not the sinners heart quake Perhaps you think this Lion is not so fierce as he is painted Look into one Scripture Ezek. 22.14 Can thine heart endure or can thine hand be strong in the day that I shall deal with thee 2. Secondly If we kiss the Son by believing in him and by obeying him Christ will answer Love with Love he will smile upon us he will kiss us with the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1.8 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for his love is better than wine Christ will lay us for ever in his bosom and if we give him a kiss of Love he will give us a Crown of Life Rev. 2. The last Use. Here 's a word of terrour to wicked men instead of kissing the Son they disobey him dishonour him vex his Spirit do all they can to spite him They take counsel against the Lord and his Anointed Are there not many that do all they can to overturn Christs Interest they would stop the Conduit-pipes that transmit the Water of Life Rev. 17.14 They shall make war with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them Christ will get the Victory he will come off Conquerour Jesus Christ he will lay his Saints in his bosom but he will put his Enemies under his feet Psal. 110.1 I will make mine enemies my footstool Those that will not be ruled by Christs Royal Scepter his Scepter of grace they shall be broken by his Rod of Iron In short All those that do oppose Christ they shall be as so many ripe clusters of Grapes to be cast into the great Wine-press of Gods wrath and to be trodden by the Son of God till their blood squeezes out The Lord Jesus he shoots his Arrows very deep into the very hearts of his Enemies Psal. 54.5 His Arrows are sharp in the hearts of his Enemies The Persians they dip their Arrows in poison to kill more mortally So Jesus Christ he shoots his Arrows of poison and because they
him Justice is Gods strange work as if he was not used to it but mercy is his proper work it is as natural for him to shew mercy as for the Bee to give Honey Why may not mercy give the casting voice for this Nation according to that Scripture In his love and in his pity he redeemed them Love and pity will do great things Gods mercy it is not only free sending out pardons where he pleases but which is more Gods mercy can as well heal as it can save it is a healing mercy Hosea 14.4 I will heal their backslidings Observe Gods mercy it can reclaim the Persecutor it can soften the Impenitent it can bring back some that are gone astray Mercy can destroy the sins of the Nation and yet save the Nation it is a healing mercy I will heal their backslidings These are the sparks of light that God causes to arise Obj. But you will say Still things look and seem as in the dark and we would have more light What must we do how must we carry our selves till God makes light to arise to us in darkness Ans. 1. Let us in all dark Providences go into our chambers Isa. 26.20 Come my people enter thou into thy chamber and hide thy self Enter thou into thy chamber that is we must go and search our hearts by serious meditation and self-examination go into this chamber of your hearts Let us in the first place search our Evidences for Heaven bring our graces to the Touchstone let us see what faith we have and what love to God we have Doth Conscience witness we not only serve God but love him Can we cry out for God for the living God Are we carried up to Heaven in a fiery Chariot of love Is it thus with us Oh let us search into the chambers of our hearts and see how all things stand betwixt God and our Souls My Brethren when things are dark without we had need to have all clear within Secondly Let us go not only into the chambers of our hearts but let us go into the chamber of Divine Promises and there let us a while judge our selves Oh! these sweet Promises of God which our Souls may take comfort in God hath promised comfort to all his mourners God hath promised that he will strengthen the infirm Isa. 40.29 God hath promised a Crown of Glory Rev. 2.10 He hath said He will never leave us nor forsake us Let us now by faith hide our selves in these chambers That 's the first thing we are to do Secondly Having done this let us under all clouds of darkness in the next place commit our selves to God that he would safeguard and keep us This I ground upon that Scripture Psal. 37.5 Commit thy way unto the Lord in the Hebrew it is roll thy way upon the Lord Commit thy self and thy cause to God by prayer as an Orphan commits himself under the care of his Guardian so should we give all our care to God Commit thy ways unto the Lord. Let us do our duty and trust God with our safety It is our work to cast care it is Gods work to take care Thirdly Having gone into these chambers the chambers of our hearts and the chambers of Divine Promises so in the third place let us now wait Gods time till he shall make light to arise in our Horrison until God turns our darkness into the light of the morning God can of a sudden disperse the black clouds God can create light God can strike a straight stroke by a crooked stick God can remove the Mountains that lie in our way till light arises Let us patiently wait light will spring up the blessings that we are in expectation of are worth waiting for To see the golden Fleet of Prayer come laden home with rich returns of mercy To see Peace and Truth united To see Popery and Prophaneness abominated To see the beauty of Holiness shining forth like a Lamp that burneth To see Christ ride in triumph in the Chariot of his Gospel To see the Righteous honoured and renowned and be like the wings of a Dove covered with yellow gold These certainly are mercies worth waiting for therefore let us wait patiently And to encourage holy waiting I will shut up all with that Scripture Isa. 30.18 And therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you and therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you for the Lord is a God of Iudgment blessed are all they that wait for him SERMON VII St. John 10.14 I am the good Shepherd and know my Sheep and am known of mine EVery line of Scripture hath a Majesty shining in it Jesus Christ is the very center of the Gospel if the Scripture be the Field Christ is the Pearl in this Field and blessed is he that finds this Pearl the Scripture gives various descriptions of Christ sometimes he is called a Physician he is the great healer of Souls sometimes he is call'd a Captain Heb. 2.10 Captain of our Salvation and here in the Text a Shepherd I am the good Shepherd and this Shepherd hath a Flock so it is in the Text I know my Sheep and am known of mine These Sheep are the elect company of Believers these are his rational Sheep First I shall speak of the Sheep then something of the Shepherd as they do relate one to the other First Concerning the Sheep I know my Sheep The Wicked are compared to Goats the Saints to Sheep Christs People they are his Sheep and there be some near Analogies betwixt them as First A Sheep it is an innocent Creature it is not hurtful or ravenous as other Creatures are but is very harmless and inoffensible so those Sheep that belong to Christ and are of his fold they are Innocent Phil. 2.15 That you may be blameless that you may be harmless the Greek Word is without Horn or without Pushing or Horning that you may be harmless Christs people walk so as near as they can that they may give no just offence they had rather suffer wrong than do wrong those that are set upon mischief are not Christs Sheep but they are Birds of prey Those who would plot the ruin of a Kingdom and spill Protestant blood these are none of Christs Sheep these are Wolves they have been suckled with the Milk of the Romish Whore these are Goats that Christ will set at his left hand Mat. 25.32 Secondly A Sheep it is noted for meekness in Scripture it is a meek Creature Let the Shearer take its wooll it doth not resist if you strike a Sheep it doth not snarl or fly in your face all Christs Sheep that belong to him are meek spirited 2 Sam. 16.12 Though a child of God may sometimes fall into a froward fit yet he grieves for it and weeps for his unmortified passion Thirdly A Sheep it is a cleanly creature it is neat and cleanly it delights most in pure Streams
and doth convey it by his Spirit So thirdly He doth maintain this peace by his daily Intercession What Saint alive doth not sometimes offend God and cause the fury of his anger to rise up in his face Now when the case is thus that we offend God and are ready to break his peace then Jesus Christ he stands up as an Intercessor and he speaks to God the Father on our behalf and it is his request that God would lay aside his anger and that he would smile upon his people again and therefore in Scripture Christ is called our Atonement to make peace and he is called our Advocate to purchase peace When we break our peace Christ he pleads our cause and makes up this peace again by his Intercession 1 Iohn c. 3. v. 7. To make some Application of this Use 1. First By way of Inference See then here to what Coast we must trade for this Pearl whither we must go for this spiritual peace that is our consolation in life and death Go to Christ for it That in me ye might have peace Saith Cyprian peace it is in Christ as sap is in the Root of the Vine as water is in the Spring That in meâ— ye might have peace saith Christ. This blessed peace that Christ gives it 's worth going to him for it is superiour to all other peace Peace in a Kingdom it is very desirable peace it is every ones Vote Peace it is the very quintessence of earthly blessings To sit quietly under our Vines and Figg-trees surely better a great deal better is the sounding of the Lute and Viol than the roaring of the Cannon See what a sweet promise God makes Isa. 2.4 He will break their Swords into Plowshares all shall be peace But what is this peace to the peace Christ gives to his People that is sacred This peace our Saviour gives it hath these two properties or these two qualifications to name no more First It is an Emboldening peace Secondly It is a Lasting peace First It is an Emboldening peace Friends that are at peace they use a kind of freedom and boldness one with another So we having peace thorow Christs Blood conveyed by his Spirit may be bold to make use of Gods Promises There is never a Promise in the Bible but a Believer may pluck a Leaf from and be at peace with God thorow Christ. We may now use a holy boldness in prayer We may come to God as Children to their Father Heb. 4.16 Let us come with boldness to the Throne of Grace God is our Father and he being at peace with us he will not deny any thing that may conduce to our real good This may make us come with boldness to the mercy Seat That 's the first It is an Emboldening peace Secondly Christs peace that he gives as it is an Emboldening peace so it is a Lasting peace Here is a peace that will hold For all Earthly peace to speak properly it is rather a truce than a peace a truce that is but for a small time and it ends Yea but this peace that Christ gives it is for ever Once in Christ and ever in Christ. Once justified and ever justified Here is a Lasting peace Isa. 54.10 The Covenant of my peace shall not be moved saith the Lord. The peace of a Believer it is but begun here in this life it is perfected in the Kingdom of Heaven Isa. 57.2 He shall enter into peace Here is a godly mans priviledge when he dies he dies in peace and as soon as ever he is dead he enters into peace he shall enter into peace that is he shall go to the Ierusalem above that City of peace Here the Saints peace it is but begun it is but in the seed there it shall be in the Flower Here it is but in its infancy there it shall be in its full growth That 's the first see to what Coast you must trade for this peace Go to Christ for it That in me ye might have peace Use 2. See what a sad condition all wicked men are in that live and die in their sins They have nothing to do with peace What! Shall they have peace that make War with Heaven persecute Christ in his Members Shall they have peace that deride and grieve the Spirit of God whose very Office it is to drop peace into the Conscience What a sinner to have peace 2 Kings 9.22 What peace so long as the Whoredoms of thy Mother Jezabel and her Witchcrafts are so many A wicked man is a worker of iniquity As a man works at his shop so he works at the trade of sin and what hath he to do with peace and how deplorable is his case What if a Foreign Enemy should come sinners would be in a storm and have no where to put in for Harbour It is a very sad thing to be in Sauls condition the Philistines upon him and God departed It is a very sad thing to have fightings without and fears within to have the Bullets shooting against the Ship and the Ship leaking within Isa. 57.21 There is no peace to the wicked saith my God And if God saith it he knows it to be true The wicked perhaps they may delude themselves and presume that though they go on in sin yet they shall have peace but to undeceive them turn to that one Scripture Deut. 29.19 And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he blesses himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart Verse 20. The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his Iealousie shall smoke against that man. One may as well think to suck health out of Poison as to suck peace out of Sin. Sinners they may be quiet or rather secure for the present but as 2 Sam. 26. it will be bitterness in the latter end Guilt will sooner or later raise a storm saith Chrysostom Sin will conjure up the Winds and Storms into the Conscience I have sometimes thought it is with sin as it is with poison there are some sorts of poison that will lie a great while in the body and not work but at last it does wring and torture the bowels a fit resemblance of sin Men they drink this poison and they may be quiet a while but at last especially at death then it begins to work and then the poison begins to touch the Conscience The great God of Heaven and Earth hath set up his Standard and proclaimed open War against every impenitent sinner and it will not be long if men go on in sin before Gods Cannon Bullets will begin to flie Gods wrath may seem to be like a sleeping Lion but this Lion will awake and roar and tear his prey I will say but this I confess God may bear long with wicked men let them alone he may bear long with them in respect of punishment when
Christ by Faith it is hard it is not an easie matter It is easie to profess this Son of God but it is not easie to kiss this Son. That which makes this work of believing lies in these two things First Because man sets up the Idol of Self-righteousness he is apt to think he hath something of his own growth in him righteousness of his own his prayers his tears his alms he would make a Christ of them Instead of kissing the Son he doth idolize himself Man 's a proud piece of flesh he would see some worthiness in himself he would give part to himself and part to Christ he is loth to be beholden to grace only he would grow upon his own Root and not be grafted upon the Stock of Christs righteousness Rom. 10.3 Going about to establish a righteousness of their own they have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. O! it 's wonderful to see a proud sinner humble to go out of himself to Christ for righteousness That 's one thing Secondly That which makes this work of believing so hard is this because believing it 's a work above the power of nature to produce it 's a work of supernatural infusing Iohn 6. v. 29. Faith is call'd the work of God It 's the work of God to believe Faith is a new Creation The creation of the world it is called the work of Gods finger but the creation of faith it is called the work of Gods arm The Lord doth as it were set all his strength awork It is called the exceeding greatness of his power Eph. 1.20 Surely to raise Christ from the dead required a great power he had a heavy Grave-stone laid upon him the sins of the whole world Why the same power God doth put forth in the producing of faith in the Soul so that this kissing of Christ by faith is not so easie as most do imagine Thirdly Where ever this blessed work of faith is it hath some virtue goes along with it it hath a refining consecrating virtue The kiss of faith it 's a holy kiss it purifies the heart and makes it holy Acts 15. Faith is in the heart as fire amongst metal it purifies it and takes away the dross A kiss of faith it has the same virtue as the touching of Christ by faith The Woman touched the hem of Christs garment by faith and immediately she receives healing virtue from that touch Mark 5.34 Thus faith touches Christ and heals True faith draws a sanctifying and a mortifying virtue from the Lord Jesus Justifying faith may be called a faith of spiritual miracles for it removes mountains of sins and throws them into Christs blood Whoever doth kiss the Son by faith he is presently made holy The truth is faith doth argue a man to holiness it falls to reasoning with him O my Soul hath Christ done so much for me hath he forgiven me so many debts hath he purchased such rich mercy in his blood and wilt thou abuse the Love of so dear a friend Wilt thou make the wounds of thy dear Saviour to bleed afresh is this to kiss the Son O my Soul how shouldst thou give up thy self to Christ in holiness And then faith reasons If that my tears will wash Christs feet wilt thou not pour them out If thy Estate be a precious Ointment wilt not thou pour out this Ointment upon part of Christs body and relieve his Members Now the Soul cannot withstand these melting reasons but presently yields to all Faith it is a holy gift it doth consecrate the heart where-ever it comes Fourthly To kiss the Son by faith it is the most excellent way of worshiping of him there 's nothing like believing Let me a little set forth to you the excellency of faith First This is the main thing the Scripture doth hold forth and press you to If one should be asked this Question Why the Scriptures were written The Answer is to point us to Christ the true Messiah and that we should embrace him by faith Iohn 20.31 These things are written that you might believe that Iesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing you might have life through his name This is the marrow of the Gospel It 's the soveraign Cordial of a fainting Soul that by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ he may be saved Secondly This blessed believing kissing the Son by faith it is the most excellent of all graces it excels all others even as Gold among Metals Every grace is very lovely but this of faith excels them all Consider these four or five particulars First Faith is the uniting grace therefore this grace excels other graces conform us to Christ but faith unites us to Christ it espouses us to him Other graces make us like Christ but faith makes us one with Christ Other graces make us pictures of Christ but faith makes us branches of Christ. That 's one Secondly Faith it is the heart vital grace By kissing Christ we fetch life from him The just shall live by faith Hab. 2.4 By believing we fetch life from Christ I live by the faith of the Son of God saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 As the arm lives by drawing life from the heart so faith it lives by drawing life and strength from Christ. Other graces are useful but faith is vital Thirdly Faith it is the justifying grace therefore it is most excellent Rom. 5.1 Being justified by faith It is not repentance that justifies nor self-denial but faith Faith it is the most proper grace of all to justifie a sinner for the hand is more fitter to receive the food than the eye so faith is the most proper to justifie because when we believe we don't give any thing to Christ but we fetch something from him Fourthly It is a world-conquering grace 1 Iohn 5.4 This is the victory over the world even our faith Faith overcomes all the allurements of the world the riches of the world the delights of the world and it doth it thus by shewing the Soul a better world than this is Faith gives it a prospect of prosperity it carries a Believer to the Mount of Transfiguration it makes it to see things that are not seen by the eye of sence Heb. 12.1 Faith leads the Soul to Christ the bright morning Star it gives the Soul a view of him and he is known in the embroidered Robes of his glory Faith shews a man a Kingdom it trades above the Moon and when once a Soul hath a shadow of these things it despises all the pleasures of this world Fifthly and lastly Faith is a suffering grace it inables us to wade thorow the deep waters of affliction Heb. 11.25 By faith Moses he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season Faith is a Furnace grace it gives the Soul a right notion of suffering What is this suffering saith faith it is but light