to the uttermost all that come to God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them Christ is there compared with the Levitical Priesthood They were many that succeeded one after another and being hindred by Death could never bring their Work to perfection but this Priest ever liveth to plead the Churches Cause with God presenting his Human Nature in his Sight and appearing continually before his Fathers Throne and this for all that come to God by him They are his Clients and he is their Advocate it is against the Rules of that Court to plead for others that continue in their Unbelief and Impenitency After the Beast was slain without the Camp the Levitical High-Priest did enter into the Sanctuary with Blood So Christ after his Sacrifice did enter into the Heavenly Sanctuary with the Names of the twelve Tribes of all the Saints on his Breast and Shoulders there to appear before God for us Heb. 9. 14. He ever liveth to accomplish the Fruits of his Purchase for those that are reconciled to God by him as an High-Priest to answer the Accusations of Satan as our Advocate to stop the breaking out of Wrath. As Ionathan in Saul's Court did mitigate his Father's Anger against David so Christ doth interpose Night and Day to prevent Breaches and to preserve a mutual Correspondence between God and us as our Lieger-Agent to sue out Grace sutable to our Conflicts Difficulties and Temptations as our Friend in Court to procure the Acceptance of our Prayers as our Mediator and Intercessor Heb. 8. 2. 4. His Living is the Root and Cause of our Life For he having purchased Eternal Life not only for himself but for all his Members ever liveth to convey it to them and maintain it in them Ioh. 14. 19. Because I live ye shall live also Joh. 6. 57. As I live by the Father so he that believeth in me shall live by me By reason of the Mystical Union that is between Christ and Believers they may rest upon it that as long as the Head hath Life the Members shall not be utterly without Life for Christ is a Pledg and a Pattern of that Power that shall work in us in order to Life Spiritual and Eternal 4. The next Ground of Comfort is the Certainty of Perswasion I know that my Redeemer liveth As if he had said I do not doubt of it nor suspect it in the least I know implies 1. A clear Understanding of this Mystery The more fully we understand the Grounds of Faith the more Efficacy they have upon us to beget Confidence and Joy of Faith in us The Fears that haunt us are the Fruits of Darkness and Ignorance accompanied with a sense of Guilt but as Gospel-Knowledge increases they vanish as Mists do before the Sun Psal. 9. 10. They that know thy Name will put their Trust in thee If God were better known he would be better trusted 2. I know implies Certainty of Perswasion This is either Certainty of Faith or of Spiritual Sense First Of Faith which depends on the Certainty of God's Revelation that was either the general Promise in Paradise Gen. 3. 15. God had said The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents Head Now upon this Promise Iob is as confident of a Redeemer as if he had seen him with his bodily Eyes Thus Abraham is said to have seen Christ's Day Iohn 8. 56. And Heb. 11. 13. These all died in Faith not having received the Promises but having seen them afar off and were perswaded of them and embraced them Or his Faith was built upon some particular Revelation Heb. 1. 1. God who at sundry times and by divers manners spake unto the Fathers by the Prophets They had a sufficient Discovery of the Redeemer to be a Ground of Faith Certain it is the Eyes of Believers were then upon him We are told that Christ was the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World Rev. 13. 8. He is set forth in Prophecies and Types Now Faith is the Evidence of Things not seen not seen by Sense but clearly seen in the Promise He was the Joy of all Ages even of those that lived before he came in the Flesh. The same is true after the Coming of Christ as well as before for we believe in him whom we have not seen 1 Pet. 1. 3. We should as heartily love him and rejoyce in him as if we had conversed with him bodily Only we have an Advantage History is not so dark as Prophecy and it is more easy to believe what is past where we have the Suffrage and Experience of so many Ages to confirm us than to expect what is to come where we have only God's bare Word to support us The Mystery is now more clearly revealed to us than before the Exhibition of our Saviour Therefore according to our Advantage so should the Increase of our Faith be We should be able to say 2 Tim. 1. 12. I know whom I have believed and I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him We should rest upon Christ with more confidence Secondly The Certainty of Spiritual Sense We know that he is a Redeemer by the discovery of the Word that he is our Redeemer by the Application of the Spirit as he manifests himself to us and in us This Knowledge of Spiritual Sense is often spoken of Iob 13. 18. I know that I shall be justified Heb. 10. 34. Knowing in your selves that ye have in Heaven a better and an enduring Substance Rom. 6. 6. Knowing this that your old Man is crucified that is feeling Now both these are of great Comfort the Certainty of Faith and the Sweetness of Sense for without the Certainty of Faith the Soul is only left to blind Ghesses and loose Conjectures and so can never have solid Comfort Without the Knowledge of Sense that is of our Interest in Salvation the Soul loses much of its Joy and Peace As Novices and Men that have never before been at Sea are troubled at the swelling of every Wave and Billow though they are safe yet because they do not know they are safe their Voyage is a Torment to them So those that take the Assurance of the Word of God for the Truth of Redemption by Christ and tremblingly build upon it yet because they know not their own Interest have not the Comfort of the Spirit their Journey to Heaven is the more troublesom Therefore it concerneth us to build upon a sure Foundation so to get a clear Interest II. How this is applicable in all Afflictions That easily appears from these Premises 1. In publick Troubles and Difficulties We are amazed and perplexed many times at the Events that fall out in the World and know not whereunto these things will grow Yet this is some Comfort and Support to all that are concern'd in Sion's Affairs that Christ is alive at his Fathers right-Hand and will pursue all things that make
we to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness 2 Pet. 3. 11. Men are secure and careless either because they do not believe this Day or do not seriously think of it Could we bring ourselves to this to think and speak and do as having Judgment and Eternity in our Eye we would be other manner of Persons than ever we have been What! believe this Day and be so careless it cannot be We would not beat down the Price of Religion to so low a rate nor serve God so loosly if we did wait for the Coming of Christ who will bring every thing into the Judgment whether it be good or evil we could not then satisfy our selves in such a negligent Profession and Practice of Godliness 3. It would produce a more heavenly Temper and Conversation That is evident from the Apostle's words Phil. 3. 20. Our Conversation is in Heaven from whence we look for a Saviour Looking for this Salvation and this Saviour it breeds in us the Heavenly Mind He comes from Heaven to bring us thither for he comes to receive us to himself Io. 14. 3. therefore if we be not heavenly our Practice will be a Contradiction to our Faith You believe that there is a God and a Christ and a Life to come that this Christ came from God to bring us to God that we may enjoy him in the Life to come and thereupon you renounce the Devil the World and the Flesh and give up your selves to God believing that this Christ will come again to lead all his sincere Disciples and penitent Believers into the Glory and Happiness of the Heavenly State If you believe this what follows That your Conversation must be Heavenly either you must live for Heaven as seeking it with all diligence that you may at length certainly obtain it and not be excluded with the wicked or live upon Heaven solacing your selves in the fore-sight and hopes of it otherwise to profess this Faith and yet to live as though your Happiness were altogether in this World were to go about to reconcile Contradictions to pretend you place your Blessedness in Heaven and yet fly from it as a Misery you profess to look and long for that you have no mind to The second Notion is Patience 2. Patience that also hath a great Influence upon Religion for that which destroyeth all Religion and Godliness is making haste therefore 't is said Isa. 28. 16. He that believes shall not make haste God's Promises are not presently effected and if we cannot tarry but run to our own Shifts because they are next at hand presently you run into a Snare On the other side it is said Lament 3. 26. It is good to hope and quietly to wait for the Salvation of God When we can hope and wait it mightily secures our Obedience Sense is all for present Satisfaction but Faith and Hope can tarry God's leasure till those better things which he hath promised do come in hand Whatever our Condition be afflicted or prosperous we are in the place and station where God hath set us and there we must abide till he bring us to his Kingdom Impatience and Precipitation is the Cause of all Mischief What moved the Israelites to make a Golden Calf but Impatience not waiting for Moses who according to their Mind and Fancy remained too long with God in the Mount What made Saul force himself to offer Sacrifice but because he could not tarry an hour longer for Samuel and so lost the Kingdom 1 Sam. 13. 12 13 14. What made the bad Servant or Church-Officer to smite his Fellow-Servant and eat and drink with the drunken that is to abuse Church-Censures countenance the Profane and smite and curb the Godly but only this Mat. 24. 48. My Lord delays his Coming He sees the strictest are hated in the World and the others befriended and Honour and Interest runs that way and Christ comes not to rectify these Disorders My Lord delays his Coming Hasty Men are loth to be kept in Suspence and long Expectation and so miscarry Look to all Sorts of Sinners The Carnal and Sensual they cannot wait for the Time when they shall have Pleasures for evermore at God's right Hand therefore take up with present Delights like those cannot tarry till the Grapes be ripe therefore eat them sowre and green solid and everlasting Pleasures they cannot wait for therefore choose the Pleasures of Sin that are but for a season A covetous Man will wax rich in a day and cannot tarry the fair Leisure of Providence therefore we are told He that makes haste to be rich cannot be innocent Prov. 20. 21. An ambitious Man will not stay till God gives true Crowns and Honours in his Kingdom and therefore he must have Honour and Greatness here though his Climbing and Affecting to be built one Story higher in the World cost him the Ruin and Loss of his Soul All Revolt and Apostacy from God proceeds from hence because they cannot wait for God's Help and tarry his fulfilling the Promise but finding themselves pressed and destitute the Flesh that is tender and delicate grows impatient It is tedious to suffer for a while but they do not consider it is more tedious to suffer for evermore Thence comes also our murmuring and distrustful Repining Psal. 31. 22. I said in my haste I am cut off nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my Supplication Just at that time when God was about to hear him So I said in my haste all Men are liars And thence also our unlawful Attempts and stepping out of God's way Men fly to unwarrantable Means because they cannot depend upon God and wait with patience Look as an impetuous River is always troubled and thick so is a precipitate impatient Spirit out of order full of distemper a ready Prey to Satan IV. The Necessity of Divine Concurrence The Apostle prays here The Lord direct your Hearts into the Love of God and the patient Waiting for Christ. It concerns this Clause as well as the former 1. As to the Carnal and Unregenerate Till their Hearts be changed they can never attain to this patient waiting for Christ for two Reasons 1. In the wicked there is no sound Belief of these things for they live by Sense and not by Faith The Apostle tells us He that lacketh Grace is blind and cannot see afar of 2 Pet. 1. 9. Things of another World are too uncertain and too far off for them to apprehend so as to be much moved by them They hear of the Coming of Christ and speak by rote of it after others but they do not believe it therefore till God enlighten them how shall they be affected with this matter 2. There is an utter Unsuitableness of Heart to them Things present that sute their Fancies and please their Senses carry away their Hearts Psal. 49. 18. Whilest he lived he blessed his Soul and Men will praise thee when thou doest well to thy self Men
abound and suffer need Heb. 13. 5. Let your Conversation be without Covetousness and be ye content with such things as ye have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee 2. When your Delight in God Heaven and Holiness is still kept up Rom. 8. 5. For they that are after the Flesh do mind the things of the Flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit 3. When the Heart is kept in a preparation for the Duties of your heavenly Calling SERMON XII JOB 19. 25. For I know that my Redeemer liveth THese words were spoken by Iob a Man for the present miserable and suspected by his Friends as one that neither feared God nor trusted in him Therefore to comfort himself in his Misery and to vindicate his Innocency he makes Confession of his Faith In this Confession you have the grand and most important Articles reckoned up 1. He doth solemnly declare and believe the promised Messiah to be his Saviour I know that my Redeemer liveth 2. His coming to Judgment and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth 3. The Resurrection of the dead with application to himself for he saith ver 26. And though after my Skin Worms destroy this Body yet in my Flesh shall I see God 4. And Lastly the beatifical Vision ver 27. Whom I shall see for my self and mine Eyes shall behold and not another though my reins be consumed within me We have to do with the first Article his belief of Salvation by the promised Messiah For I know that my Redeemer liveth I am not ignorant that this whole Context is carried to another sense not only by the Iewish Doctors but by some Christian Interpreters of good account whose Reasons consisting wholly in Grammatications I list not now to examine The common and received Sense seemeth to be better 1. Because these Words are ushered in with a solemn Preface containing in them some notable Truth Oh that my Words were now written Oh that they were printed in a Book Oh that they were graven with an Iron Pen and Lead in the Rock for ever For I know c. Surely such a passionate Preface will become no other matter so well as the great Mystical Truths of the Christian Faith 2. The Word Goel or Kinsman Redeemer will suit with no Person so well as Christ. 3. The rest of the Passages do not run smoothly unless they be accommodated to this Sense and that I take to be the most obvious Sense which the Words will best bear 4. Iob as it is clear by many Passages in this Book had often disdained all Hopes of being restored to any Temporal Happiness in this Life affirming that all his hope was gone that he was worse than a Tree cut down This is the drift and current of all his former Discourses 5. When he saith that he should see God in his Flesh and with the same Eyes he now had I cannot imagine why these Passages should be so emphatically spoken if he only intended in this Paragraph an hope of being restored to his Temporal Happiness Having premised this In the words observe 1. The causal Particle for giving thereby a reason why he would have his words so marked because of the excellency of the matter 2. The Article of Faith my Redeemer liveth 3. The manner how this Article is asserted and professed by Iob. 1. With certainty of perswasion I know 2. With Application and Appropriation My Redeemer For I know my Redeemer liveth All put together will yeild this point Doct. That it is a great comfort to the Saints in all their Afflictions to know that they have a Redeemer living in Heaven This is the first thing whereby Iob comforteth himself I. I shall consider the matter of the Comfort II. Shew you how it is applicable to all Afflictions I. The matter of the Comfort consists in four things 1. That there is a Redeemer 2. That he is their Redeemer 3. That he liveth 4. That they know this upon certain and infallible Grounds 1. That there is a Redeemer for he doth not say I know that my Creaton liveth but my Redeemer The Word is Goel The Septuagint render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He that will deliver me Theodotion better 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My near Kinsman liveth The Word properly signifies such an one as in regard of propinquity or neatness of Kindred had right to redeem a Mortgage or the like Engagement of Land or Livelyhood Lev. 25. 25 26. If thy Brother be waxen poor and hath sold away some of his Possession and if any of his Kin come to redeem it then shall he redeem that which his Brother sold. Or else to prosecute the Law against the Murderer of his Friend or Kinsman Numb 35. 19. 24. It is taken sometimes more largely for any Deliverer out of Thraldom or Avenger of wrong in general And so is in the old Testament applied to God or Christ to whom the term chiefly belongeth To God because of his powerful Providence and rescuing his People out of their Calamities Psal. 25. 22. Redeem Israel O God out of all his Troubles To Christ to whom it is most proper Isa. 59. 20. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion and to them that shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob which the Apostle applieth to Christ Rom. 11. 26. He then is the Redeemer and it implieth 1. That he is our Kinsman after the Flesh or by Incarnation 2. That he paid a price to God for us in his Passion 3. That he pursueth the Law against Satan and rescues us by his Power All which are notable grounds of Comfort For under the Law the Redemption of the Inheritance or the Person of the poor Brother sold was to be made by the next of Blood and that by the Male side not by the Mothers but by the Fathers side and he also was to be the Avenger of Blood 1. There is much comfort in this that Christ is our Kinsman Bone of our Bone and Flesh of our Flesh and therefore certainly will not be strange to his own Flesh. He did redeem us not only jure proprietatis by virtue of his Interest in us as our Creator but jure propinquitatis by virtue of his Kindred one of us of our Stock and Lineage the Son of Adam as well as the Son of God The Apostle tells us Heb. 2. 11. For he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one For which cause he is not ashamed to call them Brethren As the first Fruits offered to God were taken out of the same heap so he was of the same Mass with us Christ is not only Man but the Son of Man he might have been Man if God had created him out of nothing or he had brought his substance from Heaven But he is the Son of Man one descended of the Loins of Adam as we are even thus He that sanctifieth and they
Life Evil and Death Secondly The Manner how this is to be done it must be set forth with all Evidence and Conviction as to the Reason of Men with all Earnestness and Affectionate Importunity to awaken their Affections In short 1. So as will become the belief of these things We must not speak of them as a thing spoken in jest and by rote but as firmly perswaded of the truth of things as if Heaven and Hell were before our Eyes and as evident to Sense Heb. 11. 1. We look upon these things naturally as at a distance and so have but a cold apprehension of them but we should by Faith see them as near at hand As you would pull a Man out of the Fire Iude 23. or as falling into a deep Pit or bottomless Gulph as one in the greatest earnest Belief puts a Life into Truths which otherwise are but dead and weak in their Operation I believed and therefore did I speak as if we had a deep sense of these things upon our own Hearts 2. As will become Experience 2 Cor. 5. 10. Knowing the Terrors of the Lord we perswade Men. A Man that knoweth the Terrors of the Lord that hath been scorched himself will set them before Men as if they were at hand ready to surprize them Others that talk of these things but as cold Opinions they will not be so careful to rouse up Men to mind the case of their Souls If one went unto them from the Dead then will they repent Luk. 16. 30. 3. So as will become Zeal for the Glory of God which is much promoted by the Subjection and Obedience of his Creatures and his Interest in them therefore we should be diligent and industrious in drawing Souls to Christ. Col. 1. 27 28. Christ in you the hope of Glory whom we preach warning every Man and teaching every Man in all Wisdom that we may present every Man perfect in Christ Iesus 2 Cor. 11. 13. They have blind unbelieving Hearts therefore need to be taught cold careless Affections and need to be warned and this with the greatest Wisdom that can be used that all may be presented to Christ at the last day This is that which sets all a going When we are wooing for Christ we should not do it coldly and triflingly but as those that would prevail for their Master that he may be glorified in their being gained to him 4. So as will become compassioners of precious and immortal Souls for whom Christ died Souls that must live for ever in Heaven or Hell Oh mind them of their Duty warn them of their Danger they are ready to tumble into the Flames of Hell every moment therefore with all earnestness set Life and Death before them We should use the more compassion to Souls because God himself who hath employed us hath expressed so much of his Compassion he doth not only tell them they will die but expostulateth with them Why will you die O House of Israel Ezek. 33. 11. And Ezek. 28. 25. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die and not return from his ways and live The greatest quarrel Christ hath with Sinners is because they will not come to him for Life John 5. 40. Ye will not come to me that ye might have Life Two Reasons make this more evident 1. This is God's Will 2. This is of great Profit to the Souls of Men. First This is God's Will that his Law should be propounded with the Sanction of it that is with Penalties and Rewards God might rule us with a Rod of Iron require Duty out of meer Sovereignty but he will draw us with the Cords of a Man Hos. 11. 4. with such Arguments as are fitted to Mans Temper as he is a reasonable Creature that is by Promises and Threatnings We are best moved and induced to any thing by those two Affections of Fear and Hope the one Affection serveth for Aversation and Flight the other for Choice and Pursuit Therefore he that knoweth the Wards of the Lock accordingly suiteth the Keys and doth not only require an exact Duty but also promiseth Good and threatneth Evil. Sovereigns in their publick Edicts do not argue with their Subjects but only interpose their Authority but God condescendeth to reason with his Creatures He doth not say as sometimes Thus shall ye do I am the Lord but if you do thus this will be your ruine and obey these Statutes for your Good Deut. 6. 24. and so doth perswade as well as command Secondly It is of great Profit to the Souls of Men. 1. It is of Profit that they should often be minded of the Issues of things Israel's want of Wisdom cometh from this Deut. 32. 29. O that they were Wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end that is how Obedience and Disobedience will succeed with them Lam. 1. 9. David's trouble at the prosperity of the Wicked arose from want of this Psal. 73. 17. Then I understood their End Rom. 6. 21. The end of these things is Death Fugientes respice what will they leave in their farewel and departure Jer. 17. 11. At his latter end he shall be a Fool. The first addresses of Sin smile upon us but the Sting is in the Tail So the beginning of Godliness is Bitter but afterward it yieldeth everlasting Peace and Comfort 2. That they may reflect on both combined either of them single is of great force but both joyned together comes in upon the Heart with greater Power We need a Bridle and a Spur a Bridle because of our proneness to Evil and a Spur because of our Backwardness to Good We have both we are compassed and hedged in with our Duty on every side If we look back there is Death to affright us if forward Heaven to allure us there is Eternal Life to draw us there is Eternal Death to drive us If God had only terrified us from Sin by unexpressible Pains and Horrors and made no promise of unspeakable Joys this were enough to engage us to live without Blame and Blemish that we might not be cast into the Prison of Hell or if only to quicken our Diligence he had propounded Hopes and Happiness as the Priviledg of those that live Vertuously and Holily and evil Men did utterly perish when they die this were enough to draw us If God had only promised Heaven and no Hell there would not be so strong a Motive but can we be cold and dead when both Life and Death are laid before us and both for ever this is very unreasonable Solomon telleth us Prov. 15. 24. That the way of Life is above to the Wise to avoid Hell beneath Every step they tread is a going from Eternal Death and an approach to Eternal Life Therefore as we would escape the Torments of Hell and possess the Joys of Heaven we should be serious We are undone for ever if we be not blessed for ever and the