comfort others For this cause Luther said That a Theologue of affliction was a Theologue of light and though it be no part of our Church trials of intrant Pastors yet the consideration were profitable For whether we be afflicted it is for you c. For when beside all humane means without or labour within they are taught of God to know the vilenesse of their own sinne the deceit of their owne heart the weight of Gods wrath for both the terrours of an accusing conscience in all three the horrours of spirituall desertion the desolation and widowhood of the soule in such a case c. And on the other part the freenesse of Gods mercie pardoning sinne the sweetnesse of the peace of conscience under that assurance and joyes of the holy Ghost the sense of Gods favour shed abroad in our hearts better than life and the complete happinesse of the soule under sense of the presence of a reconciled God With this furniture they are made the more sufficient in those practick points wherein the life of Christiaanitie standeth to speake as men who have learned by exercise and experience This experience bringeth three things First a sort of obligement to communicate it according to our calling Secondly a lively speech Thirdly authoritie in both Obligement because wee get not experience for our own private use but to make others better thereby Come children I will teach you the feare of the Lord And Come I will tell you what God hath done to my soule Let men confesse before men the goodnesse of the Lord And he glorieth in it that he hid not Gods goodnesse from the great congregation Such communication of experienced men is profitable for thereby people come easily to the knowledge of that which otherwise they could not learn without great exercise And among other causes why God afflicteth Pastors grievously this is one both to furnish them with a body of experimentall doctrine and to bring the people easily to it by their communication Next it furnisheth them with a powerfull speech Our language is the daughter of our reason and our stile floweth from our complexion education and gift and the gift is laboured by experience The spirit createth the species in us the species give the notion the notion gives the stile to expresse it self Every science hath the own matter and termes so hath Divinitie The spirit who giveth the matter giveth also the stile of language and the doore of utterance comparing things spirituall with spirituall and fitly to expresse divine matters in a divine stile is his gift If we conceive things only by the minde we may speake properly but not affectuously nor effectually But if we take them in our affection our stile will be emphatick No purpose hath need to be more pertinently expressed than happinesse if it be coldly and warshly proponed it wakeneth not the affection But if they speak who have found the sweetnesse of it their words are vive lineaments both of their affection and the thing that hath affected them so that the common saying is true As is the knowledge so is the expression The Apostle condemneth humane eloquence and not divine and there is none comparable to Isay in eloquence and the Scripture hath the own pithie phrase without the flowers of humane oratorie Mens words testifie their gift and the measure of Gods working in them Nazianzens emphatick words are sentences and therefore is called the Theologue Augustine in many places hath a pathetick stile and Bernards stile is full of affection and sense and Calvin among the late Divines like another Nazianzen expresseth his deep conceptions in a pithie stile This is not only the language of Canaan but also the masculous Schiboleth their words have weight and are as goads piercing the hearts of the hearers and fastening them to God in the Sanctuarie This is the tongue of the learned not of man but of God to speake a word in due season Thirdly experience maketh them speak with authoritie Christ spake with authoritie and not as the Scribes For the Scribes spake warshly as men doing some other businesse or as Boyes in the schoole rehearsing other mens inventions But a faithfull Pastor speaketh with authoritie And that commeth of Conscience and Confidence Conscience of their calling from God of some competent furniture for the worke and of his presence with them in doing the worke Confidence of the warrant of their word from Scripture and from experience that they finde the power of it in their souls in private We beleeve and therefore we speak This maketh them speak affectuously uttering their very heart in their speech Their heart is in their words which go out with the weight of affection They are moved themselves with that they say when they feele the power of it renewed in them in publicke which they felt in secret But when a purpose though both sound and divine is rehearsed either from reading hearing or superficiall thinking there is not such union of the heart with the tongue or the word with the affection and so oft times as little union betwixt the word spoken and the heart of the hearer If any man would move his hearer he must be moved himselfe otherwise how can they think that hee beleeveth the thing he speaketh Preachers are lights and fires they must have light and heat if they would warme and lighten others So then this experience of Gods working is his speech to their heart and when he maketh them expresse it powerfully they speak to the hearts of the hearers When they speake to hearers that have experience they are heard earnestly but others judge of them according to their own disposition This made the Ancients in their sermons to cry out Give me one that thirsteth and he knoweth what I say c. Want of experience maketh uncharitable carping Fourthly the divine assistance is the beautie of their worke I shall be with thy mouth If we consider only how so fraile men in so eminent a place in the hearing possibly of some thousands can deduce heavenly matters without kything infirmitie speaking to God and man in such sort as the judicious hearer doeth confesse That God speaketh in them For God hath chosen the most part of Preachers of the meanest sort of people who possibly in common purposes can speake but little But so soone as they stand up in the chaire of truth they are overshadowed with a wonderfull presence of God that maketh them speake with authoritie But his assisting them to worke the worke of the Gospell is far more when they are workers with him to beget children to God to turne souls to him to cast down in the conscience of sinne and raise up in the confidence of mercie And though the fruit of the worke dependeth not on them for God hath put these treasures in
to tell that all things in the world are but vanitie vanitie in their being because they are but shadowes of true goods vanitie in their work because they work not that good we expect and vanitie in their durance because they perish in using The first is a vacuitie the second is a weaknesse and the third an evanishing And his conclusion is to set us upon that chief good to wit God and his worship The second practice is in the Apostle who had many priviledges he was a Jew brought up at the feet of Gamaliel profited greatly in learning and so zealous of the law that he sought commissions to persecute the Gospell But when he compareth all these things with the excellent knowledge of Christ he counteth them but losse and doung and setteth down his choice of true happinesse in termes that after long inquirie he had judged and decreed to know nothing but Christ and him crucified Two errours in the inquirie of happinesse are here to be condemned The first seeketh not at all they think happinesse is easily found and will fall to them as rype fruit And because they look easily up to heaven they think it as easie to go up thither But they should remember that though naturally the way be broader because it is from the center to the circle yet spiritually it is straiter because God is our center and we upon the earth are in the circumference They are as grosse as beasts who have neither foresight consultation nor election and are carried only with the sway of appetite which is not much different from the weight of a stone These men say in their heart that there is not a God and though the common notions of nature tell them there is one they hold that righteousnesse of God in unrighteousnesse but in the matter of happinesse though they have a naturall appetite of it yet they take no paines to seek it out Herein they carrie their conviction in their bosome for in all other matters they use consultation as in contracts of marriage plees for their inheritance But in the matter of happinesse how few dare say that in all their life time they have taken one houre to advise ripely how to come to it We have all time and leisure enough for other matters but little or none for happinesse I know that every one cannot make that painfull inquirie like Solomon and Paul God was to imploy them to teach others and therefore tooke more paines on them yet every one in some measure should make this search and bring their souls to this question How shall I finde and obtain true happinesse If it be not in a question it will never come to a consultation nor a sentence nor a search The second errour is worse in a bad consulting They take counsell but not of God and advising with flesh and bloud call in three dangerous counsellours Their bodily sense their predominant lusts and the custome of the world Their bodily sense goes no further than things present Their predominant lusts leadeth them on their own delight Avarice counselleth the greedy man to seek riches Pride biddeth the ambitious man seek honour c. And the custome of the world adviseth them to conforme them to it lest they incur the anger of the world and be persecuted for crossing its choice These are like Rehoboams young Counsellors brought up with himself The first is bruitish and biddeth satisfie the body The second is violent and biddeth please the predominant lusts The third is politick to do as others do and to hazzard on a common errour rather than on an happinesse uncertaine and unseen to them But they shall at last seriously though too late repent their foolish choice They serve these creatures which they chuse and lose both their happinesse and themselves whereas by the choice of God they might both be free and served of these creatures which now they make their masters But God saveth his own from these errours and leadeth them in a wise search and chusing by his word his example and work By his word generally bidding us Seek the things above and not the things beneath and forbidding us to love the world and the things of it And specially forbidding the rich to lay up their treasures in earth but in heaven He sayeth to the leacherous He that soweth to the flesh shall reape of the flesh He sayeth to the proud That he that humbleth himself shall be exalted He sayeth to the revengefull man If any smite thee on the one cheek hold up the other also And to the contentious love your enemies We must not looke what man sayeth or what our owne fleshly minde suggesteth but what his oracles sayeth And subject our weak reasons to his divine speeches Next by example Because when Christ took our nature he walked in the best way to happinesse and that in two In contemning those things that the world loveth and induring those things which it fleeth He saw men love riches but he chose povertie They thirsted for honour but he refused to be a King They abhorred contempt and contumelies but he indured them patiently They counted injuries intolerable but he was scourged and tormented There is no greater sin than to covet those things which he contemned and to abhor those things which he indured All his life on earth was a discipline and paterne of Christian manners Thirdly by his worke and that in Correction and Direction In Correction because he maketh us to forsake other small goods which otherwise wee would keep as happinesse For when we finde them but weak and not able to be our constant contentment and when in their losse we finde our comfort in spirituall things we forsake the weaker and take us to spirituall graces In direction when he leadeth us in this search and in place of the three bad counsellours the bodily sense predominant humour and custome of the world he giveth us other three a sanctified minde a pure conscience and his word as a threed to lead us through the labyrinth of the worlds errours The light of that truth directeth us and the worke of his spirit guideth us in that direction He guideth us by his counsell that he may bring us to glorie But let none think that this search and choice commeth of himselfe as many who turne great blessings into curses when being made great of God they use not his gifts as given to glorifie him but take the glorie of them to themselves But he that taketh glorie of Gods gift is a theef and brigand The Schoole sayes That to will to love c. are elicite acts of the will and flow from her inward power If they mean of morall and naturall things we dispute not with them but if of supernaturall and spirituall things it is a proud peece of divinitie for Scripture saith
his life or state if his partie call him to a frindly Treatie and he be so senselesse that he knew neither if he met with his partie or know not how they began proceeded and closed their Treatie So are the most part of us wee come to the Sanctuarie the Lords trysting place and when wee come home if any would ask us Did you meet with God in his house Was your treatie in the termes of peace And was it closed with this Sonne bee of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee We would answer with the Disciples at Ephesus We know not if there be such things or no. Lastly Nations or Cities who have this beautie of the sanctuarie should keepe it carefully for it is their glorie And this is our advertisement that we keep this pretious thing that God hath committed to us For we may affirme that God hath blessed us with a bodie of as sound and wholesome divinitie as any age or nation since the Apostles time No Church is absolutely perfect yet in this point wee may contest with the best For in former times Sathan busied the Church with heresies as the Ebionites Marcionits Sabellians Arians Pelagians c. And when these were damned Antichrist amassed them all in one under other terms and making therof the body of his Apostasie obtruded them to the Church under the colours of his authoritie and infallibilitie And when God led his Church by his Worthies the Reformers hee blessed this Nation with a body of most refined Doctrine If we keepe this in puritie it shall be our happinesse But if libertie of private opinions turn in a libertie of publick venting these opinions and to turne us to Rome againe then altar against altar will deface this beautie of the sanctuarie Hold fast that thou hast till I come that no man take thy crown from thee Politicks like Gallio care not for these things but the safety of the common-wealth consisteth in happinesse and that same that maketh a particular man happie maketh a Citie happy also The last day wil prove this when the sheep on Christs right hand shal be gathered out of Nations and Cities who had the beautie of the sanctuarie in the doctrine of happines in the Gospel But all other shall be ranked with the goats SECTION VIII Of our partaking and enjoying of happinesse That I may see WEe have heard of the beautie of the Lord in the Sanctuarie wherein happinesse is offered to us followeth the application whereby wee apply it to our selves set down in this word to see which hath a generall and speciall consideration In the generall it signifies with the Hebrews all sensing because it is the most excellent sense So it is put for hearing I turned to see the voyce that is to heare the voyce God hath boared through our bodies with five senses that our soules might have intercourse with the qualities of his creatures in their colour juice smell c. And spiritually for our fuller joy offereth himselfe to be the object of our five spirituall senses So we see him in his works we heare him in his word wee taste him in his goodnesse Wee smell the fragrancie of the grace of the Gospel We touch him to draw vertue out of him with the diseased woman and with Thomas to call him our Lord and our God Therefore hearing is not here excluded but included as the fittest sense for spirituall things for faith comes by hearing and it is a preparation to the spirituall sight Hearken Daugter and behold As we have heard so have we seen It supplieth the weakenesse of our sight in Gods works In them we see his power his wisedome c. But in the Word wee heare of Christ his comming in the flesh our redemption and reconciliation in him It is also a more common way to learne for mo can heare than can read and the most fit way to receive heavenly things which are revealed in the audible word It is also surest to keep us from idolatrie for though spirituall things cannot bee represented yet some have attempted to do so in images but when they are explaned by words there is no such danger We only heare the voice but see nothing Lastly wee were lost by Eva's hearing of the Serpent therefore God will wound Sathan with his own rod and save us by that sense whereby wee were lost we are saved by faith and faith commeth by hearing The speciall consideration goeth in seeing and fruition This seeing is not bodily but spirituall For as the object is so must the sense bee There have been great disputes concerning the seeing of God with our eyes but let us stand to Scripture That God dwelleth in the light inaccessible whom none hath seene nor can see in their mortalitie yet afterward we shall see him face to face and shall know him as we are known But for this life though none have seene him yet his only begotten Sonne who came out of his bosome hath revealed him to us and that both in himself who is his eternall and substantial word and the ingraven forme of his petson and likewise by the word that hee gave to his Apostles In like manner our happinesse in the owne fulnesse the eye hath not seene nor hath the eare heard nor hath it entred into the heart of man to think upon yet God by his Spirit revealeth to his own in the first fruits and earnest God hath created the new man in his own and furnished him with spirituall senses His sight is the minde inlightned with heavenly light when God who commanded light to shine out of darknesse shineth in our soul by the Gospel of grace When he hath created this light in us then in his light we see light This illumination of the mind turneth in faith when the things wee simply see by light wee assent unto and apply them to us as our own and so go forward in the application of happinesse to our selves No light discovereth the Sunne but the light that commeth from it and no light discovereth God but the light that commeth from him and that so cleerly that it pulleth the heart to him and true happinesse in him Our happinesse is in union with God and the maine bands thereof are the spirit on his part and faith on our part Faith standeth not at sight but goeth on to apprehension our assent tyeth us to him by the mediation of his truth but our apprehension gripeth himselfe immediately as one who is truth it self and in whom all things are good truly and infinitely so that our trust in God may be called a thrusting of our soules on him The diseased woman was not content to look upon Christ but would likewise have vertue out of him by touching What is this said one which shineth within me and