he will break off you also And indeed for their pride and haughtinesse of minde they are at this day broken off Christ that walks between the seven golden Candlesticks did never say that the Church of Smyrna or Ephesus should alwaies remaine a visible Church to the eyes of the world neither were they for to this very day they lie under bondage and slavery to the Turke The Mount hath bin alwaies visible though not alwaies alike gloriously visible for there will be a time when the Church shall fly into the wildernesse where then shall be the glorious visibility of the Church there is a time when all shall follow the beast the Papists themselves confesse that in Antichrists time the Church shall scarce be visible The essence of a thing and the quality of a thing may differ The Church is a Church and visible but not alwaies equally and alike gloriously visible yet those that had spirituall eyes and did looke upon things with the spectacles of the Scripture they could alwaies declare the Church was visible for from the beginning of the world the Church had alwaies lustre enough sufficient to delight and draw the elect and so shall have to the end of the world though sometimes the Church may have a mist before it as Austin speakes It is no wonder that thou canst not see a mountaine for thou hast no eyes But the Papists have seen this mountaine as they have alwaies bin bloody persecutors of the Church they have seen enough to confound them For we have nothing in our Church but they have the same onely ours is refined and freed from Idolatry Wee have two Sacraments they have seven Wee have Scripture they have traditions which they equall with it Wee have Scriptures pure they corrupt So that our Church was in the midst of theirs as a sound and more uncorrupt part in a corrupt body This mountaine is the Church Rev. 14. 1. The Lambe standeth upon Mount Sion and with him a hundred fourty and foure thousand having his Fathers name written in their foreheads Christ standeth in the Church and standing in Mount Sion he is accompanied with those that his Father hath given to him before the world was therefore those that belong to this holy Mountaine they are Christs And in this Mountaine shall the Lord of hosts make a feast for all people And this feast is a royall feast a marriage feast wherin the joy and comfort of Gods people are set down by that which is most comfortable among men The founder of the feast is the Lord of hoasts It is onely he that is able to prepare a table in the wildernesse that is mighty and of ability to feast his Church with a spirituall and holy banquet We all live at his table for the feeding of our bodies but much more in regard of our soules He can make a feast for the whole man for he is Lord of the conscience and he is to spread a table for the whole world nay more if there were so many he can furnish a table for ten thousand worlds he is the God of all spirituall comforts and the God of all consolation He is infinite and can never be drawne dry for he is the fountaine of eternall life All graces and comforts in the Scripture are called the comforts and graces of the holy Spirit because God is the giver of them by his Spirit Who can take away the wound of a guilty conscience but he that hath set the conscience in the hearts of men Hee if hee pleaseth can take away the burden of a grieved conscience and supply it instead thereof with new and solid comforts He knoweth all the windings and turnings of the soule where all the paine and griefe lieth and he cannot but know it because he onely is above the soule He is therefore the fittest to make the soule a feast he only can do it and he will do it In this Mountaine shall the Lord of Hoasts make a feast Why is he called the Lord of Hoasts It is an usuall terme to set forth the glory of God to make his power and the greatnesse of his Majesty known amongst the children of men He shall make a feast for all people Those that are invited to this glorious feast are all people none excepted none excluded that will come in to Christ some of all sorts of all nations of all languages this hath relation to the time of the Gospel The Church at first had its being in particular families but afterwards more inlarged The Church at the first was of the daughters of men and the sonnes of God the children of the Church mingled with a generation of corrupt persons that would keepe in no bounds but after Abrahams time there was another generation of the Church that so it was a little more inlarged Then there was a third generation a divided generation consisting of Jewes and Gentiles So that when Christ came into the world the bounds of the Church began to inlarge themselves more and more so that now it is in this happy condition Come ye all unto me all that are heavy laden both Jewes and Gentiles all are invited whosoever they are nothing is now uncleane Act. 10. 15. Christ is come and hath made to all people a feast of fat things it must be a feast and of fat things for all the world shall be the better for it The Jewes shall be converted and the fullnesse of the Gentiles shall come in And yet it is no prejudice to any particular man because the things ye are to tast of are spirituall Go to all the good things in the world the more one hath of them the lesse another must have because they are earthly and so are finite but in spirituall things all may have the whole and every man in particular Every man enjoyeth the light of the Sunne in particular and all enjoy it too So the whole Church and onely the Church injoyes the benefit and comfort of this feast but under the name of this Church come all the elect both Jewes and Gentiles and therefore it must be the Lord of Hoasts that can make such a feast as this is a feast for all people No other is able to doe it This feast is a feast of fat things full of marrow and of wine on the lees well refined the best that can be imagined the best of the best A feast is promised a spirituall feast The speciall graces and favours of God are compared to a feast made up of the best things full of all varieties and excellencies and the chiefe dish that is all in all is Christ and all the gracious benefits wee by promise can in any wise expect from him All other favours and blessings whatsoever they are are but Christ dished out as I may so speake in severall offices and attributes he is the originall of comfort the principle of grace and holinesse all is
the Holy Spirit sent by Christ procured by the death of Christ the Angells at this Feast attend us therefore it must needs be joyfull no joy comparable to the joy of a Feast this is not every Feast this is a marriage Feast at which we are contracted to Christ Now of all Feasts marriage Feasts are most sumptuous this is a marriage Feast for the Kings Son for Christ himselfe and therefore of necessity it must be full of all choice varieties and of the sweetest of things of the most excellentest of things and of the quintescence of things Here is all joy that belongeth to a feast Here it is to be had with Christ what acquaintance can be more glorious then that which is to be had between Jesus Christ and a christian soule when we have hope of better things to come then we finde the sweetnesse of this communion No harmony in the world can be so sweet as the harmony maintained between Christ and the soule When we have this and are made one with God in Christ our joy must needs then be unspeakable When the contract is once made between the soule and Christ there cannot but be aboundant joy when the soule is joyned with Christ by faith it cannot but solace it selfe in a perpetuall jubile and a perpetuall feast in some degrees Againe for a Feast ye have the choicest garments as at the marriage of the Lambe White and fine linnen which is the righteousnesse of the Saints When God seeth these robes upon us and the spirit of Christ in us then there is a robe of righteousnesse imputed and a garment of sanctity whereby our soules are cloathed so this is a Feast that must have wonderfull glorious attire and when this marriage shall be consummated we are sure to have a garment of glory put upon us This was signified in old time by the Jewes in the Feast of the Passeover not to name all resemblances but onely one or two The Lambe for the Passeover you know was chosen out of the flocke from amongst the rest foure daies before the time appointed for that Feast So Christ is the true Paschall Lambe chosen of God before the foundation of the world was laid to be slaine for us Againe Manna was a type of Christ it came from Heaven to feed the hungry bodies of the Israelites in the wildernesse even so came Christ sent from God the Father to be the eternall food and upholder of the soules and bodies of every one of us Manna was white and sweet so is Christ white in righteousnesse and holinesse and also sweet to delight the soule Manna fell upon the tents in the night And Christ came when darknesse was spread over all the world God gave Manna freely from Heaven so Christ was a free gift and he freely gave himselfe to death even to the cursed death of the crosse for us All both poore and rich they gathered Manna Christ is a common food for King and subject all take part of Christ neither Jew nor Gentile are exempted but all may come and buy freely without money Of this Manna he that had least had enough so here he that hath least of Christ though he take him with a trembling hand yet he shall have enough for Christ is his whosoever hath the least grace if it be true and sound hath grace enough to bring him to eternall life The Jewes wondred at the Manna saying what thing is this So it is one of Christs names to be called wonderfull Isaiah 9. 6. Grace and favour from Christ is true spirituall Manna to the soule Manna fell in the wildernesse even so musst we remaine in the wildernesse of this wretched world untill we come to Heaven Christ is Manna to us and very sweet in the conveyance of his Word and Sacraments When the Israelites came into the Land of Canaan the Manna ceased not before so when we come to Heaven the Elects purchased possession we shall have another kind of Manna for our soules we shall not there feed on Christ as in the Sacrament no but we shall see him face to face and know as we are knowne In the wildernesse of this world it is fit God should convey this Heavenly Manna to the soule whatsoever way he pleaseth Manna could not fall untill the Israelites had spent all the provision they brought with them out of Egypt and we cannot tast of that heavenly Manna of our Father untill our soules are drawne away from all worldly dependencies and carnall delights then indeed Manna will be sweet and precious What is this heavenly Manna what is Christ and his Father what is the word and Sacraments to a depraved vitious heart stuffed full with earthly vanities alas it loatheth all these As none tasted of Manna but those that came out of Egypt so none shall taste of Christ but those that are not of the world that are come out of Egypt out of sinne and darknesse Manna fell onely about the tents of Israell and in no other part of the world but only there that none might have the priviledge to eate of it but Gods peculiar chosen ones Christ falls upon the tents of the righteous and none shall taste of this blessed spirituall food but such as are the Israell of God such as are of the Church such as feele the burthen of sinne and groane under it oh the very taste of this heavenly Manna is sweet to their soules and to none but them Thus yee see the Feast that Christ maketh for us in Mount Syon and that this Manna doth typifie Christ with all his benefits Againe the hard rocke in the wildernesse when it was strucken with the rod of Moses presently water gushed out in abundance which preserved life to the Israelites so Christ the rocke of our salvation the strength of his Church the rocke and fortresse of all his Saints when his precious side was gored with the bloudy lance upon the crosse that the blood gushed out and in such a manner and such abundance that by the shedding thereof our soules are preserved alive He is both Manna and the rocke of water Manna had all in it so had the rocke and all necessities are plentifully supplied by Christ The Church of God hath alwaies had bread to satisfie spirituall hunger it never wanted necessary comfots It is said Rev. 12. When the Church fled into the wildernesse God fed her there alluding to the children of Israell fed by Manna The Jewes did not want in the wildernesse nor the Church of God never wanted comfort though in the midst of the persecution and oppression of all her enemies When Elias was in the wildernesse he was fed The Church of God shall not onely be fed in her body but in her soule for Christ hath hidden Manna for his Elect this doth typifie the exceeding joy of the Church the hidden Manna that neither eye hath seen nor eare heard of neither
and life goeth together with a christian as Christ saith he is the light of the world and the life of the world First light for life commeth with light and light conveyeth life All grace is dropt into the will through the understanding and wheresoever Christ is life he is light because true knowledge is a transforming knowledge but if religion be not knowne to purpose it hardens and makes worse We are now by Gods good providence come to farther businesse to partake of these mysteries yet it should be the desire of our soules that our eyes may be opened that in these divine and precious mysteries he would discover hidden love which is not seen with the eyes of the body they may see and taste and relish his love and goodnesse in Jesus Christ that as the outward man is refreshed with the elements so the inward man may be refreshed with his spirit that they may be effectuall to us that we may justifie the course God takes so farre as to come charitably and joyfully to them THE Fourth Sermon ISAIAH 25. 7 8. I will destroy in this Mountaine the face of the covering cast over all people and the vaile that is spread over all Nations He will swallow up death in victory c. WE have heretofore at large spoken of the spirituall and eternall favors of God set out in the former Verse In this Mountain will the Lord of Hosts make a Feast of fat things While our soule is in the body it is much guided by our fancy spirituall things are therefore presented by outward and conveyed to the soule that way onely we must remember that there is a farre greater excellency in the things themselves than in their representation for what is all Banquets fatnesse with Marrow Wine on the Lees to the joy and sweetnesse of Religion begun here and accomplished in the world to come In Christ there is nothing but all Marrow and sweetnesse in Religion that may refresh a man in the lowest condition if hee can but have a taste of it Now because the spirituall things of Christ doe us no good as long as they are hid therefore the Holy Ghost setteth downe a Promise That God will take away the covering cast on all people and the vaile spread over all Nations But there be some things that will dampe all mirth Now here is security against them that our joy may bee compleat and this in the next verse to which I now come Hee will swallow up death in victory hee will wipe away teares from all faces The Prophet having spoken of a great Feast before an excellent Feast sets forth here the services of that feast what is it that accompanies it First of all there shall be light to discover the excellency of the feast the vaile is taken away and a knowledge given to know divine things in a spirituall manner Then which will damp all feasts the feare of death is taken away He will swallow up death in victory and wipe away all tears that is all sorrow the effect is put for the cause This is an excellent promise an excellent Service in this spirituall banquet Suppose a man were set at a Feast furnished with all Delicates royally attended Cloaths suitable and had a Sword hung over his head ready to fall upon him it would cast such a dampe on his spirit as would spoile the joy of this feast So to heare of Spirituall excellencies and yet death and hell and damnation comming along alas where is the comfort you speake of And therefore to make the feast more perfect there is not onely light and knowledge but removall of it ever may dampe the feast So this must needs come in to comfort all the rest He shall swallow up death in victory and wipe away tears from all faces Death is here represented to us under the word victory as a Combatant as one that we are to fight withall a Captaine And then here is the victory of him Christ overcomes him and overcomes him gloriously It is not onely a Conquest but a swallowing of him up Usually God useth all sorts of enemies in their owne kinde he causeth them that spoile to be spoyled them that swallow up to be swallowed up So Death the great swallower shall be swallowed up Beloved Death is the great King of Kings and the Emperor of Emperors the great Captaine and ruling King of the world for no King hath such Dominion as Death hath it spreads its government and victory over all Nations he is equall though a Tyrant As a Tyrant spares none he is equall in this he subdueth young and old poore and rich he levels Scepters and Spades together he levels all there is no difference between the dust of an Emperor and the meanest man he is a Tyrant that governeth over all And so there is this equity in him he spares none He hath continued from the beginning of the world to this time but he is a Tyrant brought in by our selves Rom. 5. Sin let in Death it opened the doore death is no Creature of Gods making Satan brought in sin and sinne brought in death So that we be accessary our selves to the powerfull stroak of this prevailing Tyrant And therefore sinne is called the cause of death Sinne brought in death and armeth death the weapon that death fights with and causeth great terror it is sinne The cause is armed with the power of the wrath of God for sinne the feare of hell and damnation So that wrath and hell and damnation arming sinne it bringeth a sting of it self and put as venome into death All cares and feares and sorrowes and sicknesses are lesse and petty deaths harbingers to death it selfe but the attendants that follow this great King are worst of all As Rev. 6. I saw a pale horse and death upon it and after him comes hell what were death if it were not for the Pit and Dungeon that followeth it So that death is attended with hell and hell with eternity Therefore here is a strange kind of prevailing There is no victory where there is no enemy and therefore death must needs be an enemy yea it is the worst enemy and the last enemy Death is not planted in the forlorne hope but it is planted at last for the greatest advantage and is a great enemy what doth death It depriveth us of all comfort pleasure communion with one another in this life callings or whatsoever else is comfortable The grave is the house of oblivion Death is terrible of it selfe even to nature as Augustine saith where it is not swallowed up of Christ for it is an evill in it selfe and as I said armed with a sting of sinne after which followes Hell Now this death is swallowed up When the Scripture puts a person upon death it is not uncomly for us to speak as the Scripture doth The Scripture puts a persouupon death and a kind of triumphing spirit in
of the former Verse I will now speak of the next that followeth And I will destroy in this Mountaine the face of covering cast over all people and the vaile spread over all nations to swallow up death in victory the Lord will wipe away teares from all faces and the rebukes of his people shall be taken from the earth for the Lord hath spoken it These depend one upon another being the severall Services of the Feast He promiseth a Feast in the sixth Verse And what be the severall Services He will destroy in this mountaine this Church the face of covering cast over all people c. Hee will take away the vaile of Ignorance and unbeliefe that they may have speciall sight of heavenly things without which they cannot relish heavenly things they can take no joy at this Feast And then because there can be no Feast where there is the greatest enemy in force and power he swallowes up death in victorie Death keeps us in feare all our life time that that swalloweth up all Kings and Monarchs the terror of the World Death shall bee and is swallowed up by our head Christ and shall be swallowed up by us in victory In the meane time we are subject to many sorrowes which cause teares for teares are but drops that issue from that cloud of sorrow And sorrow we have alwayes in this world either from our sinnes or miseries or simpathy in teares of that kinde Well the time will come that teares shall bee wiped away and the cause of teares all sorrow for our owne sinnes for our own misery and for simpathizing with the times wherein we live Our time shall bee hereafter at the day of the resurrection when all teares shall be wiped from our eyes God will performe that office of a mother to wipe the childrens eyes or of a Nurse to take away all cause of grief whatsoever else it cannot be a perfect feast I but there is reproaches cast upon Religion and religious persons it goeth under a vaile of reproach and the best things are not seene in their owne colours nor the worst things they go under vizards here But the time will come that the rebukes of his people shall be taken away The good things as they are best so shall they be knowne to bee so And sinne and base courses as they are bad and as they are from Hell so they shall be knowne to be every thing shall appear in its owne colours things shall not goe masked any longer And what is the seal of all this The seal of it is The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it truth it selfe hath spoken it and therefore it must needs be Jehovah that can give a being to all things he hath said it Wee have heard why the Church is called a Mountaine He will destroy or swallow up as the word may signifie the face of covering or the covering of the face the vaile which is the covering of the face and particularly exprest in that terme alwayes the vaile that is spread over all Nations God will take away the spirituall vaile that covers the Soules of his people that is between them and divine truths It hath allusion to that of Exodus 34 about Moses when he came from the Mount he had a vaile for the people could not behold him hee had a glory put upon his face that they could not look upon him with a direct eye and therefore he was faine to put a vail upon his face to shew that the Jews could not see as Paul interprets it 2 Cor. 3. 15. To this day saith hee when Moses is read there is a vaile put upon their hearts they could not see that the Law was a Schoole-master to bring to Christ the Ceremoniall Law and the Morall Law God had a blessed end by the curse of it to bring them to Christ They rested in the vaile their sight was terminated in the vaile they could not see through to the end and scope of it Neverthelesse when they shall turne to the Lord the vaile shall be taken away From the words consider first of all that naturally there is a vaile of ignorance upon the soule Secondly God doth take away his vaile and God by his Spirit onely can doe it Thirdly that this is onely in his Church And where this vaile of ignorance is taken off there is feasting with God and spirituall joy and delight in the best order And where it is taken off there is none of it First of all by nature there is a vaile of covering over all mens spirits To understand this better let us unfold the termes of vaile a little There is a vaile either upon the things themselves that are to bee seen or upon the soule which should behold them The vaile of things themselves is when they be hidden altogether or in part when we know part and are ignorant of part And this vaile upon the things ariseth from the weak apprehension of them when they are not represented in cleare expressions but in obscurity of words or in types When we see them onely in types or obscure phrases which hideth sometime the sight of the thing it selfe The manner of Speech sometimes casteth a vaile on things for our Saviour Christ spake in Parables which were like the cloud darke on the one side light on the other darke towards the Egyptians light towards the Israelites So some expressions of Scripture have a light side that onely the godly see and a darke side that other men good wit as naturall men see not Againe there is a vaile upon the Soule and upon the Sight if the things be vailed or the sight vailed there is no sight Now the soule is vailed when we be ignorant and unbeleeving when we are ignorant of what is spoken and revealed or when we know the termes of it and yet beleeve it not Now this vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe continueth in all unregenerate men untill grace takes away the vaile Besides before a thing can be seene the object must not onely be made cleare and the eye-sight too but there must be Lumen deferens a light to carry the object to the eye If that be not wee cannot see As the Egyptians in the three dayes of darknesse had their eyes but there wanted light to represent the object And therefore they could not goe neare one to another it is the light and not sight if there be sight and no light to carry and convey the object we cannot say there is sight That which answereth to this vaile is the vaile of Scripture whereby heavenly things are set out by a mistery a mistery is when something is openly shewed and something hidden When something is concealed as in the Sacrament they be mysteries we see the bread we see the wine but under the bread and wine other things are intended the breaking of the body of Christ and the shedding of his
hath overcome the the fear of death once what more is to be done What if they take away life they cannot take away that that is better than life the favor of God If we dye in the Lord we dye in the favor of God which is better than life and we shall be found in the Lord at the day of judgement and shall bee for ever with the Lord in heaven and therfore this is a ground of resolution in good causes notwithstanding all threats whatsoever because death it selfe is swallowed up in victory The worst the world can doe is to take away this Nature of ours when they have done that they have done all they can and when they have done that they have done a pleasure That is not to be feared saith Tertullian that frees us from all that is to be feared What is to be feared in the world every sicknesse every disgrace why death frees us from all We doe see every day takes away a peece of ones life and when death commeth it overthroweth it selfe for the soule goeth presently to the place of happinesse the body sleepeth awhile and death hath no more power He that beleeveth in mee saith Christ hee shall not see death but is past from death to life He shall not see spirituall death but as he lives in Christ shall dye in Christ and rise againe in Christ He that hath the life of grace begun shall have it consummate without interruption It s a point of wonderfull Comfort that death is so overcome that we bee in heaven already And it is no hard speech but stands with the truth of other points for are not Christ and we all one his body is there and is not he the head of his mysticall body hee that carried his naturall body will not hee carry his mysticall body thither too will hee bee in piece-meale in heaven Therefore we are in heaven already the best part of us We are represented in heaven for Christ represents us there as the Husband doth the Wife He hath taken up Heaven for us Christ cannot be divided as Austine saith we sit in heavenly places already with Christ And what a comfort is this that while wee live we are in heaven and that death cannot hinder us from our Resurrection which is the restoring of all things And therefore as the Apostle saith Comfort one another with these things These things indeed have much comfort in them Let us labour then to bee comfortable this use the Apostle makes of it and fruitfull in our places upon consideration of the victory we have by Christ 1 Cor. 15. It is an excellent Chapter that largely proveth Christs victory as the cause of our victory because hee is the first fruit that sanctifieth all the rest Finally my bretheren bee constant immoveable alwayes abound in the works of the Lord knowing that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. He raiseth that exhortation of fruitfulnesse and constancy from this very ground of the victory Christ hath gotten by death O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory thanks bee to God through Jesus Christ And therefore be constant immovable alwayes abounding in the worke of the Lord knowing that your labour shall not be in vaine in the Lord Make that use the Apostle doth of fruitfulnesse to God for Christ that we can thinke of death and sinne the devill and all his malice and not be afraid yea thinke of them all with comfort that we be not onely freed from their tyranny but they bee our friends Christ hath the Key of Hell and Death a saying taken from the custome of Governours that carryed the Key he hath the Government and Command of Hell and Death Now if Christ hath command of Death he will not suffer Death to hurt his Members or triumph alwayes over them he will keep them in the grave Our bodies are safe in the grave the dust is fitted for a heavenly for another manner of body than we have now and Christ that hath the Key will let them out againe Therefore trust awhile till times of restoring come and then we shall have a glorious soule and glorious body as the Apostle saith I beseech you think of these things and get comfort against the evill day And to that end be sure to get into Christ that wee may bee in Christ living and dying and bee found in Christ For what saith the Scripture Blessed are they that dye in the Lord. It is an argument of blessednesse to dye for the Lord but if it be not in the Lord it is to no purpose If there is granted this happinesse of dying for the Lord it is well but blessed are they that dye in the Lord. Why they rest from their labour Death takes them off from their labours All their good Workes goe to heaven with them So saith the Spirit whatsoever the Flesh saith and there is no resting till that time their life is full of troubles and combers and therefore labour to get assurance that wee are in Christ that wee bee in Christ and dye in Christ and then there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ How besotted are wee to put away preparation of Death till it comes he that forgets Christ and getting into Christ all his life time it is Gods just judgment that he should forget himself in death We see how a villaine that hath no care of his owne life may have power of another mans life And therefore labour to bee ingraffed into Christ by faith and that we may know it by the Spirit of Christ prevailing in us over our naturall Corruptions more and more As the Apostle saith There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ for the spirit of life the Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ hath freed me from the Law of sinne and death the condemning law of sinne If the Law of the spirit of life which is in Christ the head be in us in any measure it frees us from the condemning law of sinne that it carrieth us not whither it would then wee may say with comfort There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ for the law of the spirit of life in Christ hath freed us from the condemning tyrannizing law of sinne and death Sinne hath no Law It is in us as a subdued Rebell but it sets not up a Throne Some hope to bee saved by Christ and yet they set up sinne a Throne in the soule Sinne biddeth them defile themselves and they must obey it This is a wofull estate how can they expect to dye in the Lord but such as are freed by the Law of the Spirit of life New Lords new Lawes When Kings Conquer they bring fundamentall Lawes and when wee are taken from Satans Kingdome into the Kingdome of Christ the fundamentall Lawes are then altered Christ by his Spirit sets up a Law of believing
excellent society 3 Is a Mountaine 1. Hath strong foundations 4 2. Is in some measure visible ib. Of the Marriage feast between Christ and his Church 5 The Lord of Hosts is the founder of this feast 6 Some of all sorts invited to this feast 1. Iewes 2. Gentiles 7 Christ is the chief dish and greatest chear at this feast 8 Christ and his benefits fitly compared to a feast 8 1. Because all we have in Christ is of the best things 8 2. Much variety in Christ 9 3. Fulnesse and sufficiency is to be had in Christ 10 4. Because there is much company here 11 5. There is rich attire worne at this feast 12 This Gospel-feast was typed out 1. By the Paschall Lamb. 12 2. By Manna 12 3. By the Rock 14 4. By the Jewish festivall 15 A comparison between Christ and Manna 13 The sacrament of the Lords super is this feast specially 15 We ought to be prepared for this feast 1. Get large hearts 16 2. Spirituall appetite 16 Means to get spirituall appetite to this feast 17 1. Sense of sinne 17 2. Purge the soule from sinfull corruptions 18 3. Spirituall exercise and activenesse for God 19 4. Holy company 20 5. Consideration of the danger of Spiritual famine 20 We must get a spirituall taste and spirituall sences 21 1. To relish what is good 22 To disrelish and reject what is evill 22 We must get a spirituall Digestion 23 and wait in the strength of this heavenly feast 23 Consequents of the Gospel-feast are 24 1. Chearfulnesse 25 2. Thankfulnesse 25 3. Iustifying of the wayes of God and Religion 25 Religion doth not make people melancholy 26 A Christian at his worst condition is better than a worldlings best 27 We must labour to have a part and portion at this feast and to honour Gods bounty 28 29 We must bring empty soules unto this feast 32 Connexion between the sixth and seventh verst 33 Of the Vaile that is over mens hearts 35 All men naturally have such a Vaile 35 There is a Vaile over spirituall things for they are hid 35 36. Naturall men 1. Want spirituall sight 36 light 36 2. Are ignorant 3. See not spirituall things spiritually 38 4. Have light without heat 39 5. Are unbelievers 40 Ignorance and unbeliefe acts in every sinne 41 God onely can take away this vaile 42 Men nor Angels cannot remove it 42 43 44 Onely Gods people have this vaile removed 44 Where this vaile is removed there is a Feast 45 We ought to use meanes to have this vaile taken off 46 47 1. By attending upon Ordinances 48 2. By practising what we know 49 3. By praying unto God 50 When the vaile is taken off from the heart then 1. A Christian will wonder at the things of faith 51 2. Desire more and more to know them 51 3. This vaile hath been removed by the Word 51 4. A Christians knowledge is a transforming knowledge 52 Of Death and Christs victory over Death 55 Death is 1. The King of Feares 56 2. Spares none 56 3. Is let in by sinne 56 4. Is attended on by Hell 56 Christ swallowes up death in victory 1. By satisfying for sin 57 2. By his suffering death 59 60 We ought to believe that death is conquered to us 60 We ought to be one with Christ crucified 61 70 We must be thankfull unto God 1. For victory over death 62 2. For benefits by death 62 The slavish feare of Death is unbecomming a Christian 62 63 67. Death is conquered to a Beleever though he die 63 64 Death is terrible to wicked men 64 Duellists foolishly out-brave death 65 Death to Gods children not onely a conquered enemy but is made a friend 66 c. Of Christians Teares 72 Good men are apt to weep 1. For sinne of others 74 75 2. Miseries of others 74 75 We ought to weep 74 and yet to rejoyce 76 God will wipe away all teares 77 78 God is a God of tender mercy 79 Christians are not to bee judged by appearance and by their sufferings 81 Christians have a mixt condition and a mixt disposition 82 There was no sorrow in Paradise and shall be none in heaven 84 Sinne is the greatest cause of sorrow 85 Mourning accepted from them that cannot weep 86 Then a Christians teares are right when 1. They spring from the love of God 86 2. When we weep for our owne sinnes 87 3. When they are secret 87 4. When they are reforming 88 Of the Rebukes and reproaches of Gods people 89 Christ and his members subject unto reproaches 89 90 Wicked reproach the godly from the enmity of 2 seeds 91 Wee must not be scandalls to Religion nor scandalized at the reproaches of it 92 Christ will take away reproaches from his people and will vindicate them 93 Directions how to carry our selves under Reproaches 94 1. Be patient 94 2. Innocent 94 3. Couragious 95 4. Sincere 95 5. Pray much to God 95 6. Rejoyce and glory in them 96 Of the Holy Scriptures 99 God is the Author of them 99 The scriptures sole supreme judge of controversies 100 The Scriptures may be knowne to be Gods VVord by 1. The Majesty of them 101 2. Their mysteriousnesse 101 3. From Reason 103 4. From Experience 101 5. From the witnesse of the Spirit 102 6. From their efficacy 101 1. In warning the soule 101 2. Changing the soule 101 3. Casting down the soule 101 4. Searching the soule 102 5. And comforting the soule The holy Scriptures are and have been preserved from Corruption 103 VVe ought to heare the word as the word of God 104 God will make good all his promises if we believe 105 We must pray for the Spirit that indited the Scriptures that so we may relish them 106 Of Gods Promises and the performance of them 107 to 112 Gods Promises are full and free and spring from his bounty and are our greatest treasure 111 112. We ought to be ashamed of infidelity in Gods promises 105 It is somtimes long between the promise performāce 113 1. To exercise our faith 113 2. To waine us from creatures 113 3. To indeare the things promised 114 4. And to fit us for the enjoyment 114 Of Waiting upon God 115 We have but a tast here of what we shall have hereaft 115 Waiting carries with it all other graces 116 1. Patience 117 2. Long-suffering 117 3. Contentment 118 4. Silence from murmuring 118 5. Watchfulnesse 118 6. Faithfulnesse 118 Want of waiting cause of much wickednesse 119 All is overcome with waiting 120 God will perform his word to all true waiters 121 152 God keeps the time of performance in his own hands 121 God fully performes his promises in heaven 122 123 124 The things hoped for uphold the heart in waiting 125 God will have his people continue waiting 150 1. That we may live by faith and not by sight 150 2. VVhen we are fitted for what is promised wee
included in Christ Aske of him and yee shall obtaine even the forgivenesse of your sinnes peace of conscience and communion of Saints Aske of Christ as of one invested with all priviledges for the good of others but yet this is by his death he is the feast it selfe he is dished out into promises have you a promise of the pardon of sinnes it is from Christ wouldst thou have peace of conscience it is from Christ justification and redemption it is from Christ the love of God is derived to us by Christ yea and all that we have that is good is but Christ parcelled out Now I will shew why Christ with his benefits prerogatives graces and comforts is compared to a feast First in regard of the choice of the things In a feast all things are of the best so are the things we have in Christ whatsoever favours we have by Christ they are choice ones they are the best of every thing pardon for sin is a pardon of pardon the title we have for heaven through him is a sure title the joy we have by him is the joy of all joyes the liberty and freedom from sin which he purchased for us by his death is perfect freedome the riches of grace we have by him are the only lasting and durable riches take any thing that you can if we have it by Christ it is of the best All worldly excellencies and honours are but meere shadowes to the high excellencies and honour we have in Christ No joy no comfort no peace no riches no inheritance to be compared with the joy peace and inheritance which we have in Christ whatsoever we have by him we have it in a glorious manner And therefore he is compared to fat to fat things full of marrow to wine to wine on the lees that preserveth the freshnesse of it the best wine of all that is not changed from vessell to vessell but keepeth its strength And indeed the strength and vigour of all floweth from Jesus Christ in covenant with us The love of Christ is the best love and he himselfe incomparably the best and hath favours and blessings of the choisest Againe as in a feast besides choice there is variety so in Christ there is variety answerable to all our wants Are we foolish he is wisdome have we guilt in our consciences he is righteousnesse and this righteousnesse is imputed unto us are we defiled he is sanctification are wee in misery he is our redemption If there be a thousand kinds of evils in us there is a thousand waies to remedy them by Jesus Christ Therefore the good things we have by Christ are compared to all the benefits we have in this world in Christ is choice and variety Are we weake he is meat to feed us that we may be strong he will refresh us he is the best of meats he is marrow so are our spirits faint he is wine thus we have in Christ to supply all our wants he is variety There is a plant among the Indians called by the name of Coquus the fruit thereof serveth for meat and drinke to comfort and refresh the body It yeeldeth that whereof the people make apparell to cloath themselves withall and also that which is phisicall very good against the distempers of the body And if God will infuse so much vertue into a poore plant what vertue may we expect to be in Christ himself He feedeth our soules to all eternity puts upon us the roabes of righteousnesse heales the distempers of our soules there is variety in him for all our wants whatsoever He is food physicke and apparell to cloath us and when we are cloathed with him we may with boldnesse stand before the Majesty of God He is all in all He is variety and all There is something in Christ answerable to all the necessities of Gods people and not only so but to their full content in every thing Againe as there is variety in a Feast so there is sufficiency full sufficiency We beheld the only begotten Son of God full of grace and truth And being full of grace He is wise and able to furnish this heavenly banquet with enough of all sorts of provisions fit for the soule to feed upon Ther 's abundance of grace and excellency and sufficiency in Christ And it must needs be because he is a Saviour of Gods owne sending Labour not therefore for the meate that perisheth but for the meat that the Son of God shall give you for him hath God the Father sealed That is sent forth for this purpose to feed the Church of God As there is an all-sufficiency in God so in Christ who by the sacrificing of himselfe was able to give satisfaction to divine justice Therefore saith he My flesh is meate indeed and my bloud is drinke indeed That is spiritually to the soule he is food indeed and can satisfie Gods justice If we consider him as God alone he is a consuming fire or as man alone he can do nothing But considered as God-man he is meate indeed and drinke indeed And now the soule is content with that which Divine justice is contented withall though our consciences be large yet God is larger and above our consciences Therefore as there is variety of excellency so is there sufficiency and fulnesse in Christ what he did he did to the full He is a Saviour and he filleth up that name to the full His pardon for sinne is a full pardon His merits for us are full merits His satisfaction to divine justice a full satisfaction His redemption of our soules and bodies a full redemption thus all he did was full A Feast is for company it is convivium there is converse at it So Cicero preferres the name of convivium among the Latines before the Greeke name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this Feast is not for one we are all invited to it the excellency of Christs Feast consisteth in the Communion of Saints for whosoever takes part of it their spirits must agree one with another Love is the best and chiefest dish in this Feast the more wee partake of the sweetnesse of Christ the more we love one another Christ by his spirit so works in the hearts of the children of men that bring a thousand together of a thousand severall nations and within a little while you shall have them all acquainted one with another if they be good there is agreement of the spirit and a sympathy between them there is a kindred in Christ He is the true Isaack the death of Christ and the bloud of Christ is the ground of all union and joy and comfort whatsoever the bloud of Christ sprinkled upon the conscience will procure that peace of conscience that shall be a continuall Feast unto the soule This Feast must needs be wonderfull comfortable for we do not feast with those that are like our selves but we feast with God the Father and
can it enter into the heart of man to conceive of those joyes that the Church of God shall have when the marriage shall be consummated Joy in the Holy Ghost and peace of conscience they are hid from the world and sometimes from Gods people themselves though they shall injoy them hereafter All the former Feasts in times past were but types of this The Feast of Tabernacles the Feast of the Passeover the spirituall Manna and all other holy Feasts were but to signifie and to shew forth this Feast by Christ But there is this difference between the type and the thing signified by the type the Passeover Lambe was quite eaten up but this Passeover Christ that was slaine for sinne can never be eaten up We feed upon him with our soules he cannot be consumed as the Passeover Lambe nor as Manna which was gone when the Sunne arose yea that Manna that was laid up for a remembrance before the Arke became nothing but Christ is in heaven for evermore for the soule to feed upon Though these were resemblances yet these failed as it is fit resemblances should faile that is come short of the body of the thing it selfe Thus you see the spirituall comforts of a Christian may well and fitly be compared to a Feast Thus you see God provideth a Feast and inviteth all In the Sacrament you have a Feast a Feast of varieties not only bread but wine to shew the variety and fullnesse of comfort in Christ He intendeth full comfort As for our Adversaries the Papists they have dry Feasts they give the people the bread but the wine they keep for themselves but God in Christ intendeth us full comfort whatsoever Christ did it was full his merits are compleat and his joy was full He is fulnesse it selfe and therefore whatsoever comes from him must needs be as he himselfe is both full and sweet He intendeth us full consolation Therefore we ought to be prepared to partake of this Feast in such a manner as that we may have ful joy and ful comfort for there is in Christ enough to satisfie all the hungry soules in the world he himselfe being present at this heavenly banquet All fullnesse dwells in him from which we have all received and grace for grace Therefore let us labour to have large hearts for as our faith groweth more and more so we shall carry more comfort and more strength from this holy Feast As the poore widdow if her vessels had not failed the oyle had not ceased if there had bin more vessels there had been more oyle our soules are as these vessels let us therefore labour and make it our great businesse to have large soules soules capable to drinke in this spirituall oyle of gladnesse for as much faith as we bring to Christ so much comfort we shall carry from him The favours of God in Christ being infinite the more wee fetch from him the more glory we give unto him but if they were finite we should offend his bounty he might soon be drawne dry and so send us away with an uncomfortable answer that he was not able to relieve us But Christ is infinite and the more we have from him the more we may have to him that hath shall be given the oftner we goe to Christ the more honour and glory we bring unto him this is a banquet to the full Wee are now come to the banquet and Christ is the founder of it nay he is the Feast it selfe he is the Author of it and he it is that wee feed upon Let us labour not to be straight receivers of the Sacrament but sucke in abundance from Christ with a great deale of delight That we may come together not for the worse but the better considering what a great deale of strength and grace is required as very necessary for the maintaining of spirituall Life THE Second Sermon ISAIAH 25. 6. In this Mountaine shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a Feast of fat things a Feast of Wines on the Lees of fat things full of Marrow of Wine on the Lees well refined I Have shewed that Christ and his benefits are compared to a Feast and in what respects they are fitly resembled by a Feast and have prest that we should prepare for it first by getting large hearts Now in the second place that we may have comfort at this Feast we must labour for spirituall appetite for to what end and purpose is that man at a Feast that hath no stomack I shall therefore shew what meanes we are to use to get eager stomacks and holy appetites after this Feast 1. The Appetite is raised with soure things as anguish of Spirit and mournfulnesse of heart for sinne if we will ever relish Christ aright we must labour to have a quick apprehension of our sinnes we must do as the Jewes did at the Passeover They eat it with soure Herbs that they might thereby have the sharper stomacks So must we we must cast our eyes into our owne hearts and consider what vile wretches we are how full of sinne and vanity and this will be as soure Herbs to the Paschall Lambe We must joyne the sweet benefits and privileges that wee have in Christ with the consideration of our owne wretched and miserable condition and then this heavenly ordinance cannot but be sweet and comfortable to our soules I beseech you enter into your owne soules and consider seriously under what guilt you lie and this will whet your appetite A full stomack despiseth the honey comb but in this appetite there is sense of emptines from that sense of emptines paine and from pain an earnest desire of satisfaction thus it is in spirituall things we want Christ and all the spirituall comforts that flow from him There is an emptines in us and we see a need every day to feed upon the mercies of God in Christ There is an emptines in our souls there must be a sense of that emptines and pain from that sense which must stir up a strong endeavour to follow after that that we doe desire Then Christ indeed is sweet when wee finde our soules hungring and thirsting after him Againe if so bee wee would have that appetite of Spirit that is fit for this Feast wee must purge our souls from the corruptions of Flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God we must cleanse our soules from those lusts and passions that dayly cleave unto them all crudities must be taken away that the edge of the stomack may not be flatted for while these earthly carnall Corruptions lye upon the soule we can expect no spirituall appetite to heavenly things Let us therefore examine our selves what filth lies upon our soules and what corrupt inclinations are there that so they may be purged and our desires be carryed fully after Christ in the Sacrament Another means to get appetite is to consider
throughly what is required of a Christian well to maintaine the trade of Christianity It s another manner of thing than we we take it for to entertaine Communion with God to performe holy Duties in an holy manner to beare the yoke as a Christian should do Here is a great deal of strength required And because corruptions will mix themselves amongst our best performances there must be a great deal of mercy from God to pardon them And whence is all this but by the death of our blessed Savior Jesus Christ for his sake God hath a forbearing eye Now if we consider what a degree of spirituall strength vigor we should have to go through with these duties this would sharpen our stomacks and spirituall appetites to furnish our selves with grace from Christ to go through with these holy Services There must be an exercising of all the duties of Christianity which is an estate that must be maintained with a great deale of charge and labour A man can doe no service acceptable to God but by grace and grace must feed the soule with fruitfull knowledge in the power of Faith and when the soule feeleth a necessity of grace oh then beloved it hungers and earnestly thirsteth after the love of God in Christ Wee need to every Trade a great deale of knowledge then surely the calling of Christianity needeth a great deale A Christian must expect much both in Prosperity and Adversity as the Apostle saith I have learned to want and to abound to bee in honour and to bee in disgrace and I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens me Now because there is so much goings out for the maintenance of Christianity wee must also bring in much grace and faith and love and holinesse or else we shall never be able to uphold this condition Where there is an exercise of Christianity there willl be an appetite to heaven that is our best calling for when that we have done all that wee can that that wee must have comfort from is Christianity therefore labour with all labour to bee holy and able Christians All other Callings are but for this present life but that that is for eternity is this Calling of Christianity And this is onely to fit us here in this world for an everlasting condition of glory in the world to come Again if we would have a desire and appetite to heavenly things we must labour to get acquaintance and constantly converse with those that are good The old Proverb is Company will make a man fall to especially the company of those that are better than our selves for very emulation men will be doing as others doe When men live amongst those whose hearts are framed this way they must be equall Conversation with those that have good relish of spirituall things and shew forth grace in their lives setteth an appetite upon our desires to desire the same things that they doe Thus St. Paul writeth to the Gentiles to stirre up the emulation of the Jewes Therefore receive this likewise for the procuring of a spirituall appetite To goe on The next thing that may stirre up our desires to get an appetite to the best things is seriously to consider That we cannot tell how long we have to live or may enjoy the benefit of the meanes of grace Those that sit at Table and discourse away the greatest part of Dinner time in talke had need at last to fall to so much the faster by how much the more negligent they had been before in eating We cannot tell how long we may enjoy this spirituall Feast that God makes for us therefore be stirred up to get spirituall appetites for we know not how long God will spread a Table for us we know not how long we shall enjoy our lives and if we be surprised on the suddaine wee may suffer a spirituall Famine a Famine of the soule if wee have nothing to comfort us before hand And of all Famines a spirituall Famine is most grievous most fearfull Therefore doe as Ioseph did and be wise He in the seven yeares of Plenty gathered for seven yeares of Famine that was to come upon the Land of Egypt Alas if we have nothing laid up before hand what will be our end we shall lie open to Gods wrath and anger nothing can support our soules in the evill time wherefore as you desire at that day to have comfort of those things yee shall stand most in need of labour to get a good appetite for to perish and starve at a Feast is a shame to famish in the liberty of the Gospell and plenty of spirituall meat is shamefull and dishonourable Thus you see beloved not to be large in the point how you may procure such an appetite as is fit for such an holy Feast First by getting a sense of sinne Secondly by seeing a necessity of Christ Thirdly by purging out those Lusts that lye upon the soul Fourthly by conversing with those that are spiritually minded And lastly by considering the time to come It is not enough to have a stomack but we must have a spirituall disposition of soule to heavenly things as we have to outward things Labour to have a taste of good things and a distinguishing taste of heavenly things from other things God is the God of nature and hath furnished us with five senses and as he hath given us sense to apprehend so he hath furnished the Creature with varieties of excellencies suitable to all our severall sences he will not have objects in the Creature without sense nor sence in man without objects Hee hath furnished man with senses and variety of senses and given fit and proportionable objects for those senses The soule also hath her sense wheresoever there is life there is sense God having given spirituall life to the soul he doth maintain that life with spiritual food As in a Feast there is sight and the eie is not only fed there with rich furniture but with variety of dainties the ear likewise the smel is satisfied the one with Musick the other with sweet savors So in this Feast there is to delight both the eare and the smell of the soule the one with hearing the gracious promises of Jesus Christ and the other in receiving the sweet savour of that sacrifice that was offered up once for all nothing so sweet to the soule as the blessings of Christ he is sweet in the word as the vessell that conveyeth him into our soules Thus you see in this feast all the senses the sight the smell the taste and hearing all are satisfied and a great care had in the provision for the Feast that our outward man may be pleased And shall the Lord of Hosts make a Feast and not content the whole man he is for our sight if we have spirituall eyes to see the eare if we have eares to heare all the senses are exercised here What is the
reason why carnall men cannot relish a pardon for sinne and justification and sanctification and holinesse nor goe boldly to God It may be they have good sweet notions of these but they have no spirituall taste or relish of them and all because they want spirituall life None but a Christian can have spirituall taste answerable to a spirituall life Taste is a kind of feeling one of the most necessary senses and a Christian cannot be without relish and feeling yea it is the very beeing of a Christian to have a taste of spirituall things Of all other senses there is a stronger application in taste the other senses fetch their objects afarre off but as for taste there is a neer application in it and therefore most necessary every life is maintained by tast Taste and see how good the Lord is Now taste doth two things it doth relish that that is good and disrelish the contrary there must be a spirituall taste to discerne of differences There can be no spirituall taste but it must know what is good and profitable for the soule and what is not because God will not have our tastes to be wronged yee see what course he takes First the eye seeth what things we taste on and if the eye be displeased so also is the smell Thus God layeth before us spirituall things knowledge of good and bad and giveth us many caveats and all because he would not have us to taste things hurtfull for the soule nor poison instead of meate Now when we have tasted that which is good let us take heed it be not a taste onely lest we fall into the sinne against the holy Ghost Againe beside taste there must be a disgesting of what we taste and that throughly in our understandings when we apprehend a thing to be true and good it must be disgested throughly into the affections Love to the best things must be above all other love whatsover yet this must be disgested Men oftentimes have sweet notions but alas they are but notions they doe not disgest them into their affections It is the last disgestion that nourisheth and when any spirituall truths are understood throughly then comes in spirituall strength and hereupon the soule comes and suckes in that virtue which is for the nourishment of it thus it is in the soule upon disgestion there is nourishment Againe there must be a faculty to retaine what wee have received that it maybe disgested yee have many that love to heare but they do not disgest If there be nothing in the soule nothing can be extracted and therefore we must learne to retaine necessary truths that so upon occasion they may come from the memory into the heart though indeed they are not in their proper place when they are in the memory only yet notwithstanding if they are there they may with ease be brought down into the soule Then we must labour to walke in the strength of spirituall things For what is the use of this Feast but to cherish both soule and spirit the use of spirituall things which we have through Christ is to cherish and enliven It conveyeth strength to us that we may walke in the strength of Christ as Elias did fourty daies in the strength of his food And consider though in our consciences and conditions we have variety of changes yet in Christ we have severall comforts suitable to all our severall conditions If so be our sinnes trouble us wee should watch over our selves that wee be not overmuch cast downe but feed upon spirituall things in consideration of pardon for sinne in the bloud of Christ this is the grand issue of all that Christ hath traced out in the forgivenesse of sinnes He is not he cannot be divided where he pardons sinnes he sanctifieth where he sanctifieth he writes his law in their hearts so that there is a chaine of spirituall favours where the first linke is all the rest follow where forgivenesse of sinne is there is the spirit and that spirit sanctifieth and comforts and is an earnest of everlasting life therefore feed especially upon the favours of God and get forgivenesse of sinnes and then all the rest of the chaine of grace and spirituall life will follow Sometimes wee stand in need of present grace and comfort and we are undone if comforts and grace are not at hand never considering the promises that are to come as that promise of Christ I will be with thee to the end of the world feare not No temptation shall befall us but we shall have an issue out of it and it shall worke together for the good of all those that feare God This is Aquavitaeâ—o â—o the soule of man therefore the gracious promises of Christ and his holy Spirit wee should ever remember to get into our soules for when all other comforts faile then commeth in the comforts of the Spirit who will be with us and uphold us in all extremities if we had nothing in this world to comfort our spirits yet let us rejoyce in hope of glory to come Our life is hid with Christ wee have the hidden Manna in him we rejoyce in hope of glory Rom. 5. 2. And the way to maintaine a Christian holy life is to make use of all the privileges of christianity and of those promises that convey these privileges to our soules Now that we may the better do this observe continually what it is that hinders us that we cannot feed upon spirituall things as we should doe whatsoever it is we must labour constantly to remove it Now what must follow after this Feast why spirituall chearefulnesse if we finde this in our duties of Christianity it is a signe we have fed upon spirituall things the nature of a spirituall Feast is to empty the foule of sinne and to fill it full of gracious thoughts and actions instead thereof it moderates all things it makes us use the world as if we used it not when wee can do this we may certainly know that our soules have tasted of abundance of benefit by this Feast A man that hath no spirituall joy is drowned for the most part in the contentments of the world drowned in riches and honours and these are like to strong waters immoderately taken instead of chearing the spirits exhaust and kill them He that hath the joy of heaven here by faith is mortified to all other base delights he only mindeth the things above where Christ is Col. 3. 1. And therefore the exhortation or rather command Seeke the things that are above hath this promise in fit method annex'd unto it and then all other things shall be cast in upon you Riches and honours in the world and if not them yet so much as is necessary and mortification of our sinnes and the lusts of the flesh Againe if we have fed upon spirituall things for our soules we shall be thankfull that man that hath tasted how good
and gracious the Lord hath bin to him in this world and how full of joy and comfort he will be to him in another world in consideration of this his soule cannot choose but be thankfull to God Here we see how to make this spirituall food fit for our soules that Christ provideth for us And if there be such joy as we have said there is in spirituall things what use should we make further of them but labour from hence to justifie the wayes of godlinesse against our owne false and carnall hearts and against the slanderous imputations of the world when our hearts are ready to be false to us and hanker after the contentments of the world and are ready to say the best contentment that they can enjoy is in the things below Let us answer our base and false disputing hearts that the waies of wisdome the waies that God directs us to they onely are the waies of pleasure And Religion is that that makes the hearts of the children of men joyfull and a good conscience onely makes a continuall feast so long as man liveth but especially at the houre of death when all the comforts of the world cease then conscience standeth our friend But the worlds objection is that of all kind of men in the world those that professe Religion are the most melancholy But if it be so it is because they are not religious enough their sinnes are continually before their eyes they have pardon for sinne and freedome from the guilt of sinne but know it not they have good things and doe not know them And so in regard of spirituall comforts Gods people may have spirituall joy and inward consolation and yet not know of it there may be such a time when they may be sad and droope and that is when they apprehend God doth not looke pleasantly upon them but the true character of a Christian is to be cheerfull none else can be truly chearefull or joyous Joy is usurped by others there is no comfort in them that can be said to be reall All the joy of a man that is a carnall man is but as it were the joy of a Traytor he may come to the Sacraments and feast with the rest of Gods people but what mirth or joy can he have so long as the Master of the Feast frownes upon him Where Christ is not there God is not reconciled no joy like that joy of him that is assured of the love of God in Christ A man may sometime through ignorance want that joy that belongeth to him Rejoyce ye righteous and be glad it belongeth to those that are in Christ and to the righteous to rejoyce for joy is all their portion They onely can justifie the waies of God against all reproaches whatsoever but the eyes of carnall men are so held in blindnesse that they can see no joy no comfort in this course As it is said of Austin before his conversion hee was afraid to turne Christian indeed lest he should want all those joyes and pleasures that the world did then afford him but after he was converted then he could cry Lord I have stayed too long from thee and too long delayed from comming in to tast of the sweetnesse of Jesus Christ Take a Christian at the worst and he is better then another man take him at the best The worst condition of Gods children farre surpasseth the very best condition of gracelesse persons The issue of things shall turn to his good that is a member of Christ a child of God an heire of heaven The evill of evils is taken away from him take him at the worst he is an heire of heaven but take the wicked at the best he is not a child of God he is a stranger to God he is as a branch cut off and as miserable a wretch as ever Belshazzer in the midst of his cups trembling and quaking with feare and astonishment when he saw the writing on the wall When a man apprehends the wrath of God hanging over his head though he were at the greatest feast in the world and amongst those that make mirth and jollity yet seeing vengeance ready to seize upon him it cannot but dampe all his joy and all his carnall pleasures and therefore only a Christian hath a true title to this feast I beseech you let us labour earnestly to have our part and portion in the things above but what shall they doe that as yet apprehend no interest in Jesus Christ why let them not be discouraged for all are compelled to come in to this Feast both blind and lame the servants are sent to bring them in The most wretched people of all God doth invite them all are called to come in to this Feast that are sensible of their sinnes and that God requires at our hands or else we can have no appetite to taste of this feast God saith come all I but saith the poore sinfull soule I have no grace at all why but yet come buy without money the feast is free Gods thoughts are not as thy thoughts are but as heaven is high above the earth even so are his thoughts above thy thoughts Poore wretch thou thinkest thou hast led a wicked life and so thou hast I but now come in God hath invited thee and he will not alwaies be inviting thee therefore come in and study the excellencies of Christ When such persons as these see they need mercy and grace and reconciliation and must either have it or else be damned for ever now they are earnest to study the favour and love of God in Christ now they bestirre themselves to get peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost now they see salvation to be founded onely on Christ and all other excellencies belonging to Christianity and therefore he goeth constantly provided with grace and holinesse so in this life that he may not lose his part in glory in the life to come Think of this and pray for it as they in the Gospell Lord evermore give us of that bread here is hope that thou maist be saved because thou art invited to come in to what end is the ministry of the Gospel but to intreat thee to be reconciled Oh let this worke upon our soules when we heare of the excellencies of these things and together with them consider of the necessity that is cast upon us to obtaine them and that we must have them or else be damned eternally Wee must doe as the Leapers did who said one to another Why sit we here till we die if we say wee will enter into the City why the famine is in the City and we shall die there and if we sit still here wee shall also die now what course tooke they They said one to another let us enter into the campe of the Syrians there is meat to feed us So saith the soule if I goe into the City
of the world there I shall be starved if I sit still I shall also perish what shall I now doe I will venture upon Jesus Christ he hath food that endures to eternall life and if I perish there I perish If I have not Christ I must die the wrath of God hangeth over my head and I cannot escape Alas poore soule now thou seest thy wretchednesse cast thy selfe upon him and come in If thou venturest thou canst but die adventure therefore put thy selfe upon Gods mercy for he is gracious and full of compassion Those that have given up themselves to Christ let them study to honour God and Christ by taking those comforts that are allotted to them When any man inviteth us to a Feast he knoweth if we respect him wee will fall too God hath bestowed his Sonne upon us and will he not with him give us all things let us not therefore dishonour the bounty of our good God but come in and labour to have our hearts more and more inlarged with the consideration of the excellency of these eternall comforts The fulnesse of Christ is able to satisfie the soule though it were a thousand times larger then it is If it were possible that wee could get the capacity of Angels it could not be sufficient to shew forth the fulnesse of pleasures that are provided for a Christian let us therefore labour with all labour to open our hearts to entertaine these joyes for we cannot honour God more then of his bounty to receive thankfully what he freely offers To taste plentifully in the covenant of grace of these riches and joy and hope of things to come glorious above all that we are able to thinke of I say this is the way to honour God under the Gospel of hope of things that are infinite the more we take the more we may take and the more we honour him that giveth Let us therefore enter deeply into our speciall sinnes there is no feare of despaire thinke of all thy wants and of all thy sins let them be never so many yet there is more to be had in Christ then there can be wanting in thee The soule that thinkes it selfe full of wants is the richest soule and that that apprehendeth no want at all no need of grace or Christ is alwaies sent empty away grieve therefore for thy sinnes and then joy that thou hast grieved and goe to God for the supply of all thy wants The seeds of joy and of comfort are sowne in teares and griefe in this world but yet we know we shall reape in joy in the world to come Remember this we have we know not what to goe through withall in this valley of teares That speech of Barzillai was good and excellent who being by David himselfe invited to the Court answered I am now growne old I am not fit for the Court for my senses are decayed and gone even so the time will come when our sense of relishing earthly pleasures will utterly be lost we are sure to goe to our graves and we know not what particular trouble we may meet with in this world and goe through if we live to a full age Alas what are all comforts here to the comforts of eternity when our daies are spent on earth then comes in the eternity of pleasure or everlasting sorrow Oh then if when we shall leave all behind us we have the joy of the holy Ghost in our hearts it will advance us above all the suggestions of sinne or Satan and bring us chearefully above to the tribunall seat of Christ Labour therefore to have a spirituall relish of soule to grow in grace and comforts of the holy Ghost for the time will come when we shall wish that we had had more then we have every one will repent of loosenes and slacknes in the waies of holinesse Therefore let us labour earnestly to be good husbands for our soules for the time to come THE Third Sermon ISAIAH 25. 6 7. And in this Mountaine shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a Feast c. And he will destroy in this Mountaine the face of the covering cast over all people and the vaile that is spread over all Nations I Have heretofore spoken of the Feast that God makes to his Church specially in the later times which was specially performed at the first comming of Christ when the Gentiles came in But the consummation and perfection of all will be at the day of judgement then God will spread a Table for his to all eternity We have spoken heretofore at large of the resemblance of spirituall good things by this comparison of a Feast God sets out spirituall things by outward because wee cannot otherwise conceive of them the best things in grace by the best and sweetest things in Nature And thus God enters into our soules by our senses as we see in the Sacrament But wee have spoken at large of this Our care must be to have a speciall taste a spirituall appetite to relish this Feast that God provides naturally wee are distastfull we relish not spirituall and heavenly things we savor not the things of God And the spirit of God must alter our savor and taste as he doth wheresoever there is spirituall life there is spirituall relish of heavenly truths Now let me adde this further that though it be made by God yet we must bring something to this Feast Christ feasteth with us as yee have Rev. 3. he sups with us not that wee have grace from our selves or can bring any thing he bringeth his own provision with him when hee suppeth with us But yet by the Covenant of grace whereby he enters into termes of friendship with us we must sup with him wee must have grace to entertaine him though it is at his owne cost yet we must have something he doth not require us to pay our debts but he giveth us wherewith secretly he bids us come but giveth a secret Messenger to draw us he sends his spirit certainly certainly hee will have us bring somthing when wee come to feast but it is of his owne giving And that we are to bring is humble and empty soules wherein we are to delight our selves in sense of our unworthinesse and the spirit of faith to believe his promises that pleaseth him when we can honour him with a Spirit of Faith and then a Spirit of Love and new Obedience springing from a Spirit of Faith and Love these bee the things Christ requires wee should have Our soules must be thus furnished that Christ may delight to dwell with us And therefore it is a good importuning of God Lord I desire thou shouldest dwell in mee and prepare my soule as a fit Temple vouchsafe me the graces thou delightest in and delightest to dwell in So wee may begge of God his Holy Spirit to furnish our soules so as he may dwell and delight in us But we have spoken largely
bloud and in that the love and mercy of God in Christ in giving him to death for us and Christs love to give himself to satisfie Divine Justice these be the things intended which onely the soule sees and apprehendeth And so all things in the Church indeed are mysteries the incarnation of Christ the union of both natures that Christ should save the world by such a way as he did that he should bring us to glory by shame to life by death to blessing and happinesse by being a curse for us it is a mystery to bring contrary out of contrary That so glorious a person as God should be covered with our weake and sinnefull nature it was a mystery the Jewes stumbled at it light came and the darkenesse could not comprehend the light And as Christ was a mystery himselfe so the Church is a mystery that God should so much delight in a company of poore men the off-scowring of the world to make them temples of his holy Spirit and heires of heaven men that were under the scorne of the world this is a mystery so all is mysticall the head the members the body the Church and every particular point of Religion there is a mystery in repentance no man knoweth what sorrow for sin is but the true gracious person no man knowes what it is to believe but he that hath an heart to believe no man knoweth what peace of conscience and joy of the holy Ghost is but those that feele it so that is a mystery And therefore great is the mystery of godlinesse saith the Apostle not onely in the points themselves but even the practice of Religion is a mystery too Repentance and Faith and new obedience and love and the comforts of Religion are all mysteries there is a vaile upon them in all these points that a carnall man cannot see them You see then in what sense there is a vaile of the things and in what sense there is a vaile on mens hearts that is either the things themselves are hid or if the things be open they want sight and light of knowledge and they want faith to believe Beloved we live in times that the object is cleare to us the things themselves are made cleare as who knoweth not what Christ is and the notion of the incarnation and of the union with him wee know them notionally they be opened and revealed to us very clearely all the articles of faith and misteries of Religion so that there is no obscurity in the object the things are cleare specially in these places of knowledge But yet notwithstanding there is a vaile upon the soule The soule of every man that is not graciously wrought upon by the spirit of God hath a vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe First of all of Ignorance There is a vaile of ignorance in many and in all men naturally a vaile of ignorance of spirituall things for unlesse they be revealed they can never be knowne to Angels themselves The Angels themselves know not the Gospell till it be opened and therefore they be students in it continually and the best men in the world know nothing in the Gospell further then it is revealed but there is a vaile of ignorance upon them that know these things notionally because they do not know them as they should know them they doe not know them in propria specie spirituall and heavenly things as spirituall and heavenly things they doe not know spirituall things as spirituall things they have a humane knowledge of spirituall things Those that want grace they know the Grammer of the Scripture and Divinity and they know how to discourse as Schoolemen doe from one thing to another and to argue they know the Logicke and Rhetoricke of the Scripture but they sticke in the stile there is something they are ignorant of That is they have not an eye of knowledge as wee call it they doe not see the things themselves but onely they see things by another bodies spirit and they have no light of their owne And so no man knoweth naturally but the children of God what originall sinne is what corruption of nature is nor knowes sinne in its owne odious colours to be filthy and to be dangerous as it is to draw the curse and vengeance of God upon it this is not knowne but by the spirit revealing the odiousnesse of sinne that the soule may apprehend it as Christ did when he suffered for it and as God doth A gracious man seeth it as God seeth it because by the spirit of God hee seeth the filthinesse and odiousnesse of it and the danger it draweth after it And so in any points of Religion naturally a man sees not them spiritually as they are and as God sees them but he seeth them by a humane light hee seeth heavenly things by a humane light notionally and meerely to discourse of them he seeth not intritively into the things themselves he seeth them sub aliena specie under another representation then their owne onely a godly man seeth spirituall things as the spirit of God and seeth them as they are knowes sinne as it is knoweth grace to be as it is and knoweth faith what it is to believe what it is to have peace of conscience and the pardon of sinnes he knoweth these things in some sense intritively though not so as he shall doe when he shall see these things in heaven when he shall see face to face There is a great difference in it hee sees them intritively in respect of the knowledge of other men though he sees but in a glasse in regard of the knowledge hee shall have in heaven As Saint Paul saith for wee see but as in a glasse but he that sees in a glasse seeth more life then he that sees the dead picture of a man So though we see but in a glasse heavenly things yet wee see them better then those that see them in a dead notion though it be nothing to the knowledge wee shall have in heaven yet it is incomparable above the knowledge of any carnall naturall man upon the earth Againe naturally men have vailes of ignorance upon the most divine things of spirituall things such as is union and as is the communion between Christ and us and the mystery of regeneration in the new creature such as is the joy in the holy Ghost the inward peace of conscience I will not name the particulars to insist on them but give you onely an iustance though they know the notion of these things yet they are altogether ignorant of them their knowledge is a meere outward light it is a light radicated in the soule It is not as the light of the Moone which receiveth light from the Sunne but it is a light radicated and incorporated into the soule as the light of the Sunne is by the spirit it is in the soule it is not onely upon the soule but in the soule the heart sees
and feeleth and knoweth divine truths there is a power and vertue in the sight and knowledge of a gracious man there is none in the knowledge of a carnall man The light of a candle hath a light in it but no vertue at all goeth with it but the light of the Sunne and the light of the starres they have a speciall vertue they have heate with them and they have an influence in a speciall kind on inferiour bodies working together with the light So it is with heavenly apprehension and knowledge it actually conveyeth light but with the light there is a blessed and gracious influence there is heate and efficacy with that light But though a carnall man know all the body of divinity yet it is a meere light without heat a light without influence It is not experimentall As a blind man can talke of colours if he be a Scholler and describe them better then he that hath his eyes he being not a Schollar but he that hath his eyes can can judge of colours a great deale better Oftentimes by booke a Schollar can tell you forraigne countries better than he that hath travelled yet the traveller that hath bin there can tell them more distinctly So he that is experienced in that kind though a stranger can measure another mans ground better then himselfe he can tell you here is so many Acres but he that possesseth them knowes the goodnesse of them the worth of them and improveth them to his owne good And so it is with many they can measure the points of Religion and define and divide them I but the poor Christian can taste can feele them can relish and improve them his knowledge is a knowledge with interest but other mens knowledge is a knowledge with no interest or experience at all So that there is naturally a vaile of ignorance on the heart of every naturall man Christianity is a mystery till conversion there is a mystery in every point of Religion none know what repentance is but a repentant sinner all the bookes in the world cannot informe the heart what sin is or what sorrow is A sicke man knoweth what a disease is better then all Physicians for he feeleth it no man knoweth what faith is but the true believer there is a mystery also in love Godlinesse is called a mystery not onely for the notionall but the practicall part of it why doe not men more solace themselves in the transcendent things of Religion which may ravish Angels Alas there is a vaile over their soule that they doe not know them or not experimentally they have no taste or feeling of them And so there is a vaile of unbeliefe there is no man without grace that believeth truly what he knoweth but he believeth in the generall onely he beleeveth things so farre forth as they crosse not his lusts But when particular truths are inforced on a carnall man his lusts doe overbeare all his knowledge and he hath a secret scorne arising in his heart whereby he derideth those truths and goeth against them and makes him thinke certainly these be not true and therefore he beleeveth them not If a man by nature beleeved the truths he saith he knoweth he would not goe directly against them But the ground of this is there is a mist of sinnefull lusts that are raised out of the soule that darkens the soule that at the present time the soule is atheisticall and full of unbeliefe for there is no sin but ignorance and unbeliefe breatheth it into the soule and maketh way for it For if a man knew what he were about and apprehended that God saw him and the danger of it he would never sinne There is no sinne without an error in judgement there is a vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe what creature will run into a pit when he seeth it open what creature will runne into the fire the most dull creature Man will not run into that danger that is open to the eye of the soule if there were not a vaile of ignorance at least unbeliefe at that time upon the soule All sinne supposeth error And this should make us hate sinne the more whensoever we sinne specially against our conscience there is atheisme in the soule at that time and there is unbeliefe we beleeve not truth it self no sinner but calleth truth into question when he sinneth he denieth it or questioneth it and therefore there is a vaile on every man naturally over his heart by ignorance and unbeliefe The truths themselves are cleare God is cleare and the Gospel is light Mens Lux you know they know things in the object but in us there is darkenesse in our understandings and therefore the Scripture saith not wee are darke onely but darknesse it selfe The clouds that arise are like the mists that doe interpose between our soules and divine things arising from our own hearts the love of sinfull things raise such a cloud that we know not or else believe not what is spoken To proceed God onely can reveale and take away the vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe from off the soule I will speake specially of this vaile The reason is there is such a naturall unsuitablenesse between the soule and heavenly light and heavenly truths that unlesse God opens the eye of the soule and puts a new eye into the soule it can never know or discerne of heavenly things there must be an eye suitable to the light else there will never be sight of it Now God can create a new spirituall eye to discerne of spirituall things which a naturall eye cannot who can see things invisible Divine things are invisible to naturall eyes there is no suitablenesse he that must reveale these and take away the vaile must create new light within as well as a light without now God and only God that created light out of darknesse can create light in the soule Let there be light Hee only can create a spirituall eye to see the things that to nature are visible There be four things in sight 1. The object to be beheld 2. The light that conveyeth it 3. The organ that receiveth it 4. And the light of the eye to meet the light without So it is in the soule together with divine truths there must be light to discover them for light is the first visible thing that discovers it selfe and all things else And then there must be a light in the soule to judge of them and this light must be suitable A carnall base spirit judgeth of spirituall things carnally like himselfe because he hath not light in his owne spirit The things are spirituall his eye is carnall he hath not a light in his eye suitable to the object and therefore he cannot judge of them for the Scripture saith plainly they are spiritually discerned Therefore a carnall person hath carnall conceptions of spirituall things as an holy man doth spiritualize
things by a spirituall conception of them There be degrees of discerning things The highest degree is to see things face to face as they be in heaven The next to that is to see them in a glasse for there I see the motion and true species of a man though not so clearly as when I see him face to face therefore We soone forget the species of it in a glasse Wee have more fixednesse of the other because there is more reality We see things put into Water and that is lesse but then there is a sight of man in Pictures which is lesse than the rest because we see not the motion It is even so a carnall man scarce sees the dead resemblance of things In Moses time they saw things in water as it were blindly though true but we see things in a glasse of truth as clearly as possibly we can in this world In heaven wee shall see face to face shall see him as he is And then will be the joy of this excellent Feast and the consummation of all sweet promises which here we can but have a taste of So that is the first reason of it that God is onely the taker away of the vaile which ariseth from the unsuitablenesse between the soule and divine Truths There is nothing in the heart of man but a contrariety to divine light The very naturall knowledge that is contrary naturall Conscience that onely checketh for grosse sinnes but not for spirituall sinnes Obedience and Civill life that makes a man full of pride and armeth him against selfe-denyall and against the righteousnesse of Christ and Justification There is nothing in the soule but without grace riseth against the soule in divine things Againe there is such disproportion between the soule being full of sinne and guiltinesse and heavenly things that are so great that the heart of man will not believe unlesse God convinceth the soule that God is so good and gracious though they be great and excellent yet God will bestow them upon our soules and therefore he sendeth the Spirit that over-powers the soule though it bee full of feare and guilt that sinne contracts Though we be never so unworthy he will magnifie his grace to poore sinners and without that the soule will never believe there is such an infinite disproportion betweene the soule and the things between the sinfull soule and the spirit so that God must over-power the soule to make it believe The Scripture is full of this As we are naturally ignorant and full of unbeliefe so God onely can over-power the soule and take away the vaile of Ignorance All the Angels in heaven and all the Creatures in the world the most skilfull men in the world cannot bring light into the soule they cannot bring light into the heart they can speake of divine things but they understand them little but to bring light into the heart that the heart may taste of them and yield obedience to believe that they cannot doe And therefore all Gods children they bee Theodidactoi taught of God God onely hath the privilege to teach the heart to bend and bow the heart to believe So that God onely by his Spirit takes away the vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe Now the third thing is that this is peculiar to the Church and to the Children of God to have the vaile taken off In this Mountaine saith the Scripture the vail of all Faces shall be swallowed up or taken away I partly shewed in the former point that it is peculiar to Gods Children to have the vaile taken off There is a vailin all things either the things be hid from them as amongst the Gentiles or if the things bee revealed there is a vaile upon the heart their lusts raise up a cloud which untill God subdue by the holy Spirit they bee darke yea darknesse it selfe Goshen was onely light when all Egypt was in darknesse so there is light onely in the Church and all other parts in the world are in darknesse And amongst men in the Church there is a darknesse upon the soule of unregenerate men that bee not sanctified and subdued by the Spirit of God And all godly men are lightsome nay they be lights in the world As wicked men are darknesse so gracious men by the Spirit of God are made lights of the world from him that is the true light Christ himselfe It is peculiar to the Church to know the greatest good and the greatest evill It is no where but in the Church who are the people of God None but Gods Elect can know the greatest evill that is sinne which the Spirit of God revealeth And the greatest good that is Gods mercy in Christ and sanctifying grace The same Spirit doth both As light doth discover foul things as well as faire so the same Spirit of God discovers the loathsomenesse of sinne and the sweetnesse of grace Where the one is there is never the other where there is not truely a deep discerning of sinne there is never knowledge of grace there is none but in the Church those that have the Spirit of illumination they have sanctification likewise We shall make use of all together You see then what naturally we are and that Gods grace must take away the vaile and this is from all them within the Church and in the Church those whom God is pleased to sanctifie In the fourth place Where this vaile is taken off from any there is with it spirituall joy and feasting as here he joyneth them both together I will make a feast of fat things and will take away the vaile The reason of the connexion of this is that same Spirit that is a Spirit of Revelations is a Spirit of Comfort And the same Spirit that is the Spirit of Comfort is a Spirit of Revelation All sweetnesse that the soule relisheth commeth from light and all light that is spirituall conveyeth sweetnesse both together Beloved there is a marvailous sweetnesse in divine Truths in Christ is all marrow and in Religion forgivenesse of sinnes and inward peace and joy and grace fitting us to be like to Christ and for heaven they be incredibly sweet they bee all marrow I but they are onely so to them that know them now Gods Spirit that revealeth these things to us doth breed a taste in the soule The Spirit of illumination of Gods Children is a Spirit of sanctification likewise and that sanctification alters the taste and relish of the will and affections that with discovery of these things there is a taste and relish of them It is sapida Scientia a savory knowledge they have And therefore where he maketh a Feast he taketh away the vaile and where hee takes away the vaile hee makes a Feast what a wonderfull satisfaction hath the soule when the vaile is taken off to see God in Christ reconciled to see sin pardoned to see the beginnings of
truths are revealed they give way to their owne proud scornfull hearts they know not the love of the truth God knoweth what a jewell the Truth is and since they despise it God giveth them up to believe lies and take heed practice what we know and love what we know entertaine it with a loving affection A loving affection is the Casket of this jewell if we entertain it not in love it removes from us its Station and being gone God will remove us into darknesse And remember it is God that taketh away the vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe And therefore make this use of it to make our Studies and Closets Oratories not to come to Divine Truths to out-wrastle the excellency of them with our owne wits but to pray to God as you have Psal 119. Open mine eyes and reveale thy truth And St. Paul prayeth for the Spirit of Revelation 1 Ephes 19. And so desire God to reveale and take away the vaile from us that he will open divine Truths to our soules that since he hath the Key of David that opens and no man shutteth that he would open our understandings to conceive things and our hearts to believe He hath the onely Key of the soule we can shut our souls but cannot open them againe so we can shut our hearts to divine Truths we can naturally doe this but open them without the help of the Spirit we cannot He can open our understandings as he did the Disciples He can open our Hearts to believe he can doe it and will do it If we seek to him he will not put back the humble desires of them that feare him And therefore for heavenly light and heavenly revelation all the teaching of the men of the world cannot do it If we know no more than wee can have by Bookes and men that teach us wee shall never come to Heaven but wee must have God teach the heart as well as the Braine hee must teach not onely the Truths themselves as they bee discovered but the love of them the faith in them the practice of them and hee onely can doe this hee only can teach the heart hee onely can discover the bent of the heart and Satans wiles that cast a cloud upon the understanding the Spirit onely can doe it and therefore in all our endeavours labour to get knowledge and joyne holinesse and divine grace and pray to God that he would reveale the mystery of salvation to us But how shall we know whether we have this heavenly light and revelation or no Whether the vaile be yet upon our hearts or no I will not be long in the point Wee may know it by this The Apostle Peterâ—aith â—aith to expresse the vertue of Gods power he hath called us out of darknesse to his marvelous light The soule that hath the vaile taken from it there is a marvelling at the goodnesse of God a wondering at the things of faith And the soule sets such a price upon divine things that all is dung and drosse in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ Wherefore is it that thou wilt reveale thy selfe to us and not unto the world as admiring the goodnesse of God What are we what am I that God should reveale these things to me and not to the world that many perish in darkensse and shadow of death though they heare of divine things yet they teaching rebellion and unbeleife are not moulded to them and so perish eternally There is a secret admiration of the goodnesse of God to the poore soule and a wonderment at spirituall things Oh how sweet is thy law saith David And teach me the wonders of thy law and joy unspeakable and glorious and peace that passeth understanding these things be high to the soule by the taste of what they have they wonder at that little and at that they looke for and are carried with desire still further and further which is a farther evidence they that have any spirituall knowledge they be carried to grow more and more and to enter further and further into the Kingdome Where there is not a desire still till they come to the full measure that is to be had in Jesus Christ there is no knowledge at all certainly a gracious soule when once it sees it desires still to feele the power and vertue of Christ in it as Paul counted all dung in comparison of this knowledge to know my selfe in Christ and feele the power of his death in dying to sin and vertue of his resurrection in raising me to newnesse of life it was Saint Pauls study to walk still to the high price of Gods calling and where that is not no grace is begun And againe where divine light is and the vaile taken away it is the sanctified meanes for God works by his owne instruments and meanes and they be able to justifie all courses of wisdome Wisdome is justified of her children By experience they be able to say the word is the word I have found it casting me downe and raising me up and searching the hidden corners of my heart I have found Gods Ordinances powerfull the word and Sacrament I have found my hope faith strength and spirituall comfort and therefore I can justifie them for I have found tasted and relished of these things which worketh that upon the soule which Christ did on the body I finde mine eyes I finde my deafe eares opened I can heare with another relish then before I finde a life and quickning to good things though it be weake I had no life at all to them before I find a relish which I knew not before So that there be spirituall senses whereby I am able to justifie that these things be the things of God So that they that have divine truths can justifie all the ordinances of God by their owne experience As Peter answered when Christ asked him will you be also gone be gone said Peter Whether should we goe thou hast the words of eternall life I have found thy words efficacious to comfort and strengthen and raise and shall I depart from thee who hast the words of eternall life And so take a soule that the spirit of God hath wrought upon aske whether they will be carelesse of meanes of salvation not to pray or heare or receive the Sacrament by these have I eternall life conveyed God hath let in by these comfort and strength and joy and shall I leave these things no I will not whether shall I goe thou hast the words of eternall life Are we able to justifie these things by the sweetnesse wee have found in them then certainly God hath shined upon the soule and together with strength and light conveyed sweetnesse to the soule A godly man seeth things with life his sight worketh upon him it is a transforming sight as the Apostle saith wee all behold the glory of God and are changed Sight of light
sendeth his Angels to fetch them and he helps them in their combat we must not therefore feare overmuch There is a naturall feare of death death wrought upon Christ himselfe God-man not only death but such a death he was to be left of his Father and lie under the sense of the wrath of God the seperation of that soule from the body he tooke upon him was terrible and therefore he saith If it be possible let this cup passe from me that was nature and without it he had not bin true man But that I say is that grace may be above nature death is a time of darknesse it strips us of earthly comforts friends callings imployments but then comes the eye of faith to lay hold on the victory of Christ in time to come when death shall be only swallowed up in victory and then the glorious state to come to which death bringeth us so that here faith must be above sense and grace above nature and therefore I beseech you let us labour for it There be two sorts of men to whom I would speake a little First those that in a kind of bravery seeme to slight death men of base spirits as we call them fooles vain-glorious spirits empty spirits Is there any creature unlesse in Christ able groundedly to slight so great an enemy as death armed with a sting of sinne and attended with hell and damnation The Romish and divellish spirits are terrible but if thy sinnes be not pardoned it is the most terrible thing in the world to die for there is a gulfe afterwards what shall we say then of single Combatants that for vain-glory are prodigall of their lives that for a foule word a little disgrace will venture on this enemy that is armed with sinne and if they dye they dye in sinne And which is the miserable condition of him that dyes in sinne his death opens the gate to another death which is eternall They say they have repented but there is no repentance of a sinne to be committed Canst thou repent of a sinne before it bee committed that is but a mockery of God And what saith the Scripture Is it not the most terrible judgement under heaven to dye in our sinnes A man that dyes in sinne dyes in hell he goeth from death to hell and that eternall I wonder therefore that the wisedome of flesh and bloud should take away mens wit and faith and grace and all so much as to slight death and repentance as if it were so easie Now beloved death is a terrible thing it hath a sting and thou shalt know it if thou hast not grace to feele the sting of it whilst thou livest when thou dyest the sting will revive then thy Conscience shall awake in hell Drunkennesse and jollity takes away sense of sinne but sinne will revive and conscience will revive God hath not put it into us for nought death is terrible if not disarmed before hand And if thou goe about to dye without disarming it before it will not be out-faced It is not an enemy to be scorned and slighted and therefore be Christians in good earnest else leave profession and perish eternally for wee must all dye and it is a greater matter than we take it but if we be true Christians it is the sweetest thing in the world an end of all misery a beginning of true happinesse an inlet to whatsoever is comfortable blessed are they that are in the Lord by faith and them that dye in the Lord their death is better than the day of life Our Birth-day brings us into misery and therefore let me speak to true Christians and bid them be ashamed of fearing death too much which of an enemy is become a reconciled friend This may in the next place yeeld great consolation to those that are in Christ Jesus that death by Christ is swallowed up in victory and the rather because the holy Ghost meaneth more than a bare victory over death Death is not onely subdued but is made a friend to us As Psalme 110. it is said his enemies shall bee his footstoole Now a footstoole is not onely trampled upon but an helpe to rise And so death is not onely subdued but it advanceth Gods Children and raiseth them higher It is not onely an enemy but a reconciled friend for he doth that which no friend in the world can doe It ends all our misery and is the inlet into all happinesse for eternity And whatsoever it strips us of here it giveth us advantage of better in another world It cuts off our pleasures and profits and Company and Callings here but what is that to our blessed change afterward to our praysing of God for ever to the Company of blessed soules and the profits and pleasures at the right hand of God for evermore And therefore it is not onely conquered but to shew the excellency of his power hee hath made it a friend of an enemy and the best friend in the world It indeed seperates soule from body but it joyneth the soule to Christ so that the conjunction wee have by it is better than the separation if the Conjunction makes us partake of our desire I desire to be dissolved saith St. Paul but that is not well translated I desire to depart and to be with Christ which is best of all so that it is not onely not an enemy but a friend and therefore the Apostle makes it our joyncture part of our portion all things are yours Why you are Christs and Christ is Gods what are ours things present things to come life death And well may death be ours because sinne is our enemy that remainder that is kept in our nature to exercise us and humble us and fit us for grace as Austin saith I dare be bold to say it is profitable for some to fall to make them more carefull and watchfull and to prize mercy more so that not only Death but sinne and the devill himselfe is ours for his plots are for our good God over-shooteth him in his owne Bow Hee will give them over to Satan saith the Apostle that they may learne not to blaspheme yet though they have a spirit of blasphemy by the humbling of their bodies they be taught not to blaspheme so that not onely death but sinne and hee that brought sinne into the World the Devill are become our friends This being so it may be for speciall comfort that wee not feare the King of Feares The Devill hath great advantage by this affection of feare when it is set upon this object Death Overcome death and all troubles are overcome who will fear any thing that hath given up himself to God Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life The Devill knoweth that well enough Therefore feare not saith Christ them that can kill the body feare causeth snares saith Solomon snares of Conscience But if a man
the end of a promise is to support the soule till the performance God doth not onely reserve great things for us in another vvorld but to comfort us in the vvay doth reach out to us Promises to comfort us till vvee come thither There is a time when he will performe them and not onely a time but there are likewise promises of performance at that time the promises of these great things shall be performed The next thing is that God will stirre up in his Children a disposition suitable That is the Grace of waiting As great things were promised before so the soule hath a grace fit for it Wee have waited for thee And as they wait for them while they are in performing so they shall enjoy them Wee have wayted for thee and wee will bee glad in thy salvation We shall so enjoy them that we shall joy in them Good things when they be enjoyed they bee joyed in Againe wee shall rejoyce in our salvation wee shall glory in our God After they bee a while exercised in waiting then commeth performance then they bee enjoyed and they bee enjoyed with joy in glorying in God For that is the issue of a Christian when hee hath what hee would enjoy when hee enjoyeth it with joy when the fruit of it is that God hath his glory and therefore the heart can rejoyce in his salvation Then there is a day as for the exercising of his people here by waiting So there is a day of performing promises In that day That is a day of all dayes When that day commeth then all Prophecies and Promises shall be accomplished to the uttermost But before that great day there is an intermediate performance of Promises assisted by waiting to drop comfort to us by degrees He reserveth not all to that day there be lesser dayes before that great day As at the first comming of Christ So at the overthrow of Antichrist the Conversion of the Jewes there will be much joy but that is not that day these dayes make way for that day VVhensoever Prophecies shall end in Performances then shall bee a day of joying and glorying in the God of our salvation for ever And therefore in the Revelations where this Scripture is cited Revelations 21. 4. is meant the Conversion of the Jewes and the glorious estate they shall enjoy before the end of the world We have waited for our God and now we enjoy him I but what saith the Church there Come Lord Iesus come quickly there is yet another come Lord till wee be in heaven So that though intermediate promises bee performed here yet there is another great day of the Lord to be performed which is specially meant here The last thing considerable in the words is the manner of expression They are expressed full of life and with repetition to make them sure and more certaine In that day it shall be said this is our God wee have waited for him he shall save us He bringeth them in speaking these words of affection Indeed when wee come to enjoy the performance of Gods gracious promises if we should live to see the fulnesse of the Gentiles come and Jewes called wee should speake of it againe and againe Affections are large and few expressions will not serve for large affections It will be no tautology to say This is our God wee have waited for him Beloved times are yet to come which may much affect the hearts of the Children of God Howsoever we may not live to see the performance of these things yet wee shall all live to see that day of Judgement and then we shall say This is our God wee have waited for him VVee now see God in the Promises and then wee shall see him face to face whom wee have waited for in the Promises and we shall see him in heaven for ever Loe this is our God we have waited for him VVhile we live here we are in state of waiting wee are under Promises and a condition under promises is a waiting condition a condition of performance is an enjoying condition VVe are in a waiting condition till our bodies be raised out of the grave for when vve dye vvee vvait for the resurrection of our bodies VVe may say as Jacob vvhen he vvas dying I have waited for thy salvation VVe are in a vvaiting condition till body and soule bee joyned together at the day of judgement for ever And therefore vve should labour to have those graces that are suitable for this condition The things vve vvait for are of so transcending excellency as glory to come that they cannot bee vvaited for but the spirit by the things vvaited for fitteth us to vvaite for them A man cannot vvait for glory of soule and body but the Spirit that raiseth up faith to believe and hope to vvait vvill purge and fit and prepare him for that glorious condition He that hath this hope purifieth himselfe as hee is pure Oh it is a quickning waiting and a purging waiting it is efficacious by the Spirit to fit and purifie his soule suitable to that glorious condition hee waits for Where that is not it is but a conceit a very slender apprehension of the glory to come will make men better He that hath hope of heaven and happinesse under glory it will make him suitable to the place hee looketh for THE Eighth Sermon ISAIAH 25. 8. He shall swallow up death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away teares from off all faces and the rebukes of his people shall he take away from off all the earth for the Lord hath spoken it And it shall be said in that day loe this is our God wee have waited for him and be will save us this is the Lord we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation TO come closer to the particulars It shall be said in that day loe this is our God The mouth of the Lord hath spoken gracious things before hath promised a Feast and an excellent Feast Gods manner is first of all to give promises to his Church why his goodnesse commeth from his goodnesse his goodnesse of grace commeth from his goodnesse of nature He is good and doth good Now the same goodnesse of disposition which we call bounty that reserveth heaven and happinesse for us in another world the same goodnesse will not suffer us to be without all comfort in this world Because the knowledge and revelation of the glory to come hath much comfort in it Therefore in mercy he not only intendeth performance of glory but out of the same fountaine of goodnesse he intendeth to reveale whatsoever is good for his Church in the way to glory So that promises of good come from the same goodnesse of God by which he intendeth heaven For what moved God to come out of that hidden light that no man can come into and discover himselfe in his sonne The word in his promises to reveale his
that be enough to drive us from profession of Religion without grace Sometimes good men by their failings and fallings out they fall into sinne and fall out and that is a scandall to wicked men Oh say they who would be of this Religion when they cannot agree among themselves This is a great hinderance and stop It is a scandall and rubbe in the way not so much in themselves wee are full of scandall our selves catch at any thing that we may except against the best waies there is a root of scandall in the hearts of all because men will not goe to hell without reason Now because wee are easie to take offence rather then wee will be damned without reason it is not easie to hold out Besides this Satan plies it with his temptations from affliction and from scandall he amplifies these things in the fancy who would be a Christian Yee see what their profession is And so hee maketh the way the more difficult And then againe looke at our owne disposition to suffer to hold out to fix there is an unsetlednesse which is a proper infirmity in our natures since the fall we love variety wee are inconstant and cannot fix our selves upon the best things and wee are impatient of suffering any thing Wee are not onely indisposed to doe good but more indisposed to suffer any ill the spirit must helpe us over all this which must continue all our life long till wee be in heaven something or other will be in our way now the Spirit of God must helpe us over all these afflictions We shall never come to heaven to overcome afflictions and scandals and temptation which Satan plies us here withall And then to overcome the tediousnesse of time this needeth a great deale of strength now this grace of expectance doth all And therefore it is so oftentimes stood upon in Scripture in Isaiah and in the Psalmes how often is it repeated Psal 77. last Wait on the Lord if he tarry wait thou The Lord will wait for them that wait for him and it is the character in Scripture of a Christian Moses he saith such as waited for the consolation of Israell before Christ came in the flesh such a one is one that waiteth for the consolation of Israell To have a gracious disposition and a grace of waiting was the character of good people Now since the comming of Christ the character of the New Testament is to wait for Christs appearance There is a Crowne of glory for me and not onely for me but for all them that love his appearance That is an ingredient in waiting when we love the thing we wait for And so Titus 2. last The grace of God that teacheth to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live holily and justly and soberly in this present evill world looking for and waiting for this glorious appearing of Jesus Christ So that looking with the eye of the soule partly on the first comming of Christ which was to redeeme our soules and partly upon the second which is to redeeme our bodies from corruption and to make both soule and body happy it makes a man a good Christian For the grace of God on the first teacheth us to deny ungodlinesse and looking for Christs appearing maketh us zealous of good workes You have scarce any Epistle but you have time described for looking for the comming of Christ As Jude Preserve your selves in the love of God and wait for the comming of Christ So that as there be gracious promises and a long day for them God vouchsafeth grace to wait for the accomplishment of them Now as God giveth grace to wait so he will performe what wee waite for As they say here wee have waited that is the speech of enjoying God will at length make good what hee hath promised and what his truth hath promised his power will performe Goodnesse inclineth to make a promise truth speakes it and power performeth it As you shall see here Wee have waited c. In God there is a mouth of truth a heart of pitty and an hand of power these three meeting together make good whatsoever is promised Hee will fulfill the desires of them that feare him The desires that God hath put into his Children they be kindled from heaven and he will satisfie them all out of his bowells of pitty and compassion hee will not suffer the creature to be allwaies under the racke of desire under the racke of expectation but hee will fulfill the desire of them that feare him And therefore learne this for the time to come Though wee waite God will performe whatsoever wee waite for And therefore loe wee have waited for him As there is a time of promising so there is a time of performing as there is a seed time so there is a time of harvest There is a succession in nature and a succession in grace as the day followeth the night and the Sabbath the weeke and the Jubile such a terme of yeares and as the triumph followeth the warre and as the Consummation of Marriage followeth Contract so it is a happy and glorious condition above all conditions here on earth Therefore in this text you have not onely the seed time of the Christian wee may sow in teares and an expectation as in sowing But here is likewise the harvest of a Christian as there is time of sowing so there is time of reaping as time of waiting so of injoying Wee have waited and now loe we have what we waited for But why doth not the Holy Ghost set downe a certain time but leaveth it indefinite In that day God keepes times and seasons in his owne power the point of time in generall he leaveth it There is a day but the point and moment of time he keepeth in his owne power It is enough to know there is a day and a day that will come in the best season Gods times is the best time When judgments were threatned upon the wicked they say Let us eate and drinke for to morrow wee shall die So Saul to morrow thou shalt die and was he the better So where there is a certain time of Gods comming in judgement godly men would not be the worse and wicked men never the better Thetefore God reserveth it indefinite In that day There is a day and it is a glorious day a day of all dayes a day that never will have night a day that we should thinke of every day That day by way of excellency And before that day there be particular dayes in this world wherein God sheweth himselfe and fulfills the expectation of his children to cherish the grand expectation of life everlasting As in times of trouble they expect of God and wait for deliverance in Gods time and they must be able to say Loe wee have waited Because it is a beginning and pledge of the great performance that shall be consummate at that
promiseth forgivenesse and opens the conscience to cry out of sinne I but Luthers rule is exceeding good in this case Summaars the greatest art of a Christian is credere credibilia c. sperare dilata to hope for things a long time and to beleeve God when he seemeth contrary to himselfe in his promise But though God doth deferre yet in that day he doth performe it is set downe indefinitely for it is not fit we should not be acquainted with the particular time And therefore he saith in that day he sets not downe a particular time but in that day wherein he meaneth to be glorious in the performance of his promise There is a time and a set time and there is a short time too in regard of God and a fit time If the time were shorter then God hath appointed then it were too short if longer too long My times saith David are in thy hands If they were in the enemies hands we should never be out If in our owne we would never enter If in our friends their good will would be more then their ability But my times he saith not my time but my times are in thy hands that is my times of trouble and times of waiting And it is well they be in Gods hands for he hath a day and a certaine day and a fit day to answer the waiting of all his people And when that day is come you see how their hearts are inlarged they will say This is the Lord we have waited for him When God meaneth to performe his promise either in this world or in the world to come the world to come specially when there shall be consummation of all promises God shall inlarge the hearts of his people This is the Lord we have waited for him This is the Lord he repeats it againe and againe Our soule is very capable being a spirituall substance and then God shall fill the soule and make it comprehend misery or comprehend happinesse when every corner of the soule shall be filled and then having bodies too it is fit they should have a part so the whole man shall expresse forth the justice or mercy of God For the nature of the thing it cannot be otherwise every member of the body shall be fit to glorifie God What the Psalmist saith of his tongue Awake my glory he may say of every member doe thy office in glorifying the Lord and rejoycing in the Lord Pectus facit disertos The heart makes a man eloquent and full so the performance of any promise fils the heart so full of affections the affections are so inlarged and therefore we must not have affections to a Court-kind of expressions as they in old time and the like Court-eloquence when men might not speake fully But when joy possesseth the heart to the full there be full expressions This is the Lord this is the Lord let us rejoyce in him And therefore there seemeth so many tautologies in the Psalmes though they be no tautologies but meere exuberancies of a sanctified affection Oh beloved what a blessed time will that be when this large heart of ours shall have that that will fill it When the best parts of us our understanding will and affections shall be carried to that which is better and larger then it selfe and shall be as it were swallowed up in the fulnesse of God! And that is the reason of the repetition of the word This is the Lord this is the Lord. And it followeth We will rejoyce and be glad in his salvation When a gracious heart is full of joy how doth he expresse that joy A wicked heart when it is full of joy is like a dirty river that runs over the banks and carrieth a deale of filth with it dirty expressions But when a gracious heart expresseth it selfe being full of joy it expresseth it selfe in thanks and praises in stirring up of others Loe this is our God we will rejoyce and be glad in his salvation Is any merry saith the Apostle Saint James Let him sing God hath affections for any condition Is a man in misery let him pray This is a time of mourning Doth God performe any promise and so give cause of joy let him sing there is action for every affection affection for every condition And this may stirre us up to begin the imployment in heaven on earth here We shall say so in heaven Loe this is the Lord we have waited for him For every performance of promises be much in thankfulnesse Our conversation is in heaven saith the Apostle And what is the greatest part of a Christians conversation but in all things to give thankes Here the Holy Church saith their matter of praise was too big for their soule and therefore they brake out in this manner And so oftentimes a child of God his heart is so full that it is too big for his body in the expression of matter of praise But it is his comfort that in heaven he shall have a large heart answerable to the large occasion of praise I will not inlarge my self in the common place of thanks-giveing In this condition we can never be miserable for it springs from joy and joy disposeth a man to thankfulnesse and upon thankfulnesse there is peace and can we be miserable in peace of consceince Therefore saith the Apostle in all things give thanks and let your requests be made knowne to God and what will follow upon that when I have made knowne my requests and paid my tribute of thanks then the peace of God which passeth understanding shall guide your minde When we have paid to God the tribute we can pay him then the soule as having discharged a debt is at peace I have prayed to God I have laid my petition in his bosome I am not in arrerages for former favours therefore the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keepe your hearts and mindes Hanna had prayed once went not away but prayed againe the happinesse of heaven followeth the actions of heaven praisings being the maine imployment of heaven the happinesse and comfort of heaven followeth And howsoever these promises be fulfilled in heaven yet they have a graduall performance on earth For he speaks certainly of the state of the Jewes yet to come wherein there shall be accomplishment of all these promises We have waited for him he will save us Experience of Gods performance stirs them up still to waite for him and rejoyce in his salvation Experience stirs up hope The begining of a Christian and midst is to hope for the end and surely our beginning should helpe the latter end all a Christians life should helpe the end all former things should come in and helpe his latter Beloved we are too backward that way to treasure up the benefit of experience there be few of yeares but might make stories of Gods gratious dealings with them if all were kept the comforts past
that setteth up his rest here whosoever saith I have enough and will now take contentment in them he is a foole There is a rest for Gods people but it is not here Neither rest in any measure of grace or comfort What is faith to sight we have hope an Anchor and Helmet that keepeth up many a soule as the Cork keepeth from sinking What is this hope to the fruition of what we hope for Here we have love many love tokens from God I but what is love to union Ours is but a love of desire we are but in motion here we lye in motion onely and our desires are not accomplished what is this love to the accomplishing of the union with the thing beloved for ever Here we have Communion of Saints but what is this communion of Saints to Communion with God for ever We have infirmities here as others which breedeth jealousies and suspition I but we shall have Communion in heaven and there shall be nothing in us to distast others but everlasting friendship yea our Communion shall be with perfect soules Our Communion of Saints here is our heaven upon earth but it is Communion with unperfect soules Peace we have I but it is peace intermixt It is peace in the midst of enemies There we shall have peace without enemies Christ doth now rule in the midst of enemies In heaven he shall rule in the midst of his friends So that we can imagine no condition here though never so good but it is imperfect And therefore rest not in any thing in the world no not in any measure of grace any measure of Comfort till we be in heaven but waite for the time to come and rejoyce in hope by which we are saved Wait still and though we have not content here yet this is not our home this is a good refreshment by the way As when the Children of Israel came from Babylon they had wells by the way as in Michae they diged up wells So from Babylon to Ierusalem we have many sweet refreshments But they be refreshments far off the way God digs many wells we have brests of Consolation to comfort us I but they are but for the way And therefore let us answer all temptations and not take contentment with any thing here It is good but it is not our home Cui dulcis peregrinatio non amat patriam If we have eternity love heaven we cannot be over much taken with any thing in the way And so for the Church let us not be over much dejected for the desolation of the Church but pray for a spirit of faith which doth realize things to the soule and presents them as present to the soule seeth Babylon fallen presents things in the Scripture phrase and in the words Babylon is fallen for as much as all the enemies of the Church fall Mighty is the Lord that hath spoken and will performe it And as the Angell saith it is downe So time will come ere long when it shall be said It is downe The Church shall be gathered and then Loe this is our God It was the comfort of the beleeveing Jewes that the Gentiles should come And why should it not be the comfort of the Gentiles that there be blessed times for the ancient people of God when they shall all cry and say Loe this is our God We have waited for him long and he will save us Therefore be not over much discouraged for whatsoever present desolation the Church lyeth under If it were not for this we were of all men most miserable as Paul saith But there be times to come when we shall rejoyce and rejoyce for ever and make boast of the Lord if it were not we were of all men most miserable Howsoever happinesse is to come yet of all persons he is most happy that hath Christ and heaven The very fore-taste of happinesse is worth all the world the inward peace of conscience joy in the Holy Ghost the beginings of the Image of God and of happinesse here is worth all the injoyments of the world Aske of any Christian whether he will hang with the greatest worldling and be in his condition he would not change his place in grace for all his glory And therefore set heaven aside the very first fruits is better then all the heaivest of the world Let us therefore get the soul raised by faith to see her happinesse we need it all for till the soul get a frame raised up to see its happinesse here specially in the world to come it is not in a frame fit for any service it will not stoop to any base sinne where the affections are so possest they look upon all base courses as unworthy of their hope What I that hope to rejoyce for ever with God in heaven that am heir of heaven that have the Image of God upon me that am in Covenant with God to take any beastiall course to place my happinesse in things meaner than my selfe that have God to delight in a God in Covenant that hath taken me into Covenant with himselfe So I say in all solicitations to sinne get our selves into a frame that may stand firme and immovable In all troubles let us know we have a God in Covenant that we may joy in him here and rejoyce with him in heaven for ever hereafter FINIS AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE A. APPETITE page SPirituall Appetite how it may be gotten 16 17 18 19 B. All is of the best in Christ 8 BOUNTY Gods Bounty cause of promises 111 Wee should honour Gods Bounty 29 C. Great is the Cheare at Gospell-Feast 8 Spirituall chearefulnes 25 CHURCH The Church is an excellent society 3 Compared to a mountaine 4 Christian 's estate best 27 Holy Company 20 Comfort of the Scriptures 101 Controversies judged by Word of God 100 Scriptures are preserved from Corruption 103 God can effect things by Contraries 154 D. Spirituall Digestion 23 DEATH Death King of Feares 56 Spares none ib. is arm'd by sinne ib. attended on by Hell ib. is terrible to wicked men 64 a friend to the godly 66 Death of Christ hath conquered Death 59 60 Death is conquered though a Believer dye 63 64 Duillists their sinne and folly 65 E. Divine Efficacy of Gods Word 101 Emnity between two seeds 91 Emptinesse of soule fits for Christ 32 Of spirituall Exercise 19 Experience of Gods Word that its true 102 F. Gospell is a Feast 5 God is Founder of this Feast 6 Christ in the Jewish Festivals 15 Spirituall Famine 20 Feare of Death unbecomes a Christian 62 63 67 G. Guests invited to the Gospel-feast 7 Christs righteousnesse our wedding garment 12 H. Largenesse of heart fit for this Feast 16 In Heaven full performance of promises 122 123 124 Hopes upholds the heart in wayting 125 I. Ignorance on all men naturally 35 Infidelity shamefull 105 Interest in God cause of joy 160 161 162 Joy in God 158 159 Joy and griefe
consistent 88 Wee must justifie God in all 25 K. KNOVVLEDGE True knowledge is transforming 52 Desires to know more 51 Practise what wee know 49 L. LIGHT Naturall men want light 36 Naturally their light without heat 39 M. Majestie of the Scriptures 101 Christ compared to Manna 13 Religion makes not melancholy 26 Why Christians are melancholy 26 Christians have a mixture here 82 Church compared to a Mountaine 4 Mysteriousnesse of Scriptures 101 P. Plenty at the Gospell-feast 11 Preparation for this feast 16 Wee must purge the soule of sinne 16 Practise of what we know 49 Of Gods promises and their performance 107 Promises free and full 112 Promises long before performed why 113 114 Promises shall bee surely performed 121 152 Time of performance in Gods hand 152 Gods time best of performmance 154 Reason of Gods performance 152 R. Of the Rebukes of Gods people 89 Christ and his Members subject unto Reproaches 90 Christ will rowle away Reproach 93 How to carry our selves under Reproach 94 15 How wee must Relish the Word 22 Scriptures may bee proved to be the word of God by Reason 103 Christ a Rock 14 S. Sacrament of Lords Supper a feast 15 Sense of sinne 17 Soule hath her senses 21 Men naturally want sight 36 We must not judge by sight 79 Scandals against Religion 92 Holy Scriptures Word of God 99 Are supreame Iudge 100 Searching power of the Word 102 Spirit indited and interprets the Word 106 Sinne greatest cause of Sorrow 85 No Sorrow in heaven 84 Comfort in Sufferings 81 Naturall men see not things spiritually 38 Spirituall things are mysterious 35 36 Church excellent society 3 Wee must walke in the strength of Spirituall Refreshment 23 T. Of spirituall Taste 22 Wee have but a Taste here of what wee shall have hereafter 115 TEARES vide WEEP God will wipe away Tears 77 78 Signes of right Teares 86 87 88 Thankfulnesse to God for removing vaile 25 for Christs Conquest over Death 62 for accomplishment of promises 156 Gods Time of performance set best 154 Types of the Gospel 12 13 14 15 V. A Vaile over mens hearts 35 Unbeliefe is that Vaile 40 God onely can take away the Vaile 42 43 Meanes to have the Vaile removed 46 47 There is variety in Christ 10 Unbeliefe in every sinne 41 Christs victory over death 55 57 W. Of WAITING Our duty to waite upon God 115 It s hard to wait on God 118 Waiting overcomes all 119 120 Many graces exercised in waiting 116 117 Why God will have us to wait 150 151 Incouragements to waite 153 154. Good men apt to weepe 72 73 74 75 Though wee cannot weep yet wee must mourne 86 Spirit witnesses that the holy Scripture is Gods Word 101 Gods Word is to bee heard as the Word of God 104 God will make all his VVord good 16 FINIS The principal subjects handled in these Sermons 1. Of the Marriage-feast between Christ his Church Prov. 9. 2. Matth. 22. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isai 55. 1. Rev. 22. 17. Gen. 49. 20. Super omnia vultus accessére boni 2. Of the vail of ignorance and unbeliefe and the removall of it 3. Of Christs conquest over Death Heb. 2. 14 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hos 13. 14. 4. Of the Christians teares and the wiping them away 5. Of the Rebukes and Reproaches of Gods people and the taking of them away 6. Of the Promises 7. Of the holy Scriptures and the divine Authority of them 8. waiting upon God Isai 26. 8. Isai 8. 17. The connexion of the Text. 1 Observ The Church the most excellent of all societies The Church built upon the strongest foundation 2 Obs Of the visibility of the Church The Mountaine is the Church God makes a Feast for his people The Lord of Hoasts the founder of the Feast This Feast is for all people Christ the chiefe dish in the Feast Why Christ with his benefits is compared to a Feast 1. Because the favours we have by Christ are choice ones 2. There is variety of favours in Christ Christ like the Indian plant Coquus good for all things 3. There is sufficiency and fulnesse in Christ 4. As a Feast for many so Christ is a feast for the community of Saints 5. Because we have the glorious attire of Christ as men put on choice garments at Feasts 6. Because he was resembled by the Paschal Lambe which was choosen foure daies before out of the flock 2. By Manna to which Christ answers in many particulars Surely those that are spirituall taste Christ 3. By the rock in the wildernesse 4. By all the Jewish festivalls 5. By the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Use Be prepared for this Feast 1. Labour for large hearts to receive much 2. Labour for spirituall appetite First means to get appetite soure herbes sense of sin and misery Second Means Third Means Fourth Means Acquaintance with those that are good Fifth Means We know not how long wee have to live Wee should hold out against hunger to come â—… 3. Get a spirituall disposition of soul to heavenly things The soule hath her senses Two things in spirituall tast Vse 4. Wee must labour for a digestion of spirituall things Vse 5. Wee must walk in the strength of spirituall favour Consequents of this Feast is spirituall chearfulnesse 2. Thankfulnesse 3. Justifie the waies of God against carnall slanders Object Religious people are melancholy Answ It s because they are not more religious A man may be ignorant of his comforts A Christian at the worst is happier then a worldling at the best Labour to partake of this Feast All invited We are sure to perish without Christ Honour God by taking alotted comforts The Spirit of God must work us to a relish of spirituall things We must bring something to the Feast though not of our owne Wee must bring empty soules and a spirit of Faith and a spirit of Love The services of this Feast Obs There is a vail over all mens spirits by nature A two-fold vaile 1. Of the things themselves 2 Of the souls not seeing or not beleeving 3 There must be a light to make things visible All things in religion are mysterious 1. There 's a vaile of ignorance on all naturall men Naturall men know not spirituall things in their proper species A godly man sees spirituall things intritively The light of the godly is a light with influence the light of the wicked is without it Simile Simile Simile There is a vaile of unbeliefe over the unregenerate Ignorance and unbeliefe act in all sinnes 2. Obser God only can take off the vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe Reas Because of the unsuitablenes between the soule and spirituall things Foure things required in sight Foure degrees of discerning things Reas 2. Reas 3. And a disproportion also Reas 4. No creature Angels or men can bring light into the soule 3 Obs It s peculiar to the Church to have the vaile taken away It s
peculiar to the Church to know the greatest good and greatest evill 4 Obs Where the vaile is taken away there is spirituall joy and feasting Reason The same Spirit is a Spirit of Revelation and consolation Use 1. To labour to have this vaile taken off Meanes For this wee must attend on Ordinances Smile 3. Fashion not our selves after the times 4. Be carefull to practise what we know Quest Answ 5 Love what we know Use 2. Make our studies and closets Oratories for the getting of knowledge We can shut but not open our hearts to divine truths Quest How shall we know that we have heavenly light Answ 1. By a marvelling at the things of faith and the goodnesse of God in revealing them to us 2. By being carried with desire to know more and more 3. When the vaile is taken off by sanctified meanes which we can justifie by our owne experience of them Fourthly When our knowledge worketh upon us Application of this to the Sacrament Death is the great King of Kings Death spares none Death hath continued from the beginning let in by sin Sin armeth Death Hel the attendant of death Christ swallows up death in victory for himselfe and his Reas Because hee hath satisfied for sin A double kingdome of Christ 1. A kingdom of patience 2. A kingdom of power Christ conquereth for us and in us Death was conquered by Christ when he had given way to be under the power of it Use 1. First we see God gives way to his enemies for a time when he will give glorious victory Death is already swallowed up to faith Vse 2. Labour to be one with Christ crucified Vse 3. Be thankfull to God for this victory in Christ The benefits of death to a person that is in Christ Vse 4. Let those that are in Christ be ashamed of the feare of death Death terrible to the wicked They are fools that in a carnall bravery contemn death before disarmed in Christ Of Duellist Vs Of consolation to those that are in Christ Death is not only subdued but made a friend It s profitable to some to fal Satan hath advantage by our fearing death The worst the world can doe is to take away life and in that they doe the godly a pleasure Christ will draw his mysticall body to him into heaven Our comfort by Christ should make us fruitfull to Christ It s better to dye in the Lord than for the Lord. Prepare for death by getting into Christ Sin hath no Law in us to rule by * Good men easie to weepe Christ in heaven not without compassion * Psa 119. 136 * Phil. 3. 18 We have cause to weepe for the sinnes of others 1. From our love to God 2. From love to the Church and our brethren Simile Vse To condemne Stoicisme * Isa 1. 5. The best men aptest to grieve Vse 2. It s good wee doe grieve Avoid what hnders sensiblenesse The life of a Christian is a mixture of joy and sorrow Uses of joy in Christians We should picke matter of comfort out of griefe All causes of sorrow shall be removed The more teares here the more joy hereafter The Order First shed teares and then have them wiped away Reason 1. Our own necessity Simile Reason 2. For the increase of our comfort Simile Use 1. Take notice of the tender mercy of God in this that he will wipe away teares Judge not by sight for the godly here mourn most * 1 Cor. 15. 19. Be not discouraged for our own or Churches causes of griefe * Mat. 5. 4. Christians have more cause of joy than griefe and they ought to eye both This is comfortable while we live and when we die A carnall man is all joy or all sorrow The godly have a mixt condition and should have a mixt disposition Wayes are to be esteemed by their end Mat. 11. 19. Man since the fall subject to sorrow No sorrow in Paradise nor shall any be in heaven The greatest cause of the godlies mourning sin within him Rom. 7. 24. 1. A case about teares Psa 56. 8. God hath no bottle for some teares Marks of good teares 1. When their spring is the love of God 2. When wee weepe for our own sins and sins of others Truth of grace appeares more in grieving for others sins then our own 3. When our teares are shed in secret Jer. 13. 17. 4. When they tend to reformation of what they are shed for 2. Case How can a Christian joy and grieve together Phil. 4. 4. Gods people here are under rebuke and reproach Psal 137. Psal 22. 78. This text points at the conversion of the Jewes Reas There be two seeds in the world 1. Of the Serpent 2. Of the woman Carnall men would have all men thought of alike Men put a false vaile both on godlinesse and wickednesse Use 1. Take heed of laying scandal on religion Use 2. To study to be wise that wee be not misled by the misrepresentation of things The devill a lyar that he may be a murtherer Why it s the course of the world to slander Things shall be known to be as they arâ— Reason From Gods justice Revel 11. Use 1. To direct what course to take under disgrace and scandall 1. Labour to be innocent 2. To be patient 3. To be couragious 4 To be sincere 2 Cor. 5. 13. 14 2 Sam. 6. 20. 21. 5. Commend our credits to God by prayer Comfort your selfe in your own true worth 1 Cor. 4. 3. 1 Pet. 4 14. God putteth a glory upon his children under disgrace Mat. 5. 11. 12. Vse 2. For comfort to the godly their rebukes shall bee taken away God is the author of promises Use Consider God in the Promises to helpe our faith Quest How is it the the word of God sith Isaiah spake it Answ He did but write God did dictate Wee should not so much look on the Ministers as from whom they speak Quest 2. Whence hath the Scripture authority Answ From its selfe The Spirit of God in Scriptures Judge of all controversies Quest 3. How may wee know it is the Word of God but by the Chuâ—ch Answ As wee know a Letter from a friend Simile The word knowne to be of â—od 1. By its Majesty 2. Mysteriousnesse 3. Witnesse of the Spirit 4. Divine efficacy 1. In warming 2. Comforting 3. Changing 4. Casting down the soul Acts 16. 31. Adam nearest damnation 5. Searching b 1 Cor. 14 25. c Heb 4. 12. 5. The word proved to be of God from our experience 6. By reason Object The word may bee corrupted Answ The Jews lookt to the Old Testament Hereticks over the new Use 1. Let us regard heare Scriptures as the word of God Use 2. Know 1. God will make every part good Every threatning in it is ratified in heaven Use 3. Let us take shame to our selves for our infidelity in the promises Meanes To regard the word labour 〈◊〉 spirit that indited them Relishing the word makes a man a Christian indeed The points considerable Promises of God flow from Gods goodnesse Promises free and full Use Let us count promises our best treasure God taketh a long day for performance of promises Reas 1. To exercise our faith Reas 2. To waine from the creature Reas 3. To indear the things promised Reas 4. To fit us for injoyment Simile Simile A condition of waiting is a mixt condition of imperfection and perfection Wee have a taste here of what we shall have hereafter to support us Waiting is a grace whereby God sits us for an imperfect condition Waiting carrieth with it all graces 1. Patience 2. Long suffering 3. Contentment 4. Silence from murmuring 5. Watchfulnesse 6. Fruitfulnes Want of waiting the cause of wickednes Many rubs between us and heaven We are of unsetled dispositions It s hard to overcome tediousnesse of time All to be overcome by waiting God will performe promises to them that wait God keeps times and seasons in his own power There is a glorious day yet for Christians There be particular dayes of performance in this life Good to observe what dayes of performance God gives in A sight of God comparative here Absolute in heaven There 's an influence from the thing hoped for to uphold graces in waiting Simile Wee should look to the last end to fit us for it God will have us continue in a state of waiting Reas 1. It s his pleasure we should live by faith not by sight Reas 2. We are not yet fitted for sight of Glory Reas 3. Because God would have us enjoy the best at last Waiting not an empty thing Simile God fits heaven for us and us for heaven As there is a time of waiting so there will be a time of performing 1 Reas God is Jehovah Reas 2. God is faithfull Reas 3. He hath bowels of compassion towards his people Reas 4. Because the grace we have is but an earnest of what we shall have Our faith should answer Gods dealing Waiting the character of Gods people Directions to help waiting 1 Gods time is the best time 2 God will effect things though by contraries Times are in Gods hands There 's suitable action for every affection In performance of promises be much in thankfulnesse Experience of Gods performances should stir up waiting We ought to treasure up experiences God an inexhaust fountain Gods carriage towards his children is salvation Our joy and happinesse is in the enjoyment of God The joy of a Christian ends in glorying Begin to glory in God here Interest in God Christ is the ground of all rejoycing Therefore we are to make good that interest whilst we are here 1 By Union 2 By acquaintance with him The Church cannot be without Christ nor Christ without the Church In heaven nothing but in its admirable 1 Be not offended at the meanenesse of the Church 2 Nor offended with Religion for there 's a glory to come 3 Be not afraid to dye for heaven is our rest and center 4 Neither rest in any measure of grace or comfort here 5 Be not overmuch dejected for the desolation of the Church The fore taste of heaven is better than all worldly happinesse