be spoke too much of for 't is Vnspeakable nor too much magnified for it is Glorious To Evidence the truth of this and to confirme his Brethren in the experienc'd knowledge of it he expresses here more particularly and distinctly the causes of this their Joy which are 1. The Object or Matter of it 2. The Apprehension and appropriation of that Object which two conjoyn'd are the entire cause of all Rejoyceing The Object is Jesus Christ verse 8. And the Salvation purchased by him verse 9. For these two cannot be sever'd and these two Verses that speak of them require as is evident by their connexion to be considered together 2. The apprehension of these 1. set forth negatively not by bodily sight 2. Positively whereas that might seem to abate the certainâ—y and liveliness of their Rejoyceing that 't is of things they had not seen nor do yet see that is abundantly made up by three for one each of them more excellent then the meer bodily sight of Christ in the flesh which many had which were never the better by 't the three are those three prime Christian Graces Faith Love and Hope The two former in ver 8. the 3 d. in ver 9. Faith in Christ begetting Love to him and both these giving assured Hope of salvation by him making it as certian to them as if it were already in their hand and they in possession of it And from all those together results this Exultation or leaping for joy Ioy unspeakable and full of Glory This is that one thing that so much concerns us and therefore we mistake very far and forget our own highest interest too much when we either speak or hear of it slightly and apply not our hearts to it What is it that all our thoughts and endeavours drive at What means all that we are doing in the World tho we take several wayes to it and wrong wayes for the most part yea such wayes as lead not to it but set us further off from it yet that which we all seek after by all our labour under the Sun is something that may be matter of Contentment and rejoycing to us when we have attain'd it now here it is and in vain is it sought for elsewhere And for this end 't is represented to you that it may be yours if ye will entertain it not only that you may know this to be a truth that in Jesus Christ is laid up true Consolation and Rejoyceing that he is the Magazine and Treasury of it but that you may know how to bring him home into your hearts and lodge him there and so to have the spring of Joy within you That which gives full joy to the Soul must be something that is higher and better then it self in a word he that made it can only make it glad after this manner with unspeakable and glorious joy but the Soul remaining guilty of Rebellion against him and unreconcil'd cannot behold him but as an Enemy any belief that it can have of him while 't is in that posture is not such as can fetch Love and Hope and so Rejoycing but such as the Faith of devils produceth only begetting terrour and trembling but the light of his Countenance shining in the face of his Son the Mediator glads the heart and 't is the looking upon him so that causeth the soul to Believe and Love and Hope and Rejoyce Therefore the Apostle Eph. 2. In his description of the estate of the Gentiles before Christ was preach'd to them joynes these together without Christ that was the cause of all the rest therefore without comfort in the Promises without Hope and without God in the world So he is here by our Apostle exprest as the object In all these therefore he is the matter of our Joy because our Faith and Love and Hope of Salvation The Apostle writing to the dispersed Jewes many of whom had not known nor seen Christ in the flesh commends their Love and Faith for this reason that it did not depend upon bodily sight but was pure and spiritual and made them of the number of those that our Saviour himselfe pronounces blessed who have not seen and yet believe You saw him not when he dwelt amongst men and walked to and fro Preaching and working Miracles Many of those that did then hear and see him believed not yea they scoff'd and hated and persecuted him and in the end Crucified him you that have seen none of all those things yet having heard the Gospel that declares him you have believed Thus Observe the working or not working of Faith doth not depend upon the difference of the external Ministry and gifts of Men for what greater difference can there be that way than betwixt the Master and the Servants betwixt the great Prophet himself and his weak sinful Messengers and yet many of those that saw and heard him in Person were not converted believ'd not in him and thousands that never saw him were converted by his Apostles and as it seems even some of those that were some way accessory to his death yet were brought to Repentance by this same Apostles Sermon Act. 2. Learn then to look above the outward Ministry and any difference that in Gods dispensation can be there and know that if Jesus Christ himself were on Earth and now Preaching amongst us yet might his incomparable words be unprofitable to us not being mix'd with faith in the bearers But where that is the meanest despisable conveyance of his Message received with humility and affection will work blessed Effects Whom not seeing yet believeing Faith elevates the Soul not only above sense and sensible things but above Reason it selfe as reason corrects the Errours that sense might occasion So supernatural Faith corrects the Errours of natural Reason judging according to Sense The Sun seems less then the wheel of a Chariot but Reason teaches the Philosopher that 't is much bigger then the whole Earth and the cause why it seems so little is its great distance The Naturally wise man is as far deceiv'd by this carnal Reason in his estimate of Jesus Christ the â—un of Righteousness and the cause is the same his great distance from him as the Psalmist speaks of the wicked Psal. 10.5 Thy Iudgements are far above out of his sight He accounts Christ and his Glory a smaller matter then his own Gain Honour or Pleasure for these are near him and he sees their quantity to the full and counts them bigger yea far more worth then they are indeed but the Apostle St. Paul and all they that are enlightened by the same Spirit they know by Faith which is divine Reason that the Excellency of Jesus Christ far surpasses the worth of the whole Earth and all things earthly Phil. 3.7.8 To give a right assent to the Gospel of Christ is Impossible without divine and saving Faith infused in the Soul to believe that the Eternal Son of God cloath'd himselfe with humane
flesh and dwelt amongst Men in a Tabernacle like theirs and suffered death in the flesh that he who was Lord of Life hath freed us from the sentence of Eternal Death that he broke the bars and chains of Death and rose again that he went up into Heaven and there at the Fathers right hand sits in our flesh and that glorified above the Angels This is the great Mistery of Godliness And a part of this Mistery is that he is Believed on in the World 1 Tim. 3.16 This Natural Men may discourse of and that very knowingly and give a kind of natural Credit to 't as to a History that may be true but firmly to believe that there is divine Truth in all these things and to have a perswasion of it stronger then of the very things we see with our eyes such an assent as this is the peculiar work of the spirit of God and is certainly saving Faith The Soul that so believes cannot chuse but Love 't is commonly true the Eye is the ordinary door by which Love enters into the Soul and it is true in this Love though t is denied of the Eye of sense yet you see 't is ascrib'd to the Eye of Faith though you have not seen him you Love him because you believe Which is to see him spiritually Faith indeed is distinguish'd from that Vision that is in Glory but it is the Vision of the Kingdom of Grace 't is the Eye of the New Creature that quicksighted Eye that pierces all the Visible Heavens and sees above them that looks to things that are not seen 2 Cor. 4.18 And is the evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 that sees him that is invisible v. 27. 'T is possible that one may be much Lov'd upon the report of their worth and Vertues and upon a Picture of them lively drawn before sight of the party so commended and represented but certainly when they are seen and found answerable to the former it raises the Affection that it first begun to a far greater height We have the report of the perfections of Jesus Christ in the Gospel yea so clear a description of him that it gives a picture of him and that together with the Sacraments are the only lawful and the only lively pictures of our Saviour Gal. 3.1 Now this Report Faith believes and beholds this picture and so lets in the Love of Christ to the Soul but further it gives a particular experimental knowledge of Christ and acquaintance with him It causes the Soul find all that is spoken of him in the Word and his beauty there represented to be abundantly true makes it really taste of his sweetness and by that possesses the heart more strongly with his Love perswading it of the truth of those things not by reasons and arguments but by an Inexpressible kind of Evidence that they only know that have it Faith perswades a Christian of these two things that the Philosopher gives as the causes of all Love Beauty and Propriety the Loveliness of Christ in himself and our interest in him The former it effâ—ctuaâ—s not only by the first apprehending and believing of those hâ—s Excellencies and Beauty but by frequent beholding of him and Eyeing him in whom all Perfection dwells and looks so ofâ— on him till it sets the very Impression of his Image as it were upon the Soul that it can never be blotted out and forgot The latter it doth by that particular Uniting Act which makes him our God and our Saviour Ye Love The distinctions that some make of Love need not be taken as of differing kinds but different actings of the same Love by which we may try our so much pretended Love of Christ which in truth is so rarely found There will then be in this Love if it be right these three qualities Goodwill Delight and Desire 1. Goodwill earnest wishing and as we can promoting Gods Glory and stirring up others so to do They that seek more their own things then the things of Jesus Christ more their own Praise and Esteem then His are strangers to this divine Love-For it seeks not her own things This bitter Root of self-love is most hard to pluck up this strongest and sweetest Love of Christ alone doth it actually though gradually This Love makes the Soul as the lower Heaven slow in its own motion most swift in the motion of that first that wheels it about so the higher degree of Love the more swift It Loves the hardest tasks And greatest difficulties where it may perform God service either in doing or in suffering for him It is strong as death and many waters cannot quench it The greater the task is the more real is the testimony and expression of Love and therefore the more acceptable to God 2. There is in true Love a complacency and delight in God A Conformity to his will Loving what he Loves and studious of his will ever seeking to know more clearly what it is that is most pleasing to him contracting a likeness to God in all his actions by conversing with him frequent contemplating of God and looking on his beauty as the Eye lets in this Affection so it serves it constantly and readily looks that way that Love directs it thus the soul that is possess'd with this Love of Jesus Christ hath its eye much upon him thinks often on his former sufferings and present Glory the more it lookes upon Christ the more it loves and still the more it loves the more it delights to look upon him 3. There is in true Love a Desire for 't is but small beginnings and tastes of his Goodness that the soul hath here therefore 't is still looking out and longing for the day of Marriage the time is sad and wearisome and seems much longer then it is while 't is deteind here I desireâ— to be dissolved saith St. Paul and to be with Christ. God is the Sum of all things lovely thus excellenâ—ly Greg. Nazian expresseth himself Ovat 1. If I have any Possessions Health Credit Learning this is all the contentment I have of them that I have somewhat I may despise for Christ who is totus dâ—sâ—derâ—bilis totuâ— desiderabile And this Love is the sum of all he requires of us 't is that which makes all our meanest Services acceptable and without which all we offer to him is distasteful God doth not only deserve our Love by his matchless Excellency and Beauty but by his Matchless Love to us and that is the strongest Loadstone of Love He hath loved me saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 How appears that in no less then this he hath given himself for me Certainly then there is no other Character of our Love then this to give our selves to him that hath so loved us and given himself for us This affection must be bestowed somewhere there is no Man but hath some prime choyce somewhat that is the predominant delight of his soul will it
the safe possession of perfect happiness when the soul shall be out of the reach of all Adversaries and adverse Accidents no more subjected to those Evils that are its own properly namely the Conscience of Sin and fear of Wrath and sad Defections nor yet subject to those other Evils it endur'd by Society with the body outward distresses and Affliction Persecutions Poverty diseases c. 'T is call'd Salvation of the soul not excluding the body from the society of that Glory when it shall be rais'd and reunited to the Soul but because the soul is of it self an Immortall substance and both the more Noble part of Man and the prime subject both of Grace and glory and because it arrives first at that blessedness and for a time leaves the body in the dust to do homage to its Originall therefore it is only named here but Jesus is the Saviour of the body too and he shall at his coming change our vile bodies and make them like his glorious body The End End or Reward for it is both It s the End either at which Faith aimes or wherein it Ceaseth it s the Reward not of their Works nor of Faith as a work deserving it but as the Condition of the New Covenant which God according to the tenour of that Covenant first works in his own and then Rewards as if it were their work And this Salvation or Fruition of Christ is the proper Reward of faith which Believes in him unseen and so obtains that happy sight 't is the proper work of faith to believe what thou seest not and the Reward of faith to see what thou hast believed This is the Certainty of their Hope that 't is as if they had already receiv'd it if the promise of God and the merit of Christ hold good then they that believe in him and Love him are made sure to salvation The promises of God in Christ are not yea and nay but they are in him yea and in him Amen sooner may the Rivers run back-ward and the course of the Heavens change and the frame of nature be dissolv'd then any one soul that is united to Jesus Christ by Faith and Love can be sever'd from him And so fall short of salvation hoped for in him and this is the matter of their rejoycing Ye Rejoyce with Ioy unspeakable The naturall Man sayes the Apostle receiveth not things of God for they are foolishness unto him and he adds the Reason why he cannot know them for they are spiritually discern'd he hath none of that faculty by which they are discern'd there is a vast disproportion betwixt those things and Natures highest Capacity it cannot work beyond its Sphere Speak to the Naturall Man of the matter of Spirituall grief the sense of Guiltiness and the Apprehension of Gods displeasure or the hiding of his favour and the Light of his countenance from the soul these things stirre not him he knows not what they mean Speak to him again of the Peace of Conscience and sense of Gods Love and the Joy that arises hence He is no less stranger to that As our Saviour speaks mourn to him and he laments not pipe to him and he dances not Mat. 11. but as it there follows there is a wisdom in those things though they seem Folly and Non-sense to the foolish world and this wisdom is justified of her own Children Having said somewhat allready of the Causes of this spirituall Joy the Apostle speaks of here It remains now that we consider those two things 1. How Joy ariseth from those Causes 2. the Excellency of this Joy as 't is here express'd There is here a sollid sufficient Good and the heart made sure of it being partly put in present possession of it and in a most certain Hope of all the rest And what can be more required to make it joyfull Jesus Christ the treasure of all blessings received and united to the soul by Faith and Love and Hope Is not Christ the Light and Joy of the Nations such a light as Abraham at the distance of many ages of more then two thousand years yet saw by faith and seeing Rejoyced Besides this brightness that makes light a joyfull object Light is often in Scripture put for Joy Christ this Light brings Salvation with him He is the Sun of Righteousness and there is healing under his wings I bring you said the Angel good tydings of great Ioy that shall be to all people And their Song hath in it the matter of that Joy Glory to God in the Highest peace on Earth and good will toward Men. But to the end we may Rejoyce in Christ we must find him ours otherwise the more Excellent he is the more Cause hath the heart to be sad while it hath no portion in him my spirit hath Rejoyced saith the Blessed Virgin in God my Saviour Thus 1. Ioh. 1.3 Having spoken of our Communion with Christ he adds these things I write that your Ioy may be full Faith worketh this Joy by uniteing the Soul to Christ and applying his merites and from that application arises the pardon of sin and so that load of misery which was the great Cause of Sorrow is removed and so soon as the Soul finds it selfe lightned and unloaded of that burden that was sinking it to Hell it cannot chuse but leap for Joy in the Ease and Refreshment it finds Therefore that Psalm that David begins with the doctrine of the Pardon of Sin he Ends it with an Exhortation to Rejoyceing Blessed is the Man whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Psal. 32.1 Thus he begins but he ends vers 11. Be glad in the Lord and Rejoyce ye Righteous and shout for joy all ye that are â—pright in heart S. Peter speaks to his hearers of the Remission of sins Act. 2.38 and verse 41. 't is added they received his words Gladly and our Saviour joynes these two together be of good Comfort thy sins are forgiven thee Thus Isaiah 61.1 Good tidings of Liberty to Captives is proclaimed and a notable change there is of their Estate Who mourn in Zion Giving them beauty for ashes the Oyle of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the Spirit of Heaviness Think with what Joy the long imprison'd debter drown'd in debt recâ—â—ves a full Discharge and his Liberty or a condemned Malefactor the news of his Pardon and this will somewhat resemble it but yet fall far short of the joy that Faith brings by bringing Christ to the Soul and so forgiveness of sins in him But this is not all This Believing Soul is not only a debter acquitted and set free but Enrich'd besides with a new and great Estate not onely a pardon'd Malefactor but withall highly preferr'd and advanc'd to honour having a Right by the promises to the unsearchable Riches of Christ as the Apostle speaks and is receiv'd into favour with God and unto the Dignity of Sonship taken from the dunghill
obedience fall short so that he can never come to be upon even disengaged terms much less to oblige a new and deserve somewhat further besides that same Grace by which any serves and obeys God is likewise his own gift as 't is said All things come of thee and of thine own have I given thee both the ability and the will of giving to him is from him so that in these respects not Angels nor Man in Innocency could properly merit at the hands of God much less Man lost redeemed again and so coming under the new obligation of Infinite Mercy And this is so evident a truth that the learnedst and most ingenuous Jesuits and Schoolmen have in divers passages of their writings acknowledg'd it that there cannot be any Compensation and much less merit from the creature to God but onely in relation to his own free purpose and the tenour of his word and Covenant which is inviolable because he is unchangeable and truth it selfe His first grace he gives freely and no less freely the increases of it and with the same gracious hand sets on the Crown of glory upon all the Grace that he hath given before 'T is but the following forth of his own work and fulfilling his own thoughts of free Love which love hath no cause but in himself and finds none worthy But gives them all the worthiness they have and accepts of their Love not as worthy in it self to be accepted but because he himself hath wrought it in them not onely the first tastes but the full draught of the waters of life is freely given Reve. 22.17 nothing brought with them but thirst That is to be brought not that is brought or that shall be brought but if we will render it strictly it is that is a bringing to you That blessedness that Consummation of grace the Saints are hastening forward to walking on in their way wheresoever it lyes indifferently through honour and dishonour through evill report and good report And as they are hastening to it it is hastn'ng to them in the course of time every day brings it nearer to them than before and notwith standing all difficulties and dangers in the way they that have their eye and hopes upon it shall arrive at it and it shall be brought safe to their hand all the malice of men and Devils shall not be able to cut them short of this grace that is a bringing to them against the day of the Revelation of Iesus Christ. At the Revelation of Iesus Christ. This is repeated from the 7 th Verse and it is a day of Revelation a Revelation of the just judgement of God Rom. 2 5. And thus it would be to all were it not that it is withall the Revelation of Iesus Christ therefore is it a day of Grace all Light and blessedness to them that are in him because they shall appear in him and if he be glorious they shall not be inglorious and ashamed indeed were our secret sins then to be set before our own eyes in their affrightfullest visage and to be set open to the view of Angels and Men and to the eye of divine Justice and we lest alone so revealed who is there that could gather any comfort and would not rather have their thoughts fill'd with horrour at the remembrance and expectation of that day and thus indeed all unbelieving and ungodly Men may look upon it and find it terrible but to those that are shadowed under the Robe of Righteous Jesus yea that are made one with him and shall partake of his glory in his appearing 't is the sweetest the most comfortable thought that their souls can be entertain'd and possess'd withall to remember this glorious Revelation of their Redeemâ—r 'T is their great grief here not that themselves are hated and vilified but that their Lord Jesus is so little known and therefore so much despised in the world he is vail'd and hid from the world many Nations acknowledge him not at all and many of those that do in word confess yet in deed deny him that have a form of Godliness and do not onely want but mock and scoffe the power of it and to such Christ is not known his Excellencies are hid from their eyes now this glory of their Lord being tender to them that Love him they rejoyce much in the consideration of this that there is a day at hand wherein he shall appear in his bright and full glory to all nations and all shall be forc'd to acknowledge him it shall be with out doubt and unquestion'd to all that here is the Messiah the Redeemer the Judge of the world And as it is his day of Revelation ' it s also the Revelation of all the adopted sons of God in him Rom. 8.9 they are now accounted the refuse of the world exposed to all kind of comtempts but then the beams of Christ's glory shall beautifie them and they shall be known for his 1 Ioh. 3â— 2. Col. 3 4. Next there is The Exhortation Hope to the end The difference of these two graces faith and hope is so small that the one is often taken for the other in Scripture 't is but a divers aspect of the same confidence faith apprehending the infallible truth of those divine Promises of which Hope doth assuredly expect the accomplishment and that is their truth so that this immediately results from the other· This is the Anchor pitch'd within the vail that keeps the soul firm against all the tossings on these swelling Seas and the winds and tempests that arise upon them The firmest thing in this Inferiour world is a believing soul. Faith establishes the heart on Jesus Christ and Hopelifts it up being on that Rock over the head of all intervenient Dangers Crosses and Tentations and sees the glory and happiness that followes after them To the end Or perfectly and therefore the Christian seeks most earnestly and yet waits most patiently Psal. 130.6 Indeed this hope is perfect in continuance 't is a hope unto the end because 't is perfect in its nature although imperfect in degree sometimes doubtings intermixed with it in the Christian soul yet this is their infirmity as the Psalmist speaks not the infirmity and insufficiency of the object of their hope Worldly hopes are in their own nature imperfect they do imply in their very being doubtfulness and wavering because the things whereon they are built are inconstant and uncertain and full of deceit and disappointments how can that Hope be immoveable that is built upon moving sands or quagmire 'T is that which is it self unfixed cannot give stability to any other thing resting on it but because the truth and goodness of the immutable God is the foundation of spiritual hope therefore it is assur'd and like Mount Sion that cannot be removed and this is its perfection Now the Apostle exhorts his Brethren to endeavour to have their hearts possess'd with as high a measure and degree of
gave beginning to the world and to time with it made all to set forth his goodness and the most excellent of his Creatures to contemplate and enjoy it But amongst all the works that he intended before time and in time effected this is the master piece that is here said to be forâ—ordained the manifesting of God in the flesh for mans Redemption and that by his son Jesus Chirst as the first born amonst many brethren That those appointed for salvation should be rescued from the common misery and be made one mysticall body whereof Christ is the head and so entitled to that Everlasting glory and happiness that he hath purchas'd for them This I say is the great work wherein all those glorious attributes shine joyntly the Wisdom and Power and Goodness and Justice and Mercy of God as in great Maps or Pictures you will see the border decor'd with Meadows and fountains and flowers c. Represented in it but in the middle you have the main designe thus is this fore-ordained Redemption amongst the works of God all his other works in the world all the beauty of the Creatures and the succession of Ages and things that come to pass in them are but as the border to this as the main piece But as a foolish unskillfull beholder not discerning the excellency of the principall piece in such Maps or Pictures gazes onely on the fair border and goes no futher thus do the greatest part of us our eyes are taken with the goodly show of the world and appearnce of earthly things but this great work of God Christ foreordained in time sent for our Redemption though it most deserves our attentive regard yet we do not view and consider it as we ought Was manifested in those last times for you This is the performance of that purpose he was manifested both by his Incarnation according to that word of the Apostle St. Paul Manifested in the flesh c. manifested by his marvellous Works and Doctrine and by his Sufferings and Death and Resurrection and Ascension by the sending down of the Holy Ghost according to his promise and by the preaching of the Gospel in the fulness of time that God had appointed wherein all the prophecies that foretold his comeing and all the Types and Ceremonies that prefigur'd him had their accomplishment The times of the Gospell are called the last times often by the Prophets for that the Jewish Priesthood and Ceremonies being abolished that which succeeded was appointed by God to remain the same to the End of the world besides this the time of our Saviours Incarnation may be called the last tiemes because although it were not near the End of time by many ages yet in all probability it is much nearer the end of time then the beginning of it some resemble the time of his sufferings in the end of the world to the paschal Lamb in the Evening It was doubtless the 〈◊〉 time but not withstanding the Schoolmen offer at reasons to prove the fitness of it as their humour is to prove all things None dare I think conclude but if God had so appointed it might have been either sooner or later and our safest is to rest in that that it was the fit time because so it pleased him and to seek no other Reason why having promis'd the Messiah so quickly after Man's fall he deferr'd his coming about Four Thousand years and a great part of that time shut up the knowledge of himself and the true Religion within the narrow compass of that one nation of which Christ was to be born Of these and such like things we can give no other reason but that which he teacheth us in a like case even so Father because it seemeth good unto thee For you The Apostle represents these things to those he writes to particularly for their use therefore he applies it to them but without prejudice of the Believers that went before or of those that were to follow in after ages He that is here said to be foreappointed before the foundation of the world is therefore called a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world And as the vertue of his death looks backward to all preceeding ages whose Faith and Sacrifices look'd forward to it so the same death is of force and perpetuall value to the End of the world after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever says the Apostle to the Hebâ— He sate down on the right hand of God for by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified The Crosse on which he was extended points in the length of it to Heaven and Earth reconciling them together and in the breadth of it to former and following ages as being equally salvation to both If this appropriating and peculiar interest in Jesus Christ is not happiness without which it availes not that he was ordained from Eternity and in Time manifested 't is not the Generall contemplation but the peculiar possession of Christ that gives both solid Comfort and strong persuasion to Obedience and Holyness which is here the Apostle's particular scâ—â—e Verse 21. Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your Faith and hope might be in God NOW because 't is Faith that gives the soul this particular title to Jesus Christ the Apostle addes that to declare who he meant by You sayes he who by him do believe in God c. Where we have 1. The compleat Object of Faith 2. The Ground or Warrant of it The object God in Christ. The Ground or warrant In that he raised him up from the dead and gave him glory A Man may have living out of Christ yea he must he cannot chuse but have a conviction within him that there is a God and further he may have even out of Christ some kind of belief of those things that are spoken concerning God but to repose on God as his God and his Salvation which is indeed to believe in him this cannot be but where Christ is the mids through which we look upon God for so long as we look upon God through our own Guiltiness we can see nothing but his wrath and apprehend him as an armed enemy and be so far off from resting on him as our happiness that the more we view it it puts us upon the more speed to fly from him and to cry out Who can dwell with Everlasting burnings and abide with a consuming fire But our Saviour taking sin out of the way put himself betwixt our sins and God and so makes a wonderfull change of our apprehension of him When you look through a red glass the whole Heavens seem bloody But through pure uncoâ—our'd glass you receive the clear light that is so refreshing and comfortable to behold When Sin unpardoned is betwixt and we look on God through that we can perceive nothing but Anger and Enmity in his Countenance But
awak'd to seek diligently after Jesus and not to rest till they find him they 're well enough without him it suffices them they hear there is such a one but they ask not themselves is he mine or no But sure if that be all not to doubt the Bruites believe as well It were better out of all question to be labouring under doubtings if it be a more hopeful condition to find a Man groaning and complaining than speechless and breathless and not stirring at all There be in Spiritual doubtings two things their is a sollicitous care of the Soul concerning its own estate and diligent inquiry into 't and that is laudable being a true work of the spirit of God but the other thing in them perplexity and distrust that arises from darkness and weakness in the soul as where there is a great deal of smoak and no clear flame it argues much moysture in the matter yet it witnesseth certainly that there is fire there and therefore dubious questioning of a Man concerning himself is a much better evidence than that senseless deadness that most take for believing Men that that know nothing in sciences have no doubts he never truly believ'd that was not made first sensible and convinc'd of unbelief This is the Spirits first errand in the World to convince it of sin and the Sin is this that they believe not If the Faith that thou hast grew out of thy natural heart of it self 't is but a Weed be sure the right plant of Faith is alwayes set by Gods own hand and 't is watered and preserv'd by him because expos'd to many hazzards he watches it Night and Day Isa. 27.3 I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day Again how impudent is it in the most to pretend believing while they wallow in Profaness if Faith unite the soul unto Christ certainly it puts it into participation of his Spirit for if any Man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his sayes St. Paul This faith in Christ bring us into Communion with God Now God is light says St. Iohn and therefore inferrs if we say we have fellowship with God and walk in darkness we lie and do not the truth The lie appears in our practise an unsuitableness in our carriage as he said of him that sign'd his Verse wrong fecit solaecismum manu But there be imaginary Believers that are a little more refin'd that live after a blameless yea and a Religious manner for there outward and yet are but appearances of Christians have not the living work of Faith within and all these exercises are dead works in their hands Amongst these some may have such motions within themselves as may deceive themselves as well as their outward deportment deceives other some transient touches of desire to Christ upon the unfolding of his excellencies in the Preaching of the word and upon some conviction of their own necessity and conceive some joy upon thoughts of apprehending him and yet all this proves but an evanishing fancy an embracing of a shaddow And because Men that are thus deluded meet not with Christ indeed do not really find his sweetness therefore within a while they return to the pleasure of sin and their latter end proves worse than their beginning their hearts could not possibly be stedfast because there was nothing to fix them on in all that work wherein Christ himself was wanting But the truly believing Soul that is brought unto Jesus Christ and fastened upon him by Gods own hand abides stay'd on him and departs not And in these the very belief of the things that are spoken concerning Christ in the Gospel the perswasion of Divine truth is of a higher nature than the common consent that they call Historical another knowledge and evidence of the mysteries of the Kingdom than natural Men can have this is indeed the ground of all the very thing that causes a Man rest upon Christ when he hath a perswasion wrought in his heart by the Spirit of God that Christ is an able Redeemer a sufficient Saviour able to save all that come to him Then upon this the heart resolves upon that course seeing I am perswaded of this that whoso believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life as here it is shall not be confounded I am to deliberate no longer this is the the thing I must doe to lay my soul upon him upon one that is an Almighty Redeemer And it does so Now these first actings of Faith have in themselves an evidence that distinguishes them from all that 's counterfeit a light of their own by which the soul wherein they are may discern them and say this is the right work of Faith especially when God shines upon the Soul and clears it in the discovery of his own work within it And further they may find the influence of Faith upon the affections purifying them as our Apostle sayes of it Act. 15.9 Faith knits the heart to a holy Head a pure Lord the spring of purity and therefore cannot chuse but make it pure it is a beam from heaven that raises the mind to a Heavenly temper Although there remaines of sin in a believing soul yet 't is a hated wearysome guest there 't is not there as its delight but as its greatest grief and malady that it is still lamenting and complaining of and had rather be rid of than gain a World Thus 't is purified from affecting sin So then where these are a Spiritual apprehension of the Promises and a cleaving of the Soul unto Christ and such a delight in him as makes sin vile and distastful that the heart is set against it and as the Needle touch'd with the Loadstone is still turn'd towards Christ and lookes at him in all estates The Soul that is thus dispos'd hath certainly Interest in him and therefore ought not to affect an humour of doubting but to conclude that how unworthy soever in it self yet being in him it shall not be ashamed not only it shall never have cause to think shame of him but all its just cause of shame in it self shall be taken away it shall be cover'd with his Righteousness and appear so before the Father Who must not think if my sins were to be set in order and appear against me how would my face be fill'd with shame Though there were no more if some thoughts that I am guilty of were laid to my charge I were utterly sham'd and undone Oh! Nothing in my self but matter of shame but yet in Christ more matter of glorying who endured shame that we might not be ashamed We cannot distrust our selves enough nor trust enough in him Let it be right Faith and there is no excess in believing Though I have sinn'd against him and abus'd his goodness yet I will not leave him for whether should I go he and none but he hath
is first impressed on the mind hence flowes out pleasant obedience and full of love hence all the affections and the whol body with its members learn to give a willing obedience and submit unto God whereas before they resisted him being under the standerd of Satan This Obedience tho imperfect yet hath a certain if I may so say imperfect perfection It s universal three manner of wayes 1. in the subject 2. In the Object 3. In the duration the whole man subjected to the whole Law and that constantly and perseveringly The first universality is the cause of the other because it s not in the tongue alone or in the hand c. but has its root in the heart therefore doth not wither as the grasse or flower lying on the superfice of the earth but it flourishes because rooted and therefore it embraces the whole Law because it arises from a reverence it has for the Lawgiver himself Reverence I say but tempered with Love hence it accounts no Law nor command little or of small value which is from God because he is great and highly esteemed by the pious heart No command hard tho contrary to the flesh because all things are easie to Love there is the same authority in all as St. Iames divinely argues And this Authority is the golden chain of all the commandments which if broke in any link all falls a pieces That this three fold perfection of obedience is not a picture drawn by fancy is evident in David Psal. 119. where he subjects himself to the whole Law His feet v. 105. his mouth v. 13. his heart v. 11. the whole tenor of his life v. 24. He subjects himself to the whole law v. 6. and he professes his constancy therein in v. 16. and 33. teach me the way of thy Statutes and I shall keep it unto the end According to the foreknowledge of God the Father The exactest knowledge of things is to know them in their causes it is then an excellent thing and worthy of their endeavours that are most desirous of knowledge to know the best things in their highest Causes and the happiest way of this knowledge is to possess those things and to know them in Experience to such the Apostle here speaks and sets before them the excellency of their spiritual condition and leads them to the causes of it Their Estate is that they are sanctified and justified the nearest cause of both these is Iesus Christ he is made unto them both Righteousness and Sanctification the sprinkling of his blood purifies them from guiltines and quickens them to obedience Now followes to consider the appropriateing or applying Cause the Holy and holy making or sanctifying Spirit the Author of their selecting from the world and effectual calling unto grace The source of all the appointing or decreeing Cause is God the Father for though they all work Equally in all yet in order of working we are taught thus to distinguish and particularly to ascribe the first work of Eternal Election to the first Person of the blessed Trinity In or through Sanctification for to render it Elect to the sanctification is strained so then I conceive this Election is their Effectual Calling which is by the working of the holy Spirit 1 Cor. 26.27.28 where Vocation and Election are used in the same sense Ye see your Calling Brethren how that not many wise after the flesh c. but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to condemn the wise 't is the first act of the decree of Election the beginning of its performance in these that are Elected and 't is in it self a real seperating of men from the profane and miserable Condition of the world and an appropriating and consecrating of a man unto God and therefore both in regard of its relation to Election and in regard of its own nature it well bears that name Rom. 8.28.30 Act. 2.47 13.48 Ioh. 15.19 Sanctification in a narrower sense as distinguished fâ—om Iustification signifieth the inherent holiness of a Christian or his Inclinement and Innablement to obedience mentioned in this verse but 't is here more large and so extends with the whole work of Renovation and is the severing and seperating of men to God by his holy Spirit drawing them unto him and so it comprehends Justification as here and the first working of faith by which the soul is justified through its apprehending and applying the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Of the spirit The Word calls men externally and by that Eternal calling prevails with many to an External receiving and professing of Religion but if it be left alone it goes no further it is indeed the means of sanctification and effectual calling Joh. 17.17 Sanctifie them through thy truth But this is doth when the spirit that speaks in the Word works in the heart and causes it to hear and obey The Spirit or Soul of a man is the chief and first subject of this work and 't is but slight false work that begins not there but the Spirit here is rather to be taken for the Spirit of God the Efficient then the Spirit of man the Subject of this sanctification And therefore our Saviour in that place prayes to the Father that he would sanctifie his own by that truth and this he doth by the concurrence of his Spirit with that word of truth which is the life and vigour of it and makes it prove the power of God unto salvation to them that believe 't is a fit means in it self but 't is then a prevailing meanes when the Spirit of God brings it in to the heart 't is a Sword and sharper then a two edged Sword fit to divide yea even to the dividing of Soul and Spirit But this it doth not without it be in the Spirits hand and he applyes it to this cutting and dividing The word calls but the Spirit Drawes not sever'd from that word but working in it and by it 'T is a very difficult work to draw a Soul out of the hands and strong chains of Satan and out of the pleasing Entanglements of the world and out of its own natural perversness to yield up it self unto God to deny it self and live to him and in so doing to run against the main stream and the current of the ungodly world without and Corruption within The strongest Rhetorick the most moving and persuasive way of discourse is all too weak the tongue of Men and Angels cannot prevail with the soul to free it self and shake off all that deteins it although it be convinced of the truth of those things that are represented to it yet still it can and will hold out against it and say non persuadebis etiamsi persuaseris The hand of Man is too weak to pluck any soul out of the croud of the world and set it in amongst the select number of Believers Only the Father of Spirits hath absolute command of Spirits viz. the Souls of Men
tree shall not Blossom neither shall fruit be in the vine c. yet vers 18. I will rejoice in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation In spirituall tryalls that are the sharpest and fieryest of all when the furnace is within a Man when God doth not onely shut up his loveing kindness from its feeling but seems to shut it up in hot displeasure when he writes bitter things against it yet then to depend upon Him and wait for his salvation this is not onely a true but a strong and very refined Faith indeed and the more he smites the more to cleave to him well might he say When I am tried I shall come forth as Gold who could say that word though he slay me yet will I trust in him though I saw as it were his hand lifted up to destroy me yet from that same hand would I expect salvation As the furnace shews faith to be what it is so also it betters it and makes it more precious and purer then it was The Graces of the spirit as they come from the hand of God that infuses them are nothing but pureness but being put into a heart where sin dwells which till the body be dissolved and taken to pieces cannot be fully purg'd out there they are mixed with Corruption and dross And particularly Faith is mixed with Unbelief and Love of earthly things and dependance upon the Creature if not more then God yet together with him and for this is the furnace needfull that the soul may be purified from this droâ—s and made more sublime and spirituall in believing T is a hard talk and many times comes but slowly forward to teach the heart by discourse and speculation to sit loose from the world at all sides not to cleave to the best things in it though we be compass'd about with them though Riches do increase yet not to set our hearts on them not to trust in such uncertain things as they are as the Apostle speaks Therefore God is pleas'd to chuse the more effectual way to teach his own the right and pure exercise of Faith either by witholding or withdrawing those things from them makes them relish the sweetness of spirituall Comfort by depriving them of those outward Comforts wherein they were in most danger of excess to have doted on them and so forget themselves and him when they are necessitate and experimentally train'd up easily to let go their hold of any thing Earthly and to stay themselves onely upon their Rock this is the very refining of their faith by those losses and afflictions wherewith they are exercised they that learn bodily Exercises as fencing c. Are not taught by sitting still and hearing Rules or seeing others practise but they learn by exercising themselves The way to profit in the art of believing or comeing to this spirituall activity of faith is to be often put to that work in the difficultest way to make up all wants and losses in God and to sweeten the bitterest griefs with his loving kindness Might be found unto praise and honour and glory This is the end that is intended and shall be certainly obtain'd by all these hot trials Faith shall come through them all and shall be found unto praise c. An unskillfull beholder may think strange to see Gold thrown into the fire and left there for a time but he that puts it there would be loath to lose it his purpose is to make some costly piece of work of it every believer gives himself to Christ and he undertakes to present them blameless to the Father not one of them shall be lost nor one dram of their faith they shall be found and their Faith shall be found when he appears That faith that is here in the furnace shall be then made up into a Crown of pure Gold it shall be found unto praise and honour and Glory This Praise and Honour and Glory may be referr'd to believers themselves according to the Apostle S. Pauls Expression Rom. 2.7 or to Christ that appears but the two will agree well together that it be both to their Praise and to the Praise of Christ for certainly all their praise and glory shall terminate in the Glory of their Head Christ who is God blessed for ever they have each their Crown but their Honour is to cast them all down before his Throne He shall be glorified in his Saints and admired in them that believe They shall be glorious in Him and therefore in all their glory he shall be glorified for as they have derived theâ—r glory from him it shall all return back to him again At the appearance of Iesus Christ This denotes the Time when this shall come to pass For Christ is faithfull and true he hath promised to come again and to Judge the World in Righteousness and he will come and will not tarry he shall Judge Righteously in that day that was himself unrighteously judged here on Earth T is called the Revelation all other things shall be Revealed in that day the most hidden things good and evil unvail'd but 't is eminently the day of His Revelation it shall be by his Light by the brightness of his coming that all other things shall be reveal'd but he himself shall be the worthiest sight of all All eyes shall behold Him He shall then gloriously appear before all Men and Angels and shall by all be acknowledged to be the son of God and Judge of the World some shall with joy know him and acknowledge him to be foâ— others â—o their Horrours and amazement How beautifull shall he be to those that Love him when he as the glorious Head shall appear with his whole body mysticall together with him Then the Glory and Praise that all the Saints shall be honoured with shall recompense fully all the Scorns and Ignominies and Distresses they have met with here And they shall shine the brighter for them Oh! if we Consider'd often of that solemn day how light would we seâ— by the opinions of Men and all ouâ—ward hardships that can befall us digest dispraise and dishonour here and pass through all cheerfully providing we may be then found in him and so partakers of Praise and Glory and Honour in that day of his appearing Verses 8 9. 8. Whom haveing not seen yee Love in whom tho you see him not yet believing ye reâ—oyce with joy unspeakable and full of Glory 9. Receiveing the End of your faith even the Salvation of your Souls IT is a paradox to the world that the Apostle hath asserted that there is a Joy that can subsist in the midâ—â— of sorrow therefore he insists in the Confirmation of it And in all those words proves it to the full yea with advantage that the Saints have not only some measure of Joy in the griefs that abound upon them here but excellent and eminent Joy such as makes good all that can be said of it cannot
not then be our wisdom to make the worthiest choyce seeing it is offered us and is extream folly to reject it Grace doth not pluck up by the roots and wholly destroy the natural passions of the mind because they are distempered by sin that were an extreme remedy to Cure by killing and heal by cutting off no but it corrects the distemper in them it dries not up this main stream of Love but purifies it from the Mud it is full of in its wrong Course or calls it to its Right Channel by which it may run into Happiness and empty it selfe into the Ocean of goodness The Holy Spirit turns the love of the soul towards God in Christ for in that way only can it apprehend his Love so then Jesus Christ is the first Object of this divine Love he is Medium unionis through whom God conveys the sense of his Love to the soul and receives back its Love to him And if we will consider his incomparable Beauty we may look on it in the holy Scriptures particularly in that divine song of Loves Wherein Solomon borrowes all the beauties of the Creatures dips his pencill in all their severall Excellencies to set him forth unto us who is the chief of ten Thousands There is an inseparable intermixture of Love with Belief and a pious Affection receiving divine Truth so that in effect as we distinguish them they are mutually strengthened the one by the other and so though it seem a Circle 't is a divine one and falls not under censure of the School's Pedantry If you ask how shall I do to Love I Answer Believe If you ask how shall I believe I Answer Love Although the Expressions to a carnall mind are altogether unsavoury by gross mistaking them yet to a Soul taught to Read and Hear them by any measure of that same Spirit of love wherewith they were penn'd they are full of heavenly and unutterable sweetness Many Directions and means of begetting and increasing this Love of Christ may be here offered but they that delight in number may multiply them but sure this One will Comprehend the greatest and best part if not all of them Believe and you shall Love Believe much and you shall Love much labour for strong and deep persuasions of the glorious things that are spoken of Christ and this will command Love Certainly did Men indeed believe his worth they would accordingly Love him for the Reasonable Creature cannot but affect that most which it firmly believes to be worthy of affection O this mischief of Unbelief is that which makes the heart cold and dead towards God Seek then to believe Christs Excellency in himselfe and his Love to us and our interest in him and this will kindle such a fire in the heart as will make it ascend in a Sacrifice of Love to him Many Signes likewise of this Love may be multiplied according to the many fruits and workings of it but in them all it self is its own most infallible Evidence When the soul finds that all its Obedience and endeavour to keep the Commands of Jesus Christ which himself makes its Character do flow from Love then it is true and sincere For do or suffer what you will withour Love all passes for nothing All are Cyphers without it they signifie nothing 1. Cor. 13. This is the Message of the Gospell and that which the Ministry aimes at and therefore the Ministers ought to be Suitors not for themselves but for Christ to Espouse souls to him and to bring in many hearts to Love him And certainly this is the most compendious way to perswade to all other Christian duties this is to converse with Jesus Christ and therefore where his Love is no other incentive will be needfull For Love delights in the presence and converse of the party Loved If we are to perswade to duties of the second Table the summe of those is Love to our Brethren resulting from the Love of Christ which diffuseth such a sweetness into the soul that its all Love and meekness and Gentleness and long suffering If times be for suffering Love will make the soul not onely bear but welcome the bitterest afflections of life and the hardest kinds of death for his sake In a word there is in Love a sweet constraint or tying of the heart to all Obedience and Duty The Love of God is requisite in Ministers for their preaching of the word so our Saviour to St. Peter Iohn 21.15 Peter lovest thou me then feed my lambs It is requisite for the people that they receive the Truth in the Love of it and that Christ preach'd be Entertain'd in the soul and Embrac'd by Faith and Love You that have made choyce of Christ for your Love let not your hearts slip out to renew your wonted base familiarity with Sin For that will bring new bitterness to your souls and at least for some time will deprive you of the sensible favour of your beloved Jesus delight alwayes in God and give him your whole heart for he deserves it all and is a satisfying good to it the largest heart is all of it too strait for the riches of consolation that he brings with him seek to Increase in this Love for tho its at first weak yet Labour to find it daily rise higher and burn hotter and clearer and consume the dross of Earthly desires Receiving the end of your Faith Although the soul that Believes and Loves is put in present possession of God as far as it is Capable in its sojourning here yet it desires a full Enjoyment which it cannot attain to without Removing hence While we are present in the body we are absent from the Lord saith the Apostle And because they are assur'd of that happy Exchange that being united and freed of this body they shall be present with the Lord and that having his own word for 't that Where he is they shall be also this begets such an assured Hope as bears the name of possession Therefore its said here Receiveing the end of your faith This Receiveing likewise flows from Faith Faith apprehends the present Truth of the divine Promises and so makes the things to come present and Hope looks out to their after Accomplishment which if the promises be true as Faith averrs then Hope hath good reason firmly to expect it This desire and Hope are the very wheels of the Soul that carry it on and Faith the common Axis on which they rest In the words there are two things 1. The good hoped for in Christ so Believed on and Loved 2. The assuredness of the Hope it selfe yea as sure as if it were already accomplished As for the good hoped for it consists 1. In the nature of it Viz. The Salvation of their Soul 2. in a Relative Property of it the End of their Faith The nature of it is Salvation and Salvation of the soul it imports full deliverance from all kind of misery and
and set with Princes As there is Joy from Faith so also from Love Though 't is in it self the most sweet and delightfull passion of the Soul yet as we foolishly misplace it it prove often full of bitterness but being set upon Jesus Christ the only right and worthy Object it Causeth this unspeakable Delight and Rejoycing 1. T is matter of joy to have bestowed our Love so worthily and though our Saviour seems to withdraw himselfe and sometimes sadden the soul that loves him with absences in regard of sense yet even in those sad times the soul delights to Love him and there is a pleasure in the very pains it hath in seeking after him And this it knowes that his mercies are Everlasting and that he cannot be long unkind but will return and speak comfortably unto it 2. Our Love to Christ gives us assurance of His to us so that we have not only chosen worthily but shall not be frustrate and dissapointed and it assures us of his not as following but preceeding and Causing ours for our Love to Jesus Christ is no other but the reflex of his on us Wine maketh glad the heart but thy love is better then wine saith the Spouse And having this perswasion that he hath loved us and wash'd us in his blood and forgets us not in our conflicts that though he himself is in his Glory yet that he interceed's for us there and will bring us thither what condition can befal us so hard but we may Rejoyce in it And in them so far as we are sure to arrive at that full Salvation and fruition of him who hath purchas'd it Then there is the third Cause of our Rejoyceing viz. our Hope Now Hope is our anchor pitch'd within the vail that stayes us against all the stormes that beat upon us in this troublesome Sea that we are tossed upon The Soul that strongly Believes and Loves may confidently Hope to see what it believeth and Enjoy what it loves and in that rejoyce It may say whatsoever hazards whether ontward or inward whatsoever Afflictions and Temptations I endure yet this one thing puts me out of hazard and in that I will Rejoyce the salvation of my Soul depends not upon my own strength but is in my Saviours hand my life is hid with Christ in God and when he who is my Life shall appear I likewise shall appear with him in Glory The Childish world is hunting shadows and gaping and hoping after they know not what but the Believer can say I know whom I have trusted and am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day Now we have not only right to those things but withal there must be frequent Consideration of them to work Joy The Soul must often view them and so Rejoyce My meditation of him shall be sweet saith David I will be glad in the Lord Psal. 104. And the Godly failing in thiâ— deprive themselves much of that Joy they might have and they that are most in these sublime thoughts have the highest and truest Joy The Excellency of this Joy the Apostle here expresseth by these two words Vnspeakable and full of glory That 't is Vnspeakable no wonder seeing the matter of iâ— is Inconceivable it is an Infinite Good God reconciled in Jesus Christ and testifying and sealing his Love unto the soul and giving assured hope of that blessed Vision of Eternity what more unspeakable than this And for the same Reason 't is Glorious or glorified joy having the highest and most glorious Object for it derives all its Excellency from thence Vnspeakable The best worldly Joyes are easily speakable they may be express'd to the uâ—most yea usually more is spoke of them then they are indeed Their name is beyond their worth they are very seldom found upon experience equal to the opinion and expectation that men have of them But this spiritual Joy is above the report any can make of it say what they can of it who are of happiest Expression yet when a Man comes to know it in his own breast he will say as that Queen said of Salomons wisdom the half was not told me of it Again earthly Joyes are Inglorious Many of which Men are asham'd of and those that seem most plausible yet are below the Excellency of the Soul and cannot fill it but the Joyes that arise from Union with Christ as they are most avowable a Man needs not blush to own them so they are truly contenting and satisfying and that 's their Glory and the Cause why we may glory in them My soul shall make her boast in God sayes David For Application of all this If these things were believed we would hearken no more to the foolish prejudice that the World hath taken up against Religion and wherewith Satan endeavours to possess mens hearts that they may be scarr'd from the wayes of Holiness 't is that they think it a Sour Melanel oly life that hath nothing but Sadness and Mourning in it but to remove this prejudice Consider 1. Religion barres not the lawful delights that are taken in natural things but teaches the moderate and regular use of them which is far the sweeter for things lawful in themselves are in their excess sinful and so prove Bitterness in the end and if in some cases it require the forsaking of lawful Enjoyments as of pleasure or Profits or Honour for God and for his Glory this is Generous and truly more delightful to deny them for this reason then to enjoy them Men have done much this way for the Love of their Country and by a Principle of Moral Vertue but to lose any delight or to suffer any hardship for that highest End the glory of God and by the strength of love to him is far more Excellent and truly Pleasant 2. The delights and pleasures of sin Religion indeed banishes but 't is to change them for this Joy that is unspeakably beyond them it calls men from sordid and base delights to those that are pure delights indeed it calls to Men drink ye no longer of the pudle here are the Crystal streams of a living fountain There is a delight in the very despising impure delights as he said how pleasant is it to want these pleasures But for such a change to have in their stead such delights as in comparison the other deserve not that name To have such spiritual joy as shall end in Eternal Joy 't is a wonder we hasten not all to chuse this joy but 't is indeed because we believe it not 3. 'T is true the Godly are subject to great Distresses and Afflictions but their Joy is not extinguished by those no nor diminished either but often sensibly increasâ—d When they have least of the Worlds joy they abound most in Spiritual Consolations and then Relish them best They find them sweetest when their taste is not depraved with Earthly enjoyments We rejoyce in
as to be scorn'd out of it being so honourable and happy and the day is at hand wherein those that scoffe you would give much more than all that the best of them ever possess'd in the world to be admitted into your number Seeing you have purifi'd your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit Here is 1. The chief seat or subject of the work of sanctification the Soul 2. The subordinate means Truth 3. The Nature of it obeying of truth 4. The chief worker of it The Holy Spirit For the first 'T is no doubt a work that goes through the whole man renews and purifies all Heb. 10.22 2 Cor. 7.1 But because it purifies the soul therefore 't is that does purifie all There begins impurity Mat. 15. not onely evil thoughts but all evill actions come forth from the heart which is there all one with the soul and therefore this purifying begins there makes the tree good that the fruit may be good 't is not so much externall performances that are the difference of Men as their inward temper we meet here in the same place and all partake of the same word and prayer But how wide a difference is there in Gods eye betwixt an unwash'd profane heart in the same exercise and a soul purified in some measure in obeying the truth and desirous to be further purified by further obeying it 2. That which is the subordinate means of this purity is the Truth or the word of God it is truth and pure in it self and begets truth and purity in the heart by teaching it concerning the holy and pure nature of God shewing it and his holy will which is to us the rule of purity And by representing Jesus Christ unto us as the fountain of our purity and Renovation from whose fulness we may receive grace for grace 3. The nature of this work that wherein the very being of this purifying consists is the Receiving or Obeying of this Truth So Gal. 3.1 Where 't is put for right believing The chief point of obedience is believing the proper obedience to Truth is to give credit to it and this divine belief doth necessarily bring the whole soul into obedience and conformity to that pure Truth which is in the word and so the very purifying and renewing of the soul is this obedience of faith as unbelief is its cheif impurity and disobedience therefore Act. 15.9 faith is said to purifie the heart 4. The chief worker of this sanctification is the Holy spirit of God they are said here to purifie themselves For 't is certain and undeniable that the soul it self doth act in believing or obeying the truth but not of it self it is not the first principle of motion They purifie their souls but 't is by the spirit They doe it by his enlivening power and a purifying vertue recevied from him Faith or obeying the truth works this purity But the Holy Ghost works that faith as in the forecited place God is said to purifie their hearts by faith Verse 8. He doth that by giving them the Holy Ghost The truth is pure and purifying yet can it not of it self purifie the soul but by the obeying or believing it and the soul cannot obey or believe but by the spirit which works in it that faith and by that faith purifies it and works Love in it ' it s the Impurity and Earthliness of Mens minds that is the great cause of disuâ—ion and disaffection amongst them and of all their striâ—es Iam. 4.1 This spirit is that fire that refines and purifies the soul from the dross of earthly desires that possess it and sublimates it to the love of God and of his Saints because they are his and are purified by the same spirit T is the property of fire to draw together things of the same kind the outward fire of Enmities and persecution that are kindled against the godly by the world doth some-what and if it were more considered by them would do more in this knitting their hearts closer one to another but it is this inward pure and purifying fire of the Holy Ghost that doth most powerfully unite them The true reason why there is so little truth of this Christian mutuall Love amongst those that are called Christians is because there is so little of this purifying Obedience to the truth whence it flowes Faith unfeigned would beget this Love unfeigned men may exhort to them both but they require the hand of God to work them in the heart Verse 23. Being borne again not of Corruptible seed But of Incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever THE two things that make up the Apostles Exhortation are the very summe of a Christians duty to walk as obedient children towards God and loving brethen one towards another And that it may yet have the deeper impression he here represents to them anew that new birth he mentioned before by which they are the children of God and so brethren We shall first speak of this Regeneration And then of the Seed This is the great dignity of believers that they are the sons of God Io. 1.12 and the great Evidence of the love of God that he hath bestow'd this dignity on them 1 Io. 3.1 For they are no way needfull to him he had from Eternity a Son perfâ—ctly like himself the character of his person and one Spirit proceeding from both and there is no Creation neither the first nor the second can add any thing to those and their happiness 't is most true of that blessed Trinity Satis amplum alter alterj Theatrum sumus But the gracious purpose of God to impart his goodness appears in this that he hath made himself such a multitude of sons not onely Angels that are so called but man a little lower than they in nature yet dignified with this name in his Creation St. Luke 3.38 Which was the Son of Adam which was the son of God He had not onely the Impression of Gods footsteps as they speak which all the Creatures have but of his Image and most of all in this is his rich Grace magnified that sin having defac'd that Image and so degraded Man from his honour and devested him of that title of sonship and stampt our polluted nature with the marks of vileness and bondage yea with the very Image of Satan Rebellion and Enmity against God that out of Mankind thus ruin'd and degenerated God should raise to himself a new Race and Generation of sons For this designe was the word made flesh Io. 1. The son made Man to make men the sons of God and 't is by him alone we are restor'd to this they that receive him receive with him and in him this priviledge Verse 12. And therefore 't is a sonship by Adoption and is so called in scripture in difference from his Eternall and Ineffable Generation who is and that was the onely begotten son of God yet that we may
others of such vertue that a touch of him is the only cure of Spiritual diseases Men tell of strange vertues of some stones but it is certain that this precious stone hath not only vertue to heal the Sick but even to raise the dead Dead bodies he raised in the dayes of his abode on earth and dead Souls he still doth raise by the power of his word The Prophet Malachy calls him the sun of righteousness which hath in it the rareness and excellency we speak of he is singular as there is but one Sun in the world so but one Saviour and his lustre such a stone as outshines the Sun in its fullest brightness and then for his usefull vertue he addes that he hath healing under his wings this his worth is unspeakable and remains infinitely beyond all these resemblances 2 There is here the laying of this foundation and it s said to be laid in Sion that is it is laid in the Church of God and first laid in Sion literaly being then the seat of the Church and true Religion he was laid there in his manifestation in the flesh and suffering and dying and rising again and afterwards being preached through the world became the foundation of his Church in all places where his name was receiv'd and so was a stone growing great till it fill'd the whole earth as Daniel hath it He saith I lay by which the Lord expresseth this his own proper work as the Psalmist speaks of the same subject Psa. 118. This is the Lords doing and it is marvelous in our eyes So Isa. 9.7 Speaking of this promis'd Messiah the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this And this is not only said I lay because he had the first thought of this great work the model of it was in his mind from eternity and that the accomplishment of it was by his Almighty power in the morning of his Sons birth and his Life and death and Resurrection but to signify withal the freeness of his grace in giving his Son to be a foundation of happiness to Man without the least motion from Man or motive in Man to draw him to 't and this seem's to be signified by the unexpected inserting of these prophetical promises of the Messiah in the midst of complaints of people's wickedness and theatning them with punishment intimating that there is no connexion betwixt this work and any thing on Mans part fit to procure it although you doe thus provoke me to destroy you yet of my self I have other thoughts there 's another purpose in my head And Isi. 7. 't is observable to this purpose that that clearest promise of the virgin's son is given not only unrequir'd but being refus'd by that profane King This again that the Lord himself is the layer of this corner stone teaches us the firmness of it which is likewise expres'd in the Prophets words very emphatically by redoubling the same word Musad Musad fundamentum fundamentum So Psal. 2.6 I have set my King upon my holy hill of Sion who then shall dethrone him I have given him the Heathen for his Inheritance and the ends of the earth for his possession and who will hinder him to take possession on his right if any offer to do so what shall they be but a number of earthen vessels fighting against an Iron Scepter and so certainly breaking themselves in pieces Thus here I lay this foundation stone and if I lay it who shall remove it and what I build upon it who shall be able to cast down For it is the glory of this great Master-builder that the whole Fabrick that is of his building be unruinable and for that end hath he laid an unmovable foundation and for that end are we taught and remembred of its firmness that we may have this confidence concerning the Church of God that is built upon it To the Eye of Nature the Church seems to have no foundation as Iob speaks of the earth that it is hung upon nothing and yet as the Earth remaineth firm being establish'd in its place by the word and power of God the Church is most firmly founded upon the word made flesh Jesus Christ as its chief Corner stone and as all the winds that blow cannot remove the earth out of its place neither can all the attempts of Men no nor of the gates of hell prevail against the Church it may be beat with very boysterous stormes but it cannot fall because founded upon this Rock Thus it is with the whole house and thus with every stone in it as here it followes he that believeth shall not be confounded 3. There is next the building on this foundation This is plainly to be built on Christ to believe in him But in this the most deceive themselves they hear of such priviledges and happiness in Christ and presently imagine 't is all theirs without any more ado as that Mad man of Athens that wrote up all the ships came into the haven for his own We consider not what this is to believe in him and what is the necessity of his believing that we may be partakers of the salvation that he hath wrought 'T is not they that have heard of him or that have some common knowledge of him or are able to discourse of him and speak of His Person and nature aright But they that believe in him Much of our knowledge is as the poor Philosopher or as a Geometer that can measure Land exactly in all its dimensions but possesseth not a foot who defineth riches exactly and discourseth of their nature but possesseth none and truely 't is but a lifeless unsavoury knowledge men have of Christ by all books and study till he Reveal himself and perswade the heart to believe in him Then indeed it sayes of all the reports it heard when it sees him and is made one with him I heard much yet the halfe was not told me There is in lively faith when it is infus'd into the soul a clearer knowledge of Christ and his excellency than before and withall a recumbence of the soul upon him as the foundation of its life and comfort a resolving to rest on him and not to depart from him upon any termes Though I be beset on all hands be accus'd by the law and mine own conscience and by Satan and have nothing to answer for my self yet here I will stay for I am sure in him there is salvation and no where else All other refuges are but lies as it s in the words before these in the Prophet poor base shifts that will do no good and God hath laid this Precious stone in Sion for this very purpose that weary souls may rest upon it and why should not I make use of it according to his intention he hath not forbid any how wretched soever to believe but commands it and himself works it where he will even in the vilest sinners Think it not enough that you
put upon him and by giving him up to be crucified and then cast into the grave and a stone to be roll'd upon this Stone which they had so rejected that it might appear no more and so thought themselves sure But even from thence did he arise and became the head of the corner The disciples themselves spake you know very doubtfully of their former hopes We believ'd this had been he that would have delivered Israel but he corrected their mistake first by his word shewing them the true method of that great work Ought not Christ to suffer first these things And so enter into glory and then really by making himself known to them risen from the dead When he was from these rejected and lay lowest then was he nearest his exaltation as Ioseph in the prison was nearest his preferment And thus is it with the Church of Christ when 't is brought to the lowest desperatest condition then is deliverance at hand it prospers and gains in the event by all the practices of Men against it And as this corner stone was fitted to be so by the very rejection even so is it with the whole bulidâ—ng it rises the higher the more Men seek to demolish it 3. Their unhappiness that believe not is express'd in the other word He is to them a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence because they will not be saved by him they shall stumble and fall and be broken to pieces on him as it is in Esay and in the Evangelists But how is this is he that came to save become a destroyer of Men he whose name is salvation proves he destruction to any Not he in himself his primary and proper use is the former to be a foundation for souls to build and rest upon but they that in stead of building upon him will stumble and fall on him what wonder being so firm a stone though they be broken by their fall thus we see the mischief of unbelief that as other sins disable the Law it disables the very Gospel to save us and turns life it self into death to us And this is the misery not of a few but of many in Israel many that hear of Christ by the preaching of the Gospel shall lament that ever they heard that sound and shall wish to have liv'd and dyed without it finding so great an accession to their misery by the neglect of so great salvation They are said to stumble at the word because the things that are therein testified concerning Christ they labour not to understand and prize aright but either altogether slight them and account them foolishness or misconceive them and prevert them The Jews stumbled at the meaness of Christ's birth and life and the ignominy of his death not judging of him according to the Scriptures and we in another way think we have some kind of belief that he is the Savior of the world yet not making the Scripture the rule of our thoughts concerning him many of us undo our selves and stumble and break our necks upon this Rock mistaking Christ and the way of believing looking on him as a Saviour at large and judging that enough not endeavouring to make him ours and to embrace him upon the termes of that New-Covenant whereof he is Mediator Whereunto also they were appointed This the Apostle addes for the further satisfaction of Believers in this point how 't is that so many reject Christ and stumble at him Telling them plainly that the secret purpose of God is accomplish'd in this having determin'd to glorify his justice on impenitent sinners as he shews his rich mercy in them that believe Here it were easier to lead you into a deep than to lead you forth again I will rather stand on the shoar and silently admire it than enter into it This is certain that the thoughts of God are all no less just in themselves than deep and unsoundable by us His justice appears clear in that Mans destruction is alwayes the fruit of his own sin But to give causes of Gods decrees without himself is neither agreeable with the primitive being of the nature of God nor with the doctrine of the Scriptures this is sure that God is not bound to give us further account of these things and we are bound not to ask it Let these two words as S. Austin sayes answer all What art thou O man And O the depth Our only sure way to know that our names are not in that black line and to be perswaded that he hath chosen us to be saved by his Son is this to find that we have chosen him and are built on him by faith which is the fruit of his love that first chuseth us And that we may read in our esteem of him He is precious or your honour The difference is small you account him your glory and your gain he is not only precious to you but preciousness it self He is the thing that you make acount of your Jewel that if you keep though you be robb'd of all besides you know your selves rich enough To you that Believe Faith is absolutely necessary to make this due Estimat of Christ. 1. The most excellent things while their worth is undiscern'd and unkown affect us not Now faith is the proper seeing faculty of the soul in relation to Christ that inward light must be infus'd from above to make Christ visible to us without it though he is beautiful yet we are blind and therefore cannot love him for that beauty but by faith we are inabled to see him that is fairer than the Children of Men yea to see in him the glory of the only begotten Son of God and then it is not possible but to account him precious to bestow the entire affection of our hearts upon him And if any say to the Soul what is thy beloved more than another it willingly layes hold on the question and is glad of an opportunity to extoll him 2. Faith as it is that which discernes Christ so it alone appropriates him makes him our own And these are the two reasons of esteeming and affecting any thing it s own worth and our interest in it and faith begets this esteem of Christ by both 1. It discovers to us his excellencies that we could not see before 2. It makes him ours gives us possession of whole Christ all that he hath and is As it is faith that commends Christ so much and describes his comeliness in that song and withal that word is the voyce of faith that expresses propriety My Wellbeloved is mine and I am his and these together make him most precious to the soul having once possession of him then it looks upon all his sufferings as endur'd particularly for it and the benefit of them all as belonging to it self sure it will say can it chuse but account him precious that suffer'd shame that he might not be ashamed and suffered death that he might not die that
us from it Filthiness needs sprinkling Guiltiness such as deserves death needs sprinkling of Blood and the death it deserves being Everlasting death The Blood must be the Blood of Christ. The Eternal Lord of life dying to free us from the sentence of death The Soul as the body hath its life its health its purity and the contrary of these its Death Diseases Deformities and Impurity which belong to it as to their first Subiect and to the body by participation The Soul and Body of all mankind is stained by the Pollution of sin The impure Leprosie of the Soul is not a spot outwardly but wholly inward hence as the corporal Leprosie was purified by the sprinkling of blood so is this Then by reflecting we see how all this that the Apostle St. Peter expresseth is necessary to Justification 1. Christ the Mediator betwixt God and man is God and man 2. A Mediator not only interceeding but also satisfying Eph. 2.16 3. This satisfaction doth not reconcile us unless it be applyed Therefore there is not only mention of blood but the sprinkling of it the spirit by faith sprinkleth the soul as with hysop wherewith the sprinkling was made this is it of which the Prophet speaks Isai. 52.15 So shall he sprinkle many Nations And which the Apostle to the Hebrewes prefers above all Legal sprinklings Chap. 9.12 13 14. both as to its duration and as to the excellency of its effects Men are not easily convinced and perswaded of the deep stain of sin and that no other Laâ—er can fetch it out but the sprinkling of the Blood of Jesus Christ. Some that have moral Resolutions of amendment dislike at least gross sins and purpose to avoid them and 't is to them cleanness enough to reform in those things but they consider not what becomes of the guiltiness they have contracted already and how that shall be purged how their natural pollution shall be taken away be not deceived in this 't is not an evaâ—ishing sigh or a light word or a wish of God forgive me no nor the highest current of Repentance nor that which is the truest evidence of Repentance Amendment 'T is none of these that purifies in the sight of God and expiats wrath they are all imperfect and stained themselves cannot stand and answer for themselves much less be of value to counterpoise their former guilt of sin the very tears of the purest Repentance unless they be sprinkled with this Blood are impure all our washings without this are but washings of the Blackmore it is labour in vain Ier. 2.22 Iob. 9.30 31. There is none truly purged by the Blood of Christ that do not endeavour purity of heart and Conversation but yet it is the Blood of Christ by which they are all fair and there is no spot in them here 't is said Elect to obedience but because that obedience is not perfect there must be sprinkling of the Blood too There is nothing in Religion further out of natures reach and out of its likeing and believing then the doctrine of Redemption by a Saviour and a Crucified Saviour by Christ and by his blood first shed on the Cross in his suffering and then sprinkled on the soul by his Spirit 'T is easier to make men sensible of the necessity of Repentance and amendment of life though that is very difficult then of this purging by the sprinkling of this precious Blood Did we see how needful Christ is to us we would esteem and love him more 'T is not by the hearing of Christ and of his blood in the Doctrine of the Gospel 't is not by the sprinkling of water even that water that is the sign of this blood without the blood it self and the sprinkling of it Many are present where it is sprinkled and yet have no portion in it Look to this that this blood be sprinkled on your souls that the destroying Angel may pass by you There is a Generation not some few but a generation deceived in this they are their own Deceivers pure in their own eyes Prov. 30.12 How earnestly doth David pray wash me Purge me with hysop Though bathed in tears Psa. 6.6 that satisfied not wash thou me This is the honourable condition of the Saints That they are purified and consecrated unto God by this sprinkling yea have on loâ—g while Robes washt in the Blood of the Lamb There is mention indeed of great Tribulation but there is a double comfort Joyned with it 1. They come out of it that tribulation hath an end And 2 They pass from that to glory for they have on the Robe of Candidates long white Robes washt in the blood of the Lamb washt white in blood as for this blood 't is nothing but purity and spotlesness being stained with no sin and besides hath that vertue to take away the stain of sin where 't is sprinkled My Wellbeloved is white and ruddy saith the Spouse thus in his death ruddy by bloodshed white by Innocence and purity of that blood Shall they then that are purged by this blood return to live among the Swine and tumble with them in the pudle what gross injury is this to themselves and to that Blood by which they were cleansed They that are chosen to this sprinkling are likewise chosen to Obedience this blood purifieth the heart yea This blood purgeth our Consciences from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.14 Vnto Obedience 'T is easily understood to whom when obedience to God is expressed by the simple absolute name of Obedience it teacheth us that to him alone belongs Absolute and Unlimited Obedience all obedience by all creatures And 't is the shame and misery of man that he hath departed from this Obedience that we are become Sons of disobedience But Grace renewing the hearts of believers changeth their natures and so their names and makes them Children of obedience As afterwards in this Chapter This Obedience consists as in the receiving Christ as our Redeemer so also at the same time as our Lord or King an intire rendring up of the whole man to his obedience This Obedience then of the only begotten Jesus Christ may well be understood not as his Actively as Beza but Objectivly as 2 Cor. 10.5 I think here 't is contain'd yea chiefly understood To signifie that Obedience which the Aposte to the Romans calls the Obedience of faith by which the Doctrine of Christ is received and so Christ himself which uniteth the believing soul to Christ he sprinkles it with his blood to the remission of sin and is the root and spring of all future obedience in the Christian life By Obedience Sanctification is here intimated it signifies then both habitual and active obedience Renovation of heart and conformity to the Divine will the mind is illuminated by the Holy Ghost to know and believe the divine will yea this Faith is the great and chief part of Obedience Rom. 1.8 the truth of the Doctrine
to work on them as he pleaseth and where he will This powerful this sanctifying Spirit knowes no Resistance works sweetly and yet strongly it can come in to the heart whereas all other speakers are forc'd to stand without That still voice within perswades more then all the lowd crying without as he that is within the house though he speak low is better heard and understood then he that shouts without doors When the Lord himself speaks by this his spirit to a Man selecting and calling him out of the lost world he can no more disobey then Abraham did when the Lord spoke to him after an extraordinary manner to depart from his own Country and Kindred Gen. 12.4 Abraham departed as the Lord had spoken to him There is a secret but very powerful vertue in a word or look or touch of this spirit upon the soul by which 't is forced not with a harsh but a pleasing violence and cannot chuse but follow it not unlike that of Elija's Mantle upon Elisha 1 Kin. 19.19 How easily did the Disciples forsake their callings and dwellings to follow Christ. The spirit of God drawes a Man out of the world by a sanctfied Light sent into his mind discovering to him 1. How base and false the sweetness of sin is that withholds men and amuses them that they return not and how true and sad the bitterness is that will follow upon it 2. Setting before his eyes the free and happy condition the glorious liberty of the Sons of God the riches of their present enjoyment and their far larger and assured hopes for afterwards 3. Making the beauty of Jesus Christ visible to the soul which straight way takes it so that it cannot be stayed from coming to him though its most beloved friends most beloved sins lye in the way and hang about it and cry will you leave us so It will tread upon all to come within the embracements of Jesus Christ and say with St. Paul I was not disobedient to or unperswaded by the heavenly Vision 'T is no wonder that the Godly are by some called singular and precise they are so Singular a few selected ones pickt out by Gods own hand for himself Psal. 4.3 Know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself Therefore saith our Saviour the world hates you because I have chosen you out of the world For the world lyes in unholiness and wickedness is buried in it And as living men can have no pleasure amongst the dead neither can these Elected ones amongst the ungodly they walk in the World as warily as a Man or Woman neatly apparel'd would doe amongst a multitude that are all sullied and bemired Endeavour to have this sanctifying spirit in your selves pray much for it for his promise is past to us that he will give this holy spirit to them that ask it and shall we be such fools as to want it for want of asking when we find heavy setters on our souls and much weakness yea aversness to follow the voice of God calling us to his obedience then pray with the Spouse Draw me She cannot go nor stirre without that drawing and yet with it not only goes but runs We will run after thee Think it not enough you hear the word and use the outward Ordinances of God and profess his Name for many are thus called and yet but a few of them are chosen There is but a small part of the world outwardly called in comparison of the rest that is not so and yet the number of true Elect is so small that it gains the number of these that are called the name of many They that are in the visible Church and partake of external vocation are but like a large list of names as in civil elections is usual out of which a small number is chosen to the dignity of true Christians and invested into their priviledge some men in nomination to Offices or employments think it a worse disapointment and disgrace to have been in the list and yet not chosen them if their names had not been mention'd at all certainly 't is a greater unhappines to have been not far from the Kingdom of God as our Saviour speaks and miss of it then still to have remained in the furthest distance to have been at the mouth of the Haven the fair Havens indeed and yet driven back and Shipwrackt your labour is most preposterous you seek to ascertain and make sure things that cannot be made sure and that which is both more worth and may be made surer then them all you will not endeavour to make sure Hearken to the Apostles advice and at length set to this in earnest to make your calling and Election sure make sure this Election as 't is here for that 's the Order your effectual calling sure and that will bring with it assurance of the other the eternal Election and love of God towards you which follows to be considered According to the foreknowledge of God the Father Known unto God are all his works from the beginning saith the Apostle Iames Act 15.18 He sees all things from the beginning of time to the end of it and beyond to all Eternity and from all Eternity he did foresee them but this foreknowledge here is peculiar to the Elect Verâ—a sansus in sacra scriptura connotant affectus as the Rabbins remark so in man Psal. 66. if I see Iniquity and in God Psal. 1. ult Amos 3.2 and in that speech of our Saviour relating it as the terrible doom of Reprobates at the last day Depart c. I know you not I never knew you so St. Paul Rom. 7.15 and Bezâ— observes that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is by the Greeks sometimes taken for deceâ—â—ere judicare thus some speak to cogâ—osce upon a business so then this foreknowledge is no other but that Eternal love of God or decree of Election by which some are appointed unto life and being foreknown or elected to that end they are predestinate to the way to it Rom. 8.29 'T is most vain to Imagine a foresight of faith in men and in the vieu of that as the Condition of Election it self to have chosen them for 1. Nothing at all is futurum or can have that imagined futurition so to speak but as it is and because 't is decreed by God to be and therefore as before the Apostle St. Iames sayes known to God are all his own works therefore because his works in time and his purpose from Eternity 2. 'T is most absurd to give any reason of Divine will without himselfe 3. This easily solves all that difficulty that the Apostle speaks of and yet he never thought of such a solution but runs high for an answer not to satisfie cavilling reason but to silence it and stop its mouth For thus the Apostle Argues Rom. 9.19 20. Thou wilt say then unto me why doth he yet find fault for who hath resisted his will
Nay but O man who art thou that replyest against God Who can conceive whence this should be that any man should believe unless it be given him of God and if given him then it was his purpose to give it him and if so then is it evident that he had a purpose to save him and for that end he gives faith not therefore purposes to Save because Man shall believe 4. This seems cross to these Scriptures where they speak of the subordination or rather Coordination of those two as here Foreknown and Elect not because of Obedience or sprinkling or any such thing but to Obedience and sprinkling which is by faith So he predestinated not because he foresaw Men would be conform to Christ but that they might be so as Rom. 8.29 For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate and the same order Act. 2.47 And the Lord added to the Church dayly such as should be saved and 13.48 And as many as were ordained to Eternal life believed This Foreknowledge then is his Eternal and Unchangable Love and that thus he Chuseth some and rejecteth others is for that great End to manifest and magnifie his Mercy and Justice but why he appointed this Man for the one and the other for the other made Peter a vessel of this mercy and Iudas of wrath this is even so because it seemed good to him This if it be harsh yet is Apostolick Doctrine Hath not the Potter saith St. Paul power over the same Lump to make one Vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour This deep we must admire and alwayes in considering it close with this O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God Now the Connexion of these we are for our profit to take notice of that effectual Calling is inseparably tyed to this Eternal Foreknowledge or Election on the one side and Salvation on the other These two links of the chain are up in Heaven in Gods own hand but this middle one is let down to earth into the hearts of his Children and they laying hold on it hath sure hold on the other two for no power can sever them and therefore the reading the characters of Gods Image in their own souls those are the counterpain of the golden characters of his Love in which their names are written in the Book of Life Their believing writes their names under the promises of the revealed Book of Life the Scriptures and so ascertains them that the same names are in the secret Book of Life that God hath by himself from Eternity So finding the stream of grace in their hearts tho they see not the Fountain whence it flowes nor the Ocean into which it returns yet they know that it hath its source and shall return to that Ocean which ariseth from their Eternal Election and Salvation and shall empty it selfe into Eternity of happiness Hence much joy ariseth to the Believer this tye indissolvable as the Agents are the Father the Son and the Spirit So Election and Vocation and Sanctification and Iustification and Glory and therefore in all conditions they may from the sence of the working of the Spirit in them look back to that Election and forward to that Salvation but they that remain unholy and dissobedient have as yet no evidence of this Love and therefore cannot without vain presumptions and self delusion Judge thus of themselves that they are within the peculiaâ— Love of God but in this Let the Righteous be glad and let them shout for joy all that are upright in heart 'T is one main point of happiness that he that is happy doth know and judge himselfe to be so this being the peculiar good of a reasonable creature 't is to be enjoyed in a Reasonable way 't is not as the dull resting of a Stone or any other natural body in its natural place but the knowledge and consideration of it is the fruition of it the very relishing and tasting its sweetness The perfect blessedness of the Saints is abiding them above but even their present condition is truly happy tho incompleatly and but a small beginning of that which they expect and this their present happiness is so much the more the more clear knowledge and firm perswasion they have of it 't is one of the pleasant fruits of the Godly to know the things that are freely given them of God 1 Cor. 2.12 Therefore the Apostle to comfort his dispersed Brethren sets before them a description of that excellent Spiritual Condition to which they are called If they be inseparably linkt together then by any one of them a man may lay hold upon all the rest and may know that his hold is sure and this is that way wherein we may attain and ought to seek that comfortable assurance of the Love of God Therefore Make your Calling sure and by that your Election for that being done this follows of it self We are not to pry immediately into the Decree but to read it in the performance though the Mariner sees not the Pole-star yet the Needle of the Compass that points to it tells him which way he sails thus the heart that is touched with the Loadstone of Divine Love trembling with godly fear and yet still looking towards God by fixed believing it points at the Love of Election and tells the soul that its courss is heavenward towards the Haven of Eternal rest He that Loves may be sure he was loved first and he that chuses God for his delight and Portion may conclude confidently that God hath chosen him to be one of those that shall enjoy him and be happy in him for ever for that our Love and Electing of him is but the return and repercussion of the beams of his Love shining upon us Find thou but within thee Sanctification by the Spirit and this argues necessarily both Justification by the Son and the Election of God the Father 1 Ioh. 4.13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us because he has given us of his Spirit 'T is a most strange demonstration ab Effectu reciproco He Called those he hath Elected he Elected those he Called where this sanctifying Spirit is not there can be no perswasion of this Eternal Love of God they that are Children of disobedience can conclude no otherwise of themselves but that they are the Children of wrath Although from present unsanctification a Man cannot inferre that he is not Elected for the Decree may for part of a Mans life run as it were under-ground Yet this is sure that that estate leads to death and unless it be broken will prove the black line of reprobation A man hath no Portion amongst the Children of God nor can read one word of Comfort in all the Promises that belongs to them while he remains unholy Men may please themselves in prophane Scoffing at the Holy Spirit of Grace but let them withal know this that that Holy Spirit
Defended they perish not according to the Prayer of our Saviour poured out for them Ioh. 17.16 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the World but that thou shouldest keep them from the Evil. They have the Prince of the power of the Air and all his Armies all the forces he can make against them Though his power is nothing but Tyranny and Usurpation yet because once they were under his yoak he bestirres himselfe to pursue them when they are led forth from their Captivity as Exod. 14.5.9 Pharaoh with all his Chariots and Horses and Horsemen pursues after the Israelites going out of Egypt The word in the Original here translated Kept is a Military term used for those who are kept as in a Fort or Garrison Town besieged So Satan is still raising Batterries against this Fort using all wayes to take it by Strength or Sratagem unwearied in his Assaults and very skilful to know his Advantages and where we are weakest there to set on And besides all this He hath Intelligence with a Party within us ready to betray us to him so that it were impossible for us to hold out were there not another Watch and Guard then our own and other walls and Bulwarks then any that our skill and Industry can raise for our own Defence In this then is our safety that there is a Power above our own yea and above all our Enemies that guards us Salvation it selfe our Walls and Bulwarks We ought to watch but when we do in Obedience to our Commander the Captain of our Salvation yet it is his own Watching who sleeps not nor so much as slumbers 't is that preserves us and makes ours not to be in vain Psal. 126.1 Isa. 27.3 And therefore those two are joyntly Commanded â—atch and Pray that ye enter not into Temtation Watch there 's the necessity of our Diligence Pray there 's the Insufficiency of it and the necessity of his Watching by whose Power we are effectually preserv'd and that Power is our Fort. Isa. 26.1 Salvation hath God appointed for walls and Bulwarks what more safe then to be wall'd with Salvation it self â—o Prov. 18.10 The Name of the Lord is a strong tower the Righteous fly into it and are safe Now the Causes are two 1. Supream the Power of God 2. Subordinate Faith The Supreme Power of God is that on which depends our Stability and Perseverance When we consider how weak we are in our selves yea the very strongest amongst us and how Assaulted we wonder and Justly we may that any can continue one day in the Estate of Grace but when we look on the strength by which we are guarded the power of God then we see the reason of stability to the end For Omnipotency supports us and the Everlasting Armes are under us Then Faith is the 2d cause of our Preservation because it applies the first Cause the Power of God our Faith layes hold upon this Power and this Power strengthens Faith and so we are preserved It puts us within those walls setâ— the Soul within the Guard of the Power of God which by selfe confidence and vain presuming in its own strength is exposed to all kind of danger Faith is a humble self-denying Grace makes the Christian nothing in himself and all in God The weastest Persons that are within a strong Place Women and Children though they were not able to resist the Enemy if they were alone yet so long as the place wherein they are is of sufficient strength and well man'd and every way accommodate to hold out they are in safety thus the weakest Believer is safe because by believing he is within the strongest of all Defences Faith is the Victory and Christ sets his strength against Satans and when the Christian is hard beset with some Tentation too strong for himselfe then he looks up to him that is the great Conquerour of the powers of darkness and calls to him Now Lord assist thy Servant in this Encounter and put to thy strength that the Glory may be thine Thus faith is such an Engine as draws in the power of God and his Son Jesus into the works and conflicts that it hath in hand This is our victory even our faith 1. Iohn 5.4 'T is the property of a good Christian to magnifie the power of God to have high thoughts of it and therefore 't is his Priviledge to find safety in that power David cannot satifie himselfe with one or two Expressions of it but delights in multiplying them Psa. 18.1 The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my deliverer my God my strength in whom I will trust my Buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high tower Faith looks above all both that which the soul hath and that which it wants and answers all Doubts and Fears with this Almighty Power upon which it rests To be revealed in the last time This Salvation is that great work wherein God intended to manifest the Glory of his Grace contriv'd before Time And in the severall Ages of the world brought forward after the decreed manner and the full accomplishment of it reserved for the End of Time The souls of the faithfull do enter possession when they remove from their houses of Clay yet is not their happiness compleat till that great day of the appearing of Jesus Christ they are naturally Imperfect till their bodies be raised and rejoyned to their Souls to partake together of their Bliss And they are mistically Imperfect till all the rest of the members of Jesus Christ be added to them But then shall their joy be absolutely full when both their own bodies and the misticall body of Christ shall be Glorified when all the Children of that glorious Family shall meet and sit down to that great Mariage Supper at their Fathers Table Then shall the Musick of that new song be full when there is not one wanting of those that are appointed to sing it for Eternity In that day shall our Lord Jesus be glorified in his saints and admired in all them that believe 2 Thes. 1.10 You see what it is that the Gospel offers you and you may gather how great both your folly and your guiltiness will be if you neglect and slight so great salvation when 't is brought to you and you are intreated to receive it this is all that the preaching of the word aimes at and yet who hearkens to it How few lay hold on this Eternal life This Inheritance this Crown that is held forth to all that hear of it Oh that you could be perswaded to be saved that you would be willing to embrace salvation You think you would but if it be so then I may say though you would be saved yet your custome of sin your Love to sin and Love to the world will not suffer you And these will still hinder you unless you put on holy Resolutions to break through them and trample them under
tribulation sayes St. Paul and here our Apostle insists on that to verifie the subsistance of this Joy in the midst of the greatest afflictions 4. Spiritual Grief that seems most opposite to this Spiritual Joy prejudgeth it not for there is a secret delight and sweetness in the tears of Repentance a Balm in them that refreshes the Soul and even their saddest kind of mourning viz. The dark times of Desertion hath this in it that is some way sweet that those mournings after their Beloved who absents himselfe is a mark of their Love to him and a true Evidence of it and then all these spiritual sorrowes of what nature soever are turn'd into Spiritual Joy that 's the proper End of them they have a natural tendency that way 5. But the Natural Man still doubts of this Joy we speak of because he sees and hears so little of it from them that profess to have it and seem to have best right to it If we consider the wretchedness of this Life and especially the abundance of Sin that 's in the World what wonder though this their Joy retire much inward and appear litle abroad where all things are so contrary to it and so few that are capable of it to whom 't were pertinent to vent it Again we see here 't is Vnspeakable it were a poor thing if he that hath it could tell it all out And when the Soul hath most of it then it remains most within it self and is so inwardly taken up with it that possibly it can then least of all express it 'T is with Joyes as they say of Cares and Griefs Leves Loquuntur ingentes stupent The deepest waters run stillest true Joy is a sollid grave thing dwells more in the heart then the Countenance whereas on the Contrary base and false Joyes are but superficial skin-deep as we say they are all in the face Think not that it is with the godly as the Prophet sayes of the wicked that there is no peace to them and the LXX Reads it no Ioy. Certainly 't is true There is no true Joy to the wicked they may revel and make a noise but they Rejoyce not the Laughter of the fool is as the crackling of thornes under the pot a great noise but little heat and soon at an End There is no continuing Feast but that of a good Conscience Wickedness and real Joy cannot dwell together as the very Moralist Seneca hath it often and at large but he that can say the Righteousness of Jesus Christ is Mine and in him the favour of God and the hope of Eternal Happiness hath such a light as can shine in the darkest Dungeon yea in the dark valley of the shadow of death it selfe Say not thou if I betake my self to the way of Godliness I must bid farewel to gladness never a merry day more no on the contrary never a truly Joyful day till then yea no dayes at all but night to the soul till it entertain Jesus Christ and his kingdom which consists in those Righteousness Peace and Ioy in the Holy Ghost Thou dost not sacrifice Isaac which signifies Laughter as St. Bern. but a Ram. Not thy Joy but filthy sinful delights that end in Sorrow Oh seek to know in your Experience what those Joyes mean for all describing and commending it to you will not make you understand it but taste and see that the Lord is good you cannot see and know it but by tasting it and having tasted that goodness all those poor Joyes you thought sweet before will then be bitter and distasteful to you And you that have Christ yours by Believing know your happiness and Rejoyce and Glory in it Whatsoever is your outward Condition Rejoyce alwayes and again I say Rejoyce for Light is sowâ— to the Righteous and Ioy for the upright in heart Verses 10 11 12. 10. Of which Salvation the Prophets have enquired and searched dilligently who prophesied of the Grace that should come unto you 11. Searching what or what maner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signifie when he testified before hand the sufferings of Christ and the Glory that should follow 12. Vnto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did Minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have Preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven which things the Angels desire to look into IT is the Ignorance or at least the Inconsiderance of Divine things that makes Earthly things whether good or evil appear great in our Eyes Therefore the Apostles great aime is by representing the Certainty and Excellency of the Belief and Hope of Christians to his afflicted Brethren to strenthen their minds against all discouragements and oppositions That they may account nothing too hard to doe or suffer for so high a Cause and so happy an End 'T is the low and mean thoughts and the shallow perswassion we have of things that are spiritual that is the Cause of all our Remisseness and Coldness in them The doctrine of Salvation he mention'd in the former verse at the End of our Christian Faith is illustrated in these words from its Antiquity Dignity and infallible truth 'T is no more Invention for the Prophets enquir'd after it and foretold it in former ages from the beginning Thus the prejudice of novelty is removed that usually meets the most ancient truth in its new discoveries Again 't is no mean thing that such Men as were of unquestion'd Eminency in Wisdom and Holiness did so much study and search after and having found out were careful not only to publish it in their own times but to record it to posterity and this not by the private motion of their own spirits but by the Acting and Guidance of the Spirit of God which sets likewise the truth of their Testimony above all doubtfulness and uncertainty But taking those three Verses entirely together we have in them those three things testifying how Excellent the Doctrine of the Gospel is 1. We have the Principal Author of it 2. The matter of it 3. The worth of those that are exercis'd about it viz. The best of Men the Prophets and Apostles in administring it and the best of all the Creatures the Angels in admiring it The first Author is the absolutely first the Spirit of God in the prophets Ver. 11. in the Apostles Ver. 12. but Ver. 11. The spirit of Christ there is the same spirit that He sent down on his Disciples after his Ascending to Glory and which spoke in his Prophets before his Descending to the Earth It is the spirit of Christ proceeding joyntly from him with the Father as he is the son of God and dwelling most richly and fully in him as the son of Man The Holy Ghost is in himself Holiness and the Source and worker of Holiness and Author of this holy doctrine that breaths
nothing but holiness and urges it most pressingly upon all that receive it This is the very life of divine Faith touching the Mysteries of Salvation firmly to believe their Revelation by the Spirit of God this the Word it selfe testifies as we see and it is really manifest in it it carries the lively stamp of divine Inspiration but there must be a spirituall Eye to discern it he that is blind knows not that the Sun shines at noon but by the report of others but they that see are assur'd they see it and assur'd by no other thing but by its own Light To ask one that is a true Believer how know you the Scriptures to be divine is the same as to ask him how know you Light to be Light The Soul is nothing but Darkness and blindness within till that same spirit that shines without in the Word shine likewise within it and Effectually make it Light but that once done then is the word Read with some measure of the same spirit by which it was written and the Soul is ascertain'd that it is divine as in bodily fight there must be a meeting of inward Light Viz. the visuall spirits with the outward Object The spirit of God within brings Evidence with it and makes it self discernable in the word this all arguments all Books and study cannot attain unto it is given to believe No Man knows the things of a Man but the spirit of Man 1. Cor. 2.11 But how holds that here for if a Man speak out the things that are in his spirit then others may know them But the Apostle's aime is there to conclude that the things of God even such as were Revealed in his Word could not be known but by his own spirit ' it s so though Revealed yet they remain still unreveal'd till the spirit teach within as well as without Because intelligeable by none but by those that are the private Scholers and Hearers of the holy Ghost the author of them and because there are so few of these therefore there is so little reall Believeing amongst all the noise and profession that we make of it who is there if you will believe them that Believes not and yet truely there is too much Cause to continue the Prophets regret who hath believed our Report Learn then to suspect your selves and to finde out your own Unbelief that you may desire this Spirit to teach you inwardly those great Mysteries that he outwardly Reveals and Teaches by his Word Make use of that promise and press the Lord with it They shall be all taught of God But 2. There is here the Matter of this Doctrine which we have in three severall Expressions 1. That which is Repeated from the foregoing Verse 't is the Doctrine of Salvation that 's the end of it and 2. The Doctrine of sufferings and glory of Christ as the means 3. The Doctrine of Grace the spring of both And 1. Salvation the onely true Doctrine of true happiness which the wisest of naturall Men have grop't and sought after with much earnestness but with no success they had no other then the dark Moon light of Nature and that is not sufficient to find it out onely the Sun of Righteousness shining in the Sphere of the Gospel brings Life and Immortality to Light 2. Tim. 1.10 No wonder that naturall Wisdom the deepest of it is far from finding out the true method and way of cure seeing it cannot discover the disease of miserable Mankind Viz. the sinfull and wretched Condition of nature by the first Disobedience Salvation expresses not only that which is Negative but Implies likewise positive and perfect Happiness thus forgiveness of sins is put for the whole nature of Iustification frequently in scripture 't is more easy to say of this unspeakable Happiness what it is not then what it is there is in it a full and final freedom from all Annoyance all tears are wip'd away and their fountain dryed up all feeling and fear or danger of any the least evil either of sin or punishment banish'd for ever no Invasions of Enemies no robbing nor destroying in all this holy Mountain no voice of complaining in the streets of the new Jerusalem here 't is at the best but interchanges of Mornings of joy with weeping of sad evenings but there there shall be no Light no need of Sun nor Moon For the glory of the Lord shall lighten it and the Lamb shall be the Light thereof Well may the Apostle as he doth here throughout this Chap. lay this Salvation to Counter ballance all sorrows and Persecutions and whatsoever hardships can be in the way to it The soul that is perswaded of this in the midst of Storms and Tempests enjoys a Calme Triumphs in Disgraces grows Richer by all its Losses and by Death it self attaines this Immortall life Happy are they that have their eye fixed upon this Salvation and are longing and waiting for it that see so much of that brightness and Glory as darknâ— all the lusture of Earthly things to them and makes them trample upon those things which formerly they admir'd and doted on with the rest of the foolish world Those things we account so much of are but as rotten wood or Glow-wormes that shine onely in the night of our Ignorance and Vanity so soon as the Light beam of this Salvation enters into the soul it cannot much esteem or affect any thing below it and if those glances of it that shine in the Word and in the Soul of a Christian be so bright and powerfull what then shall the full sight and real possession of it be The worker of this Salvation whom the Prophets and Apostles make the summe of all their doctrine is Jesus Christ and the summe of that work of Redemption as we have it here is his Humiliation and Exaltation His Sufferings and the Glory that followed thereupon now though this serve as an Encouragement to Christians in their Sufferings that this is the way by which their Lord went into his Glory and is true also of Christ mysticall the Head with the Members as the scriptures often teach us Yet I conceive 't is here mainâ—ly intended as a summary of the work of our Redemption by Jesus Christ relateing to the salvation mention'd Verse 10. And as the Cause for the Effect so 't is put for it here The Prophets enquired and prophecied of that Salvation How By searching out and foretelling the Sufferings and Glory of Christ His sufferings then and his after Glories are our Salvation His sufferings is the purchace of our Salvation and His Glory is our assurance of it He as our head having Triumph'd and being Crown'd makes us likewise sure of Victory and Triumph Having entered possession to glory makes our Hope certain this is his prayer that where he is there we may be also and this his own assertion the glory which thou gavest Me I have given them Ioh. 17.22 24. this is
Cherubims wonder how guilty man escapes their flaming swords and Reenters paradise The Angels see that their Companions that fell are not restor'd but their room fill'd up with the spirits of just men and they envy it not which Mistery the Angels desire to look into and this is added in the close of these words for the extolling of it The Angels look upon what they have seen already fulfill'd with delight and admiration and what remains namely the full accomplishment of this great work in the end of time they look upon with desire to see it finish'd 't is not a slight glance they take of it but they fix their eye and look stedfastly on it viz. That mistery of godliness God manifested in the flesh and 't is added seen of Angels The word made flesh drawes the eyes of those glorious Spirits and possesses them with wonder to see the Almighty God-head joyn'd with the weakness of a Man yea of an Infant He that stretcheth forth the heavens bound up in swadling cloaths And to pass all the wonders of his life this is beyond all admiration that the Lord of Life was subject to death and that his Love and Rebellious mankind moved him both to take on and lay down that life 'T is no wonder the Angels admire those things and delight to look upon them but 't is strange that we do not so They veiw them stedfastly and we neglect them either we consider them not at all or give them but a transient look half an eye That which was the great business of the Prophets and Apostles both for their own times and to convey them to us we regard not and turne our eyes to foolish wandering thoughts which Angels are ashamed at They are not so concern'd in this great mystery as we are They are but mere beholders in comparison of us yea they seem rather to be losers someway that our nature in it self inferiour to theirs is in Jesus Christ exalted above theirs Heb. 2.16 We bow down to the earth and study and grovell in it take into the very bowels of it and content our selves with the outside of the unsearchable riches of Christ and look not within it but they having no will nor desir◠but for the glory of God being pure flames of fire burning onely in love to him are no less delighted then amazed with the bottomless wonders of his wisdom and goodness shining in the work of our Redemption 'T is our shame and our folly that we lose our selves and our thoughts in poor childish things and trifle away our days we know not how and let these rich mysteries lye unregarded they look up upon the deity in it self with continuall admiration but that they look down to this mystery is another wonder We give them an ear in publick and in a cold formal way stop Conscience's mouth with some religious performances in private and no more But to have deep and frequent thoughts and to be ravish'd in the meditation of our Lord Jesus once on the cross and now in glory how few of us are acquainted with this We see here excellent Company and Examples not onely of the best of Men that have been but we have them fellow-servants and fellow-Students if that can perswade us we may all study the same Lesson with the very Angels and have the same thoughts with them this the soul doth that often entertains it self with the delightfull admiration of Jesus Christ and the Redemption he hath wrought for us Verse 13. Wherefore Gird up the loyns of your mind be sober and hope to the End for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the Revelation of Iesus Christ. THe great error of Mans mind and the cause of all his Errors of Life is the diverting of the soul from God and turning down-ward to in feriour confidences and comforts and this mischoyce is the very root of all our miseries therefore the maine end of the holy word of God is to untye the hearts of Men from the world and reduce them To God as their onely rest and solid comfort and this is here the Apostles mark at which all the preceeding discourse aimes it all meets and terminates in this exhortation Wherefore gird up the loyns of your mind c. In the words are those 3 things 1. the great stay and comfort of the soul which the Apostle repeats and represents to his afflicted brethren 2. his Exciting them to the right apprehension and confident Expectation of it 3. the Inference of that Exhortation The matter of their comfort is the grace which is brought to them at the Revelation of Iesus Christ. some for grace read joy having as it seem's for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the words are not more near one to an other than the things they signify Grace and joy but ' its most commonly thus read The estate of Grace and that of glory are not onely so inseparably connexed but so like one to the other yea so essentialy the same that the same expressions in scripture do often fit both of them and so fit them that it is doubtfull for which of the two to understand them but the hazard is not great seeing they are so near and so one grace being glory begun and glory grace compleated both often called the Kingdom◠of God So grace here brought to them is either the doctrine of grace in the Gospel wherein Jesus Christ is reveal'd and that Grace in him for all the whole tenour of the Covenant of Grace and every Clause of it holds in him His precious name runs throw it all 't is the Grace of salvation to be fully perfected at the last and clearest Revelation of Jesus Christ and for this rather I take it here for that the Apostles nearest foregoing words were concerning that and it is set up here as the object of hope which though often put for faith yet in its proper notion looks out to that which is to come This is the last act of Grace and yet still it is called by it self and not turn'd into the name of merit notwithstanding all the obedience and all the sufferings of the Saints that have gone before it yea even the salvation to be revealed to them is called Grace but 't is needless to insist on this for certainly none that partake of Grace will be of another mind or ever admit the mixture of the least notion of self deserving Though much dispute hath been bestow'd on this and Questions multiplying in the disputants hands as is usuall in Controversies one growing out of another yet truely I think the debate in this to be but waste 't is not onely against the voyce of the scriptures and of Grace it self in the soul but even against sound Reason to imagine any meriting properly taken in any mere Creature at his Creators hands who hath given him his being of which gift all his services and
here our Apostles great intent to ballast the souls of his Brethren with this firm belief that they might sail even and steady in those Seas of trouble Wherefore sayes he if these things we have spoken be thus if there iâ— indeed truth in them and you believe it so what remains then but to resolve for it upon any terms to fit for the journey whatsoever be the difficulties and in them all to keep up the soul by that certain hope that will not dissappoint us What he hath said before is as it were showing them some fruits some clusters of grapes of that promised Land and this Exhortation is answerable to Caleb's word there Num. 13. Seeing 't is so good a Land let us go up and possess it though there be fleshly objects Sons of Anak Giants of tentations and afflictions and sins to be overcome ere it be ours yet 't is well worth all our labour and our God hath ascertain'd us of the victory and given us by his own word undoubted hope of possessing it That which he principally exhorts in this Verse is the right placing and firm continuing of our hope When we Consider how much of our Life is taken up this way in hoping for things we have not and that even they who have most of what others are desiring and pursuing yet are still hoping for somewhat further and when Men have attained one thing though it be something they promis'd themselves to rest contented withal yet presently upon obtaining it Hope begins to find out some new matter for it selfe I say considering the uncessant working of this passion throughout our life 't is of very much concernment for us to give it a right object and not still to be living in vanity and uncertainty Here is then that for our hope to apply it self to after which it needs not change nor can change without the greatest loss Hope for the Grace that is coming at the Revelation of Jesus Christ bestow all your hope on this and recal it not Hope perfectly and to the end The other part of the Exhortation relates to this as the main end and in the Original runs in this form wherefore girding up the loines of your mind being sober hope and to the end hope may be the more perfect and endure to the end and more like it selfe heavenly your minds must be freed from the Earth that they may set for heaven and this is expressed in two several words but both meaning much the same thing that temper of sobriety and posture of being girt are no other but the same removal of earthly mindedness and incumbring cares and desires of earthly things Gird up the loynes The custom of those Countries was that wearing long garments they trussed them up for work or journey Chastity is indeed a Christian grace and a great part of the souls freedom and spiritualness and fits it much for Divine things yet I think it is not so particularly and only intended in this expression as St Ierom and others take it for though the girding of the loynes seem to them to favour that sense 't is only in allusion to the manner of girding up used and besides the Apostle here makes it clear he meant somewhat else for he sayes the Loynes of your minds gather up your affections that they hang not down to hinder you in your Race and so in your Hopes of obtaining and do not only gather them up but tye them up that they fall not down again or if they do be sure to gird them straiter then before thus be still as men for your journey tending to another place This is not our home nor the place of our rest therefore our loines must be still girt up our affections kept from training and dragging down upon the Earth Men that are altogether earthly and profane are so far from girding up the loines of their mind that they set them whole downwards the very highest part of their soul is glued to the Earth and they are daily partakers of the Serpents curse they go on their Belly and eat the dust they mind earthly things Now this disposition is inconsistent with Grace but they that are in some measure truly godly though they grovel not so yet may be somewhat guilty of suffering their affections to fall too low that is too much conversant with vanity and further engaged than is meet to some things that are worldly and by this means abate of their heavenly hopes and make them less perfect less clear and sensible to their souls And because they are most subject to take this Liberty in the fair and calm weather of porsperity God doth often and wisely and mercifully cause rough blasts of afflâ—ction to arise upon them to make them gather their loose garments nearer to them and gird them closer Let us then remember our way and where we are and keep our garments girt up for we walk amidst thornes and briers that if we let them down will entangle and stop us and possibly tear our garments we walk through a world where there is much mire of sinfull pollutions and therefore cannot but defile them and the croud we are among will be ready to â—read on them yea our own feet may be entangled in them and so make us stumble and possibly fall Our onely safest way is to gird up our affections wholly This perfect hope is inforced by the whole strain of iâ— for well may we fixe our Hope on that happiness to which we are appointed in the Eternall Election of God Ver. 2. and born to it by our new birth Ver. 3 4. and preserv'd to it by his almighty power Ver. 5. and cannot be cut short of it by all the afflictons and oppositions in the way no nor so much as depriv'd by them of our present Joy and comfort in the assurance of it Ver. 6 7 8 9. And then being taught the Greatness and Excellency of that blessed Salvation by the doctrine of the prophets and Apostles and the admiration of Angels all these conspire to confirme our Hope to make it perfect and persevering to the End And we may also Learn by the foregoing doctrine that this is the place of our triall and conflict but the place of our rest is above we must here have our Loynes girt but when we come there we may wear our long white Robes at their full length without disturbance for there is nothing there but peace and without danger of defilement for no unclean thing is there yea the streets of that new Jerusalem arâ— pav'd with pure gold to him then that hath prepared that City for us let us ever give praise Verses 14.15 16. Verses 14. As obedient Children not fashioning your selves according to the former Lusts in your Ignorance Verse 15. But as he who hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of Conversation Verse 16. Because it is written be ye holy for I am holy THy
word is a Lamp unto my feet says David and a Light unto my paths not onely comfortable as Light is to the eyes but withall directive as a Lamp to his feet Thus here the Apostle doth not onely furnish consolation against distress but Exhorts and directs his Brethen in the way of Holiness without which the apprehension and feeling of those comforts cannot subsist This is no other but a clearer and fuller expression and further pressing of that sobriety and spiritualness of mind and life that he joyntly exhorted unto with that of perfect hope ver 13. as in separably connext with it if you would enjoy this Hope be not conform to the lust of your former ignorance but be holy There is no doctrine in the world either so pleasant or so pure as that of Christianity 'T is matchless both in sweetness and holiness The Faith and Hope of a Christa in have in them an abiding precious balm of comfort but this is never to be so lavish'd away as to be poured into the puddle of an impure Conscience No that were to lose it unworthily As many as have this hope purify themselves even as he is pure 1. Ioh. 3 3. Here they are commanded to be holy as he is holy Acts. 15. Faith first purifies the heart Empties it of the love of sin and then fills it with the Consolation of Christ and hope of Glory 'T is a foolish misgrounded fear and such as argues inexperience of the nature and workings of divine Grace to imagine that the assured hope of salvation will beget unholiness and presumptuous boldness in sin and therefore that the doctrine of that assurance is a doctrine of Licentiousness Our Apostle we see is not so sharp sighted as these men think themseves he apprehends no such matter but indeed supposes the contrary as unquestionable he takes not assured hope and holiness as Enemies but joynes them as nearest friends hope perfectly and be holy They are mutually strengthened and increas'd each by the other the more assurance of salvation the more holiness the more delight in it and study of it as the onely way to that End and as labour is then most pleasant when we are made surest it shall not be lost nothing doth make the soul so nimble and actitve in obedience as this oyle of gladness this assured hope of glory Again the more holiness is in the soul the clearer always is tâ—is assurance as we see the face of the heavens best when there are fewest clouds· The greatest affliction doth not damp this hope so much as the smallest sin yea it may be the more lively and sensible to the soul by affliction but by sin it always suffers loss as the Experience of all Christians does certainly teach them The Apostle exhorts to Obedience and enforceth it by a most persuasive Reason His exhortation is 1. Negative not fashioning your selves 2. Positive Be ye holy That which he would remove and separate them from is Lusts This is in Scripture the usuall name of all the irregular and sinfull desires of the heart both the polluted habits of them and their corrupt streams both as they are within and outwardly vent themselves in the Lives of Men. The Apostle St. Iohn 1 Ioh. 2 17. calls it the Lust of the world and Verse 15. love of the world And then Verse 16. Branches it into those three that are indeed the base Anti-trinity that the world worships the lust of the eyes the lust of the flesh and the pride of Life The soul of Man unconverted is no other but a den of impure Lusts wherein dwells pride Uncleanness Avarice Malice c just as Babylon is described Revelation 18.2 or as Isa. 13.21 Were a Man's eyes opened he would as much abhorre to remaine with himself in that condition as to dwell in a house full of Snakes and Serpents as S. Austin says and the first part of conversion is once to rid the soul of these noysome Inhabitants for there is none at all found naturally vacant and frâ—e from them thus the Apostle here expresses it of the believers he wrote to that these lusts were theirs before in their Ignorance There is a truth in it that all sin arises from some kind of Ignorance or at least from present Inadvertâ—nce and Inconsideration turning away the mind from the light which therefore for the time is as if it were not and is all one with Ignorance in the â—ffect and therefore the works of sin are all called works of darkness for were the true visage of sin seen at a full light undress'd and unpainted it were impossiable while it so appear'd that any one soul could be in love with it but would rather flye it as hideous and abominable but because the soul unrenewed is all darkness therefore it is all lust and love of sin no order in it because no light as at the first in the world confusion and darkness went together and darkness was upon the face of the deep 't is so in the soul the more Ignorance the more abundance of Lusts. That light that frees the soul and rescues it from the very kingdome of darkness must be somewhat beyond that which nature can attaine to all the light of Philosophy naturall and morall is not sufficient yea the very knowledge of the Law sever'd from Christ serves not so to enlighten and renew the soul as to free it from the darkness or Ignorance here spoke of for our Apostle writes to Jews that knew the Law and were instructed in it before their conversion yet he calls those times wherein Christ was unknown to them the times of their Ignorance though the stars shine never so bright and the moon with them in its full yet they do not all together make it day still 't is night till the sun appear Therefore the Hebrew doctors upon that word of Solomons Vanity of vanities all is vanity say vana etiam Lex doneâ— venerit Messias Therefore of him Zacharias sayes that the day spring from on high hath visited us to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace A naturall Man may attaine to very much acquir'd knowledge of the doctine of Christ and may discourse excellently of it and yet still his soul be in the chains of darkness fast lockt up under the Ignorance here mention'd and so still of a carnal mind in subjection to these lusts of Ignorance The saving light of faith is a beam of the sun of Righteousness himself that he sends into the soul by which he makes it discern his incomparable beauties and by that sight alienates it from all those lusts and desires that do then appear to be what indeed they are vileness and filthiness it self makes the soul wonder at it self how it could love such base trash so long and so fully resolves it now on the choyce of Jesus Christ the cheif
vain conversation What fruit had ye sayes the Apostle in those things whereof ye are now asham'd Either count that shame that at the best growes out of them their fruit or confess they have none therefore they are called the unfruitful works of darkness Let the Voluptuous Person say it out upon his death-bed what pleasure or profit doth then abide with him of all his former sinful delights Let him tell if there remain any thing of them all but that that he would gladly not have to remain the sting of an accusing Conscience which is as lasting as the delight of sin was short and evanishing Let the covetous and ambitious declare freely even those of them that have prospered most in their pursuit of Riches and Honour what ease all their Possessions or titles do then help them to whether their pains are the less because their Chests are full or their Houses stately or multitude of friends and servants waiting on them with Hat and Knee and if all these things cannot ease the body how much less can they quiet the mind And therefore is it not true that all pains in these things and the uneven wayes into which they sometimes stept aside to serve those ends and generally that all the wayes of sin wherein they have wearied themselves were vain Rollings and tossings up and down not tending to acertain Haven of peace and happiness 't is a lamentable thing to be deluded all a Life time with a false dream Isa. 2.8 You that are going on in the common Road of sin although many and possibly your own Parents have trod it before you and the greatest part of these you now know are in it with you and keep you Company in it yet be perswaded to stop a little and ask your selves what it is you seek or expect in the end of it would it not grieve any labouring Man to work hard all the day and have no wages to look for at night 't is a greater loss to wear out our wholâ— life and in the evening of our dayes find nothing but anguish and vexation Let us then think this that so much of our life as is spent in the wayes of sin is all lost fruitless and vain Conversation And in so far as the Apostle saye here You are redeemed from this Conversation this Imports it a â—ervile slavish Condition as the other word expresses it to live fruitless And this is the Madness of a sinner that he fancies Liberty in that which is the basest thraldome as those poor frentique Persons that are lying ragged and bound in Chaines yet Imagine that they are Kings that their Irons are Chaines of gold their rags Robes and their filthy Lodge a Pallace As 't is misery to be liable to the sentence of death so 't is slavery to be subject to the dominion of sin and he that is delivered from the one is likewise set free from the other There is one Redemption from both He that is redeem'd from destruction by the blood of Christ is likewise redeem'd from that vain and unholy Conversation that leadâ— to it So Tit. 2.14 Our Redeemer was anointed for this purpose not to free the Captives from the sentence of death and yet leave them still in Prison but to proclaim liberty to them and the opening of the Prison to those that are bound Isa. 61.1 You easily perswade your selves that Christ hath died for you and Redeem'd you from Hell but you Consider not that if it be so he hath likewise Redeem'd you from your vain Conversation and both set you free from the service of sinâ— Certainly while you find not that you can have no assurance of the other if the Chaines of sin continue still upon you for any thing you can know these Chaines do bind you over to the other Chaines of darkness the Apostle speaks of Let us not delude our selves if we find the love of sin and of the World work stronger in our hearts than the love of Christ we are not as yet partakers of his Redemption But if we have indeed laid hold upon him as our Redeemer then are we Redeem'd from the service of sin not only from the grossest Profaness but even from all kind of fruitless and vain Conversation And therefore ought to stand fast in that Liberty and not entangle our selves again to any of our former vanities Not redeemed with Corruptible things From the high price of our Redemption the Apostle doth mainly inforce our Esteem of it and the preservation of that liberty so dearly bought and the avoiding all that unholiness and vain conversation from which we are freed by that Redemption 1. He expresseth it negatively not with corruptible things Oh foolish we that hunt them as if they were Incorruptible and Everlasting treasures no not the best of them these that are in highest account with Men not with Silver and Gold these are not of any value at all towards the Ransom of Souls they cannot buy off the death of the Body nor cannot purchase the continuance of temperal life much less can they reach to the worth of Spiritual and Eternal life The precious soul could not be redeem'd but by blood and by no blood but that of this spotless Lamb Jesus Christ who is God equal with the Father And therefore his Blood is called the blood of God Act. 20. So that the Apostle may well call it here precious exceeding the whole World and all things in it in value Therefore frustrate not the sufferings of Christ if he shed his blood to Redeem you from sin be not false to his End As of a Lamb without blemish He is that great and everlasting Sacrifice that gave value and vertue to all the Sacrifices under the Law their blood was of no worth to the purging away of sin but by Relation to his blood and the Laws concerning the choyce of the Pascall Lamb or other Lambs for Sacrifice were but obscure and imperfect shadowes of his purity and perfections who is the undefiled Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World A Lamb in meekness and silence he opened not his mouth Isa. 53.7 And in purity here without spot or blemish My well beloved sayes the Spouse is white and ruddy white in spotless Innocency and red in suffering a bloody death For as much as ye know 'T is that must make all this effectual the right Knowledge and due Consideration of it Ye do know it already but I would have you know it better more deeply and practically turn it often over be more in the study and meditation of it there is work enough in it still for the discerningest mind itâ— a mystery so deep that you shall never reach the bottom of it and withall so useful that you shall find alwayes new profit by it Our folly is we gape after new things and yet are in effect Ignorant of the things we think we know best that learned Apostle that knew
make Christ once the Medium our pure Redeemer and through him as clear transparent Glass the beams of Gods favourable Countenance shine in upon the soul the Father cannot look upon his wellbeloved son but graciously and pleasingly God lookes on us out of Christ sees us rebels and fit to be condemn'd we look on God as being just and powerfull to punish us but when Christ is betwixt God looks on us in him as justified and we look on God in him as pacified and see the smiles of his favourable countenance Take Christ out all is terrible interpose him all is full of peace Therefore set him always betwixt and by him we shall believe in God The warrant and ground of believing in God by him is this that God rais'd him from the dead and gave him glory which evidences the full satisfaction of his death and in all that work both in his humiliation and exaltation standing in our room we may repute it his as ours if all is payed that could be exacted of him and therefore he set free from death then are wee acquitted and have nothing to pay If he was rais'd from the dead and exalted to glory then so shall we he hath taken possession of that glory for us and we may judge our selves possessed in it already because he our head possesseth it And this the last words of the Verse confirm to us in meaning this to be the very purpose and end for which God having given him to death raised him up and gave him glory it s for this end expressly that our faith and hope might be in God The last end is that we may have life and glory through him the nearer end that in the mean while till we attain them we may have firme belief and hope of them and rest on God as the giver of them and so in part enjoy them before hand and be upheld in our joy and conflicts by the comfort of them and as St. Steven in his vision faith doth in a spirituall way look through all the visible heavens and see Christ at the Fathers right hand and is comforted by that in the greatest troubles though it were amidst a showre of stones as he The comfort is no less than this that being by faith made one with Christ his present glory wherein he â—its at the Fathers right hand is assurance to us that where he is we shall be also Verse 22. Seeing ye have purified your Souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned Love of the brethren see that ye Love one another with a pure heart fervently JEsus Christ is made unto us of God Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 'T is a known truth and yet very needful to be often represented to us that Redemption and holiness are undivided Companions yea that we are redeem'd on purpose for this End that we should be Holy The pressing of this we see is here the Apostles scope and having by that reason enforc'd it in the general he now takes that as concluded and confess'd and so makes use of it particularly to exhort that main Christian Grace of brotherly love The Obedience and holiness mention'd in the foregoing Verses comprehends the whole duties and and frame of a Christian life towards God and Men and having urg'd that in the general he specifies this Grace of mutual Christian Love as the great Evidence of their sincerity and the truth of their Love to God for Men are subject to much hypocrisie this way and deceive themselves if they find themselves diligent in religious Exercises they scarce once ask their hearts how they stand affected this way Namely in love to their Brethren They can come constantly to the Church and pray it may be at home too and yet cannot find in their hearts to forgive an Injury As forgiving Injuries argues the truth of Piety so 't is that which makes all converse both sweet and profitable and besides it Graces and commends Men and their holy profession to such as are without and strangers to it yea even to their Enemies Therefore is it that our Saviour doth so much recommend this to his Disciples and they to others as we see in all their Epistles He gives it them as the very badge and Livery by which they should be known for his followers by this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye Love one another And St. Paul is frequent in exhorting and extolling this Grace Rom. 12.10 13.8 1 Cor. 1.13 Gal. 5.13 Eph. 4.2 and in many other places Colloss 3.14 he calls it the bond of perfectness that Grace which unites and binds all together Our Apostle here and often in this and the other Epistle and that beloved Disciple St. Iohn who leaned on our Saviours brest drunk deep of that spring of Love that was here and therefore it streams forth so abundantly in his writings they contain nothing so much as this divine Doctrine of Love We have here 1. The due Qualifications of it· 2. A Christians Obligation to it The Qualifications are three Namely sincerity purity and fervency The sincerity express'd in the former clause of the Verse unfeigned Love and repeated again in the latter part that it be with a pure heart as the purity is in fervency It appears that this dissimulation is a disease that is very incident in this particular The Apostle St. Paul hath the same word Rom. 12.9 And the the Apostle St. Iohn to the same sense 1 Ioh. 3.18 That it have that double reality which is opposed to double dissembled love that it be Cordial and Effectual that the professing of it arise from truth of affection and as much as may be be seconded with action that both the heart and the hand may be more the seal of it than the tongue Not Court-holy water an empty noise of Service and affection that fears nothing more than to be put upon tryal Although thy Brother with whom thou conversest cannot it may be see through thy false appearances he that commands this Love looks most within seeks it there and if he find it not there hates them most that most pretend it so that art of dissembling never so well studied cannot pass in this Kings Court to whom all hearts are open and all desires known When after Variances Men are brought to an agreement they are much subject to this rather to cover their remaining malices with superficial verbal forgiveness than to dislodge them and free the heart of them this is a poor self deceit as the Philosopher said to him that being ashamed that he was espyed by him in a Tavern in the outer Room withdrew himself to the inner he called after him that 's not the way out the more you go that way you will be the further within it When hatreds upon admonition are not thrown out but retire inward to hide themselves they grow deeper and stronger than before and those
without it 't is true that the substantial Eternal word is to us as we said the spring of this New birth and life the head from whom the spirits of this supernatural life flow but that by the Word here is meant the Gospel the Apostle puts ouâ— of doubt Verse last and this is the Word which by the Gospel is preached unto you Therefore it is indeed that this Word is thus the seed of this New birth because it contains and declares that other word the Son of God as our life The word is spoken in common and so is the same to all hearers but then all being naturally shut against it God doth by his own hand open some hearts to receive it and mixes it with faith and those it renews and restoreth in them the Image of God drawes the traits of it anew and makes them the Sons of God My Doctrine shall drop as the dew sayes Moses the word as a heavenly dew not falling beside but dropt in to the heart by the hand of Gods own spirit makes it all become spiriâ—ual and heavenly and turns it into one of those drops of dew that the Children of God are compared to Psal. 110. Thou hast the dew of thy youth The natural estate of the soul is darkness and the word as a divine light shining into it transforms the soul into its own nature that as the word is called Light so is the soul renew'd by it ye were darkness but now are ye not only enlightn'd but light in the Lord. All the evils of the natural mind are often compriz'd under the name of darkness and Errour and therefore the whole work of conversion likewise signified by light and truth he begat us by the word of truth So 2 Cor. 4 6. alluding to the first fiat Lux or Let there â—e Light in the Creation The word brought within the soul by the spirit lets it see its own necessity and Christs sufficiency convinceth it throughly and causeth it to cast over it self upon him for life and this is the very begetting of it again to Eternal life So that this Efficacy of the word to prove successful seed doth not hang upon the different abilities of Preachers their more or less Rhetorick or Learning 'T is true Eloquence hath a great advantage in civil and moral things to perswade and and to draw the hearers by the Ears almost which way it will but in this spiritual work to revive a soul to beget it anew the Influence of heaven is the main there is no way so common and plain being warranted by God in the delivery of saving truth but the spirit of God can revive the soul by it and all the skilful and most autoritative way yea being withal very spiritual yet may effect nothing because left alone to it self One word of holy Scripture or of truth conform to it may be the principle of Regeneration to him that hath heard multitudes of excellent Sermons and hath often read the whole Bible and still unchang'd if the spirit of God preach that one or any such word to the Soul God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever should believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life It will be cast down with the fear of perishing and driven out of it self by that and rais'd up and drawn to Jesus Christ by the hope of everlasting life it will believe on him that it may have life and be inflamed with the Love of God and give it self to him that so loved the World as to give his only begotten Son to purchase us that everlasting life Thus may that word prove this Immortal Seed which tho very often read and heard before was but a dead letter A drop of those liquors that are called Spirits operates more than large draughts of other waters one word spoke by the Lord to the heart is all Spirit and doth that which whole streams of Mans eloquence could never effect In hearing of the Word Men look usually too much upon Men and forget from what spring the Word hath its power they observe too narrowly the different hand of the Sowers and too little depend on his hand that is great Lord both of Seed-time and Harvest Be it sowen by a weak hand or a stronger the Immortal seed is still the same yea suppose the worst that it be a foul hand that sowes it that the Preacher himself be not so sanctified and of so edifying a life as you would wish yet the seed it self being good contracts no defilement and may be effectual to Regeneration in some and strengthening of others Although he that is not renew'd by it himself cannot have much hope of such success nor reap much comfort by it and usually doth not seek nor regard it much but all Instruments are alike in an Almighty hand Hence learn 1. That true conversion is not so slight a work as we commonly account it 'T is not an outward change of some bad customes which gains the name of a reform'd Man in the ordinary dialect 't is a New birth and Being and elsewhere called a new Creation though it be but a change in qualities as 't is such a one and the qualities so far distant that it bears the name of the most substantial productions from Children of disobedience and that which is link't with it heirs of wrath to be sons of God and heirs of glory They have a new spirit given a free princely noble spirit as the word is Psal. 51. and this spirit acts in their life and action 2. Consider this dignity and be kindled with the ambition of it how doth a Christian pity that poor vanity that men make so much noise about of of their kindred and extraction this is worth glorying in indeed to be of the highest blood royal and in the nearest Relation Sons of the King of Kings by this new birth and addes Matchless honour to that birth which is honourable But we all pretend to be of this number Would we not study to cozen our selves the discovery would not be so hard to know whither we are or not In many their false confidence is too evident No appearance of the spirit of God not a foot-step like his leading and that character Rom. 8.14 not a lineament of God's visage as their father if ye know that he is righteous sayes St. Iohn 2.29 ye know then that every one that doth righteousness is born of him And so on the contrary how contrary to the most holy God the lover and fountain of holiness are they that Swinishly love to wallow in the mire of unholiness Is Swearing and Cursing the accent of the Regenerate the Children of God No 't is the language of Hell Do children delight to indignifie and dishonour their Fathers Name No Earthly mindedness is a countersign Shall the King's Children they that were brought up in scarlet as Ieremy laments embrace the dunghil
which is able to save our souls Thus ought they that Preach to speak it to endeavour their utmost to accommodate it to this end that sinners may be converted begotten again and believers nourish'd and strengthned in their spiritual life to regard no lower end but aim steddily at that mark Their hearts and tongues ought to be set on fire with holy zeal for God and love to souls kindled by the Holy Ghost that came down on the Apostles in the shape of fiery tongues And they that hear should remember this as the end of their hearing that they may receive spiritual life and strength by the word for though it seems a poor despicable busines that a frail sinful Man like your selves speak a few words in your hearing yet look upon it as the way wherein God communicates happiness to them that believe and works that believing unto happiness alters the whole frame of the soul and makes a new creation as it begets it again to the Inheritance of glory Consider it thus which is its true notion and then what can be so precious Let the world disesteem it as they will know ye that it is the power of God unto salvation The Preaching of the cross is to them that perish foollishness but unto them that are saved it is the power of God sayes the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.18 And if you would have the experience of this if you would have life and growth by it you must look above the poor worthless Messenger and call in his almighty help who is the Lord of life As the Philosophers affirm that if the Heavens should stand still there would be no generation nor flourishing of any thing here below 't is the moving and influence of the spirit that makes the Church fruitful Would you do this before you come here present the blindness of your minds and the deadness of your hearts to God and say Lord here 's an opportunity for thee to shew the power of thy word I would find life and strength in it but neither can I that hear nor he that speaks make it thus unto me that 's thy prerogative say thou the word and it shall be done God said let there be light and it was light In this Exhortation to the due use of the word the Apostle continues the resemblance of that new birth he mention'd Chap. 1. As new born babes Be not satisfied with your selves till you find some evidence of this new this supernatural life There be delights and comforts in this life in its lowest condition that would perswade us to look after it if we knew them The most cannot be made sensible of those consider therefore the end of it Better never to have been than not to have been partaker of this new being Except a man be born again sayes our Saviour he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Surely they that are not born again shall one day wish they had never been born What a poor wretched thing is the life that we have here a very heap of follies and miseries now if we would share in a happier being after it that life that ends not it must begin here grace and glory is one and the same Life only with this difference that the one is the beginning and the other the perfection of it or if we do call them two several lives yet the one is the undoubted pledge of the other 'T was a strange word for a Heathen to say that that day of death we fear so aeterninatalis est is the birth day of Eternity Thus it is indeed to those that are here born again this new birth of grace is the sure earnest and counter-pawn of that birth day of glory Why do we not then labour to make this certain by the former Is it not a fearful thing to spend our dayes in vanity and then ly down in darkness and sorrow for ever to disregard the life of our soul while we may and should be provident for it and then when its going out cry quo nunc abibis whither art thou going O my soul But this new life puts us out of the danger and fear of that Eternal death we are passed from death to life sayes St. Iohn speaking of those that are born again and being passed there is no repassing no going back from this life to death again This new birth is the same that St. Iohn calls the first Resurrection and pronounces them blessed that partake of it Blessed are they that have part in the first Resurrection the second death shall have no power over them The weak beginnings of grace in comparison of further strength attainable even in this life are sometimes express'd as the infancy of it and so believers ought not to continue Infants and if they do 't is reprovable in them as we see Eph. 4.14 1 Cor. 2.2 1 Cor. 14.20 Heb. 5.12 though the Apostle writes to new Converts and so may possibly imply the tenderness of their beginnings of grace yet I conceive that Infancy is here taken in such a sense as agrees to a Christian in the whole course and best estate of his Spiritual life here below and so likewise the milk here recommended is answerable to this sense of Infancy and not to the former as 't is in some of those cited places where it means the easiest and first Principles of Religion and so is oppos'd to the higher mysteries of it as to strong meat but here it signfies the whole word of God and all its wholesome and saving truths as the proper nourishment of the Children of God And so the Apostles words are a standing Exhortation for all Christians of all degrees And the whole estate and course of their Spiritual life here is called there Infancy not only as oppos'd to Corruption and wickedness of the old man but likewise as signifying the weakness and imperfection of it at its best in this life compar'd with the perfection of the life to come for the weakest beginnings of grace are nothing so far below the highest degree of it possible in this life as that highest degree falls short of the state of glory so that if one measure of grace is called Infancy in respect of another much more is all grace Infancy in respect of Glory And sure as for Time the time of our present life is far less to eternity than the time of our natural Infancy is to the rest of our life so that we may be still call'd but new or lately born Our best pace and strongest walking in obedience here is but as the stepping of Children when they begin to go by hold in comparison of the perfect obedience in glory when we shall follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes all our knowledge here is but the Ignorance of Infants and all our expressions of God and of his Praises but as the first stammerings of Children in comparison of the knowledge we shall have of him hereafter
unvail'd and appear what they are indeed before Men and Angels 't is a poor thing to be approved and applauded by Men while God condemns to whose sentence all men must stand or fall Oh seek to be approved and justified by him and then who shall condemn 'T is no matter who do How easily may we bear the mistakes and dislikes of all the world if he declare himself well-pleas'd with us It is a small thing for me to be judged of Man or mans day he that judgeth me is the Lord. Saith the Apostle But these evils are here particularly to be put off as contrary to the right and profitable receiving of the word of God for this part of the exhortation Laying aside Desire look's to that which follows and is specially so to be considered There is this double task in Religion When a Man enters to it he is not only to be taught true wisdom but he is withall yea first of all to be untaught the Errours and wickedness that are deep rooted in his mind which he hath not only learn'd by the corrupt conversation of the world but brought the seeds of them into the world with him and they improve and grow indeed by the favour of that example that is round about a Man But they are orginally in our nature as it is now they are connaturall to us besides continuall custome which is another nature There is none comes to the School of Christ suiting the Philosopher's word ut taâ—ula rasa as blank paper to receive his doctrine but on the contrary all scribl'd and blurr'd with such base habits as these malice hypocrisie envy c. Therefore the first work is to raze out these to cleanse and purifie the heart from these blotts those foul characters that it may receive the impression of the image of God And because it is the word of God that both begins and followes forth this work draws the lineaments of that divine Image on the soul therefore to the receiving this word aright and this proper effect by it the conforming of the soul to Jesus Christ which is the true growth of the spirituall life this is prerequir'd that the hearts of them that hear it be purged of these such and like impurities malice hypocrisie c. These are so opposite to the profitable receiving of the word of God that while they possess and rule the soul it cannot at all embrace those divine truths While it is fill'd with such guests there is no room to entertain the word They cannot dwell together by reason of their contrary nature the word will not mixe with thâ—se the saving mixture of the word of God in the soul is that the Apostle speaks of and gives the want of it as the cause of unprofitable hearing the word Heb. 4.2 the mixing of it with saith For by that the word is concocted into the nourishment of the life of grace united to the soul and mix'd with it by being mix'd with faith as the Apostle's expression imports That 's the proper mixture it requires but with these qualities here mention'd it will not mix There is a naturall antipathy betwixt them as strong as in those things in nature that cannot be brought by any means to agree and mingle together Can there be any thing more contrary than the good word of God as the Apostle calls it and those evil speakings Than the word that is of such excellent sweetness and the bitter words of a malignant tongue Than the word of life and words full of deadly poyson For so slanders and diffamings of our brethren are And is not all malice and envy most opposite to the word that is the message of peace and Love how can the gall of malice and this milk of the word agree Hypâ—crisie and guile stand in direct opposition to the name of this word that is called the word of truth and here the very words shew this contrariety sincere milk and a double unsincere mind These two are necessary conditions of good nourishment 1. That the â—ood be good and wholesome 2. That the inward constitution of them that use it be so too And if this fail the other profit's not This sincere milk is the only proper nourishment of spiritual Life and there is no defect nor undue quality in it but the greatest part of hearers are inwardly unwholesom diseas'd with the evils here mention'd and others of the like nature and therefore either have no kind of appetite to the word at all but rather feed upon such trash as suite with their distemper as some kind of diseases incline those that have them to eat Coales or Lime c. Or if they be any wayes desirous to hear the Word and seem to feed on it yet the noxious humours that abound in them make it alltogether unprofitable and they are not nourish'd by it as this evill of malice and envying so ordinary among Men and which is most strange amongst Christians as an overflowing of the Gaul possesses their whole minds and not only they are not nourish'd by the word they hear but are the worse by it their disease is fed by it as an unwholsom stomach turns the best meat it receives into that bad humour that abounds in it Do not they thus that observe what the Word sayes that they may be the better inabled to discover the failings of others and speak malitiously and uncharitablely of them and vent themselves as is too common This word met well with such a one's Fault and this with anothers Is not this to feed these diseases of Malice Envy and evill-speakings with this pure milk and make them grow in stead of growing by it our selves in grace and holiness Thus likewise the hypocrite turnes all that he hears of this word not to the inward renovation of his mind and redressing what 's amisse there But only to the composing of his outward carriage and to inable himself to act his part better to be cunninger in his own faculty a more refin'd and expert hypocrite not to grow more a Christian in deed but more in appearance only and in the opinion of others Therefore it is a very needfull advertisment seeing these evils are so natural to Men and so contrary to the nature of the word of God that they be purg'd out to the end it may be profitably receiv'd A very like exhortation to this hath the Apostle S. Iames and some of the same words but in another Methapor Iam. 1.21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the ingrafted word He compares the word to a plant of excellent vertue the very tree of life the word that is able to save your souls but the only soyle wherein it will grow is a heart full of meekness a heart that is purg'd of those Luxuriant weeds that grow so rank in it by nature they pluck up and throw them out to make place for this
is the gold of this Spiritual house and 't is inwardly enrich'd with that The glory of the Church of God is not in stately buildings of Temples and rich furniture and Pompous ceremonies these agree not with its Spiritual nature It s true and genuine beauty is to grow in spiritualness and so to be liker it self and have more of the presence of God and his Glory filling it as a cloud and it hath been observed that the more the Church grew in outward riches and state the less she grew but abated sensibly in Spiritual excellencies But the Spiritualness of this building will better appear in considering particularly the materials of it as here express'd Now 2. The whole building is Christ mysticall Christ together with the entire body of the Elect he as the foundation and they as the stones built upon him He the living stone and they likewise by union with him livings stones He having life in himself as he speaks Iohn 6. And they deriving it from him he primitively living and they by participation For therefore is he called here a living stone not only because of his immortality and glorious resurrection being a lamb that was slain and is alive again for ever But because he is the principle of spiritual and eternal life unto us a living foundation that transfuses this life into the whole building and every stone of it in whom sayes the Apostle Eph. 2. all the building is fitly framed together 'T is the spirit that flows from him which enliven's it and knitts it together as a living body for the same word is us'd chap. 4. For the Church under the similitude of a body Now that ' it s there said Chap. 2 Ver. 20. to be built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles is no other but their doctrine concerning Christ and therefore it is added that he as being the subject of their doctrine is the chief corner stone The foundation then of the Church lyes not in Rome but in Heaven and therefore is out of the reach of all Enemies and above the power of the gates of hell Fear not then when you see the stormes arise and the winds blow against this spiritual building for it shall stand it is built upon an invisible immovable Rock and it great Babylon Rome it self that under the false title and pretence of supporting this building is working to overthrow it shall be utterly overthrown and laid equal with the ground and never be rebuilt again But this foundation stone as 't is commended by its quality that 't is a living and enlivening stone having life and giving life to those that are built on it 'T is further described by Gods chusing it and its own worth both oppos'd to Mens disesteem and therefore said here To be chosen of God God did indeed from Eternity contrive this building and chuse this same foundation and accordingly in the fulness of time did perform his purpose so the thing being one we may take it either for his purpose or performance or both yet it seems most sutable to the strain of the words and the place after alledged for laying him in Sion and opposing the rejection of Men that we take it for Gods actuall employing of Jesus Christ in the work of our Redemption he only fit for that work impossible utterly that any other should bear the weight of that service and so of this building but he who was Almighty Therefore the spouse calls him the select or choyce of ten thousand yet rejected of Men. There is that antipathy so to speak betwixt the mind of God and corrupt nature the things that are highly esteem'd with men are abomination to God and thus we see here that which is highly esteem'd with God is cast and disallowed by Men. But sure there is no comparison the chusing and esteem of God stands and by that judge Men of Christ as they will he is the foundation of this building And he is in true value answerable to this esteem pretious which seems to signifie a kind of inward worth hidden from the eyes of Men blind unbelieving Men but well known to God and to those to whom he reveals him And this is the very cause of his rejection by the most the ignorance of his worth and excellency As a precious stone that the skilful Lapidary esteems much worth an ignorant beholder makes litle or no account of These things hold likewise in the other stones of this building chosen before time all that should be of this building foreordain'd in Gods purpose all written in that book before hand and then in due time they are chosen by actual calling according to that purpose hewed out and sever'd by Gods own hand out of the quarry of corrupt nature Dead stones in themselves as the rest but made living by his bringing them to Christ and so made truely precious and accounted precious by him that hath made them so All the stones in this building are called Gods jewels Mal. 3. Though they be vilified and scoffed and despised by Men. Though they pass for fools and the refuse of the world yet they may easily digest all that in the comfort of this if chosen of God and precious in his eyes this is the very Lot of Christ and therefore by that the more wellcome that it conformes them to him suites these stones to their foundation And if we look right on 't what a poor despiseable thing is the esteem of Men how soon is it past it is a small thing for me sayes the Apostle to be judg'd of men Now that God often chuses for this building such stones as men cast away as good for nothing see 1. Cor. 1. And where he sayes Isa. 51. That he dwells in the high and holy place What is his other dwelling his habitation in earth is it in great palaces and Courts No. But with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit Now these are the basest in Mens account yet he chuses them and preferr's them to all other palaces and temples Isa. 66.1.2 you cannot gratifie me with any dwelling for I my self have made all and a surer house than any you can make me the heaven is my throne and the earth my footstool but I that am so high am pleasâ—d to regard the lowly 3. To whom comeing First Coming then built up They that come unto Christ come not only from the world that lyeth in wickedness but out of themselves Of a great many that seem to come to Christ it may be said that they are not come to him because they have not left themselves This is believing on him which is the very resigning the soul to Christ and living by him Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life sayes Christ. Io. 5.40 He complains of it as a wrong done to him But the loss is ours it is his glory to give us life that were dead But it is our happiness
to receive that life from him Now these stones come unto their foundation which imports the moving of the soul to Christ being moved by his spirit and that the will acts and willingly for it cannot act otherwise But as being acted and drawn by the father Ioh. 6. No man can come to me Except the father draw him And the outward means of drawing is by the word 't is the sound of that harp that brings the stones of this spiritual building together and then being united to Christ they are built up That is as S. Paul expresses it Eph. 2.21 They grow up unto a holy temple in the Lord. In times of peace the Church may dilate more and build as it were into bredth But in trouble it arises more in hight is built upwards as in cities where men are straitned they build usually higher than in the country Notwithstanding of the Churches afflictions yet still the building is going forward 't is built as Daniel speaks of Ierusalem in troubleous times And 't is this which the Apostle intends as suiting with his forgoing Exhortation this may be read exhortatively too but taking it rather as asserting their condition 't is for this end that they may remember to be like it and grow up For this end he expresly calls them living stones an adjunct not usual for stones but here inseperable And therefore though the Apostle changes the similitude from Infants to stones yet he will not let go this quality of living as making chiefly for his purpose To teach us the necessity of growth in Believers they are therefore much compar'd to things that grow to Trees planted in fruitful growing places as by the River of waters to Cedars in Lebanon where they are tallest To the morning light to Infants on the brest and here where the word seems to refuse it to stones yet it must and well doth admit this unwonted Epithete they are called living and growing stones If then you would have the comfortable perswasion of that union with Christ see whether you find your souls establish'd upon Jesus Christ finding him as your strong foundation not resting on your selves nor on any other thing either within you or without you but supported by him alone drawing life from him by vertue of that union as from a living foundation so as to say with the Apostle I live by faith in the son of God who both loved me and given himself for me As these stones are built on Christ by faith so they are cemented one to another by love and therefore where that is not 't is but a delusion to think themselves parts of this building As it is knit to him 't is knit together in it self through him and if dead stones in a building support and strengthen mutually one another how much more ought living stones in an acttive lively way to do so the stones of this building keep their place the lower rise not up to be in the place of the higher as the Apostle speaks of the parts of the body so the stones of this building in humility and love keep their station and grow up in it edifying in love Eph. 4.16 The Apostle importing that the want of this much prejudges edification These stones because living therefore they grow in the life of grace and spiritualness being a Spirittual building so that if we find not this but our hearts are still carnal and glued to the earth minding earthly things wiser in those than in Spirituals this evidences strongly against us that we are not of this building How few of us have that spiritualness that becomes the Temples of the holy Ghost or the stones of it base lusts and those still lodging and ruling within us and so hearts as Cages of unclean Birds and filthy spirits Consider this as our happiness and the unsolidness of other comforts and priviledges if some have called those stones happy that were taken for the building of Temples or altars beyond those in common houses how true is it here happy indeed the stones that God chuses to be living stones in this Spiritual Temple though they be hammer'd and hewed to be polish'd for it by afflictions and the inward work of mortification and repentance 't is worth the enduring all to be fitted for this building happy they beyond all the rest of men though they be set in never so great honours as prime parts of politick buildings states and Kingdomes in the Courts of Kings yea or Kings themselves For all other buildings and all the parts of them shall be demolish'd and come to nothing from the foundation to the cope stone all your houses both cottages and palaces the elements shall melt away and the earth with all the works in it shall be consum'd as our Apostle hath it but this Spiritual building shall grow up to Heaven and being come to perfection shall abide for ever in perfection of beauty and glory in it shall be found no unclean thing nor unclean person But only they that are written in the Lambs book of Life An holy priesthood As the worship and Ceremonies of the Jewish Church were all shadowes of Jesus Christ and have their accomplishment in him not only after a singular manner in his owne Person but in a deriv'd way in his mystical body his Church The Priesthood of the Law represented him as the great high priest that offered up himself for our sins and that is altogether incommunicable neither is there any peculiar Office of Priesthood for offering Sacrifice in the Christian Church but his alone who is head of it but this Dignity that is here mention'd of a Spiritual Priesthood offering Spiritual Sacrifice is common to all those that are in Christ as they are living stones built on him into a Spiritual Temple so they are Priests of that same Temple made by him Reve. 1.6 As he was after a transcendent manner Temple and Priest and Sacrifice so in their kind are Christians all these three through him and by his Spirit that is in them their Offerings through him are made acceptable We have here 1. The Office 2. The service of that Office 3. The success of that Service The death of Jesus Christ as being every way powerful for reconcilement and union did not only break the partition wall of guiltiness that stood betwixt God and Man but the wall of ceremonies that stood betwixt the Jews and Gentiles made all that believe one with God and made of both one as the Apostle speaks united them one to another the way of salvation made known not to one Nation only but to all people that whereas the knowledge of God was confin'd to one little corner ' it s now diffus'd through the Nations and whereas the dignity of their Priesthood stayed in a few Persons all they that believe are now thus dignified to be Priests unto God the father and this was signified by the rending the vail of the Temple at his
took that bitter cup of the father's wrath and drunk it out that he might be free from it Think not that you believe if your hearts be not taken up with Christ if his love do not possesse your soul so that nothing is precious to you in respect of him if you cannot despise and trample upon all advantages that either you have or would have for Christ and count them with the great Apostle loss and dung in comparison of him And if you do esteem him labour for increase of Faith that you may esteem him more for as Faith growes so will he still be more precious to you And if you would have it grow turn that Spiritual Eye frequently to him that 's the proper object of it for even they that are Believers may possibly abate of their love and esteem of Christ by suffering Faith to ly dead within them and not using it in beholding and applying of Christ And the World or some particular vanities may insensibly creep in and get into the heart and cost them much paines ere they can be thrust out again but when they are daily reviewing those excellencies that are in Christ which first perswaded their hearts to love him and discovering still more and more of them his Love will certainly grow and will chase away those follies that the World dotes upon as unworthy to be taken notice of Verse 9. But ye are a chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar People that ye should shew forth the Praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light IT is matter of very much both consolation and instruction to Christians to know their own Estate what they are as they are Christians This Epistle is much and often upon this point for both those ends both that the reflecting on their dignities in Christ may uphold them with comfort under suffering for him and may lead them in doing and walking as becomes such a condition Here it hath been represented to us by a building a Spiritual Temple and by a Priesthood conform to it The former is confirm'd and illustrated by testimonies of Scripture in the preceeding Verses In this the latter in these words tho 't is not expressly cited yet 't is clear that the Apostle here hath reference to Exod. 19.5 6. where this dignity of Priesthood together with the other titles here express'd is ascrib'd to all the chosen People of God 'T is there a promise made to the Nation of the Jewes but under the condition of obedience and therefore is most fitly here apply'd by the Apostle to the believing Jews to whom particularly he writes 'T is true that the external Priesthood of the Law is abolish'd by the coming of this great high Priest Jesus Christ being the body of all those shaddowes But this promis'd Dignity of Spiritual Priesthood is so far from being nulled by Christ that it is altogether dependant on him and therefore fails in those that reject Christ although they be of that Nation to which this Promise was made But it holds good in all of all Nations that believe and particularly sayes the Apostle 't is verified in you You that are believing Jewes by receiving Christ you receive withal this dignity As the Legal Priesthood was remov'd by Christs fulfilling all that it prefigur'd so he was rejected by them that were at his coming in possession of that Office as the standing of that their Priesthood was inconsistent with the revealing of Jesus Christ so they that were then in it being ungodly Men their carnal minds had a kind of antipathy against him though they pretended themselves builders of the Church and by their calling ought to have been so yet they threw away the foundation stone that God had chosen and design'd and in rejecting it manifest that they themselves are rejected of God but on the contrary You that have laid your soules on Christ by believing have this your chusing him as a certain evidence that God hath chosen you to be his peculiar People yea to be so dignified as to be a Kingly Priesthood through Christ. We have here 1. To Consider the estate of Christians in the words that here describe it 2. The opposition of it to the state of Unbelievers 3. The end of it A chosen Generation Psal. 24. The Psalmist there speaks first of Gods universal Soveraignty then of his peculiar choyce The earth is the Lords But there is a select company appointed for this holy Mountain describ'd and then clos'd thus This is the generation of them that seek him Thus Deut. 10.14 15. So Exod. 19.5 Whence this is taken for all the Earth is mine and that Nation which is a figure of the Elect of all Nations Gods peculiar beyond all others in the World As Men that have great variety of Possessions yet have usually their special delight in some one beyond all the rest and chuse to recide most in it and bestow most expence on it to make it pleasant Thus doth the Lord of the whole earth chuse out to himself from the rest of the World a number that are a chosen generation Chusing here is the work of effectual calling or severing of Believers from the rest for it signifies a difference in their present estate as the other words joyned with it But this election is altogether conform to that of Gods Eternal Decree and is no other but the execution or performance of it Gods framing of this his building just according to the Idea of it which was in his mind and purpose before all time The drawing forth and investing of such into this Christian this Kingly Priesthood whose names were expresly written up for it in the Book of life Generation This imports them to be of one race or stock as the Israelites who were by outward calling the chosen of God were all the seed of Abraham according to the flesh So they that believe in the Lord Jesus are Children of the Promise and all of them by their new birth one People or Generation they are of one Nation belonging to the same blessed Land of Promise all Citizens of the new Ierusalem yea all Children of the same family whereof Jesus Christ the root of Iesse is the stock who is the great King and the great high Priest and thus they are a Royal Priesthood there is no devolving of his Royalty or Priesthood on any other as it is in himself for his proper dignity is Supreme and incommunicable and there is no succession in his Order he lives for ever and is Priest for ever Psal. 110.4 and King for ever too Psal. 45.6 but they that are descended from him do derive from him by that new original this double dignity in that way that they are capable of it to be likewise Kings and Priests as he is both They are of the Seed-Royal and of the holy seed of the Priesthood in as much as they partake of a new
of the honour of the only begotten Sons on whom they have believed made by him Kings and Priests unto God the father then sure they have other thoughts it makes them no more envy but pity the ungodly and account all their pomp and all their possessions what it is indeed no other but a glistering misery and themselves happy in all estates to say with David The lines have fallen to me in a pleasant place I have a goodly heritage Makes them digest all their sufferings and disgraces with patience yea with joy and think more of praising than complaining of shewing forth his honour who hath so honoured them especially considering the freeness of his grace that it was that alone maâ—e the difference calling them altogether undeservedly from that same darkness and misery in which unbelievers are deservedly left Now the third thing here to be spoken to is the end of their calling to shew his praise c. And the more to prize the reasonableness of that their happy estate to which God hath exalted them it is express'd in other termes which therefore we will first consider and then the end To magnifie the grace of God the more we have here 1. Both the termes of this motion or change from whence and to what it is 2. The principle of it the calling of God From darkness There is nothing more usual not only in divine but in humane writings than to borrow outward sensible things to expresse things intellectual and amongst such expressions there is none more frequent than that of Light and darkness transfer'd to signifie the good and evil estate of Man as sometimes for his outward prosperity or adversity but especially for things proper to his mind the mind is called Light because the Seat of Truth and Truth is most fitly called Light being the chief beauty and ornament of the rational world as Light is of the visible And as the Light because of that its beauty is a thing very refreshing and comfortable to them that behold it as Salomon sayes 't is a pleasant thing to see the sun So is Truth a most delightfull thing to the soul that rightly apprehends it This may hely us to conceive of the Spiritual sense in which it is here taken The estate of Lost Mankind is indeed nothing but darkness being destitute of all Spirituall truth and comfort and tending to utter and everlasting darkness And it is so because by sin the soul is separate from God who is the first and highest light that primitive truth as he is light in himself As the Apostle 8. Iohn tells us God is light and in him there is no darkness at all expressing the excellency and purity of his nature so he is light relatively to the soul of Man Psa. 27. the Lord is my light sayes David And the soul being made capable of divine light cannot be happy without it give it what other light you will still 't is in darkness so long as 't is without God being the peculiar light and life of the soul. And as truth is united with the soul in apprehending it and light with the visive faculty so that the soul may have God as its light it must of necessity be in union with God Now sin hath broke that union and so cut off the soul from its light and implung'd it into spiritual darkness Hence all that confusion and disorder in the soul which is ever the companion of darkness Tohu vahohu as at first when darkness was on the face of the deep Being ignorant of God and of our selves it followes that we love not God because we know him not yea though we think it a hard word we are haters of God for not only doth our darkness import Ignorance of him but an enmity to him because he is light and we are darkness And being ignorant of our selves not seeing our own vileness because we are in the dark we are pleas'd with our selves and having left God do love our selves in stead of God Hence are all the wickednesses of our hearts and lives which are no other but in place of obeying and pleasing God a continual Sacrificing to those Gillulim those base dunghill Gods our own lusts For this the Apostle gives as the root of all those evils 2 Tim. 3.2 covetous boasters c. Because in the first place lovers of themselves therefore proud c. And lovers of pleasures more than of God and this self-love cannot subsist without gross ignorance minds so darkned that we cannot withal see what we are For if we did it were not possible but we would be far of another mind very far out of loving and liking with our selves Thus our souls being filled with darkness are likewise full of uncleaness as that goes along too with darkness they are not only dark as dungeons but withall filthy as they use to be so Eph. 4.18 understandings darkned alienated from the life of God And therefore Ver. 19. give themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleaness with greediness They have no light of solid comfort Our great comfort here is not in any thing present but in hope now being without Christ and without God we are without hope Eph. 2.12 And as the estate from whence we are called by grace is worthily called Darkness so that to which it calls us deserves as well the name of Light As Christ likewise that came to work our deliverance is frequently so call'd in Scripture Io. 1. c. Not only in regard of his own nature being God equal with the father and therefore light as he is God of God and therefore Light of light But relating to Men Iohn 1.4 that life was the light of Men. as he is stiled the word and the wisdom of the father not only in regard of his own knowledge but as revealing him unto us Iohn 1.18 1 Cor. 1.24 Compared with Ver. 30. And stiled by Malachy the sun of righteousness Now the sun is not only a Luminous body but a Luminary giving light unto the world Gen. 1. He is our light oppos'd to all kind of darkness to the dark shaddow 's of the ceremonial Law which possibly is here meant as a part of that darkness from which the Apostle Writes that these Jews were delivered also by the knowledge of Christ When he came the day broke and the shaddowes flew away To the darkness likewise of the Gentiles superstitions and Idolatries therefore these two are joyned by old Simeon a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of his People Israel And to all that believe of both he is Light oppos'd to the Ignorance and slavery and misery of their natural estate teaching them by his Spirit the things of God and reuniting them with God who is the light of the Soul I am sayes he the light of the World he that followes me shall not walk in darkness And it is that mysterious Union of the Soul with God in Christ which
a Natural Man so little understands that is the cause of all that Spiritual Light of Grace that a Believer does enjoy No right knowledge of God to Man once fallen from it but in his Son no comfort in beholding God but through him Nothing but just anger and wrath to be seen in Gods lookes but through him in whom he is well pleased The Gospel shews us the Light of the knowledge of God 2 Cor. 4.6 but 't is in the face of Iesus Christ therefore the Kingdom of light oppos'd to that of Darkness Col. 1. is called the Kingdom of his dear Son or the Son of his Love There is a Spirit of Light and Knowledge flowes from Jesus Christ into the Souls of Believers that acquaints them with the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God which cannot otherwise be known And this Spirit of Knowledge is withal a Spirit of Holiness for Purity and Holiness is likewise signified by this Light he remov'd that huge dark body of sin that was betwixt us and the Father and eclips'd him from us the light of his countenance sanctifieth by truth 't is a light that hath heat with it and hath influence upon the affections warmes them towards God and divine things this darkness here is indeed the shadow of death and so they that are without Christ till he visit them are said to sit in darkness and in the shadow of death So this Light is Life Ioh. 1.4 Doth enlighten and enliven begâ—ts new actions and motions in the Soul the right notion that he hath of things as they are work upon him and stir him accordingly discovers a man to himself and lets him see his own Natural filthiness and makes him loath himself and fly from himself run out of himself And the excellency he sees in God and his Son Jesus Christ by this new Light enflames his heart with their Love takes him up with estimation of the Lord Jesus and makes the World and all things in it that he esteemed before base and mean in his eyes Then from this Light arises Spiritual Joy and Comfort so Light signifies frequently as in that of the Psalmist the latter clause expounds the former Light is sowen for the Righteous and joy for the upright in heart As this Kingdom of Gods dear Son that is this Kingdom of Light hath righteousness in it so it hath Peace and Ioy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14. 'T is a false prejudice the World hath taken up against Religion that 't is a sowr Melancholly thing There is no truly Lightsome and Comfortable life but it All others have what they will they live in darkness and is not that truly sad and comforâ—less Would you think it a pleasant life though you had fine Cloathes and good Dieâ— but never see the Sun and were still kept in a Dungeon with them thus are they that live in Worldly Honour and Plenty but still without God they are in continual darkness with all their injoyments It is true the light of Believers is not here perfect and therefore their joy is not perfect neither sometimes over clouded but the comfort is this that it is an everlasting light it shall never go out in darkness as is said in Iob of the light of the Wicked â—nd it shall within a while be perfected There is a bright morning without a Cloud that shall arise The Saints have not only Light to lead them in their journey but much purer Light at home an Inheritance in Light Colos. 1. The Land where their Inheritance lyeth is full of Light and their Inheritance it self is light For the Vision of God for ever is that Inheritance that City hath no need of the Sun nor of the Moon to shine in it for the glory of the Lord doth lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof As we said that increated Light is the happiness of the Soul the beginnings of it are our begun happiness they are beams of it sent from above to lead us to the Fountain and fulness of it With thee sayes David is the Fountain of Life and in thy Light shall we see light There are two things spoken of this Light to commend it His Marvellous Light that it is after a peculiar manner Gods and then that is is Marvellous All light is from him the light of sense and that of reason therefore he is called the Father of Lights but this Light of Grace is after a peculiar manner his being a light above the reach of Nature infus'd into the Soul in a supernatural way The light of the Elect World where God specially and graciously recides Natural Men may know very much in natural things and it may be in supernatural things after a natural manner They may be full of School-Divinity and able to discourse of God and his Son Christ and the Mystery of Redemption c. and yet want this peculiar light by which Christ is known to Believers they may speak of him but 't is in the dark they see him not and therefore they love him not the light they have is as the light of some things that shine only in the night a cold Glow-worm-light that hath no heat with it at all Whereas a Soul that hath some of His Light Gods peculiar Light communicated to it sees Jesus Christ and loves and delights in Him and walks with Him A little of this light is worth a great deal yea more worth than all that other common speculative and discoursing knowledge that the greatest Doctors can attain unto 't is of a more excellent kind and original 't is from Heaven and ye know that one beam of the Sun is more worth than the light of ten thousand Torches together 't is a pure undecaying Heavenly light whereas the other is gross and earthly be it never so great and lasts but a while Let us not therefore think it Incredible that a poor unletter'd Christian may know more of God in the best kind of knowledge than any the wisest and Learnedest natural Man can do for the one knowes God only by Mans Light the other knowes him by his own light and that 's the only right knowledge as the Sun cannot be seen but by its own light so neither can God be savingly known but by his own revealing Now this Light being so peculiarly Gods no marvel if it be Marvellous the common light of the world is so though because of its commoness we think not so The Lord is Marvellous is Wisdom in Power in all his works of Creation and Providence But above all in the workings of his Grace This Light is unknown to the World and so Marvellous in the rareness of beholding it that there be but a few that partake of it And to them that see it is Marvellous because in it they see so many excellent things that they knew not before As if a Man were born and brought up till he came to years of understanding in a Dungeon where
he had never seen light and were brought forth on a sudden or not to need that imagination take the Man that was born blind at his first sight after Christ had cur'd him what wonder think we would seize upon him to behold on a sudden the beauty of this visible World especially of that Sun and that Light that makes it both Visible and Beautiful But much more matter of Admiration is there in this Light to the Soul that is brought newly from the darkness of corrupt Nature They see as it were a new World and in it such wonders of the rich Grace and Love of God such matchless worth in Jesus Christ the Sun of Righteousness that their Souls are fill'd with admiration and if this Light of Grace be so Marvellous how much more Marvellous shall the Light of Glory be in which it ends Hence learn 1. To Esteem highly of the Gospel in which this Light shines unto us the Apostle calls it therefore the Glorious Gospel 2 Cor. 4. sure we have no cause to be asham'd of it but of our selves that we are so unlike it 2. Think not you that are grosly ignorant of God and his Son Christ and the Mysteries of Salvation that you have any Portion as yet in his Grace for the first Character of his renewed Image in the Soul is Light as it was his first work in the World What availes it us to live in the Noon-day-light of the Gospel if our hearts be still shut against it and so within we be nothing but darkness as a House that is close shut up and hath no entry for light though 't is day without still 't is night within 3. Consider your delight in the works of Darkness and be affraid of that great Condemnation this is the Condemnation of the World that light is come into it and Men love darkness rather than Light Joh. 3.19 4. You that are indeed partakers of this happy change Let your hearts be habitations of light Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them Study much to increase in Spiritual light and knowledge and withal in holiness and obedience if your light be this Light of God truly Spiritual Light these will accompany it Consider the rich Love of God and account His Light marvellous as in it self so in this that he hath bestow'd it on you and seeing you were once darkness but now are light in the Lord I beseech you nay 't is the Apostle and in him the Spirit of God does it Walk as Children of the Light But to proceed to speak to the other parts of this Verse 'T is known and confess'd to be a chief point of Wisdom in a Man to consider what he is from whom he hath that his being and to what end When a Christian hath thought on this in his Natural being as he is a Man he hath the same to consider over again of his Spiritual being as he is a Christian and so a New Creature And in this notion all the three are very clearly represented to him in these words 1. What he is First by these Titles of Dignity in the first words of this Verse And again by an estate of Light in the last clause of it 2. Whence a Christian hath this Excellent being is very expresse here He hath called That God who is the Author of all kind of being hath given you this called you from darkness to his marvellous Light if you be a Chosen Generation it is he that hath chosen you 1 Pet. 1.2 if you be a Royal Priesthood you know that 't is he that hath anointed you If a Holy Nation he hath sanctified you Iob. 17.17 If a Peculiar or Purchasd People 'T is he that hath bought you 1 Cor. 6.20 All are in this calling and they are all one thing 3. To what end to shew forth his Praises Of the first of these in all the several expressions of it we have spoken before now are to be considered the other two 2. Called you They that live in the Society and profess the faith of Christians are called unto Light the light of the Gospel that shines in the Church of God Now this is no small Favour and Priviledge while many People are left in darkness and in the shaddow of death to have this Light arise upon us and to be in the Region of it the Church the Goshen of the World for by this outward light we are invited to this happy State of saving inward Light and that is here to be understood as the means of this These Jewes that were called to the Profession of the Christian Faith to whom our Apostle writes were even in that called unto a Light hid from the rest of their Nation and from many other Nations in the World But because the Apostle doth out of doubt describe here the lively Spiritual Estate of true Believers therefore this calling doth further import the effectual work of conversion making the day-light of Salvation not only without but within them the day star to arise in their hearts as he speaks 2 Ep. 1.19 When the Sun is arisen yet if a Man be lying fast in a dark Prison and in a deep sleep too 't is not day to him he is not call'd to Light till some open the doors and awake him and bring him forth to it this God doth in the calling here meant That which is here called Calling in regard of the way of Gods working with the Soul in regard of the power of it is called a rescuing bringing forth of the soul so the Apostle St. Paul speaks of it Col. 1.13 Delivered from the power of darkness and translated to the Kingdom of his dear Son That delivering and translating is this calling and 't is from the Power of Darkness a forcible Power that detains the Soul Captive as there are chaines of Eternal darkness upon damned Spirits which shall never be taken off wherein they are said to be reserv'd to the judgment of the great day so there are chaines of Spiritual darkness upon the Soul unconverted that can be taken off by no other hand but the Powerful hand of God He calls the sinner to come forth and withal causes by the power of that his voyce the bolts and fetters to fall off and inables the Soul to come forth into the Light 't is an operative word that effects what it bids as that in the creation He said let there be Light and it was Light To which the Apostle hath reference 2 Cor. 4.6 God calls Man he works with him indeed as with a reasonable creature but sure he likewise works as himself as an Almighty Creator He works strongly and sweetly with an Almighty easiness One Man may call another to this Light and if there be no more he may call long enough to no purpose as they tell of Mahomet's miracle that misgave he call'd a mountain to come to him but it stirr'd
are no benefit to the Soul but they are its pernicious enemies They war against it and their war against it is all made up of Stratagem and slight for they cannot hurt the Soul but by it self they promise it some contentment and so gain its consent to serve them and undo it self they embrace the Soul that they may strangle it The Soul is too much diverted from its own proper business by the inevitable and uncessant necessities of the body And therefore 't is exceeding injustice and cruelty to make it likewise serve the extravagant and sinfull desires of the flesh so much time for sleep and so much for eating and drinking and dressing and undressing and to many the greatest part of the time that remaines from these spent in labouring and providing for those Look on the employments of most Men all the labour of the Husband-men in the Countrey and Tradesmen in the City the multitude of shops and callings what are they all But the interest and service of the body and in all these the immortal Soul is drawn down to drudge for the mortal body the house of clay wherein it dwells And in the sense of this those Souls that truely know and consider themselves in this condition do often groan under the burden and desire the day of their deliverance But the service of the flesh in the inordinare lusts of it is a point of far baser slavery and indignity to the Soul and doth not only divert it from spiritual things for the time But habitualy indisposes it to every Spiritual work and makes it earthly and sensual and so unfits it for heavenly things Where these lusts or any one of them have dominion the Soul cannot at all perform any good neither pray nor hear nor read the word aright And in as far as any of them prevail upon the Soul of a Child of God they do disjoynt and disable it for holy things Although they be not of the grossest kind of Lusts but such things as are scarce taken notice of in a Man either by others or by his own conscience some irregular desires or entanglments of the heart Yet these litle Foxes will destroy the vines they will prey upon the graces of a Christian and keep them very low Therefore it concernes us much to study our hearts and be exact in calling to account the several affections that are in them otherwise even such as are called of God and have obtain'd mercy for such the Apostle speaks to may have such lusts within them as will much abate the flourishing of their graces and the Spiritual beauty of the Soul The Godly know it well in their sad experience that their own hearts do often deceive them harbouring and hiding such things as prejudge them much of that liveliness of grace and comforts of the Holy Ghost that otherwise they would be very likely to attain unto This warring against the Soul meaning the mischief and hurtfullness of them hath this under it that these lusts as breaches of Gods Law do subject the Soul to his wrath So that by this the Apostle might well urge his point Besides that these lusts are unworthy of you the truth is if you Christians serve your lusts you kill your Souls So Rom. 8.13 Consider when Men are on their death-beds and near their entering eternity what then they think of all their Moyling in the earth and serving of their own hearts and lusts in any kind when they see that of all these wayes nothing remaines to them but the guiltiness of their sin and accusations of conscience and the wrath of God Oh! that you would be persuaded to esteem your precious Souls and not wound them as you do but war for them against all those lusts that war against the Soul The Soul of a Christian is doubly precious being besides its natural excellency ennobled by grace and so twice descended of heaven and therefore deserves better usage than to be turn'd into a Scullion to serve the flesh The service of Jesus Christ is that which only fits it only honourable for the Soul to serve so high a Lord and only due to serve Him that bought it at so high a rate Verse 12. Having your Conversation honest among the Gentiles that whereas they speak against you as Evil doers they may by your good works which they shall behold glorify God in the day of visitation THese two things that a Natural Man makes least account of are of all things in highest regard with a Christian his own Soul and Gods glory So that there be no stronger persuasives to him in any thing than the interest of these two and by these the Apostle urgeth his present Exhortation to holiness and blamelesness of life for the substance of his advice or request in this and the former Verse is the same a truely honest conversation is only that which is Spiritual not defil'd with the carnal lusts and polutions of the world The abstaining from those lusts doth indeed Comprehend not only the rule of outward carriage but the inward temper of the mind whereas this honest conversation doth more expressely concerne our external deportment amongst Men as 't is added honest among the Gentiles And so tending to the glory of God So that these two are inseparably to be regarded the inward disposition of our hearts and the outward conversation and course of our lives I shall speak to the former first as the spring of the latter Keep thine heart with all diligence For all depends upon that for from thence are the issues of Life Prov. 4.23 And if so then the regulating of the tongue and eyes and feet and all will follow As there it followes Ver. 24. That the impure streams may cease from running the corrupt spring must be dried up Men may convey them closely to run under ground as it were as they do vaults and ditches Sentinas cloacas but till the heart be renewed and purg'd from base lusts it will still be sending forth some way or other the streams of iniquity as a fountain Swelleth out or casteth forth her waters uncessantly so she casteth out her wickedness sayes the Prophet of that very People and City that was called holy by reason of the ordinances of God and profession of the true Religion that was amongst them And therefore t is the same prophet's advice from the Lord. Wash thine heart O Ierusalem how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee Ier. 4.14 This is the true Method according to our Saviours Doctrine Make the tree good and than the fruits will be good not till then for Who can gather grapes of thornes or figs of Thistles Some good outward actions avail nothing the Soul being unrenewed As you may stick some figs or hang some clusters of grapes upon a thorne bush but they cannot grow upon it In this Men deceive themselves even such as have some thoughts of amendment when they fall into sin and
we owe Honour to all is nothing but a conformity to this inward temper of mind for he that inwardly despiseth none but esteemeth the good that is in the Lowest at least that they are men and loves them as such will accordingly use no outward sign of disdain of any will not have a scornful Eye nor a reproachful tongue to move at any not the meanest of his servants nor the worst of his Enemies but on the contrary will acknowledge the good of every Man and give unto all that outward respect that is convenient for them and that they are capable of and be ready to do them good as he hath opportunity and ability But in stead of walking by this rule of honouring all Men. What is there almost to be found amongst Men but a perverse proneness to dishonour one another and every Man ready to dishonour all Men that he may honour himself reckoning that what he gives to others abates of himself and taking what he detracts from others as good booty to make up himselfe Set Mens own interest aside and that common Civility that for their own Credit they use one with another and truly there will be found very little of this real respect to others out of their obedience to God and love to Men tendring their esteem and good Name and their wellfare as our own For so the rule is but mutual disesteem and Defaming filling almost all Societies And the bitter root of this Iniquity is that wicked accursed self love that dwells in us every Man is naturally his own grand Idol would be esteem'd and honoured by any means and to magnifie that Idol selfe kills the good Name and esteem of others in sacrifice to it Hence is the narrow observing Eye and broad speaking tongue upon any thing that tends to the dishonour of others and where other things fail the disdainful upbraiding of their Birth or Calling or any thing that comes next to hand that serves for a reproach And hence arises a great part of the jarrs and strifes amongst Men the most being drunk with an over weening opinion of themselves and the Worthlessest most A fool sayes Solomon is wiser in his own conceit then ten Men that can render a reason and not finding others of their mind this frets and troubles them they take the ready course to deceive themselves for they look with both Eyes on the failings and defects of others and scarce give their good half an Eye on the contrary in themselves they study to the full their own advantages and their weaknesses and defects as he sayes they skip over as Children do the hard words in their lesson that are troublesome to read and making this uneven parallel what wonder the result be a gross mistake of themselves Men miscount themselves at home they reckoning that they ought to be regarded and their mind should carry it and when they come abroad and are cross'd in this this puts them all out of frame But the humble man as he is more conform to this Divine Rule so he hath more Peace by it for he sets so low a rate upon himself in his own thoughts that 't is scarce possible for any to go lower in judging of him and therefore as he payes due respect to others to the full and so gives no ground of quarrel that way so he challenges no such debt to himself and thus avoids the usual contests that arise in this Only by Pride comes contention sayes Solomon a Man that will walk abroad in a crowded Street cannot chuse but be often justled but he that contracts himself passes through more easily Study therefore this excellent Grace of Humility not the Personated acting of it in appearance which may be a chief agent for Pride but true lowliness of mind to be nothing in your own Eyes and content to be so in the Eyes of others Then will you obey this Word you will esteem as is meet of all Men and not to be troubled though all Men disesteem you As this Humility is a precious Grace it is the preserver of all other graces and without it if they could be with out it they were but as a Box of precious Powder carried in the wind without a cover in danger to be scatter'd and blown away If you would have Honour there 's an ambition both allow'd you and worthy of you whosoever you are Rom. 2.7 2 Cor. 4. other honour though it have the Hebrew Name from weight is all too Light and weighs onely with cares and troubles Love the Brotherhood There is a love as we said due to all included under that word of honouring all but a peculiar love to our Christian Brethen which the Apostle Paul calls by a like word the Houshold of Faith Christian Brethren are united by a threefold cord two of them common to other Men but the third the strongest and theirs peculiarly their Bodies descended of the same Man and their souls of the same God but their new life by which they are most entirely Brethren is deriv'd from the same God-Man Jesus Christ yea in him they are all one body receiving life from him their glorious head who is called the first born among many Brethren and as his unspeakable love was the source of this New being and Fraternity so out of question it cannot but produce indissolluble love amongst them that are partakers of it The Spirit of Love and concord is that Precious Oyntment that runs down from the Head our great High Priest to the skirts of his Garment The life of Christ and this Law of Love is combin'd and cannot be sever'd Can there be enmity betwixt those hearts that meet in him Why do you pretend your selves Christians and yet remain not only Strangers to this Love but most contrary to it Biters and Devourers one of another and will not be convinced of the great guiltiness and uncomliness of Strifes and Envyings amongst you is this the badge that Christ hath left his Brethren to wrangle and maligne one another Doe you not know on the contrary that they are to be known by mutual Love By this shall all Men know that you are my Disciples if you love one another How often doth that Beloved Disciple press this he drank deep of that wellspring of Love that was in the Breast on which he leaned and if they relate right he died exhorting this Love one another Oh that there were more of this Love of Christ in our hearts arising from the sense of his Love to us and that would teach this Mutual Love more effectually which the Preaching of it may set before us but without that the other cannot work it within us Why do we still hear these things in vain Do we believe what the Love of Christ did to us and suffer'd for us And will we do nothing for him not forgive a shadow a fancy of Injurie much less a real one for his sake And love him that
are the several wayes of our straying all our wandring is the aversion of the heart from God whence of necessity followes a continual unsetledness and disquiet the Mind as a wave of the Sea tossed too and fro with the Wind it tumbles from one sin and vanity to another and finds no rest as a sick Person tosses from one side to another and from one part of their Bed to another and change their Bed it may be in hope of ease and still 't is further off thus is the Soul in all its wandrings But shift and change as it will no rest until it come to this returning Jer. 2.36 Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way Thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt as thou wast of Assyria Nothing but sorrow and shame till you change all those wayes for this one Return O Israel sayes the Lord if thou wilt return return unto me 'T is not changing one of your own wayes for another will profit you But in returning to me is your salvation Seeing we find in our own experience besides the wofull end of our wandrings the present perplexity and disquiet of them Why are we not perswaded to this To give up with them all Return unto thy rest O my Soul sayes David this were our wisdom But is not that God in whom we expect rest incens'd against us for our wandering and is he not being offended a consuming fire True but this is the way to find acceptance and peace and satisfying comforts in returning Come first to this Shepherd of Souls Jesus Christ and by him come unto the Father No Man comes unto the Father sayes he but by me this is via Regia the high and right way of returning unto God Io. 10 11. I am the good Shepherd and Ver. 9. I am the door by me if any Man enter in he shall be saved But if he misse this door he shall miss salvation too Ye are returned sayes the Apostle Vnto the Shepherd And Bishop of your Souls There be Three things necessary to restore us to our happiness whence we have departed in our wandrings 1. To take away the guiltiness of those former wandrings 2. To reducees into the way again 3. To keep and lead us in it Now all these are alone performable by this great Shepherd 1. He did satisfy for the offence of our wanderings and so remove our guiltiness he himself the Shepherd became a Sacrifice for his flock a Sheep or spotless Lamb as Isa. 53. Resembled in the 6 th Ver. We like sheep have gone astray and immediately after our straying mention'd The Lord laid or Made meet on him the iniquity of us all Of all our strayings and Ver. 7. He that is our Shepherd the same is the Lamb for Sacrifice so our Apostle Chap. 1. We are redeem'd not by Silver and Gold c. But by the precious blood of Christ As of a Lamb without blemish and without spot so Io. 10. He the good Shepherd that layes down his life for his Sheep Men think not on this many of them that have some thoughts of returning and amendment think not that there is a satisfaction due for by-pass'd wanderings and therefore they passe by Christ and consider not the necessity of returning to him and by him to the Father 2. He brings them back into the way of life Ye are returned but think not this is by their own knowledge and skill that they discover their errour and find out the right path and by their own strength return into it No if we would contest Grammaticisms the word here is passive ye are returned reduc'd or caused to return But this truth hangs not on so weak notions as are often us'd either for or against it In that Prophecy Ezek. 34.16 I will seek and bring again c. and Psa. 23. Ver. 3. He restoreth or returneth My Soul And that this is the work of this Shepherd the Lord Jesus God-man is clear and frequent in the Gospel He came for this very end 't was his errand and business in the world to seek and to save that which was lost And in that parable he goes after that which is lost untill he find it and then having found it doth not only show it the way and say to it return and leaves it to come after but he layes it on his shoulder and brings it home and notwithstanding all his pains in stead of complaining against it for wandering he rejoyces in that he hath found and recovered it he layes it on his shoulder rejoycing and in this there is as much of the resemblance as in any other thing Lost Man can no more return unsought than a Sheep that wandereth which is observ'd of all Creatures to have least of that skill Men may have some confus'd thoughts of returning But to know the way and to come home unless they be sought out they cannot this is David's suite though acquaited with the fold Lord seek thy Servant This did our great and good Shepherd through those difficult wayes he was to passe for our finding wherein he not only hazarded but realy laid down his life and those shoulders that did bear the iniquity of our wandring by expiation upon the same doth he bear and bring us back from it by effectual conversion 3. He keeps and leads us on in that way into which he hath reduc'd us he Leaves us not again to try our own skill if we can walk to Heaven alone being set into the path of it But he still conducts us in it by his own hand and that 's the cause of our persistance in it and attaining the blessed end of it He returneth my Soul sayes the Psalmist and that 's not all he addes he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his names sake by those paths are the green pastures meant and the still waters that he speaks of And thus we may be resolv'd if we are of his flock are we led in the paths of righteousness Do we delight our selves in him and his ways Are they the proper refreshment of our Souls Do we find his word sweet unto our Taste Are we taken with the green pastures in it and the Cristall Streams of Consolations that glide through it Can we discern his voyce and does it draw our hearts so that we follow it Ioh. 10. c. The Shepherd and Bishop It was the stile of Kings to be called Shepherds and it is the dignity of the Ministers of the Gospel to have both these names But this great Shepherd and Bishop is peculiarly worthy of these Names as supeme he alone Universall Shepherd and Bishop and none but an Antichrist that makes himself as Christ that kills and destroys the flock will assume this Title that belongs only to the Lord the great owner of his Flock he himself is their great Shepherd and Bishop All Shepherds and Bishops that are truely such have their function and place from him hold of
him and follow his Rules and example in their inspection of the flock it were the happiness of Kingdomes if Magistrates and Kings would set him his love and meekness and equity before their eyes in their government And all those that are properly his Bishops are especially oblig'd to study this pattern to warm their affections to the flock and tender care of their salvation by looking on this Arch-bishop and Arch-shepherd as our Apostle calls him and in their measure to follow his foot-steps spending their life and strength in seeking the good of his sheep considering that they are subordinately Shepherds of Souls that is in Spiriâ—ual things so communicable The Lord Jesus is supremely and singularly such they under him Shepherds of Souls Because their diligence concernes the Soul which excludes not the body in Spiritual respects as it is capable of things Spiritual and Eternal by its Union with the Soul But Christ is Soveraign Shepherd of Souls above all and singular in that he not only teaches them the Doctrine of Salvation but purchas'd Salvation for them and reaches the Soul powerfully which Ministers by their own power cannot do he layes hold on it and reduces and leads it and causes it to walk in his wayes In this sense it agrees to him alone as Supreme in the incommunicable sense And from his Conduct and Power and Love flowes all the comfort of his flock considering their own folly and weakness This alone gives them confidence that his hand guides them and they believe his strength far surpassing that of the roaring Lyon Ioh. 10 28 29 30. His wisdom in knowing their particular estate and their weakness and his tender love pitying them and applying himself to it Other Shepherds even faithfull ones may mistake them and not know the way of leading them in some particulars and may be sometimes wanting in that tender affection that they ow and if they have that yet are not able to bear them up and support them powerfully But this Shepherd is perfect in all these Isa. 40.11 The young and weak Christian or the Elder at weak times when they are big and heavy with some inward exercise of mind which shall bring forth advantage and peace afterwards to them Them he leads gently and uses them with Tenderness that their weakness requires And generally he provides for his Flock and heals them when they are any way hurt and washes and makes them fruitful So that they are as that Flock used in the comparison Cant. 4.2 They are comely but their shepherd much more Formosi pecoris Custos formosior They are given him in the Fathers purpose and choice and so they that return even while they wander are Sheep in some other sense than the rest that perish They are in the secret love of election of Christs Sheep fold tho' not actually yet brought into it but when his time comes wheresoever they wander and how farr off soever even those that have strayed most yet he reduces them and rejoyces Heaven with their return and leads them till he bring them to partake of the joy that is there That 's the end of their way wherein he guides them Ioh. 10.27 28. They hear my voice and follow me and it shall not repent them to do so to follow him is to follow life he is the life And he is in that Glory which we desire And where would we be if not there where he is Who at his parting from the world said where I am there they shall be also To this happy Meeting and Heavenly abode God of his Infinite mercy bring us Through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS Errata Page 3 line ult Apostl read Apostle p. 10 l. 6. vainglory r. vain glory p. 16 l. 12 oded r. obedience p. 19 l. 8 eternal r. external p. 20 l. 17 commaud r. command p. 34 l. 23 blessiings r. blessings l. 24 valluable r. valuable p. 35 l. 25 ou r. ouâ— p. 38 l. 4. natucal r. natural p. â—â— l. abliâ— r. ability p. 41 l. last Thefore r. Therefore p. 42 l. 29 they have r. they livy p. 43 l. 26 slâ—gard r sluggard p. 44 l. 15 assurence r. assurance l. 23 woldley r. worldly p. 114 l. 13 intelligeable r. intelligible p. 116 l. 7 waiing r. waiting l. 8 darkei r. darkness 121 l. 10 soretold r. foretold p. 114 l. 4 underdand r. understand p. 132 l. 11 no stop after them p. 135 l. 4 wtih r. with p. 145 l. 2 porsperity r. prosperity p. 147 l. 11. Christain r. Christian p. 149 l. 17 impossiable r. impossible p. 150 l. 16 doctine r. doctrine p. 152 l. 27. perfane r. profane l. antependt paculiar r. peculiar p. 174 l. 25 temperal r. temporal p. 185 l. 11. his r. all p. 181 l. 10 appearnce r. appearance l. last tiemes r. times p. 191 l. 24 aud r. and 192 ult made delend p. 194 antepenult cecevied r. received p. 196 l. 6 brethen r. brethren p. 198 l. 18 Evangelist r. Evangelists p. 209 l. 10 is r. it p. 239 l. last Covenants r. Covenant p. 246. l. 30 Ehp. r. Eph. p. â—46 l. 14 way r. may p. 258 l. 1 this esteem precious r. this esteem Precious p. 261 actrive r. active p. 264 l. 19 Priestood r. Priesthood accept to God as here fei r. text r. acc to God as h. f. â— t. text p. 276 l. 22 speak of r. speak of p. 280 l. 29 speaks of hard c. r. speaks of hard c. p. 282 l. 25 shalln or r. shall not l. 31 caulling r. calling p. 303 l. last ceremoany r. ceremony p. 307 l. 14 poriton r. portion p. 315 l. 39 is r. it p 336 l. 12 their r. there p. 372 l. 13 partacular r. particular p. 377 l. 23 thlng r. thing p. 432 l. ult wha the r. what he p. 481 l. 27 es r. us Quam suave est istis suavitatibus carere Aug. Pauperis est numerare pecus Res severae est verum gaudium Sen. â—audaemel â—is dulcedinem quantum potes qui non gustaverit non Intelligeâ— Aug.