with that much more excellent discovery of Gospel glory though a truly regenerate and sanctified soul sees such beauty such loveliness such joy and sollace yea true happiness in those Gospel gracious discoveries that they not only like it and commend it but as some Ancients concerning some amorous persons were wont to phrase it perdite amant alias they love others to the looseing of themselves so it may be said of their loving of Gospel grace but in a good and necessary sence as our Saviour speaks Mat. 10. 5. If any love Father or Mother Wife or Children more then me he is not worthy of me perdite amant gloriam Evangelicam they destructively love Gospel glory that they will rather loose friends and credit ease and possessions liberty life and all then to suffer a divorce between that and their own soules But for all other men or any other man to desire it to pursue it upon a true Gospel account as beleeving or seeing it to be so excellent and glorious or upon such termes to pursue or retain it by purchasing or suffering for it the heathen Sages might much more easily have prevailed with any such beasts in the shapes of men then any sanctified soul or Embassador of Christ can prevaile with any to take right notice of or much less to be so enamoured of that most excellent object of soul sollacing grace untill they come to be transformed into the same image by the spirit of God Fourthly But this will yet further appear in the next demonstration namely In that such Gospel grace in the souls of the Saints differs not in nature from their heavenly glory but only in degrees A man that is in any good measure in heaven in his spiritual part here upon earth shall certainly inherite the kingdome of Heaven hereafter and such within whom as our Saviour speaks Luk. â—7 â—1 the kingdome of heaven is really here seated by Gospel grace they shall infallibly obtain a Crown of glory which will never fade to all eternity and indeed heaven would not be heaven unto them then when they should come to possess it if that kingdom of heaven had not taken possession of their souls before to fit them for it a blind man may as soon be affected with the meer placeing of pleasant sights before him or a deaf man delighted with the sound of any musick which he cannot heare as men or women truly rejoyce in the glorified Saints and Angels happiness hereafter if they have not here their Celestial frame of spirit wrought upon their souls yea the very society of glorified Saints would be a kind of hell to wicked men remaining such if they had no other hell to suffer for as it cannot be expected the wolfe should lye down with the Lambe untill Gospel grace have wrought the change of nature here as the spirit of God hath foretold Is 11. 6 7. 8. so until that nature be changed yea a contrary put into the soule of a man the Saints perpetual songs of prayse to God and the Lambe and the Lord the Spirit would not only be unsutable and unpleasant but a senceless subject to such a soule that never had followed Christ in the regeneration nor seen nor felt nor rightly known before-hand the Divine power of Gospel grace the mistery of the gospel then the matter of the Saints everlasting rejoycing would be such an hidden sealed mistery that such unbeleeving and disobedient souls would not understand it saving only so far as to have convinced and self-condemned consciences thereby little understanding what they may sometime seem to pray or hope for here concerning the kingdom of heaven who in their dispositions and depraved nature doe toto caelo deferre stand at the greatest distance from it but when that nature is once changed that Lions are at peace with the Lambes and the hurtful creatures lye down with the harmeless Is 11. 7. then grace shall appear glorious unto such and as their measure thereof shall be greater the more it will appear so and the more they grow in such grace the more they will delight in it and the greater measure they shall obtain of it the more heavenly glory hereafter will be allotted to them It is true indeed our heaven upon earth will have a mixture of vanity and corruption and weakness together with it till that which is perfect be come then that which is imperfect shall be done away 1 Cor. 13. 10. I shall not stand here to inlarge upon the many considerations which might to this purpose be produced in regard of the souls incapacity of glory till it be changed and of its unsutableness unto such glory besides the sence of the want of any right title or interest in such glorified Saints happiness with their own self condemnation upon it and the apprehension of that intollerable eternal infinite divine displeasure against them as also the utter detestation that perfected Saints with Angels will have of the hateful qualities of all devils and unsanctified souls of men or women and even the very heavens natural repugnancy and antipathy against them to the utter expulsion of all such as poyson out of them since into them no unclean thing shall enter Rev. 21 27. As Christal glasses rather then hold poyson will break asunder even so the most pure Chrystaline heavens would rather break then any devil or unsanotified persons should abide or inhabite in them Here indeed the Hony Bee and the toad or spider have both their places and imployments and their injoyments too together the one to gather up its hony the other to suck up their poyson the one to lurke in the nastie corrupted or noysome corners of the earth the other in their sweet and pleasant hives and hony the one inrich themselves or feed upon their own destructive poyson the other inrich themselves with and feed upon their own pleasant wholsome healing and strengthning hony which they have by diligent labour acquir'd But when that woofull poysonous destructive nature of such men is in any good measure subdued by the prevalent power of Gospel grace O how sweet will the spiritual kingdome of heaven be unto such souls how will the true Citizens of the spiritual Zion be owned and imbraced by them How will their portion their delicates be desired above all others How will grace and glory be then longed for sought for by them above other things yet these passibus aequis as we may say in their due proportions when they are in their right frame not glory more then grace but grace as the right promoter of glory and indeed that which is only truly glorious in its own nature and which will meet with glory as the consequent the result the reward of it by grace we have the first fruits Ro. 8. 33. the earnest penny Eph. 1. 14. of glory and happiness in the injoyment of that we injoy the sanctifying spirits residence the witness of our peace the sealer
now imployed about the printing had no notice thereof hence it comes to pass that many errors both in the words sentences and manner of Printing have thus unwarily passed some of the most remarkeable upon a brief and short review are here corrected to thy hand in the rest thy candour and prudence is requested either for the passing by or making up what thus falls out to be deficient ERRATA PAg. 6. r. of main concernment p. 26. r. walking p. 36. r. efficacie p. 31. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afterwards 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 32. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 37. r. likewise p. 4. Jer Cyp. should have been in the margent with diverse quotations in other places p. 68. r. corruptions p. 79. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 118. r. when p. 122. adde truly graceful p. 129. r. differre p. 135. r. their A GLIMPS of Gospel Glory 2 COR 3. 18. But we all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. ALthough the holy Apostle Paul in modesty and humility seemes to conceale his rapture up into the third heaven Chap 12. 2 3. yet the excellency of his divine and heavenly doctrine set forth in this text and in all this Chapter doth plainly shew no lesse for had he not seene such Glory he could not have been so affected with it had he not been so eminently affected with it he could not in such an excellent manner have discovered unto others the illustrious nature and efficacy of it as in the Text. Our Apostle from the 14th verse of the former Chapter celebrates the songs of his triumph in Christ for the Great efficacy of his Gospel Ministry in every place towards all sorts of persons since he was the sweet savour of God in Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish ver 15 16. Which occasions him to touch upon the bad practice of many Teachers in his dayes that corrupted or dealt deceitfully with the word of God as is the usuall practice of such as fight for the Dragon and his Angells against Michael and his Angells in opposition whereof he expresseth the sinceritie of his own preaching as of God in the sight of God in Christ ver the last Now in the beginning of the Chapter he prevents an objection as if he might seeme to be vain-glorious or sought his own praise or needed testimony from any man ver 1. He declares against both from what was wrought by his Ministry upon the Corinthians own souls and what all men read and knew thereby ver 2. And shews that to be an Epistle of Christ in his behalfe written with the Spirit of the living God in the fleshly Tables of their hearts and that this was his great encouragement ver 3 4. And then beating downe all self-confidence and acknowledging all his sufficiency from God ver 5. From thence to my text he falls upon a large comparison of the New Testament Ministry with the Old in many particulars which we shall only mention briefly and so passe to the Text As that the first was of the letter the second of the Spirit ver 6. The first was that that killeth the second that that giveth life ver 6. The first was written in Tables of stone the second in the fleshie Tables of the heart ver 3. The first of the Old Testament ver 14. the second of the New Testament ver 6. The first of that which was to be done away the second of that which remaineth ver 11. The first of condemnation the second of righteousnesse ver 9. The first lesse glorious and to be done away the second excelling in glory and to remaine ver 9 10 11. The first dark and obscure ver 13 14 15. the second open and evident as in the Text. So that these words are an assertion of the clearness of the Gospel ministration grace in opposition to the obscure vaile that was in the ministration of Moses in the old Testament as appears by the Adversative particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But we all with open face c. Where we have the Introduction to this Gospel discovery and the discovery it selfe in the latter we have the description of that discovery and to whom it is made in these words We all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord. Secondly the efficaciousnesle of that discovery upon them are changed into the same image c. the efficient cause both of the discovery and the said change by the Spirit of the Lord or by the Lord the Spirit In the first branch observe first the persons secondly their exercise thirdly the object about which they are exercised concerning the persons note who they are and how many they are we and we all generally In the exercise note the excellent way of discovery not seeking or conjecturing but Beholding where againe note a twofold modification first of illustration with open face the other of diminution or restriction as in a glasse as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies thirdly in the object againe observe first the excellency of the nature of it glory secondly of the Author owner and dispencer of it the Lord the glory of the Lord. In the efficaciousnesse of the discovery observe first the nature thereof it is a change where note the restriction not into the substance into the same thing but into the transfiguration of it into the same image as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denotes Secondly the manner of the proceeding in this change not at once but by degrees 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from glory to glory Concerning the efficient consider his dignitie power and dominion the Lord Secondly his distinction from all other by any participation or substitution of his made to be Lords by him or for him as all others are but temporall partiall and substituted Lords under him who is not only spituall but in the abstract and by an emphasis here stiled the Spirit who is originally essentially incomprehensibly so and the father of spirits and here by an excellency and incommunicably here called the Lord the Spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I shall now briefly by Gods assistance adde something for the explication of the words and so endeavour to proceed to the most pregnant observations from thence and some pertinent improvement thereof But we all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some Divines as Beza and Tremelius and others understand it restrictively unto the Ministers that as Moses's face shined in the sight of the Israelites after he had been with God in the Mount for the faithfull Ministers of the Gospel that are acquainted with God and are the light of the world should shine out in the glorious light of the Gospel into the souls of their people but on the other part Calvin and some others understand we all largely
time after was it in any suitable manner taken notice of or displayed in publique till the Spirit of God in a four-fold witnesse gave testimony of all these things when after that by doctrine by holinesse by miracles by sufferings by death and a powerfull raising of himselfe to life having slaine all enmitie thereby he was powerfully declared to be the Sonne of God yea so was the light of his appearing eclypsed in the worlds eye that after Ages could not finde out the time or season when that his birthglory did first shine out and therefore the Fathers vid Jerome Cyprian upon severall grounds have anciently argued for different seasons as likewise later times have differed therein divine Oracles being particularly silent as if of old God by the buriall of Moses body by him would prevent the Israelites adoring of his sepulchre so as some conceive he would conceale the season of his nativity neither doe we reade in Scripture any like celebration but that of Herod de porcorum grege Epicurus Nor is the day of a Conquerors taking up Armes celebrated as glorious but the day of his victory and conquest nor was the first day of the Creation appointed by God to be observed at first for his Sabbath but the day when his work was finished and by the same Law upon Greater enforcement is the day of the Lord his Resurrection day as the day of his victory conquest and triumph over sin death and hell with all the powers of darknesse by himselfe substituted as his own for a continuall Christian Sabbath to be observed and celebrated in his Universall Church for the honour and glory of such their wonderfull deliverance then accomplished by him throughout all Ages from Sabbath to Sabbath so long as the Sunne and Moone shall endure and herein is the glorious mysterie of God so accomplished to be admired that the bleer-eyed world is not able to behold the divine brightnesse of it and so it hath been since in the Apostles and after Ages as the mysterie of God hath been in fulfilling the great things of Christ have been hid from their eyes Christ crusified hath been to the Jewes a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishnesse while to them that believe it is the power of God to salvation The Apostles were mean in the eyes of the Great ones of the world when they went on Christs Embassie into the world yet they went conquering and to conquer by preaching praying improvement of all spirituall grace even in suffering and dying after the example of their great Soveraigne they greatly prevailed over the powers of the world over the strength and subtiltie of sin and Satan And have not the two Witnesses the contemporaries of Antichristian tyranny done so too and shall they not more prevaile still and maugre all vaine imaginations of any men or counsells taken by them against Christ Yet will not God set his King upon his holy hill of Sion Yea will it not be both the honour and happinesse of the Greatest Potentates upon earth to kisse the Sonne and give the glory of their Scepters unto him that as they reigne by him so they may reigne for him and in his good time may likewise reigne with him in endlesse glory But what is this Historical hint as it may be called of this mystical manner of gradual fulfilling of gospel Glory somewhat observable indeed in the eyes of the Saints but little in the eyes of Men of the world But if we come to speak of the inward glory of true gospel Grace spiritually glorious in the soules of Gods faithful people for the Kings daughter is all glorious within We may say of this as the Queen of Sheba after she had heard in her own Country the same of King Solomons wisdome and magnificence when she came to his Court to heare and see the truth of both that she confessed the half thereof was not formerly shewed unto her So much more may it be said of inward Divine glorious Grace shining from Christ into the souls of his servants in his spiritual manifestations of himself unto them the injoyment of which soule-chearing solace is incomparably beyond what any Historical narration thereof can represent it to be and not to go about to speak of that consummate glory belonging to them reserved for another world here not to be conceived much less competently decyphered but only to touch upon that incoate glory here transmitted by the holy Spirit into the souls of the faithful as that which is more particularly intended in our Text the subject now in hand which is so great that it may well appear to be the design of God to Glorifie himself eminently by this in his Church in this life For should I speak but of those resemblances in Scripture which the Spirit of God sheweth but to shaddow out unto our weak sight the radiant beams of spiritual Gospel glory the expressions will appear much below the matter though in themselves they be very high as namely the hidden Manna The water of life for food yea the fat things and pleasures of Gods house the marrow and fatness there and wines on the lees well refined Isa 25. 6. for their feasting eye salve for medicine to make them see Rev. 3. 18. App'es and Flaggons to keep them from sounding Balme and Physitians from Gilead Gold tried in the fire to make them rich garments of needlework and wrought gold with jewels to adorn them white rayment to make them pure the white stone with the new name written in it that none can read but they that have it to secure their interest Rev. 2. 17. with others of the like nature which are spoken to the capacity of other men but what the inward efficacy and glory of these things is is only rightly and really known to such as have them by this inward work of God upon mens Souls a truly glorious change is wrought in them of Bond-slaves under Sin and children of Satan they are made free indeed and the children of Abraham yea the Image of God is restored in them and they are partakers of the Divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. Their Souls are made Temples of the holy One where God the Father vouchsafes his presence Christ holds his Soveraignty and the Holy Ghost his Residence and hereby they have Communion with the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost by which means great discoveries great consolations and great security unto such poor Souls upon all good occasions from time to time are happily administred untill from strength to strength in grace here they be by the Almighty power and grace of God their heavenly Father brought into possession of the fulness of glory with himself in the highest heavens there with all the Celestial Angels and perfected Saints sing forth their Halelujahs to the eternall praise of his infinitely great and glorious name But Secondly we have seen it hath been the design of God by Gospel grace
Christ shews wonders among the dead as himselfe so strongly asserteth Joh 5. 25. Verily verily I say unto you the houre is coming and now is that the dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God and they that heare shall live Hereby Christ gaines a soveraigntie above all that is called God as the Father promised Psal 2. 8. He hath the heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession neither can he be deprived of his Subjects the gates of Hell shall not prevaile against them no not of the weakest by the strongest none shall be able to pull any one sheep from his fold for hereby the soul of a converted sinner is inseparably united unto him By this Gospel grace the taste and discerning of divine and spiritual things is made truly cordial and comfortable unto believing souls Hereby God is set up in the highest place in the soul in all he reveals himselfe to be Hereby he is sought unto for all acknowledged in all what ever means or instruments he useth believed in all he saith honoured in all he doth in prosperitie or adversitie in particular or in general to themselves or others praise returned unto him for all mercies how or what way so ever conferred feared above all rejoyced in and delighted in above all that can be conceived of creatures incomparably This makes them measure all Glory by Gods Standard and weigh all comfort in Gods Ballance and try all treasure by Gods Touchstone and none of these will be approved by them but what hath his allowance Hereby God overcomes darknesse with light corruption with sanctification trouble with comfort disquiet with peace sorrow with joy opposition with support weaknesse with strength assaults with victory danger with securitie sufferings with rescue death with life and this not only once but often not sometime only but at all times not in some respects only but in all not against some evills only but against all not for some continuance only but unto the end for though every way many be the troubles of the righteous yet the Lord delivereth them out of them all Psal 34. 19. And all this grace in all the varietie of the glorious manifestations thereof is in the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ Chap 4. ver 4. And in the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ v 6. And now in the third place for the further illustration of this greatest glory of the Lord manifest to his Church in this world let us come to those respective considerations wherein it will be yet more evident that this Gospel glory is the greatest glory of all that in the world God hath or doth or will manifest yea or any living in it can behold Now for manifestation of the many more glorious excellencies of Gospel grace above all the other glorious works of the most blessed God wherein he hath discovered his wonderfull excellencies in and for his true Church upon earth as revealed carried on to be accomplished here and fully perfected in heaven We shall further endeavour by his most gracious assistance to display the transcendent glory of this work above all the other in these ensuing particulars First In respect of the more glorious nature of the work Secondly In respect of the more glorious matter of the work Thirdly In respect of the many wayes considerably more excellent foundation of the work Fourthly In respect of the most glorious structure forme and frame of the work Fifthly In regard of the long continued time for the raising of the work Sixthly In regard of the way of the raising of this work by the constant shining out of the wonderfull glory of the Father Sonne and holy Ghost all the time it is in raising Seventhly In respect of the subordinate means of raising up this work Eighthly In respect of the object for which and in reference to whom it is immediately contrived and raised Ninthly In regard of the ends wherefore it is contrived carried on raised and to be perfected in reference both to God and Man Tenthly In respect of the many excellent uses to be made by all men here of the contriving carrying on and raising of this work and what will be made of it by glorified Saints and Angells hereafter in heaven Eleventhly In respect of the effect of all that concerns the manifestation of all the gloriousnesse of this work to good and bad men and Angells here and hereafter And if the Lord the Spirit shall be graciously pleased to carry us along in any competent manner but to hint or point out unto any Arts of men the manifold transcendent glory of this Gospel glory of the Lord I hope some men by his blessing may have the transforming glory thereof if not altogether wrought yet in some measure increased in them by the same Spirit by whose guidance as we endeavour to doe it so we shall endeavour to pray unto him for it First therefore of the first viz. the respective consideration of the more glorious nature of the work above the nature of the works of Creation Sustentation and Gubernation or Providence which though they be the Works of the All-glorious God in their kinde and degree suitable to the Author yet is this more excellent worke of his in its own nature eminently many wayes much more glorious and particularly in these Considerations following First In that the Creation Sustentation Gubernation of the world are of corruptible principles and materialls in continuall transmutations and changes generations and irruptions increases and decreases all in successions nothing in continuance or stability excepting Angells and the souls of men which though they be in the world yet they are not of the world as Christ said his Kingdome was not of which in great part they are but the great work of Gospel grace is of a spiritual and incorruptible nature suitable to the Author of it and as the nature of a thing is neerer to him the more perfect it is Secondly All the former great works of God respect inferiour creatures and the outward beeing and well-fare of man and directly reach no further but this respects the inward and spiritual well-fare of man and tends directly to the advancing of that now as the use and improvement of a thing is more excellent and glorious much more is that which is the cause of it Thirdly As the first works consisted of corruptible principles so their continuance and use will be but for a time and shall have their periods and cessations but this divine Gospel grace is of an eternall being and will remaine in its use and excellency to all eternitie Secondly And as in respect of the nature of the work so this Gospel grace is more glorious than all the other in respect of the matter of the work Base and mean materialls doe obscure and not illustrate the glory of a work Who can bring a
shining forth of Gods most free and infinite grace unto men and Angels here and hereafter which as our Saviours expression is to all single-eyed beholders is obvious to be discerned yea there is no part of the foundation or fabrick of the whole work wherein it doth not wonderfully shine out to such soules in their better temper at least which if it do not unto any at least when they are themselves it is because they are not as in the Text transformed into the same Image if the glory shining in the work of the Creation when that was finished was the reason then wherefore the Lord blessed the seaventh Day Sabbath and hallowed it that his people might have a weekly opportunity to worship and celebrate his praise for the innumerable benefits conferred on them by Creation then how much more may the glory shining much more brightly when Christ Jesus our Lord having finished the whole work of redemption by his resurrection gloriously triumphed over all adverse powers of darkness occasion him the Lord of the Sabbath to put it over to the first day and is justly therefore by his holy spirit intitled to himself the Lords day our Christian Sabbath Rev. 1. 10. even when in the highest raptures he communicated so divinely to that beloved Disciple the great things to be accomplished in reference to the Church and her enemies to the end of the world now as the perfected glory of the Saints hereafter shall swallow up the inchoate glory here or as the glory of the Lord our redeemer seems to ecclypse the lustre of the glory of the Lord our Creator as the shining light of the sun doth the brightness of the Moon when they appear both together in our hemisphere even so is the glorious forme and beauty of this work transcendently above the other Fifthly The largeness of the time or continuance allotted for this work above all the other excellent illustrations of it First Creatio fit in instanti so the Learned Creation is done in an instant the whole work was finished and celebrated in a weeks space at first sustentation is the continuance of that for a limited time and Gubernation here is but while this course of nature or Creatures or rather supportation in their rankes from God is so variously disposed of in such wonderful manner after the good pleasure of his will but the time allotted for the contriving effecting applying confirming carrying on and perfecting this most glorious work of Gospel grace is not only a long time but all time and not only time but eternity too yea all eternity in reference to the eternal and coequal Trinity of persons in the unity of the divine nature Now this illustration of the length of time for raysing a work may more clearly appear from a threefold evidence First of nature the baser sort of creatures soon come to their height of stature as is observable in varieties of sorts of plants and beasts and fowls Secondly in Reason the more excellent the nature of a work and the more accurately it is to be wrought the longer time is required to provide for it to accomplish it Thirdly in experience both of Nature Art by all which the long continuance for the raysing of this work may be manifest above all the rest which is an other of its excellencies unto which let us now adde the Sixt Namely in regard of the way and manner of the raysing of this work by the constant shining out of the wonderful glory of the Father Son and Holy ghost all the time it is in raysing Oh the unspeakeable splendor of the wisdome and power of the grace and goodness of the mercy and truth in reference to all the holy persons in that undivided Trinity made evident therein from the beginning of the world and shall be to the end thereof in such glorious mnnifestations continually breaking forth through all successions of Ages as can never be sufficiently admired nor much less celebrated with praises both from men and Angels in all things that concern the way and manner of the revealing exhibiting as will be of the perfecting of that most precious grace from and by those sacred persons derived Whether we respect the sufficiency the sureness the efficacy the happiness in such way and manner continually held out and communicated unto the world First sufficient to make up all the Creatures wants to answer all their doubts Secondly Sure to remove all their fears settle all desirable security to them Thirdly Effectually to carry on against all obstacles and to accomplish all and more then they could hope for or desire Fourthly To administer what ever good they are capable of receiving to make them perfectly blessed let your thoughts be inlarged upon these particulars I must leave them as the dry bones in Ezekiels Prophesie till the Spirit causeth flesh to come upon them to cover them for I feare to be tedious even in a subject so precious and pleasant to such as have interest in it but therefore not pleasant unto others because they find not any to themselves yea they know it not and therefore they desire it not yea they are not willing to know it least they must loose those Idols wherein they take more pleasure But thus much at presenâ— of Gods own undertaking in the most sutable manner to all his own most blessed purposes respecting both himself and his creatures according to his own good pleasure as we shall indeavour afterwards to shew and is evident from all passages to this purpose in holy writ unspeakeably above what is to be found in any other his great and glorious works here being a way for the magnifying of the riches of his free grace only revealed in his word which is therefore magnifyed above all his name as the Psalmist saith remarkably Ps 138. in such a concurrence of all Divine excellencies as is no where else to be found since there and there only we have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4. 6. Seaventhly In regard of the subordinate meanes of raising up this work not here to speak of the chief the holy Spirit as proceeding from the Father and the Son for we shall have occasion to speak of him afterwards as the Lord the Spirit the prime efficient cause of the efficaciousness of all other meanes but only of his inferior means such as Angels men extraordinarily inspired ordinarily qualified ordinances sanctified and providences and many other means oâ— Creatures sometime at his pleasure blessed to be in some sort instrumental in this work For sometimes to use Angels in it was an honour to it but to have used them alwayes would have been terrible to weak and fraile Creatures besides otherwise incommodious to them when as to use mans ministry is natural familiar affecting as being of the same nature and lyable to the same miserie capable of the same happiness
consideration of the manifold excellent effects of Gospel glory in regard of men and Angells good and bad here and hereafter a subject well worth weighing by the best mens best abilities for as the contemplation thereof will be a spring of comfort and happinesse to the one sort so the abundant conviction and experience of the realitie of the same will be the sting of the misery of all the other sorts it will so grinde and gnaw and torment the damned spirits and persons so to finde what they have lost for a shaddow for nothing yea for that which is worse than nothing even so unconceiveable good that it is Questioned in the Schools and not without cause whether Paena damni or paena sensus that is whether the punishment of the Damned in regard of what they have lost or the punishment of sence and feeling in regard of what shall be inflicted on them in Hell shall be as I may say the greater Hell unto them hereafter But I say at present we shall passe from this head to the next namely The third demonstration of this excellent truth in which and in the rest we purpose if God will to be more brief and that is to manifest Gospel Glory to be the great Glory of the Lord which his people discerne in this world in that regard it is the only and excellent yet generall meanes for them all to bring them to the reall participation of true spirituall glory here and the fruition of eternall glory hereafter and to make indeed grace and glory to be both gracefull and glorious to them Something we have spoken of this by way of comparison of its transcendent excellency with that which was lesse But here we are to take notice that as it is the efficacious way and appointed by God unto that high and happy end so it is the only meanes no other to be expected none else to be used directly in reference unto that end for as there is no name given under heaven whereby we can be saved but by the name of Christ so no other meanes to convey that salvation to us but by this Gospel of grace If any would be changed from evill to good Gospel grace must doe it if any would be freed from the evill One and owned by him that is only good Gospel grace must doe it if any would be freed from the mischiefe of sin and obtaine the blessing of Divine favour Gospel grace must doe it If any man would ascend up to heaven or descend down to hell or take the wings of the morning and fly into the utmost parts of the earth as Psal 139. 8. Either to escape Gods wrath or obtaine his favour any other way it were but all in vaine If any would try all the Mountebank Chyrurgery that Satan hath used in all the Ages of the world all his false Religions all the multitudes of his Hell-devised wayes of false worship all his strong delusions all his heartlesse except of seduced deceived hearts fruitlesse bootlesse ceremonies constitutions beggarly rudiments bodily exercises not warranted by the word of God to cure the festered wounds of their sin-polluted defiled consciences and that most industriously all their dayes they would but miserably all that time loose their own labour defeat their own hopes forsake their own mercy obstruct their own happinesse remedilesly plunge themselves into eternall misery So that by this men must be both sanctified and saved if at all and without this and besides this there is no other means to attaine the same All Gods brood of travellers have passed along in this roade till they came to appeare before God in the heavenly Zion and none can otherwise possibly attaine to that only desireable issue of their pilgrimage here upon earth I shall not here need to speak any thing of the freenesse of this now most necessary means in regard of men for there is neither necessitie of nature or of any coaction from creatures in respect of God but only the good pleasure of his most holy Will is the prime originall of all I need not touch upon the proportionablenesse of the meanes this only salve or Balsome so prepared by him to cure the souls wounds being every way fitted and suited for its soares I shall not need to insist upon the easinesse the amiablenesse the naturallnesse the familiarnesse of the way of dispencing and bestowing this Gospel grace I shall not need to insist upon the efficaciousnesse of this most gracious dispensation by the holy Ghost all which tend to demonstrate this particular that it is the excellent and only meanes to bring Gods people to the reall participation both of grace and glory here and here-after because under the former head we have touched upon divers things bordering upon these and we likewise study brevitie though here may be large and excellent matter for Christian meditation Only in a word I shall endeavour to touch upon the other branch namely that without this discovery of Gospel glory unto the soule grace would neither be rightly gracefull nor true glory truly glorious in the eyes of men even as such men who are guided by sense mainely live more like beasts than men like the mil-horse in his tract follow the desires of their own eyes and are led on by every vaine deludeing object and neither regard to know or pursue better things but wholly in a manner proceed to prostitute their reasonable souls to sensitive bruitish pleasures as if they were capable of no greater good and as those men that upon a better improvement of the like it may be a lesse and yet againe sometimes a greater abilitie are raised up to an higher attainment as many of the ancient Philosophers and Heathens Sages who by study contemplation and industry in the use of pertinent means attained to the discovery of an excellencie of morality in their kind which they called vertue wherein they did sometime seem to behold such lovelyness that it made them not only to commend it to others but deemed that men could not know the beauty and comliness of it and not be in love with it The like and much more we may say of the excellency of Gospel grace to such as obtain any competent discovery thereof O how are they inamoured with it How do their hearts run after it How highly do they prize it How earnestly do they pursue it How unwilling are they to part with it yea what high resolution do they take up not to part with it upon any termes they will buy the truth but not sell it as Pr. 23. 23. yea and rather to part with all besides then that but as on the other hand Morallists for all their discoveries and commendadations do not cannot prevail with sensual brutish persons to forsake their swinish lusts to love or like much less to pursue their vertues and yet those Sages knew the worth thereof to be incomparably above the other even so it is
to Jerulem to see Peter Athanasius saith that he went for reverence that he bare to Peters age so it seemeth Peter was gray headed when Paul was but young and about twenty five years after Paul Phil. 9. writeth to Philemon though I be as I am even Paul an old man then what was Peter at these years yet liveth Paul after this 10 years and then writeth of himself that the time of his dissolution 2 Tim. 4. 6. was at hand Paul had now finished even 2 Tim. 4. 6. his natural course a very probable conjecture that he out-lived Peter †Conficta historia Possenius Apparat. Livius Egysip lib. c. 2. But this other untruth that we speak of is above all conjecture shameless and unreasonable they say that Peter the night before he should suffer fled away and as he was going Christ met him whom when he had seen Peter said unto him Domine quo vadis Master whither goest thou then Christ made answer Roman iterum crucifigi to Rome that I may be * St. Peter was martyred the Scriptures prove but that he was crucified or that he died at Rome cannot be proved Acts 3. 22. Josephus remembring such as were slain by Nero doth not mention Peters death Bellarmine objecteth Acts 9. 3 4. Sol. Acts 7. 55. 56. Aug. in Ps 54. Caput in coelis clamabat pro corpore interris crucified again then Peter perceived that Christ spake of him and so he returned and was crucified As if Peter himself had never taught us that the heavens must contain and keep Christ untill the time that all things be restored which shall not be accomplished untill the last day and thus endeth the Fable of Peters Bishoprick in Rome Hanc scilicet fallaciam scripturarum neglectus in Christianissimum hodie de Antichristo intrusit Vlricus Velenus Minhoniensis Quid si Episcopus si Deaconus si Vidua si Virgo si Doctor si etiam Martyr lapsus a regula fuerit ideo Haereses veritatem videbuntur obtinere Ex personis probamus fidem an ex side personas Tertullian de prescript Heretic Si qua est Ecclesia quae fidem respuat nec Apostolicae praedicationis fundamentae possideat ne quam labem possit aspergere deserenda est Ambr. lib 6. in Luc. cap. 9. FINIS THE CONTENTS FIrst The Coherence of the words Secondly The Exposition of the Text. Foure Doctrines from them Another from the Introduction which is first handled which is first proved Secondly Illustrated by eight particulars from the former Chapter and six more added Thirdly Applyed to three or foure uses The first poynt observed from the Text Gospel Glory the greatest Glory in the World Illustrated and proved First By Texts of Scripture many wayes Secondly Demonstrated under five Heads First That it was Gods great designe to glorifie himselfe in this worke above all others Secondly Accordingly his glory doth shine out and ever will doe more in this then any or all others Thirdly In that it is the only way for Gods people to obtaine true and perfect glory and whereby grace and glory are both gracious and glorious in their eyes Fourthly In that grace and glory differ not in nature but only in degrees Fifthly That hence will be the chiefe ground of the Saints and Angels glorifying God for ever The first of these considered first Historically secondly Spiritually in many particulars The second compared with the great workes of Creation Sustentation and Gubernation of all things in the world Secondly Briefly hinted at in many particulars in the nature use and effects thereof Thirdly By eleven respective considerations wherein it excells all the former workes of God First In respect of the many wayes considerable foundation of this worke in foure particulars First More profound Secondly More Secret Thirdly More difficult Fourthly More Sure Secondly In respect of the nature of this glorious worke Thirdly The matter of it Fourthly The forme of it Fifthly The way and manner of effecting it Sixthly The time for the raysing and perfecting of it in a three-fold disparitie Seventhly The subordinate meanes for the publishing promoting carrying on to the perfecting of this great worke viz. Angels Men ordinarily qualified with eminent gifts extraordinarily called imployed followed with successe Eighthly The immediate object of it Man in his state of defection How freely wonderfully gloriously delivered Ninthly The severall ends in respect of God and Man Angels good and bad here and hereafter Tenthly Vses for them both good and bad here and hereafter Eleventhly The Effects manifold hinted at exceeding excellent above all other but to be applyed profitably by Christians AN APPENDIX TO The Former By Mr. H. Nelson B. D. Pregnant Testimonies out of the ancient Fathers to prove that Peter was the Apostle of the Jewes and Paul of the Gentiles as also that Peter was not Primate Nisi Petrus alios Apostolos vel per so vel per alios Episcopos ordinasset nulla ratio est cur Romam Ecclesiarum Matrem esse dicamus Bell lib. 1. de Rom. Pontif c. 23. in Authority or Head over his fellow Apostles or did consecrate any of them to be Bishop or settle and stablish any state Hierarchicall at Rome ORigen in Math. Tract 4. Peter and Paul gave right hand of fellowship the one to the other that Peter should go to the circumcision to preach unto the Jewes living under the Law as unto an Asse under the yoke but Paul should go to the Gentiles as unto a Colt that had never been broken Idem in Matth 16. Tract 1. Noveram ergo non matrem esse ex his testibus clarisime constat Aug in Epist ad Gal lib they agreed that Paul and Barnabas should go to the Gentiles and themselves James Peter and John unto the Circumcision who seemed contrary unto the Gentiles Idem in Ps 108. Tract 50 in Jo 12. et 124. De agone Christiano c. 30. Jerome Epist ad Gal c. 2. The Primacy of Peter cannot stand unlesse the Ordinance of the Holy Ghost and the apponent between him and St. Paul be violated One God hath committed unto me the Preaching of the Gospel among the Gentiles and to Peter among the Jewes he sent me unto the Gentiles and placed Peter in Jewry by Gods providence one Apostle is given to the Jewes another to the Gentiles Idem lib. 1. contra Jovinianum Chrys Ibid. one thing pleased them both Peter and his side should preach to the Jewes and Paul and Barnabas to the Heathens And after speaking in the name of Paul in the office of preaching we have divided the world between our selves Ambrose Ibid. Paul saith the grace which he had received of God was allowed of them that he might be thought worthy to have primacy in preaching among the Gentiles as Peter had in preaching among the Jews Anselm Ibid. These two principal Apostles were chosen to the salvation of two peoples Peter to the salvation of the Jews and Paul of