wife takes her husband she takes her husband and onely him she is not to reserve any part of the marriage-bed to any other so in faithfulness is the soul to take Christ resolving that no cursed sin or lust shall shear in the marriage-bed of its affection with Jesus Christ so saith the spouse speaking of Christ her Husband My beloved is the chiefest to me among ten thousand Cant. 5. 10. He is mine and I am his Cant. 2 16. 2. The Wife taketh the Husband to be hers for ever during life not to part and fling him off at her pleasure therefore saith Paul Rom. 7. 2. The woman that hath a Husband is bound by the Law to her husband as long as he liveth So in like manner is Christ to be closed with by a Christian never to part more either in this world or that which is to come to be Christs in sickness as well as in health in poverty as well as in prosperity to be Christs in bad times as well as in good times to winter and summer with Christ There be a great many that can put on Christ and pretend to Saintship and can call him Husband in good dayes but they can as quickly cast their Christ and all away again in bad dayes when Christ seemeth to be cloathed with the riches honours credit and gain of this world then it is he that can court him with some seeming service but when he comes to be uncloathed again of those things and with Job to be set on a Dunghil of reproach and scorn through poverty then they flye back as fast again from Christ as ever they come to Christ and with Peter cursing and swearing they never knew such a man Mat. 26. 73 74. And like the Jews who could cry Hosanna to Christ when he was set by the people upon the Ass colt but when in a suffering state upon the Crosse Crucifie crucâ—fie him but let such know this not to eat the Lamb with the loins girded in truth and faithfulness Lastly Girding of the loins signifieth haste or readiness to be gone from the place where we were before therefore it is observed that the Jews went out of Egypt speedily upon the girding of their loins Exod. 12. 37. This shews the speedy motion souls are to make from that cursed state of nature sin and ignorance after their closing with Jesus Christ the soul is not to stay there one night longer there must be not onely a total but a speedy separation from sin and nature the soul that truly closeth with Christ never looketh back again upon his former condition but he loatheth himself for it he never thinks on it but he hates it as Paul speaks What fruit had ye in those things whereof ye are now ashamed Rom. 6. 24. O when the soul looks back upon his carnal Egyptian state and seeth what a blinde mad fool he was together when he considereth what sad ignorant works he alwayes brought forth when he looketh back upon his drunken roaring mad singing bouts in the Alehouse his running to so many Wakes Revels Bull-baitings May-pole Dancings O how much doth that soul which eateth the Lamb indeed mourn for it O how doth he blush before the Lord under the thoughts of it wondering at the infinite patience of God that he should be now out of Hell wondering that God should accept of such a rebellious wretch such a sinful slave as he seeth himself now to be to such a blessed Banquet and rich feast as the roasted Lamb comes to now on goes the girdle about his loins and away he goes flying out of this condition as Hell it self an instance you may take for this purpose in Luke 15. 17. In the Prodigal Son And when he came to himself he said How many hired servants of my Fathers have bread enough and to spare and I perish for hunger I will arise and go to my Father and will say I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son make me as one of thy hired servants Luke 15. 17 18 19. You see the Prodigal could no longer stay in this condition when he comes to be sensible of the evil of it but he girdeth up his loins and puts himself into a posture fit to be gone from all his old delights and sinful pleasures his old filthy companions he flyes from all he dares not stay an hour longer with them Psalm 45. 10. saith Christ in that Psalm Hearken O daughter and consider encline thine ear forget also thy own people and thy fathers house Thus you see the soul is to leave its old carnal estate and condition if he means to eat the Lamb Christ Jesus Therefore those that are so confident they have taken Christ and yet are not come off their old Egyptian carnal condition truly are much mistaken saith Paul 2 Cor. 5. 1. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature all old things are past away and behold all things are become new For a man to make an account he is in Christ and is a good Christian and yet to live a drunkard a swearer and a cheater a hater of Gods people a despiser of godliness to live in adultery and uncleanness to live loose in his family if this man have closed with Christ then so hath the Devil also it cannot be light and darkness cannot dwell together 2 Cor. 6. 15. What concord hath Christ with Belial so ver 17. Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing Certainly my Brethren there is no more fellowship wiâ—h the unfruitful works of darkness after eating the Lamb the soul must immediately arise and be gone from his old sinful condition Our Saviour would not allow the young man so much time as to go to bury his Father Mat. 8. 21 22. therefore the language of the Lord to such is Micah 2. 10. Arise ye depart for this is not your rest because it is polluted it shall destroy you with a sore destruction The next thing we are to take notice of before we leave this particular is the other two parts of the Travellers accoutrements which is his staff in his hand and his shoes on his feet Exod. 12. 11. First the staff Now you know the use of a staff in a Travellers hand is to help him on in his journy it succours him it stayes up his body from falling it helps him over difficult and dangerous place This staff leads us to the use of the grace of believing which a soul should beg earnestly for at Gods hands that so after he hath eaten of the Lamb Christ he might be enabled to travel his journey from Egypt thorow the wilderness of this life to his Canaan of rest and glory hereafter for it is less possible that a soul should travel through the wilderness of this world to Heaven hereafter without the grace of believing then it
was given for the life of the world John 6. 51. And so our Saviour expounds the Type of the Wilderness food read ver 58. with John 4. 14 For as a man cannot live where either of these be lacking so neither can a man live spiritually if either his Manna or water be lacking therefore it is that Christ preacheth and in it presseth both these as necessary to salvation John 6. 57. And Jesus said unto them Verily verily I say unto you that unless ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood ye have no life in you For by the Flesh of Christ which answereth to the Type of the Manna was everlasting righteousness wrought out for the elect in the room of that which they lost in their first Adam 1 Cor. 1. 30. And the Blood of Christ which answereth to the water which came out of the Rock in the Wilderness that was shed to take away the guilt of that sin which the soul lay under in the sight of the Justice of God this John the Divine tells you 1 John 2. 1 2. He is a propitiation in his blood for our sins so 1 John 1 7. And the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin Both of which viz the Manna and water must be applied by the soul in a way of sound believing or the soul cannot live either the life of grace here or the life of glory hereafter Now this is it which is a Believers principle food which made David cry out when he was under the thoughts of it what an excellent people the Saints were Psal 16. 3. he gives you the reason of it in Psal 36. 8 9. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house and thou shalt make them to drink of the rivers of thy pleasures for with thee is the fountain of life in thy light shall we see light There is one thing very remarkable about the Rock in the Wilderness which is this That the water came not out of the Rock until it was stricken by the rod in the hand of Moses which shews us thus much That as all the spiritual benefit light comfort and refreshment which comes home to a Believer comes home to them through this spiritual Rock Jesus Christ so the original cause of it was from Gods striking of him with the stroke of his wrath for sin Isa 53. 10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and to put him to grief and to make his soul an offering for sin Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us Use I. O then what a rate should Believers put upon their spiritual and temporal comforts were Believers under the real sence of those dreadful strokes and lashing blows which our dear Sauiour passed under that the door of grace and comfort might be set open to the Saints surely it would both occasion more love to Christ then there is and more highly to value their enjoyments then they do O soul doest thou receive any spiritual or temporal mercy or comfort at Gods hands doest thou meet with any inward light or refreshment in thy soul O then look up to thy rock Jesus Christ and consider with thy self how much he endured and suffered for it e're it could come home to thy soul or body what strokes of the Fathers wrath he endured and passed under before these waters of outward or inward comfort and refreshment could come either to thy soul or body O how wonderfully would the knowledge of this both season and savour the incomes of the Father to your souls CHAP. 9. I come now to speak of the Israelites drinking of the waters of Bitterness called Marah Exodus 16. 22 23. Though I should according to order have placed this back before the stricking of the Rock but because I would not omit it I have placed it here YOu may observe that as soon as the Children of Israel were delivered from the Red Sea and brought into the Wilderness the first waters that they drank of that we read of were waters of Bitternesse or bitter waters Exodus 16. 22 23. But this was done by the appointment of God Moses was to take a Tree which God shewed him Mark that not every Tree would do it onely a tree of Gods chusing and Moses was to cast the Tree into the Waters which done the waters which were bitter before became sweet and pleasant to the taste as before Exod. 16. 5. This leads us to the Ante-type and as in a glass it shews us these things First What portion the soul which hath eaten the Lamb Christ may expect to meet with as soon as ever he enters the wilderness journey in this world he must presently expect to drink of the waters of Marah or bitter waters which waters of Marah they will hold out the state of affliction which accompany godliness in this life how soon do poor souls experience after they have eaten Christ the Lamb of God the drinking of these bitter waters of affliction what opposition doth the soul presently meet with both at home and abroad First at home what cruel threatnings doth the wife meet with from the husband and the husband from the wife the childe from the parent and the parent from the childe and so the servant from the master the brother from the sister and the sister from the brother how reproachfully will they speak of the poor soul which hath eaten the Lamb Christ Jesus what taunts jeers flouts scoffs and mocks doth the soul pass under for Christ in the family where he lives reproaching the soul with the name of the holy Brother or holy Sister and that they are of the order of the Brother-hood though these terms are not matter of reproach but rather of honour yet the wicked use them as words of reproach to reproach the godly withal and if the poor soul be at his devotion to God at any time then he must be termed a house Priest or a Tub Preacher Thus the soul daily drinks of the waters of Marah or waters of bitterness Psal 123. 4. And if the soul goes abroad at any time the same he meets with amongst his Neighbours it s he that can sport himself with the poor soul as the Philistines did with Sampson Judges 16. 25. What mischief doth the wicked plot against such a poor heart as the Psalmist speaks of Psalm 37. 12. 14. The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent the bow to cast down the poor and needy and to slay such as be of upright conversation Besides our Saviour tells you what his people must expect while in the wilderness Mat. 10. 34. 35 36. saith Christ Think not that I am come to send peace on the earth I am not come to send peace on the earth but a sword I am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against the mother and the daughter
by it we might hold God to his promise or bargain that so heaven might be good to believers in law for you know in Law a penny given upon bargain or sale as an earnest of that bargain gives strength to the bargain as that the party cannot start from it but in Law is tied by it to make good the same therefore in 2 Coâ— 1 22. the Holy Spirit of God is called the earnest sent down into our hearts yet notwithstanding as Israel could not believe they should come to the good land although God sent them the grapes of the Countrey as the assuring earnest of it so is it likewise with the Lords people in this life notwithstanding they receive from God those many secret witnessings of the Spirit and many blessed refreshings which have been sealed home upon the heart by the blessed Spirit of God Yet how hard a matter doth the soul finde it to bear up with God in a way of believing how doth the Devil labour daily to make the soul to call in question his greatest enjoyments of the Spirit of God thus it was with the good man in the Psalms Psalm 73. 25. My flesh and my heart faileth me so Paul though he could say sometimes he was full of the blessings of the Gospel of God and that he had been caught up into the third heavens where his enjoyments of the Spirit were so large as that he hardly knew whether he were in the body or no yet at another time under the sentence of death in his own esteem even as deep as hell 1 Cor. 2 9. Therefore soul if it be so with thee remember that its the condition which is proper to the Wilderness state in which thou art and though thou canst not alwayes believe Yet God abideth faithful and cannot deny himself 2 Tim. 2. 13. And that the foundation of God standeth sure having this seal The Lord knoweth who are his ver 19. And for those men and women which do not experience these ebbings and flowings inwardly of the Holy Spirit of Faith and Comfort upon their souls but boast of the constant sound abiding comfort which they have of heaven and of the love of God in the fence of it upon their souls as some have done in my hearing let them profess what they will yet to me the soudness of their conditions is highly to be questioned I do except some strict close walking humble souls CHAP. 14. I come now to speak of those Types which were handed out to the Jews in the time of their being in the Wilderness THe first was the cloud which alwayes led them up and down in the Wilderness Exod. 40. 3 4. with 36 37 38. verses Now this Cloud was undoubtedly a Type of Jesus Christ in these two respects First In that the cloud guided the people from place to place up and down in the Wilderness so the Lord Jesus Christ he it is that leadeth the Church up and down in the present Wilderness of this World 1 Cor. 10 2. And as the Jews were not to move any way until the Cloud went before them so it should teach all Christians not to move any way in what condition soever they be in until they can say the Lord Jesus Christ their spiritual Cloud goes before them and leads their way for them that soul loseth the honey of the condition he is in that wanted patience to tarry for Christs leadings as in the case of King Saul 1 Sam. 13. 9 10 11. Therefore the advice and councel of the Lord to all his people is this Isa 52. 12. For ye shall not go out with haste nor go by flight for the Lord will go before you and the God of Israâ—l will be your reward so Isa 28. 16. And he that believeth shall not make haste Secondly The Cloud was a Figure or Type of Christ for its protecting and sheltering use which it afforded the Church in the Wilderness of old by which means they were hid from danger so is Jesus Christ such a cloud of protection to his Church and people in their wilderness condition in this life as that though Satan the world and the flesh set upon the Church with a purpose to overthrow and devour them at once yet they cannot overcome them Hence it is that David calls Christ a defence and a refuge to his people saith David Psalm 58. 16. I will sing of thy power yea I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning for thou hast been my defence and refuge in time of trouble so Psalm 94. 22. But the Lord is my defence my God is the rock of my refuge so saith the Church in Isa 12. 2 Behold God is my salvation I will trust and not be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song he is also become my salvation Therefore doth Paul make it to appear that the Cloud in the Wilderness was a Type of Christs great care of and protection over his Church 1 Cor. 10. 1 2 3 4. For we were all Baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the Sea and did all eat the same spiritual meat and did all drink of the same spiritual rock that followed them which Rock was â—hriist Thus you see not I onely but the Apostle also applies the Wilderness Cloud to Jesus Christ which must hold out and intend the great safety which Christ doth daily administer to his Church as the Saviour of it Use 1. Then this should teach thee soul when ever thou art assaulted by temptation arising either from the Devil the World or thine own corrupt heart then to get in under this Could and there to shelter thy self here wilt thou be covered in the day of battle and thou needest not fear what men or Devils can do against thee Psalm 26. 3. 5. Though an host should encamp against me my heart shall not fear though war should arise against me yet in this will be confident for in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me upon a rock Thus you see how confident David was and thought himself to be under this covering and cloud of defence O soul so will it be with thee if thou fliest to the Lord Jesus Christ and art careful to make him thy covering and protecting hiding cloud thou shalt then be far from trouble no evil shall come nigh thy tabernacles Job 11. 17. 18 19. Thine age shall be clearer then the noon day thou shalt shine forth thou shalt be as the morning thou shalt be secure because there is hope yea thou shalt dig about thee and thou shalt take thy rest in safety also thou shalt lie down and none shall make thee afraid yea many shall make suit unto thee But if on the other hand thou shalt neglect to get under the spiritual cloud and covering what ever covering else thou shalt hide thy self under it will
out O what manner of love is this that we should be called the Sons of God CHAP. 19. I shall in the next place speak of the Candlestick which was placed in the Tabernacle IN this Tabernacle there was placed a Candlestick which was made of pure Gold and the fashion of it was thus It parted from a foot high in the stem into six branches three of the branches going one way and three of the branches going another way there were three bowls made like unto three almonds with their knobs and their flowers to every branch but in the stem of the Cnadlestick below their parting were four bowls with their knobs and their flowers Exod. 27. 17. Exod 37. 18 19 20. By the Candlestick in this place we are to understand to be meant the Church of God which Church is made up of true Believers which truly and sincerely profess and own Christ and his Worship being redeemed by his Blood from all the earth Rev. 7. 14. This is the signification of the Candlestick the truth of which you may read Rev. 1. 20. where the seven Churches are compared to seven golden Candlesticks which answereth to the Candlestick in the Tabernacle for that was made of pure beaten Gold Ex. 27. 17. Now the Church of God may be compared to a Candlestick several manner of wayes First As a Candlestick is made to mount or hold up the light that all in a time of darkness may see so doth the Church and people of God they hold up the light of truth and the bright shinings of the word and Gospel that all that are in the dark world who sit in the Region and shadow of death might behold the face of God in Jesus Christ shining through the Saints gifts graces and holy conversations in upon their souls Isaiah 2. 3. The Law shall go forth out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem by which means Isa 9. 2. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light and they that dwelled in the land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light shined Though this latter prophesie doth principally belong to Christ yet it is to be applied to his Church also for it s through them Christ shineth upon the dark world therefore saith our Saviour to his Dissciples Matth. 5. 14. Ye are the light of the world meaning they were the Candlestick prepared of God to hold up and hold out the light of truth to the dark blinde miserable world Use 1. This informs then what a deal of duty lieth upon the Church both Ministers as well as others First For Ministers what care should they take and what pains should they expose themselves unto in order to the keeping up and holding forth the light and word of the Gospel to the dark nations of the earth what care did Paul take to fulfil his ministry and to discharge his duty this way Acts 20. 24. He counted not his life dear unto himself so that he could fulfil his ministry with you which ministration he had received from the Lord Jesus and that he might be useful this way you may take notice of Pauls practice Acts 20. 20. I have kept back nothing which was profitable to you but have shewed you and taught you openly and throughout every house But O good God how few such house preaching lights doth the eart afford us in this our age but contrariwise instead of men that should make it their business with Paul and the rest of the Apostles to go from house to house to enlighten the dark famiâ—ies of the earth in the knowledge of God and his Son Jesus Christ they rather bend their forces parts wits and purses to darken and put out the light of truth and the knowledge of God in all the families they meet withal where they go like unto those teachers of old spoken of in Ezek. 34. 18 19. Seemeth it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures and to have drunk of the deep waters but you must foul the residue with your feet and as for my flock they eat that which ye have trodden with your feet and they drink that which ye have fouled with your feet How far these or such as these are from being of the true Candlestick appointed to hold up and hold out the light of truth in the world let the reader judge But again this should teach all the Saints for they are a part of the Candlestick also to endeavour in their several places and callings to promote the glory of God in their generations to study godliness and which way they may be useful with their gifts and graces amongst their relations and neighbours and in their families in order to the bringing in of their souls to Jesus Christ therefore saith our Saviour Mat. 5 16. Let pour light so shine before men that they seeing your good works might glorifie your Father which is in heaven To this agreeth the words of Paul Phil. 2 16. with ch 15. ver 15. He exhorts all true Christians that they would labour to hold forth the word of life and that they would labour to live unblameable in their lives and spotless in their conversations and that they would keep themselves without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation amongst whom they were to shine as lights so verse 16. The reason of the former exhortation is given you viz. because they are to hold forth the word of life even as a Candlestick they are to hold up or hold forth the light of truth Secondly A candlestick is appointed to hold fast as wel as to hold up the light that it fall not down because the fall of which many times puts out the light so is the Church of God prepared and fitted to succour and keep up the light of Gods holy truth in the earth that it might not be thrown down by the malice of the devil and wicked men who labour night and day to put it out in the world There be two wayes by which God fitteth the Church as a Candlestick to keep up the light of truth in the world The first is by pouring forth upon them the gifts of the Spirit by vertue of which they are enabled to discover detect and finde out all errour and whatsoever may be contrary to sound doctrine as in Rev. 2. 2. Thou hast tried them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them lyars Hence it is that the adversaries of truth are said not to be able to resist the wisdom and spirit by which St. Stephen spake Acts 6. 10. The reason you may perceive lay in this the Church of which Stephen was a member had a very great measure of the gifts of the Spirit which came upon them but a little before read Acts 2. 1 2 3 4. Secondly God fits his Church as
sheep of Christ and to none else This is not for him that will catch at any comfort to protect himself in a trade of sin but this truth chiefly belongs to those that are indeed truly humbled under and burthened with the sense of the weight of sin To such only I speak do your sins press you down as a Cart is pressed with sheaves Do your iniquities so weigh down your heads as that you cannot look up Dare not you come to God nor stand in his presence Do you fear that your sins have provoked God against you Do you doubt the Plague is begun against you are you fearful the wrath of God is coming out upon you and that it may prove such a storm as may sink you into the lowest Hell Yet O look up to your interceding High Priest who is now in Heaven for you who labours to prevail upon the heart of God for pardoning grace on your behalf who likewise makes it his business to observe his Fathers countenance towards Believers that if at any time his face of Justice begins to look grim and he perceives that wrath begins to come forth he may as Aaron did step quickly in between God and the people and so by his interposing presence of grac eand powerful Intercession he may allay the anger of his Father again Hence it is that John comforts doubting drooping souls in his day with this truth because indeed it is a truth proper to that end and purpose and farther John the Divine doth not only apply this truth as a Cordial to bear them up under the sense of sin but likewise as a notable preservative against the act of sin 1 John 2. 1 2. My little children I write unto you that you sin not and if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is a propitiation in his blood for our sins and not onely for ours but for the sins of the whole world O Soul live upon this blessed truth stay thy self here under all thy doubtings O consider sin may vex and disquiet thee but all cannot hurt thee so long as Christ keeps up his praying hands to God for thee it shall not do thy soul the least injury Christ doth prevail and he will prevail in heaven for thee against sin and wrath Christ lies in the way of his Fathers wrath as it were if any of it run forth it must pass through Christ he stands between the Father and thy Soul in a time of the Fathers displeasure and cryes out good Father stay thy wrath O hold thy hands strike not this poor sinner if thou strikest I am resolved the blows shall alight all on my back I will bear all and suffer all and take all both fault and punishment upon my self This the Father tried once and it proved true when the Father went to strike the Elect the blows fell all upon Christs own back which bruised him very much Isa 52. 1. which leads me to a fifth use of the Point Use 5. Which is to exhort thee O soul from what hath been said about the intercession of Jesus Christ for thee Oh! to love Jesus Christ with all thy heart and with all thy strength and with all thy soul O who can love such a friend as Christ is too much O therefore strive to love with the love of service and obedience with the love of delight with the love of communion and with the love of desire so as to part with Father Mother Wife Husband Children Honours Lands Livings yea all that 's near and dear for Jesus Christ O account nothing too much you do for him in his Worship in his Ordinances as in Prayer Hearing Reading in Meditating Mourning Weeping Repenting Oh account nothing too much you administer unto him in his People in his Ministers in the mannaging of his Cause and Gospel in the world O with Mary think not your Alablaster Box and Oyntment too good to bring forth in a time of need for Jesus Christ Oh account nothing too much you suffer for Christ account no prison to bad to go into for Christ no dungeon too deep to lie in for Christ no death too disgraceful for Christs sake because he thought nothing too much he suffered for you nor any thing too much which he now doth for you CHAP. 25. Of the Brazen Laver. I Now come to speak of the brazen Laver which was for this purpose that the Priests might wash themselves therein before they went into the Tabernacle to perform the Worshp and Service thereof Exod. 30. 18 19 20. Thou shalt also make a laver of Brass and his foot also of Brass to wash withal and thou shalt put it between the tabernacle of the congregation and the Altar and thou shalt put water therein for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat when they go into the Tabernacle of the Congregation they shall wash with water that they die not or when they come near unto the Altar to minister to burn offerings made by fire unto the Lord. This brazen Laver was a Type of Jesus Christ and the cleansing water which was in it typed out the Blood of Jesus Christ which onely can cleanse poor souls and wash them from their sinful guiltiness and sinful filthiness for as the Priests under the Law were to wash themselves in the brazen Laver before they were thought fit to have to do either with the holy God of Worship or the holy things of the Worship of God so are all the Elect first by Faith to wash themselves in the Blood of Christ this spiritual brazen Laver before they are thought fit to have to do either with God or his Worship Hence is that cleansing attributed to the Blood of Christ so often in Scripture to shew you it performs the same use to the Gospel Priests for so doth the Gospel term every Believer now Rev. 1. 6. as the Laver water did to the legal Priests 1 John 1. 7. The blood of Jesus that cleanseth us from all sin so Rev. 1. 5. To him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own Blood Now in this chapter of Revelations you may see by the order of the words in verse 5 6. how the Holy Ghost makes the type and the antitipe to agree In Exod. 30. 19. you have the brazen Laver set up now in the 5. verse of this chapter you have Christ set out to you performing the same use and office in washing and cleansing In Exod. 30. 19. you have the subjects spoken of who they should be which should wash in the brazen Laver and these were Aaron and his sons now you know these were Priests Now look into Rev. 1. 6. there the subjects spoken of which must wash in the Laver of Christs Blood they are called Priests likewise which intends all believers in and under the Gospel all those which have washed in the Blood of Christ our
men might hear him touching what he had received from the Father for them if they would come to him for it 2. Reason why Christ cannot withheld any supply of grace from the Lords people is because of these relations he stands in to the Saints 1. He is their friend Iohn 15. 15. Now a friend is so far from withholding what is due that he will rather add something of his own to what was given 2. He is their Husband Jâ—r 3. 14. Now is it usual for the Husband not to seek the good of his Wife 3. He is their head and they his body Eph. 5. 23. Can the head withhold any thing from any one of the members of the body doth he not give down his supplies to every part of the body freely truly no more can Christ withhold any supply of grace and mercy from his members which as their head he hath received for them Secondly How should this Qualification of faithfulness in Christ secure our hope and comfort against falling away totally from grace Oh how many poor souls are there in the world which are under tremblings about this thing Oh but I fear I may be cast totally out of the grace and favour of God Oh soul look up to Christ under this doubt if there be any Interest in heaven to be made against thy falling away from a state of grace thou maist be sure not to want it Soul remember will a poor mortal man when his Wife stands upon the trial of her life strive and tug and labour by Purse and Petition to make an Interest for his Wife both wâ—th Judge and Jury to save her life and dost thou think that Christ will fall short in this to thee who hast given up thy self to him as his Wife behold his interceding and advocating work in heaven for thee at this hour on purpose to preserve thee from this evil thou so much fearest and doth not the Apostle tell thee that he is heard in all he prayed for read these two places of Scripture Zach. 3. 1 2 3 4. 5. with Heb. 5. 7. And doth not our Saviour say that he is alwayes heard in heaven John 11. 42. Therefore saith the Apostle Heb. 13. 5 6. So that we may boldly say that the Lord is our helper and I will not fear what man can do unto me for he hath said I will never leave thee nor for sake thee Fear it not it can never be if ever he took thee into Covenant all the Devils in hell can never out thee more for he takes none into Covenant but such whom he loves and those whom he begins to love he loves to the end John 13. 1. And it s with an everlasting love Jer. 31. 3. It s true a Christian may lose the sense and sight of the love of God many days if not years But he can never lose the being of the love of Christ to his soul and as much as some talk of falling away from grace thou needst not trouble thy self much about that point but leave it to others that can better judge of the thing then thou canst besides if the notion were rightly understood by weak Christians viz. about falling from grace I think there would not be so many vain Disputations Doubts and Fears amongst them about it as there is Grace in Scripture is taken four manner of ways First For the state of grace into which a soul is placed through his believing in Christ by an indissolvable Covenant which is never to be violated or broken or altered more Psal 89. 34. This is the thing the Apostle is speaking of Rom. 3. 24. When he saith We are justified by his grace that is Believers are put into a justified state by the blood of Jesus Christ which we call a state of grace Rom. 5. 2. Secondly There is the means of grace that is all that provision which God hath provided in his word for the calling home of poor lost creatures to himself of this the Apostle speaks likewise 2 Cor. 6 1. Thirdly There are the habits of grace which are those divine dispositions or qualities of sanctifying grace placed in the heart at the time of our Conversion of which Iames speaks Iam. 4. 6 Fourthly There is the exercise or actings of this habitual grace which St. Peter speaks of 2 Pet. 3. Lastly now if by falling from grace men do intend by it grace in the second sense viz. from the means of grace so I say too and am so far an Arminian for our Saviour was of this Judgement Math. 13. 19 20 21 22. with Luke 14. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24. Of this judgment was St. Paul 2 Cor. 6. 1. with Heb. 2. 3. That men and women may enjoy the means of grace in common with others and yet have no benefit by it Again they may go farther with that in Heb. 6. 4 5 6. To have great enlightnings and great tasts of it and by the powerful convictions of it made with Herod to do many good things but our Saviour tells you that they were such as were never truly rooted hence it is that the word was never truly rooted in their hearts Math. 13. 21. Now to be truly rooted is elsewhere expounded a rooting in Christ by Election Math. 24. 24. Luke 18. 7. Rom. 9. 11. Rom. 11. 5. Peter 1. 1 2. Again There are the actings or there is the exercise of grace now in this sense a Child of God may fall from grace that is he may go downd the win for a time he may abate in the degree of his love to and zele for and faith in Jesus Christ Thus it was with David and St. Peter and the Spouse Cant. 5. 2 3. And with Ephesus Rev 2 4. 5. Again Take grace in the habits of it now in this sense an Elected called soul can never fall from grace that is he can never lose the roots of his grace more they may be buried up with corruption as the fire is with its ashes sometimes but it can never be extinguisht or put out in the soul more but it will now and then appear as roots may lie many moneths in the Earth unseen in a Winter season but when the heat of the Sun draws near the Earth they will Spring again so though grace in the heart may have its Winter season and so lie hid under the clods of corruption for a time when Christ the Sun of Righteousness shall draw near the heart with his heating beams grace will then spring again Cant. 1. 12. When the King sitteth at his Table my spicknard sendeth forth the smell thereof I will give you one reason why grace in the heart can never be wholly extinguished because its a branch of the Covenant of grace which God hath made with the Elect in Christ Ier. 31. 33. But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days saith the Lord I will put my
with deep sighs and groans crying out O Father these are all of my body for whom I intercede if thou lovest me have regard to their conditions they are my own flesh and bones in helping them and relieving them and easing them out of pain thou relievest me and helpest me and easest me out of pain for in all their afflictions I am afflicted Therefore I pray thee let the Angel of thy presence save them Lord look upon my heart and here thou shalt see the names of the twelve tribes even all my Israel engraven in the Letters of my own blood thou shalt never see thy Son but with their conditions engraven upon his heart And what think you souls will not this prevail may not Believers safely adventure their all upon the work of this Priesthood Oh study this more and your comfort will be infinite Obj. But some may say it may be thought the High Priest under the Law did do so for the people I mean carry their names upon his heart before the Lord yet it s a question whether Christ doth do this always now he is in heaven Is always for so much as this lieth in the Type Exod. 28 29. The Priest was to bear the names of the people upon his heart for a Memorial before the Lord continually which sheweth that this Priesthood piece of service of bearing the names of the people before the Lord was to continue for ever for it was to be a Memorial before the Lord continually not only was this work of the High Priest in the Type to remain for a for ever so long as there will be any need of Christs Intercession but always for ever for so the word continually doth likewise import therefore saith the Apostle Heb. 7. 24. But this man because he continueth ever hath aâ— unchangeable Priesthood ver 24. He ever livetâ— to make Intercession for them so that we may safely say that Christ our High Priest is always in heaven lifting up holy hands as it were to God for Believers in a way of presenting their conditions before him whether thou sleepest or wakeest whether thou art able to pray or not yet Christ is at prayer for thee he intercedes night at day for thy welfare He ever liveth to make Intercession for thee Hence it is that David could so comfortably lie down in his bed and take his rest so securely by night he knew that Christ had his condition upon his heart Psalm 4. 8. I will both lay me down to sleep for the Lord only maketh me rest in safety Lastly We may learn this from it that the High Priests going into the presence of the Lord with the names of the twelve tribes upon his heart it shews uâ— that Christ enters he presence of the Father in the names of all true Believers Christ doth it for them and intercedes for them in their name as well as for their sake As the High Priest under the Law was chosen for the people so Christ was sent forth to agitate for Believers and tells the Father as it were that he is come to him in the form of a servant to discharge his duty to God for Believers If I pray Petition intercede for any spiritual mercy for them it is but to fulfil thy will in this case from eternity for this was the great design that thou hadst before the world was that I should come down from glory and take upon me the form of a servant and die the bitter death of the Cross that the Elect might be saved and then to go up to glory again on purpose to make Intercession for them and therefore if I ask any spiritual favour for them it s no more then I was appointed to do by thee from everlasting Oh what a deal of comfort may a poor soul draw from this consideration of the brest-plates being upon the High Priests heart wherein the names of the Elect of God are engraven Oh methinks if a soul were assured he were upon no bodies heart in the world either Husbands heart Wives heart Fathers heart Mothers heart Brothers heart Sisters heart Friends or Neighbours heart yet to be in so eminent a manner upon Christs heart this is enough to bear up the soul in the worst of times There was likewise placed in the brest-plate the Urim and Thummim Exod. 28. 30. This of the Urim and Thummim was to be understood two ways First As it had relation to the Type it self 2. As it related to the Anti-type which was Christ First As it related to the Type it self which was the High Priest called to office a principal part of whose office it was to teach and instruct the people in the Doctrine of God as to the Worship and Service of him its true there were others of the inferiour Priests did this work of expounding to and teaching the people also but the High Priest was not exempted from this great duty Mal. 2. 7. The Priests lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts Now the Urim and Thummim did signifie those two qualifications to be in the Priest was which the soundness of his Doctrine which he was to deliver to the people and the holiness of his life as a pattern and example amongst them the Priest was to preach to or press upon the Consciences of the people nothing else but the sound substantial truths of God not his own novels or brainish fancies or dreams but the wholsome Doctrine of God Ezek. 3. 17. saith God Son of man I have made thee a watch-man unto the house of Israel therefore hear the word of my mouth and give them warning from me Oh what care should the Ministers of the Lord take in this matter that they feed the flock of God with sound and wholsome food therefore is the exhortation from St. Peter to all the Ministers of the word in the world 1 Pet. 4. 11. If any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God It s true there are many men passing under the name of Ministers of Christ now a days in the world but how few of them make it their faithful and painful labours in their studies to bring forth pure truth but on the contrary wrest it and stretch it and puts it upon a rack to make it bend every way to serve their ungodly wicked ends and purposes And so instead of feeding the flock of God which was purchased with his own blood with sound wholsome food they feed them with Gall and Wormwood who rather pervert then convert any they have to do withall Take the most sober sort of them I mean the most Idle and Laze sort such who love neither to feed the fold of Christ either with Gall or Honey that is as the Prophet speaks they are dumb dogs such as will not bark lying down loving to slumber yet they can feed themselves with the fat and
is sacrificed for us where you see he gives Christ the very name that was given to the Paschal Lamb. So Peter in his Epistle when he is a treating about the price of mans redemption 1 Pet. 1. 18. 19. verses saith Peter in the 18. verse We were not redeemed with silver and gold from our vain conversations received by traditions from our fathers but by the pretious blood of Christ as a lamb slain without spot or blemish verse 19. for so it was required of the Jews in offering of the paschal Lamb that it should be a Lamb without blemish Exod. 12. 5. So read Revel 6. This title of Lamb is given unto Jesus Christ Rev. 6. 15 16 17. The rich men and the great men and the chief Captains cryed to the hills fall on us and cover us from the presence of the Lamb for the great dâ—y of his wrath is come What is the reason think you here that Jesus Christ should be so much dreaded by the great men as well as the poor men at his next coming for these words have relation to his next coming I will not here undertake to determine whether this appearing here of Christ be at or before the general Judgement day as to that I shall refer you to abler judgements who have commented on the thing but without doubt the reason why our Lord is by John in that place set forth so dreadful to men under the metaphor of a Lamb is because the Lamb was a type of his Priestly Office which includeth the greatest of grace and offers of love to mankinde that can be Now for the men of the earth be they rich or poor yet if they shall live or dye abusing of and trampling upon this freely proffered grace and richly offered love this turns this grace and rich love and mercy into the dreadfullest of judgements against men Read Matth. 11. 21 22 23 24 with chap. 12. 42. and 2 Thes 1. 8 9. Thus you see that the Lamb in Exod. 12. was a type of Christ CHAP. 2. I now come to shew you how the action of the Jews in eating the Lamb together with the place time and manner of eating the Lamb doth agree to the work of God upon the souls of his people while on this side Heaven together with his various dealings with their conditions in this life which as in a glass those that are spiritual may see it answer face to face FIrst the place that the people were in when God provided this Lamb for them It was Egypt a Land of darkness abounding with all manner of idolatry and prophaneness a Land which knew not God Exod. 5. 2. a land of bondage of heavy burdens of cruel task-masters that required brick to be made without straw Exod. 5. 6. 7 8 9 10 11 12. the officers of which place would often beat the people of the Jews ver 14. besides so cruel were the Task-masters to the poor Israelites that they would not hear the peoples cryes Exod. 5. 16 17. To this agreeth as in the ante-type the estate or condition that the creature is in before he comes to Jesus Christ which estate or condition we call natural or carnal which simbolizeth very well with the land of Egypt in which the children of Israel were when they did eat the Lamb. For first of all Egypt was a place of darkness so is the natural condition of mankinde it is full of darkness and ignorance it is wholly deprived of the saving knowledge of God and Christ A man by nature knows little of that blessed life light power which the true knowledge of God teacheth a soul he knoweth not what it is to have Christ dwelling in him by his spirit nor what it is for a man to live in Christ by believing much less doth he know that great and blessed mystery which Paul speaketh of 2 Cor. 3. 18. But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. Alas to tell a carnal man of living by believing what a mystery is this to him of worshipping God in the Spirit of praying in the Spirit of making the Blood and Flesh and Spirit and promises of Christ his daily food of eating the hidden Manna of having the white stone with a new name written in it that none can read but he that hath it Rev. 2. 17. Alas what a paradox is this to a carnal man to tell such a man of Christ within him and of a spiritual Kingdom within him and a light within him and so from hence to bid him turn to it and live obedient thereunto and to hearken to the teachings of it for salvation Alas one had as good stand over the grave of a dead man and bid him arise or one had as good speak to a blinde man and bid him see therefore I think that such a doctrine preached by many in our dayes is an empty doctrine to help blinde men to see or dead men to a state of spiritual life therefore saith Paul 1 Cor. 2. 14. The carnal man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned also Paul tells you speaking of a carnal man that his understanding is darkened and alienated from the life of God through the ignorance which is in them through the blindeness of their heart Ephes 4. 18. therefore when the Scripture speaks of the bringing home of a soul to God it calls it a deliverance from the power of darkness Col. 1. 13. a state that affords no light no knowledge of God in Christ it giveth us no acquaintance with God as a reconciled God in Christ to a poor soul therefore it may well be compared to Egypt for the darkness of it that is the first particular Secondly Egypt abounded with all manner of prophaneness and false worship for they knew not God Exod. 5. 2. how well doth this agree with the state or the natural condition of fallen mankinde O what kennel so vile so noâ—some what jakes so foul what Goal so loathsome what hell so black as the hearts and lives of wicked men therefore when our Saviour gives a description of the inward parts of such men saith That out of their hearts proceedeth evil thoughts murders adulteries fornications thefts false witness and blasphemies Mat. 15. 19. and to this agreeth the 14. Psalm ver 2. 3 which saith The fool hath said in his heart there is no God they are corrupt they have done abominable works there is none that doth good no not one the Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God they are all gone aside they are altogether become filthy there is none that doth good no not one so saith John 1 John 5. 19. The whole world lieth in
wickedness My brethren where can you go into what Land Countrey County City Town or Family but you may blush to see the common prophaneness of it to your great grief what swearing lying couzening theeving brawling fighting and revelling is there abounding amongst men how do the most men tumble and wallow in the filth of uncleanness how are some buried up head and ears in their pride how do others glory in their oppression O how are others drowned in their malice how like swines do others reel up and down in their drunkenness what treachery and deceit and falshood dwells there in the mindes of men one against another as the Prophet speaks Micah 7. 4 5 6. The best of them is as a briar and the most upright of them sharper then a thorn-hedge Trust ye not in a friend put ye no confidence in a guide keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom for the son dishonoureth the father the daughter riseth up against the mother in law a mans enemies are the men of his own house To this agreeth the words of Paul to the Ephesians chap 2. 2 3 Where in times past you walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whom ye had your conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh fulfilling the desire of the minde and of the flesh and were by nature the children of wrath even as others Therefore it is that David when he was forced to flie into Gath among the Philistines because of the prophaneness of the people cryed out Woe is me that I dwell in Mesech and am constrained to live in the tents of ungodliness Secondly As this agreeth with Egppt for prophaneness so for false worship It is natural for men in a carnal concondition to worship God in a wrong manner as a good man said once every man is born with a little Pope in his belly To set up a false worship is the first thing a carnal man puts himself forth in This is the reason that the greatest part of the world lieth drowned in false worship and ante-christianisme it is because they are carnal and blinde and so want the light of God his holy Spirit to guide them into the truth Where will you expect to finde fish but in the water where would you see birds but in the air where would you expect to finde four footed beasts but upon the earth so where would you finde poor blinde carnal men and women worshipping but in their false forms pictures images and rejected ceremonies you may see how stiff the Pharisees stuck unto these things Matth. 15. 1 2. but you may see our Saviours answer Ver. 3. with 8 9. You know Paul the Apostle telleth the Saints in his day that they had been worshippers of stocks and stones dumb idols to this agreeth our Saviours words John 4 22 speaking to the poor carnal woman of Samaria You worship you know not what This is is most certain that the world for want of sight erre in every thing So that you see how well the natural estate of mankinde doth agree with the Land of Egypt for false worship or for worshipping God in a false manner Again Egypt was a place of hard bondage and cruel burthens a place that required brick to be made without straw Exod. 5. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. besides the officers of the place would often beat the people if they failed of ought of their work ver 14. they would also refuse to hear the peoples cryes ver 16 17. This answers unto the covenant of works which every carnal man and woman in the world is bound unto by nature and lives under This covenant even to fulfil it in the exactest measure thereof This covenant was made with us in the state of innocency which requires perfect obedience in thought word and deed and not onely perfect obedience but constant continual obedience to the last breath Deut. 6. 5. with Gal. 3. 10. So that if a man fails but in one point of the Law of Works he is guilty of the breach of the whole Iames 2. 10. Now this Covenant of works doth not onely reach the outward actions of the body as some think but the inward motions intentions and purposes of the minde for so our Saviour expounds this Covenant Mat. 5. 20 21 22 with 27 28. verses Now as the case stands with the creature with respect to his fall this covenant of works may well be compared unto Pharaohs task-masters and those that yet live under it to the Jews in Egypt who were under the power of those Task-masters Exodus 5. 10 11 12 13. 14 15 16 17. verses For first of all they required of the Jews brick to be made without straw ver 10 11. so doth the Law require full and perfect obedience of the soul both in body and spirit as ever it did Saith the Law Bring me forth the full tale of obedience according to my commands let not ought of the works be deminished which ye should do in soul and body I will not abate one jot of it bring forth the full tale of your duties let not one be neglected if there be you shall dye the death and perform them in such a manner as I have required or expect death without mercy what you do see it be perfectly holy without the least stain of sin in it in thy prayings in thy fastings in thy mournings in thy hearings in thy almes in thy works of mercy in all that thou doest see that there be not the least vain thought in it nor the least stain of hypocrisie in it if there be thou shalt be damned to eternity Likewise see that it be constantly so with thee from thy birth to thy death If in all thy life thou shalt but miscarry in a word or thought I will pour out all my plagues and curses upon thee Matth. 12. 36. with Gal. 2. 10. I will not regard any thing that thou hast done in my service before though thou hast served me to the last hour of thy life with all thy strength and with all thy power yet if at last thou shalt offend in one word or deed thou shalt dye the death a death eternal of soul as well as body Ezek. 18. 24. Deut 27. ver 26. Now when the soul comes to be awakened to the voice of the Law how is it overwhelmed with amazement and horrour like the Jews under their task-masters how bitterly doth the soul bewail his condition crying out with Paul Rom. 7. 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from so cruel a bondage as this Thus the soul falling down flat on the ground cryeth out of his condition because of the hard usage it hath from the Law that it should require the full tale of brick and yet deny straw O saith the soul
accompany the life of a Believer in this life for Christ his sake our Saviour calls it a taking up the Crosse Luke 9. 23. which is a thing most bitter and contrary to flesh and blood therefore saith Paul when he made choice of this Lamb Christ I consulted not with flesh and blood Gal. 1. 16. For flesh and blood cannot endure the bitterness of that state in which Christ is to be found Nothing but persecution disgrace trouble loss of good name yea and life it self that attendeth the way of Christ therefore saith Paul 2 Tim. 3. 12 He that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution he must suffer there is a necessity you see that the Lamb must be eaten with bitter herbs Those that will not eat the sauce shall not taste of the flesh of this Lamb Luke 9. 23. Unless a man deny himself and take up my cross and follow me he caâ—not be my disciple There be a great many would catch at the flesh of this Lamb Chrâ—st were it not for the bitter sauce which lyeth in the dish with Christ many love to shear in a Christ but not in the Cross thay love the Crown but not the sufferings which belong to the Crown therefore saith our Saviour Strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth to life and few there be that finde it Job found bitterness in the dish where the Lamb lay Job 13 26. Thou writest bitter things against me but did Job as many do leave the meat for the bitter sauce no no Job 13. 15. Though thou kill me yet wâ—ll I trust in thee O how happy had some been had they with Job still kept to this resolution but the wayes of Christ were too bitter for them but I fear those will finde their sweet meat of this worlds good attended with the bitterest herbs at last Again they were to eat the Lamb with unleavened bread Exod. 12. 8. with Numb 9. 11. This stâ—ll points at a soul eating Christ a right which is the ante-type which shews us thus much 1. That Christ must be really closed with and not feignedly there must not be any thing of the leaven of hypocrisie in it not for any by end but out of love to Christ 2. It must be void of the least love to sin if there be any love reserved to any corruption Christ cannot enter the soul upon such terms 1 Corinthians 5. 8. Let us keep the feast not with the old leaven of malice and wickedness but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth Heb. 12. 15. Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God lest any root of bitterness spring up and trouble you and thereby many be defiled Heb. 3. 12. Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God therefore saith Peter if you would as new-born babes receive the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby you must first lay aside all guile and hypocrisies and envies and evil speakings 1 Pet. 2. 1. 2. That is all sin must be forsaken and cast out of the affection or no Christ received into the heart the love of the world the love of lust pride honour pleasure ease whatever hath been near or dear to the soul he must utterly protest against or no Christ Jer. 4. 14. O Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved how long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee So Isa 1. 16. 18. Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings from before me cease to do evil come now and let us reason together saith the Lord though your sinnes be as scarlet yet I will make them as white as snow though they be red as crimson yet shall they be as white as wool So that you see there must first be a putting away the leaven of sin before there can be a eating of the Lamb Christ Jesus truly therefore such persons as dream of having Christ and yet retain the old leaven of sin are mistaken Fourthly The Jews were to eat the Lamb with their loins girded Exod. 12. 11. Girding of the loins sometimes signifieth resolution to some great work Psalm 18. 32 33 34. Sometimes it signifieth truth and faithfulness in the person so girded Rev. 15. 6. Here it signifieth haste or readiness to be gone from the place where they were in before Exod. 12. 11. Now all which significations may be taken into one head and applied to the eating of the Lamb Christ Jesus For first of all the loins of a souls minde must be girded as to resolution that intendeth to eat the Lamb Christ A soul must resolve to go thorow thick and thin with him through a thousand discouragements with Christ sometimes from within sometimes from without what from inward doubts and what from outward troubles a soul will find it a hard thing to go on in this way for heaven those daily taunts scoffs and jeers that the soul passeth under for Christ from day to day sometimes from its relations sometimes from its fellow servants who live in house with him and so likewise from its wicked deriding neighbours I say these things considered the soul is many times casting away its hope and crying out with the Psalmist Psal 73. 13. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain and washed my hands in innocency to no purpose Therefore the loins had need be girded that so the soul might not cast away his confidence which hath great recompence of reward Hebrews 10. 35. Now it is the overcoming soul shall wear the Crown 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. Rev. 2. 10. and the soul that endureth to the end the same shall be saved Mat. 24. 13. Therefore saith our Saviour a soul must first count up the cost when he makes out after this Lamb Christ whether he can hold out to the end with him whether he can run the loss of fathers love mothers love brothers sisters husband wife children kinsmen and neighbours love for this Christ whether a soul can part with credit honour riches carnal ease for Christ whether he can follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth Rev. 14. 4. For he that looks back is unfit for the kingdom of God Luke 9. 62. So Heb. 10. 38 If any draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him and saith Peter The last estate of such men is worse then the beginning 2 Pet. 2. 20. Therefore when Peter would exhort against faintings and discouragements â—e bids men gird up the loins their minde and be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto them at the revelation of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1. 1 13. Secondly take girding of the loins as it importeth truth and faithfulness In this sence the soul ought to gird up his loins if he really intendeth a thorow and full closing with Christ he must resolve to be Christs in faithfulness as the
was possible for the Jews to travel to their temporal Canaan without their staff O how doth Faith succour and relieve the soul all along in his way to Heaven when the soul is ready to give over and is yielding up the ghost how doth this staff of believing raise him up again and putteth a new life of confidence into the soul again Thus it oftentimes set up David upon his legs again Psalm 27. 13. I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living like a staff under weariness it did stay up and support David O how did this staff of Faith succour and relieve Habbakuck Hab. 3. 17 18. Although there be no fruit in the vine and although the fig-tree doth not blossom and there be no herd in the stalls and the flock should be cut off from the fold yet will I joy in God and rejoyce in the God of my salvation O what a deep ditch did the Psalmist leap over by this staff of believing Psalm 73. 25. My flesh and my heart faileth me but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Hence it is that Habakkuk saith The just man shall live by his faith Hab. 2. 4. That is for the support it gives a soul in dangerous times it is this grace that keeps a soul above water this was it which carried David through all his trouble this was it lifted him up out of the horrible pit Psalm 40. 2 3. this was the staff that led the Jews through the Red Sea this led Jacob over the Jordan of his difficulties Gen. 3â— this staff led him into Egypt and this staff brought out Joseph his bones Jacob his son out of Egypt again Hebrews 11. 22. And this was the staff the Apostles travelled by all along in their journey in this life 2 Cor. v. 7. For we walk by faith not by sight Mark we walk by faith It is what the travelling Christian must carry in his hand at all times in the pilgrimage he spendeth in this life Lastly The Jews had their shooes on their feet Exod. 12. 11. The shooes you know are what greatly helps a man to a comfortable going on in his journey without which well he cannot travel Now Paul shews you what it is to have the feet well shod Ephes 6. 15. Having your feet well shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace that is a soul that takes in the Lamb of God and thereby hath bound himself to flye out of his carnal prophane Egyptian sinful life and conversation had need first of all well furnish himself with the word of God with the threatning part of it to drive him and prick him on with the examples of others lives therein written to draw him with the promises therein to perswade him and with the hope of eternal life true joy and sweet felicity to allure him or else he will finde it a hard matter to come quit of his old condition and carnal conversation Therefore saith Paul Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly Col. 3. 16. So saith David Thy word have I hid in my heart Psalm 119. 11. O you young Christians for to you I speak you that would eat the roasted Lamb Christ and would come out of the Egypt of your carnal ignorant blinde conditions O hearken to my advice you must be well shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace O saith Christ Search the Scriptures John 5. 39. O be much in reading of your Bibles let them not lie idle get as much of them as you can into your hearts that you may be able to wrestle with flesh and blood against the rulers of the darknesse of this world against spiritual wickednesse got into high places Ephesians 6. 12. O beg hard at Gods hand that he would imprint his word upon your hearts and cause you to grow in the knowledge of it more and more that so you may have to answer every temptation that you shall meet with in your way to your spirâ—tual Canaan You know the shooes are useful to keep the feet from the gauling truly so is the word of God well applyed very useful to keep the conscience from gaulding and corrupting for look how it is with a man with sore feet he halts and tumbles not able to keep his ground so it is with a man under a gaulded conscience he cannot stand steddy in any place but reels from thing to thing from place to place and cannot stand long any where at a time now the word of God will help this either as applyed or eyed 1. As applyed so will it help the gaulded conscience Psalm 107. 20. 2. As it is applyed by the soul as its rule to walk by so it prevents from corrupting for as the shooes keeps the feet from gauling so will the word of God keep the conscience from corrupting if it be carefully observed as the souls rule to walk by So you see what it is to eat the Lamb a Lamb roasted to eat him with the loins girt the staff in the hand and the shooes on the feet CHAP 4. The next thing to be noted in the Type or Hiisory is this the Lamb was to be eaten by every particular Family unless the Family were too big then they were to take the next adjoyning to it and so they were to eat it together Exod 12. 4. THis in the Ante-type shews us thus much by way of information First That all the particular Churches of God in the world have a like right to Jesus Christ for though there be one body or Church Universal spread over the earth yet this universal body is distinguished into so many little bodies or Churches as Providence thinks good Hence it is that you have the Holy Ghost speaking of seven Churches in Asia Rev. 1. 4. Like wise we read of a particular Church which was in Aquilla and Priscilla's house 1 Cor. 16. 15. A slender foundation for a national Church and yet all these distinct societies have all aright alike to Christ as the families of the Jews were all alike to eat the Lamb therefore saith Paul There is one body and one spirit even as ye are called by one hope of your calling one Lord one Faith one Baptisme one God one Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all Ephes 4. 4 5 6. Through all ages in the world every Church in particular hath had a like benefit by Christ so that the weakest Church in the world if it be a true Church may claim as large a portion in the heart of Christ as the flourishing'st Church in the primitive times when the Apostles were living You see though Israel were a great body yet they must be divided into several little Bodies when they come to eat the Lamb and yet a Lamb for every family or little body of eaters so that none need to doubt in any age of
the world though the number be great which have eaten of Christ yet there is enough in Christ to satisfie all that are to come therefore is Christ called a fountain set open for sinne and for uncleannesse Zach. 13. 1 2. In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David c. 2. It shews the benefit we have by eating the Lamb Christ for we are by it made partaker of families right and order every soul by Christ may say now I am through grace of the Family of Heaven and I shall have a childes portion with the rest of the true Israelites though it goes hard with me in this life though I am poor and low in the world yet it s enough that I am of the houshold of Faith my name is listed in heaven for my daily allowance both for me and mine in this life and I shall have my full portion of glory with the rest of my Brethren hereafter I shall have that inheritance that fadeth not away O to be an adopted Son of God what a priviledge is this O how should this bear up the heart under all discouragements to have a right to all the excellency of glory and glorious attendance that there is laid up for the heirs of it as Paul saith That which eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive the things which God hath prepared for those which love him Thus much is to be observed by the Jews eating the roasted Lamb apart by particular families One thing more is worth our noting which is that the Lamb was to be eaten that night nothing of the Lamb was to be left until the morning Exodus 12. 10. Which shews us thus much that delayes are dangerous in this case for a soul to put off any thing of Christ after he is convinced of the need of him though it be but for the morrow the soul may never have the proffer more read that place in Hebrews 3. 7 8. In which place a soul is called upon to take Christ to day meaning at the first offer or else you may never see a Christ more in mercy for ever read Isaiah 55. 6. Therefore the exhortation is for men to seek the Lord while he may be found and to call upon him while he is near men will know that God will not alwayes be found and if any are like to finde it so they are such souls as put by Christ until to morrow they have not time to minde the thing there is yet something of more weight to be minded some worldly interest which must be set on wards farther first before they can attend this matter Read the danger of setting Christ aside until to morrow or of setting something more necessary as such think before Jesus Christ read Luke 14. 16 17 18. 19 20. with 24. Therefore take this along with thee soul remember the Jews were to eat the Lamb at the first offer that which they set aside until the morrow they were not to eat but to burn with fire not to eat it again read Exod. 12. 10. O Christian have a care thou doest not undo thy soul this way by setting aside some of Christ in a dish until to morrow crying out you are too young yet or you would sport your selves a little longer with your corruptions or your merry companions I say take heed of that CHAP. 5. The occasion of eating the Lamb. I Now come to speak something about the occasion of the Lamb which was this because of the destroying Angel which was to pass over Egypt on purpose to destroy their first-born for the safety of the Israelites God in mercy to them ordered them to take a Lamb and kill him the blood of which they were to take and strike the door posts of their houses which was for a sign to the destroying Angel that in his passing through the land where ever he should see that blood on the door of the house he might pass over that without doing the least injury to it and so from thence to the next house where the blood was not on the doors there the Angel was to do his work of execution Exod. 12. 7. with 12 13 and 22. verses This thing shews us the great reason why God the Father sent Christ into the world it was that sinful mankinde might not perish by the destroying Angel of his Justice which will certainly pass through the Egppt of this world and eternally slay all those that shall be found in their sins Christ shall come in flames of fire rendring vengeance on those that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thes 1. 8. 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Now to prevent this mischief and the execution of this plague upon miserable men and women the Lord sent in a Lamb into the world which was his Son Jesus Christ that so men might be delivered from wrath through him John 3. 16. Acts 4. 12. But this must be done the Blood of this Lamb Christ must be taken and by the hysop of Faith dipped in the Bason of Gospel Ordinances striking the door posts of the heart therewith this done the destroying Angel of Gods Justice looking upon it cometh to be satisfied and hurteth not that soul and becomes that souls friend Therefore saith John Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world John 1. 29. But not a bare looking upon the Lamb will content the Justice of God but the taking of his Blood out of the bason of the Gospel or dipping therein the hysop of believing and applying of it to the heart and conscience so to do contents the Justice of God therefore saith the same Apostle The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin 1 John 1. 7. Meaning the guilt of our sins To this agreeth the words of the Apostle Heb 9. 13 14. For if the blood of Bulls and Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the blood of Jesus Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God Thus have I shewed you the mystery of Egppt and of the Lamb eaten by the Jews there likewise you have seen the manner of eating the Lamb together with the bread and sauce with which the Jews were to eat the Lamb also you have seen the mystery of their striking the door posts of their houses with the blood of the Lamb as also the mystery of the destroying Angel you have seen opened together with the sweet harmony it makes to the work of God upon the hearts of his people which when well considered will make a soul cry out with the Psalmist Psal 77. 19 20. Thy
therefore saith Job The heavens shall reveal his sin and the earth shall rise up against him Job 20. 27. Thus you see both the distress and the cause of it upon a poor soul under an awakened conscience and how it answers to the Jews distress at the red Sea 3. We may take notice of the next particular which is this That that means which proved a ground of relief to the Jews in their distress the peoyle were guided thereunto by Moses from whence we may note these things First That though man knows how to sin himself into trouble yet he knows not how to get himself out of it The Jews knew no way out of this trouble therefore begun to cry out for graves to bury themselves in the place so is it with the soul under the sence and sight of sin knows no way to escape out of that dreadful condition in which he seeth himself to be nothing but death on every hand wrath gone out from above against him hell beneath openeth its mouth to receive him and thus the soul is oftentimes put upon to seek out for his grave to bury himself in knows no other way to save himself but eternally to destroy himself both in soul and body like Judas Second If the soul have met with any relief in his distressed condition let him know it came not from himself but he was guided thereunto by a special hand of Christ The Jews were led to their means of refreshment by Moses who was a Type of Jesus Christ Hast thou met with comfort and refreshment from such a Sermon from such a Minister such a Christian Friend such a Meeting or in reading of such and such a Book consider thou wert led unto that means for comfort by the special hand of Christ and thou shouldst eye his hand in it that love and praise and obedience might be rendered him for it therefore saith Christ With loving kindeness have I drawn thee Jer 31. 3. Third If any soul wants relief in such a condition then let him make unto Jesus Christ for it for he is thy leader in this case as Moses was the Jews in the other Read Deut. 18. 15. A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you from among your Brethren like unto me him shall you hear Now where were the Jews to go in a time of danger buâ— to Moses So soul if ever thou wouldst have ease and refreshment thou must go to Christ alone some run to creatures and think to finde comfort there others run to their duties and works of mercy and thinks to get it from thence again there be some that will send thee to thy inward quallifications or work of God within thee as they call it or the light within the soul I am not hereby undervaluing the works of grace as they are signs or evidences of our union with Christ but I send thee to thy true leader Christ who is at the right hand of God to make daily intercession for such as thou art Rom. 8. 24. O look out and look up to him by faith for this is the way to it Isaiah 45. 22. and chap. 44. 3 4. Fifthly The next particular is this Moses stretched out his hand over the waters and the waters divided Exod. 14. 21. This act in Moses leads to behold the necessariness of outward means contrary to the opinion of many in our dayes which because we read in the Scriptures of God his teachings within in the heart and of the holy anointing that shall teach them all things from hence they conclude against all outward teaching Question What was the reason that God had not caused the waters to go back without the stretching out of Moses hand Answer Not but that God could have done it but God thereby shews us thus much that it is his pleasure in the effecting of the greatest salvation and deliverance for his people ordinarily to bring it about to them by outward means Our Saviour was able to open the blinde mans eyes without clay and spittle a way more likely to put out a mans eyes then to recover any mans sight John 9. 6. But it is to shew his pleasure touching the use of outward means why could not God have thrown down the walls of Jericho without sounding of the Rams horn and why could not God have caused water to come out of the Rock without striking of it but to shew it is his pleasure ordinarily to use it in his administrations to the sons of men therefore it is our duty to wait upon God in it Now to the stretching out of Moses hand in this outward salvation answers the preaching of the Gospel by God his Ministers which is the outward means of the eternal salvation for therein is the arme of divine grace and love revealed and stretched out to poor sinners This Isaiah calleth the revealing of Gods arme Isaiah 53. 1. Lord who hath believed our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed So that whatsoever some men say to the contrary yet God hath had a special regard in all ages to the outward means of teaching the word If God had been minded onely to have left men to the inward teachings of his Spirit why did he take so much care to supply the ages of the world with Prophets and Apostles was he not as well able to teach the world by those inward teachings onely as now why doth the Apostle say in Ephes 4. 8. with 12. 13. that he gave both gifts and Apostles Pastors and Teachers for the work of the Ministry until the Saints be perfected and come unto the measure of the fulness in Christ If God were not minded to teach his people that way why did God bid Philip joyn himself to the Eunuchs Chariot to instruct him Acts 8. 29. If God had been minded onely to have left men to the inward teachings was he not as well able to have taught the Eunuch by his Spirit onely Again could not God have taught Cornelius Acts 10. 3 4 5 6. onely by his Spirit and so have saved Peter a labour yet you see God would do nothing until Peter was come I do not plead for outward teaching without the inward but both must go together so that the stretching out of God his arme in the Gospel may well be compared to the stretching out of Moses hand over the red Sea for as the one was a means to let the Israeliâ—es through the red Sea for a temporal salvation so is the other a means to let a soul into the red Sea of Christs Blood for an eternal salvation which leadeth me to the next particular Fifthly The people go through the waters and are saved from their enemies Exodus 14 22. This leadeth us to the usefulness of the Blood of Jesus Christ through which all that are saved do pâ—ss by believing for as the Jews had perished without mercy by Pharaohs Army had they not passed through the
73. 26. And you shall see him tumbling at the hills foot in despair crying out My flesh and my heart faileth me Anon you have him ready to sing My heart is fixed O Lord my heart is fixed Psal 58. 7. But at another time far from that condition but gone quite back again many miles from his Canaan rest Psal 55 4 5 6. My heart is sore pained within me and the terrours of death are fallen upon me fearfulness and trembling are come upon me horrour hath overwhelmed me so was it with the Spouse sometimes she seems she was in the bosom of her beloved Cant. 2 4 5 6. He hath brought me into his Banquetting-house whose banner over it is love stay me with flagons comfort me with apples for I am sick of love his left hand is under my head aâ—d with his right hand he doth embrace me Do but look into the 5th Chapter ver 8. And you shall hear other words uttered saying I have opened to my beloved and my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone my soul failed when he spake I sought him but I could not find him I called but he gave me no answer Thus it is with the gracious soul led hither and thither up and down back and forth like Israel in the Wilderness over hills and vallies mountains and bottoms sometimes a soul meets with a great deal of courage and comfort in his way to his spiritual Canaan and some other times the soul meets with but a little comfort and sometimes none at all But is apt to cry out oftentimes as the Psalmist did Psal 77. 8 9. God hath cast me off and hath forgotten to be gracious and will be favourable no more and that he is as a dead man cast out of mind Psal 31. 12. And it may be by and by up again so high that he comes to conclude His mountain is so strong that he shall never be moved Psal 306. CHAP. 8. Now the next thing I shall speak of in Israels condition while in their Wilderness state is the Food they there lived upon and were feed with HEre note that although the place was barren and would not afford any thing yet they wanted nothing for God fed them with Angels food from heaven which food they called Manna Exod. 16. 14 15. And their water came to them as strangely for it was what came out of the hard Rock Exod. 17. 5 6 7. Now their Manna was a Type of the woed of God contained in the Scriptures or writings of the Prophets and Apostles by which as with Manna God feeds his people with all along in their way through their spiritual wilderness to their Canaan of eternal rest and comfort This spiritual Manna being opened preached and applied rightly by the Ministers of Christ in the ordinances of the Gospel this feeds Believers and enables them and strengthens to walk from strength to strength every one in Zion appearing before his God Psalm 84. 6 7. How often do sound Christians finde this to be true as that when they have travelled out all their strength by striving against corruption and wrestling against sin temptations doubts and fears How wonderfully have they been strengthned again by the word of God in the several ordinances of it as preaching prayer receiving of the Supper and the like O what renewed strength to duty and to renew their encounters against sin and temptation have the Saints gotten from the Word and ordinances of God what power over corruption and the world what fresh seals of the love and favour of God have the Saints met with this way which hath often refreshed them as with new wine therefore do the Scriptures call these ordinances of the Gospel which issue forth from the Word of God a feast of marrow and fat things of wine well refined upon the Lees Isaiah 25. 6. Hence it is that the word of God is a word in men John 15. 7. and a quickning word Heb. 4. 12. Psal 119. 145. and a word of life Phil. 2. 16. and a word of strength Psalm 119. 81. and a word of comfort Psalm 119. 82. All this is to shew that the word and ordinances of the Gospel is a Believers appointed food or his Manna to live upon in his journeying through the Wilderness of this world to his eternal Canaan of rest and peace therefore saith the Lord in Micha 2. 7. Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly The meaning is as food doth nourish and strengthen the body so doth the word of God the soul it being attended with the Spirit of God Secondly By the water which came out of a Rock to them of which they drank we are to consider these two things First The Rock out of which the water came Secondly the water which came out of the Rock First By the Rock we are to understand Jesus Christ for that Rock was a Type of Christ for so the Apostle expounds it 1 Cor. 10. 4. For we all drank of the spiritual Rock which Rock was Christ Here Paul alludes to the Rock in the Wilderness shewing Christians in that Type that Jesus Christ is that Rock out of which all that refreshing water of life and comfort which comes home to a poor thirsty soul in his painful way to his eternal Canaan of rest and peace therefore saith David When my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the Rock which is higher then I Psal 61. 2. For as the water which refreshed the Jews came out of the Clifts of the Rock in the Wilderness so the ground of all true refreshment comfort or satisfaction which spiritually or temporaly comes home to the Saints ariseth from the blood of satisfaction which came out of the wounded sides of Jesus Christ it is from the sides or clifts of the Rock Christ doth that water come which quencheth the wrath of God against an offending sinner It is from this Rock those waters flow forth which cools the scorching heat of an inflamed Conscience From this Rock flows forth those waters of life which revives the poor doubting soul which is ready to faint under his fears and temptations Out of this Rock it is whence those waters comes which washeth and cleanseth the soul from all his spots and pollutions Zach 23. 1. which presenteth the soul pure and without spot or wrinckle Ephes 5. 2. This was the Rock David had recourse unto in a sinning time when he cried out O wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my siâ— And David did not onely flie to this Rock in sinning times to be washed but in fainting times to be refreshed Psalm 28. 1 Unto thee will I cry O Lord my Rock be not silent to me lest if thou be silent I become lâ—ke them that go down into the pit Secondly By the water out of the Rock in the Wilderness together with the Manna which fell from heaven may be meant the flesh and blood of Christ which
comforts those that are in tribulation for his work and service Thus you have had a sight of the bitter waters of Marah together with the Tree of Life cast into these waters for the sanctifying and sweetning of them to the Wildernesse travelling soul who hath set forward to his Canaan of Rest and Peace CHAP. 10. I come next to consider the nature of the Wilderness WHich was a place of Rocks and Mountains Hills and Vallies a place which afforded few Springs of water a land of droughts a place where no Corn would grow a land of doubts and fears a place which produced great enemies who would in a warlike posture oftentimes fight the poor Israelites witness Og King of Basham and the â—malekites besides their cursing Baalam which came up with his mouth full of Curses with an intent to overturn the poor Israelites if it were possiâ—le Likewise this Wilderness might be called a place of Wonders and Miracles because of the wonderous appearances which God did give out of himself in delivering of them from the hands of the enemies and in bringing of them safe to their promised land of Canaan as in Psal 78. where you may see at large Now do not our spiritual Wilderness condition mightily simbolize with this description of the Wilderness of old O what Rocks of danger do the soul sometimes meet with in his Pilgrimage here in this world what dismal providences doth the soul pass under while on this side Heaven what trials and temptations doth God exercise his people under sometime in this world which like mighty Rocks and Mountains stand up before the soul to his great discouragement How much poverty doth God exercise some Godly souls under what straits and hardships do such hearts pass under because of it sometimes what sicknesses and weaknesses do others pass under for many years together what lasting Imprisonment do others of his people many times pass under in some parts of the world Thus God leads his people up and down amongst the Rocks and Mountains of difficulty and sometime from thence into the Valleys of despair and horrour insomuch that the soul is made to cry out often times My flesh and my heart faileth me Psal 37. 26. Thus it was with David a man who was led a great part of his pilgrimage over Rocks and Mountains of distresses how did God suffer the hand of King Saul to go out against him how did Saul pursue the life of poor David from place to place which made him to cry out I am pursued as a Partridge upon the Mountains and that he should one day perish by the hand of Saul 1 Sam. 27. 1. Then the men of Keilah ready to betray him at another time 1 Sam. 23. 7. Then Saul comes out against him with no less then three thousand men pursuing of him 1 Sam. 24. 2. At another time his Ziglag burned and his Wives taken captive his goods taken from him and his own servants ready to stone him 1 Sam. 30. 6. And at another time his own Child raiseth up in Arms against him 2 Sam. 15. 14. You may take a farther view of the mans condition Ps 73. 2. As for me my feet had well nigh slept and my steps were almost gone Psal 31 4. with Psal 30. 3. Pull my feet out of the not which they have privily laid for me thou hast brought my soul out of the grave and thou hast kept me alive so Jonah 2. 2 3 4. I said and cryed by reason of my affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell for thou hast cast me down into the deep into the midst of the sea and the flouds compassed me about all thy billows and waves passed over me then I said I am cast out of thy sight yet will I look toward thy holy Temple Thus you see what Mountains and Rocks Hills and Valleys the Children of God are led through in this world Use 1. Then this should quiet the hearts of Gods people if his dealing be sharp and hard with them alas Christians you must know you are in the Wilderness while in this life a place of Rocks and Mountains if you are exercised underhand tryals it s but with you as it hath been with the dearest servants of God the people of God of old had their Wilderness the Church in the primitive times had their Wilderness and thou must expect to meet with thy Wilderness if ever thou intendest to sit down in Canaan St. Prul tells you that this is common to Saints to be led up and down by the Lord in the Wilderness 1 Cor. 13. 10. There is no temptation but what is common to Saints so saith the Church Psal 60 3. Thou hast shewed thy people hard things thou hast made us to drink of the wine of astonishment Secondly Have a care of murmuring and repining against the hand of God when upon you or of calling God to an account for his leading of you in the wilderness Remember what it cost the Jews for giving way to a repining murmuring spirit in the Wilderness Psal 106. 24 25 26. Yea they despised the pleasant land they believed not his word but murmured in the tents and hearkned not to the voice of the Lord therefore he lifted up his hand against them and overthrew them in the Wilderness O labour for a chearful spirit which will help you on in your Wilderness condition with the more comfort O labour to sing the high praises of God in the Wilderness that 's the way to sing his Hallelujahs in the good land Lastly Have a care of grieving the spirit in thy Wilderness condition in concluding thy self out of Gods favour because of his hard dealings with and this his leadings of thee when ever such a temptation shall come upon thee read that good word often Heb. 12. 5 6 7 8 9 10. CHAP. 11. Few Springs of water in the Wildernesse The Wilderness afforded few springs of water THis shews us the barrenness of all beneath things as to true comfort and refreshment for so the word Water doth sometime signifie viz. comfort and refreshment Psal 42. 1. Now there is little of this to be had in the Wilderness of this world fix your eyes on what you will here below here is nothing can afford you the least comfort in spiritual trouble it may be you have riches honour many friends alas what comfort can these yield the soul under spiritual trouble This serves many times to help on trouble upon the soul when the soul thinks upon the abuse of the outward comforts which God gave him but as to the allaying of trouble upon the soul they are not to be accounted of the Wilderness of this world is but an empty Well as to that water which can refresh the soul in a time of spiritual trouble therefore saith David all my Springs are in thee O Lord and saith Christ it is I that can send you the Comforter John
the soul to question his condition many times saying surely if I did belong to God why is it thus with me O if I had true grace my corruptions could never be so strong in me as they are O soul remember thou art in thy Wildernesse condition and that affords great enemies and tall Anakins and cursing Balaams which will very often afright thee with their raging blasphemy How often doth the soul find within him not only an opposing warring fighting Og within him but also a cursing dreadful blasphemous Balaam as it were daily cursing the holy seed of God within the soul which often times makes the soul to despair of ever getting home to his â—anaan of rest and peace Thus it was with David Psal 39. 4. All my iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burthen they are too heavy for me Psal 65 3. Iniquities prevail against me Thus it was with St. Paul how sensible was he of the wildernesse-assaulting Og and the Amalekites like corruption which very often rose up against him in his travelling through his spiritual wildernesse which made him to cry out in Rom. 7. 24. O wretchedman that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Which leads me to the next particular of the souls condition while on this side his Canaan of everlasting rest and true peace which is this The Wilderness of old was a place of discouragements for there the false spies brought up that discouraging report about the good Land and so weakened the hope and confidence of the people which put them upon chusing a captain to go back again to Egypt How much of this kinde of experience do poor souls meet in their way to their spiritual and eternal Canaan what sad discouraging reports doth the Devil and his agents bring up upon the good Land of Canaan to this very day and hour First The Devil how often doth he tell the soul that he were as good go back again from the good wayes of God as to go on any further in them for all the souls duties shall be as rewardless as they are worthless and that God taketh no notice of him and as for his sins they are too great for God to pardon them and therefore let the soul never think saith Satan to get out of my kingdom and power of darkness for doest thou believe saith the Devil that if God could pardon thy sinnes that ever he would look on such a worthless vile sinful poluted wretch as thou art who doest all things in hopocrisie of heart no no do not deceive thy self thou shalt finde it otherwise and therefore thou wert as good go back again to thy old conversation and live as thou didst before Besides saith Satan doest thou ever think to enter so strait a gate as leadeth to heaven doest thou not know that the Anakims both great and tall are in the way doest thou not know that if thou goest this way any farther thou wilt lose the favour of all thy friends and relations doest not thou see what a gazing stock thou wilt make thy self to all thy neighbours and acquaintance round about thee dost not thou see the taunts flouts scoffs and jeers which they will fling daily after thee besides thou art now pretty well to live in the world and hast things full and whole about thee but by those fines and sequestrations which the world will lay upon thee this will quickly be gone from thee and thou and thine forced to perish in a miserable condition Moreover doest thou not see before thine eyes how some are whipt others imprisoned and at last hanged up by the neck assure thy self this will be thy portion if thou goest any farther this way Come come sayes the Devil I will shew you a better way be advised by me come turn back again save your self and what you have you do but dream of building Tabernacles in the air assure your self by going the way you are a going you do but wade through impossibilities and all shall fail you in the end therefore get thee back again to the Land of Egypt the old carnal condition from whence thou hast been travelling a while and fed upon onyons leeks the garlick and cucumbers which thou hast been a planting for many years and eat the fat of thy flesh pots and take thy pleasure here for there is nothing better under the Sun then that a man should rejoyce in his own works for that is his portion for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him Thus the poor soul hangs in doubt and is oftentimes put to a stand not knowing what to do nor which hand to take whether it be best to go back or forth in the wayes of God because of his discouragements Secondly Satan will not leave the soul thus but labours to set before the eyes of the soul the apostasie of back-sliding professours who have both their principles and practises in the wayes of God from whose conversation he labours to argue the soul into the same practice of leaving the good wayes of God and tells the soul that in so doing or in going back to Egypt he doth no more then others have done before his face persons of greater parts and gifts then ever he yet had and surely such knew well enough what they did and in doing what they have done they have testified themselves to be persons that were acted by a wise prudent spirit such who make provision for their families according to Gods holy ordinance Thirdly If Satan the old Serpent cannot prevail with these secret whisperings upon the soul then he will send in his agents to deal farther with the soul as Father Mother Husband Wife Children and servants too which cry out as Peter did once to Christ Good master save your self And if all these cannot discourage the soul then will Satan adde to all the rest one or two apostatizing professours who with the rest hang all together about the soul crying out Sir what mean you to do what have you a minde to ruine your self and all your family do not you see that the Law of the Nation will not endure your Religion nor those wayes of Worship which you set up and walk in Have not you had warning enough in others who have lost all they had and themselves in prison to desist your work and retreat your ground and come back again Then in comes the prudent apostate not that he is such but he and such as he is thinks themselves so and he undertakes to give the soul arguments from Scripture to save himself his Wife and Children and all his family by telling him that he ought to be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake and that if he be commanded either to do or not to do which conscience at any time cannot let down yet however he may satisfie himself with this consideration that its the Magistrates sin in commanding the thing
certainly fail thee in the time of trouble for God will tear it to pieces and thou wilt be found naked then woe woe to thee in the day of Gods wrath when he shall come forth to render vengeance upon all that know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ as the Apostle speaks 2 Thes 1. 7. 8 9. O soul who ever thou art that shalt read these lines I beg thee therefore to hearken to that good advice given thee from the Lord in Isa 55. 6. Seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near CHAP 15. I come in the next place to speak of the Brazen Serpent another Type which was given out to the Children of Israel in the VVildernesse read Numb 21. 6 7 8 9. THe occasion of which was this because of those hot fiery stinging Serpents which in the Wildernesse had destroyed so many of the Israelites up and down in the Countrey therefore did the Lord out of compassion to the Jews cause a thing to be made called a Serpent and it was to be set upon a pole for this end viz. that if at any time any of the people should be stung by any of the Serpents in the Wilderness if they at the same time should but look up at the Brazen Serpent set upon a pole in the midst of the Camp for that purpose this would bring them home an immediate cure upon their persons at the same instant Now this Type had as to its use special reference to Jesus Christ for such a remedy is Jesus Christ to spiritual stinged souls God in mercy to the elect hath sent his Son into the world and advanced Christ his Son upon the pole of the Gospel that he might cure them of their spiritual stingings occasioned by Sinne and the Devil the worst of Serpents If we look up to this Serpent upon the pole of the Gospel with an eye of faith John 3. 16. God so loved the world that he sent his onely begotten Son into the world thaâ— whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting lâ—fe so John 1. 29. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world Alluding to the use of the brazen Serpent in the Wilderness which was to be looked up unto or to be beheld so saith John of the Lamb Christ Jesus behold the Lamb or look up to him if you ever intend to be cured of your spiritual stingings therefore for this purpose Christ is called the healer of the nations Rev. 22. 2. Use 1. O then soul whoever thou art that at any time art bit with the guilt of sin or by the prevalent working of any corruption O soul if thou wilt but look up to Jesus Christ the spiritual Serpent by an eye of faith thou mayest as certainly expect a cure to be wrought on thy soul as the Israelites who in looking up to their brazen Serpent in the Wilderness might expect a cure to be done on their bodies therefore is salvation tendred upon this act of the soul in looking up to Christ by an eye of faith Isa 45 22. Look unto me all ye ends of the earth and you shall be saved O therefore soul have a care thou doest not lose looking up to Christ there is nothing else will or can damn thy soul but this thy not looking up to Christ as a Saviour and Redeemer and resting upon him alone for life and salvation as one that is able to save to the utmost as the Apostle speaks in Heb. 7. 25. CHAP. 16 I now come to speak of the Tabernacle another Type given out to the Israelites in the VVilderness the manner and form of it I have already described to you before THis Tabernacle was typical two wayes or it typed out these two things to us First Christ himself Secondly The Church of Christ First It typed out Christ himself and that in these respects First As to the glory and excellency of Jesus Christ the Tabernacle was exceeding excellent and glorious within for all the inward parts of it were over laid with pure Gold Exod. 35. This was to shew us the richness and worth of the Son of God that so the creature might see cause to desire him love him and chuse him to themselves as their highest portion for ever therefore when the Holy Spirir doth speak of Christ it speaks of him under this consideration as excellent Prov. 3. 13 14 15 16. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom and the man that getteth understanding for the merchandize of it is better then the merchandize of silver and the gain thereof then fine gold she is more precious then rubies and all the things which thou caust desire are not to be compared to her length of dayes are in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour Heb. 13. speaking of Christ saith He is the brightness of his Fathers glory and the express image of his Fathers person Therefore saith the Spouse Cant. 5. 10. speaking of Christ He is the chiefest to me of ten thousand And to this agreeth the words of Peter speaking of Christ 1 Pet. 2. 7. To you which believe he is excellent Secondly As the Tabernacle typed forth Christ in point of beauty or excellency so in point of acceptation for in the Wilderness if the people would worship God acceptably it must be at the door of the Tabernacle see Numb 8. 15. chap. 18. 3 4. 7 8. and at the Tabernacle door were the people to wait until the Priest within had done the service of the Tabernacle for them before the Lord which shews us thus much that if we intend in Gospel dayes to worship the Father acceptably we must come to the Father at the Tabernacle Christ and by the hand of Faith lay down our offerings at the door of his Worth and Merits therefore saith Christ himself John 14. 6. I am the way the truth and the life no man can come to the Father but by me Use 1. O therefore soul when ever thou doest any thing of the Worship of God be sure thou come to God alwayes by the door of this Tabernacle Christ if thou meanest to be accepted in and about what thou doest in the service of God offer all thou hast to offer God withal in Christs name in and by his worth and merits onely for his sake and upon his account and be wholly nothing in thy own esteem Come to the door of the Tabernacle under the sence of a meer piece of nothing bring with thee a self-loathing and self-condemning self-abhorring frame of spirit and let Christ be all and in all to thy soul and in thy esteem when thou art before the Lord in point of acceptation Phil. 2. 8 9. I count all things but as dung in comparison of Christ and I desire to be found alone in him Thirdly The Tabernacle was a Type of Christ in point of revelation Exod.
above and his people under the Altar Christ so that by all hath been spoken it appears that the Altars in the Tabernacle did intend Christ which was then to come in the flesh Secondly I shall shew you in the next place how the two Altars being of two differing uses did signifie the two great works which Christ was to perform to God for believers I shall begin with the Altar that was overlaid with Brass This Altar signified Christ in the work of making or giving satisfaction to the justice of God for sin for upon this Altar in the Tabernacle were the bodies of those beasts offered which were slain for sin and they were offered to God in hot flaming fire therefore called the burnt offering so was Jesus Christ an Altar to bear the indignation of God for the Elect upon Christs back as upon the Altar did stand both the sins and the burning hot wrath of Gods justice together which like mighty flashes of lightning came upon the soul of our dear and precious Saviour which made the bloudy sweats upon him in the Garden Luke 22. 44. Therefore in Isa 53. The Holy Ghost shews you the Elects sins and Gods wrath both together standing at one and the self same time upon the back of Christ Isa 53. 6 7. We all like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid the iniquities of us all upon him he was oppressed he was afflicted so ver 10. It pleased the Lord to bruise him and to put him to grief when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin so ver 12. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he hath poured out his soul unto death and was numbred with the transgressour and did bear the sins of many so 1 Pet. 1 18 19. with chap. 2. 24. For ye know that ye were not redeemed with Silver or Gold but by the precious bloud of Jesus Christ as a Lamb without blemish and without spot who in his own body bear our sins upon the Tree But notable is that place of the Apostle in Heb. 13. 11 12. For the bodiess of those beasts whose bloud is brought into the sanctuary by the High Priest for sin are burnt without the Camp wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctifie the people with his own bloud suffered without the gate so Eph. 5. 2. saith S. Paul speaking of Christ He gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Thus you see how Christ in his sufferings makes good what the Altar of Brass with the sacrifice upon it did signifie and hold out to the beholders where indeed our Saviour was both the Altar and the Sacrifice too By which offering up of himself as the Altar and Sacrifice to God he hath purchased eternal Redemption for us and hath for ever perfected those which are sanctified as the Apostle speaks Heb. 10. 10 12 14. verses Use 1. O then this should teach all true Believers to rejoyce and sing aloud for joy of soul O Saints lift up your heads and with your voice bless the Lord take with you these words and sing with the Psalmist Psal 118. 20 21. 22 23. I will praise the Lord for thou hast heard me and art become my salvation for the stone which the builders refused is become the head of the corner this is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes this is the day which the Lord hath made we will rejoyce and be glad in it That the soul that was once so far from God as hell is from heaven should have an Altar of satisfaction provided for him yea and a sacrifice to in order to his full justification before the everlasting burnings O saith David Psal 66. 16. Come hither and I will tell you what God hath done for my soul Why what 's the matter David what is it that God hath done for you O I that was a poor sinful wretch and accursed miserable creature a condemned Malefactor before God for the breach of his royal law and could never possibly have redeemed my self by all that ever I could do of my self or in my own strength O I was one who was under the guilt of sin and a slave to Satan an heir of Hell a childe of darkness a fire-brand of the bottomless pit a son of perdition a lost perishing soul in my self for ever Oh I that was alien to the promise a stranger to the Covenants and Commonwealth of Israel and without hope of God in the world am now again made nigh by the Blood of Christ and thereby taken again into the reconciled love and favour of God through this altar of grace and satisfaction which the Father in mercy hath set up for my soul upon which all my sins are laid past present and to come Isâ— 53. 6. So that through the rich mercy of God I can say I am delivered from the law wherein I was held through the satisfaction and full payment the Father received from my Altar Christ Rom. 7. 6. And although before I had any interest in this Altar Christ I feared death and hell every day before yet now I can say there is therefore now no condemnation to me who am resolved not to walk after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8. 1. Now can I come with boldness to the throne of grace to ask grace and mercy to help in time of need Heb. 4. 16. O this Altar Christ by his sufferings hath opened a new and living way to the Father for me a way consecrated through the vail of his flesh Heb. 10. 18 19 20. By which means although I durst not look up to the Father before I can come into his blessed presence as a childe and call him Father and I can come to him upon the account of purchase and demand my adopted rights and purchased priviledges at my Fathers hands and that upon the account of altar attonement which was made and done by my Altar Christ when he offered up himself a sacrifice to God without spot and blemish for me Eph. 5. 2. And although I was as black as hell and as full of spots as the Leopard in Gods sight yet now shall I be found of God compleat in Jesus Christ not having spot or wrincle Col. 2. 10 Ephes 5. 27. O thus may every true Believer say and sing with David for the weakest and least of the Children of God hath as large and as full and as ample a satisfaction laid down for him to God as David and his priviledges by this Altar and his right unto this Altar Christ is as large and altogether as full as David's was so saith Paul Rom. 10. 12. The same Lord over all is rich unto of that call upon him for he is no respecter of persons Use 2. Let this teach Christians to have great recourse
things to the comers read Jeremiah 3. 33 34. with Ezekiel 26. 27. Read Proverbs 1. 22. 23. How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and scorners delight in scorning and fools haâ—e knowledge turn ye at my reproofs behold I will pour out my spirit upon you and I will make known my words unto you Therefore soul let not the father of lyes keep thee any longer from Jesus Christ thy Gospel Altar but come with the greatest freedom and do not dispute so much thy unworthiness as the Lord Chtists sufficiency in point of righteousness for whatever thy life hath been though never so notoriously wicked yet in the name of God and by special commission from Christ we are to tell thee that neither the number of thy sins nor yet the greatness of thy sinnes can hurt thee but thy coming â—o the Altar of satisfaction where attonement is to be made for sinne this is it that will prove thy soul-destroying sinne for ever if thou take not heed of it Hence it is that David made the greatnesse of sin the onely ground of coming to the Altar Psal 25. 11. Lord pardon my Iniquity for my sinne is wondrous great Thirdly A third season when a Christian should have regard to the Altar of satisfaction is in corruption-prevailing seasons when the heart is overcome with the strength of corruption then is it a fit time for the soul to have much recourse to ths Altar corruption can never live if thou bring it to this place that altar upon which Christ died for sin will of all places in the world yield thee the greatest death to sin this is the sword of Goliah which hath none like it Rom. 6. 6. Knowing this that our old man is Crucified that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin But worthy of note is that place of the Apostle in the 1 John 3. 8. For this purpose was the Son of God manifest that he might destroy the work of the Devil As if the Apostle should say for this purpose was the Son of God manifested or for this purpose was the Altar of satisfaction erected and set up that poor souls might as well get sin and corruption mortified and subdued in them as to have the guilt of sin removed out of their souls O this is the tree of Life which standeth in the Paradise of God the leaves whereof will heal the Nations O therefore soul wouldst get down the power of sin in thy soul as well as to get out the guilt of sin from thy soul O then when ever corruption gets head be sure to bring thy soul to the Altar of satisfaction and atonement and there lay thy soul down at the feet of the Altar and beg of Jesus Christ that he would yield forth the blessed effects of his death upon thy soul that as he died upon the Cross to remove out of the way the guilt of thy sins so likewise he would be pleased out of his infinite mercy and love to drop something of his sufferings some vertue of his death into thy soul which might kill sin in thy mortal body Now this being done adding faith to the work thou needst not doubt but a blessed issue in time will proceed to the great joy and comfort of thy soul only labour for a waiting frame of spirit give God his own time to effect this work in thy soul for in time thou shalt Reap if thou faint not Objection But doth not the Apostle say in Hebrewes 13. 10. That we have an Altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the Tabernacle then it seems all may not come with that boldnesse to the Altar of satisfaction as you say Answer The Apostle is not to be understood so much in treating about the guilt of sin as above the use of Ceremonies Now the dangerous condition of the Hebrewes was two-fold not only was their Case sad with respect to their distance from God upou the account of sinnes guilt But their danger did farther appear in this they having their Ceremonies for a Christ to rest upon this kept them from Christ indeed by which means they were deprived of the benefit of Christs Merits Bloud and Righteousnesse which only takes away the guilt of sin as the Apostle elsewhere saith Galatians 5 4. For Christ is become of none effect unto you whosoever of you are iustified by the Law you are faln from grace As if the Apostle should say certainly so long as you stick to your Ceremonies and Jewish Rights you are at a great distance with Christ Christ can profit you nothing for you have Converted the Tabernacle Service into a Christ and you rest here and you live upon the Shadow in the neglect of the true Substance Christ unto which these Types and Legal Shadows should lead you Therefore while you serve the Tabernacle in this sense you have no right to eat of the Altar Christ but otherwise let the souls condition be never so desperate by reason of sinne yet here is an open door for him to step into the Tabernacle and fall upon this Altar Christ with boldnesse according to that word of the Apostle in Hebrewes 9 13 14 14. So that there is no sinne how great soever makes the soul uncapable of partaking of the Altar Christ who hath a desire to make out after Christ but only the souls resting upon some thing else on this side Christ and shall make that and not Christ his bottom for Salvation CHAP. 24 Of the Grate of Network made to this Altar I Now come to speak about the Grate of Network which was made to the Altar and placed under the compass of the Altar which was about the midst of the Altar underneath Exod. 27. 4 5. The use of which was to let forth the Ashes through the small holes of the Grate when the Sacrifice or Burnt Offering should be offered before the Lord upon it Now the Ashes of any thing which is burnt we look on it as the Dross or Excrements of the thing burned so it is in this case therefore was the Grate prepared to convey the Ashes of the sacrifice under the Altar which was to be carried forth without the Camp This shews us this much First of all the exceeding rich usefulness of Jesus Christ every way for Believers First In point of Justification From hence Believers may assure themselves that when Christ became a Sacrifice to God for them in order to their Justification that God was well pleased with it which was for the great comfort of Believers publickly witnessed from Heaven Mat. 3. 17. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased To this agreeth the words of S. Paul Ephes 5. 2. Christ gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour So much as this you may read in this blessed Type for there was nothing which was offered upon this Altar to
God but was pure I mean that of the Sacrifice which ascended up to God that was very pure for the Ashes which was the Dross and Impurity of the Sacrifice that was conveyed away through the Grate of Net-work which was made and placed under the Altar for that purpose I say this should exceedingly comfort Believers with reference to the foundation of their Justification their Altar-Sacrifice was a Sacrifice full of purity without the least spot or stain in it an offering without blemish to God yea a sweet smelling savour Use This informs us then of the sad condition of two sorts of persons amongst us First those that dare offer God with any other offering then Christ for their Justification or shal offer any thing to God in any other name then in Christs name know you that the best Sacrifices which you can offer God of your own or in your own names or in the names of any Saint or Angel hath too much of their Ashes and Dross in them then to have any acceptance with God you have no Grate made of Net-work to sever the Ashes from your Sacrifices What ever a soul shall offer God in sacrifice if it doth carry the least impurity or dross in it it will be so far from justifying of you before God as that it will but sink you deeper and deeper into hell Gal 3. 10. O therefore be not deceived any longer ye self-righteous persons in thinking that your duties and works of Righteousness will bear you out before God! no no there is no man is justified in the sight of God by the deeds of the Law saith Paul Gal. 3. 11. the reason is given you by the Church in Isaiah 64. 6. For we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags Secondly It informs us of the sad condition of those which were once enlightned into the excellency of this Altar-Sacrifice as that they wholly lived upon him for life and would onely fetch in their peace and comfort and refreshment this way and in this light they rejoyced for a season but are now gone back again and have left their Altar-Sacrifice and will only offer God their own duties and works of righteousness mixed with the Ashes of impurity Oh! the condition of these men and women is worse then the former because these are fallen from Grace it self And therefore although they may talk much of Christ within them yet Christ shall profit them nothing Gal. 5. 4. But I shall refer these back-sliding souls to read that dreadful place in Heb. 6. 4 5 6. For it is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted of the good word of God and the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away to renew them again to repentance seeing they have crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh and have put him to open shame Thirdly And more principally the Grate of Net-work in the Altar through which the Ashes of the Sacrifice was conveyed it may allude to the Priestly Office of Christ which is to present for us our Sacrifice to God as a sweet smelling savour for that is the proper work of Jesus Christ as a High Priest to and for his people who stands at the Altar on purpose to sever the Ashes from the imperfect duties which his people do offer up to God for as the Grate of Net-work in the Altar did convey the Ashes from the Sacrifice which was offered upon it so doth Jesus Christ convey away out of sight all the weaknesses and infirmities of the Saints duties which ascend up to God therefore in Mal. 3. 3. it is said of Christ That he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and he shall purifie the Sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver that they might offer to God an offering in righteousness So that you see it is Christs work to sever the dross from the pure metal both as to the persons of his people and their performances that so their duties might smell pleasant in the nostrills of God Christ is the Altar with the Grate of Net-work in it that casteth away through himself all the pollutions of our duties therefore the Apostle in Heb. 13. having spoken of the Altar Christ under the Levitical type ver 10. tells you in the 12. ver Wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctifie they people suffered without the Gate That is Christ as the Altar did both sanctifie the persons and the duties of his people that their sacrifices as well as their persons might be a sweet smelling sacrifice to God Use This should teach believers where to bring their duties in the worship and service of God that they might be accepted with God O soul wouldst thou have thy prayers thy praises thy duties thy services all accepted with God in Heaven O then direct them all to this spiritual Altar Christ There is the Grate of Net-work in Christ that will carry away and convey out of sight all thy defilements impurities weaknesses and infirmities of thy duties which would have displeased God greatly for God is a God of purer eyes then to behold the least sin therefore when ever thou hast any thing to do with God in the duties of his Worship be sure to eye Jesus Christ O beg of him that he would perform the office of the Altar with the Grate of Net-work in it for the wellfare of thy soul Desire him to sever the ashes of thy duties from thy duties and that he would shake out the ignorance of thy duties from thy duties together with the unbelief Hypocrisie Pride Deadness Drowsiness and backwardness of Spirit besides that formality spiritual Pride and wandring Thoughts which cleaves so fast to duty as the flesh cleaves to the bones but possibly many a poor soul may not be acquainted with their danger in miscarrying in duty as it were to be wished they were Take a Scripture or two Malachy 1. 13 14. Ye brought that which was torn and the lame and the sick thus ye brought an offering should I accept this at your hands saith the Lord but cursed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing for I am a great King saith the Lord of Host and my name is great amongst the Heathen So Jer. 48. 10. Cursed be the man that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully By which we may understand these two things First that its very possible that men and women may deeply miscarry in their duties towards God Secondly That so to do is a very dangerous thing O then if corrupt things may be offered to God in Worship and so to do is so dangerous as appears by these Scriptures before alledged O then what infinite reason is there that all Believers should make constant use of Jesus Christ who
he could therefore saith S. Peter 1 Pet. 5. 8. Be sober be vigilant for your adversary the Devil like a roaring Lion goeth about seeking whom he may devour Thirdly It s so with respect to the Rage and Malice of wicked men who out of an implacable hatred against the work of God labour to take all occasions that might be to endeavour the utter ruine and destruction of the people of God what tumults and commotion have the Children of this world in all ages raised up against the godly for their zealous attending upon the pure Worship and ways of God How many thousands of Innocent souls have the seed of Cain brought down to the dust for their keeping close to the ways and Worship of God And to this day how do the wicked plot against the just seeking all occasions against them to bring them down to the dust both as to Life and Estate How often in our days have the wicked run together in whole heaps upon the godly to disturb them and to divide and confound them in and about the Worship of God How have some with drawn Swords and cockt Pistols violently broken into the Assembles of the Lords people on purpose to destroy them in the place How have the ungodly in our days halled out some of their Meetings and dragged forth others by the heels through the streets of our Cities and Towns to Prison not sparing any either for sex or age How full have the Prisons been at a time of the godly meerly for their being found in the Worship and Service of God How have some been Sequestred from their Estates others condemned to die in open Sessions meerly upon the account of their being found in the Worship and Service of God together for their refusing to comply with any other Worship else Put all this together and have not the godly cause to fear and dread when in the Worship of God who are exposed to all these dangers to danger from Heaven to danger from Hell and the danger from this wicked world below O then what cause is there for the people of God when in the Service and Worship of God to have great recourse to the Horns of the Altar Christ for safety with respect to soul and body And with Joab to take hold of them and shelter there O make much use of Christ for this end and purpose for he is the Horns of the Altar that thou shouldest flie unto for its Christ administreth safety to the soul when in his work and service as well as procureth acceptation for thy work and service to God therefore when ever thou settest about Altar-work be sure to take hold of the Altar Horns Therefore saith David Psalm 96. 6. Honour and Majesty are before him Strength and Beauty are in his Sanctuary Hence it was that David could so willingly Worship God and desired so much to be found in his service he knew that the Horns of the Altar Christ could afford him all manner of Protection either against the Justice of God the Malice of the Devil or the Rage of the wicked and ungodly in this life Psal 84. 10 11. I had rather be a Door-keeper in the House of God then to dwell in the tents of wickedness for the Lord is a sun and a shield So saith Solomon Prov. 18. 10. The name of the Lord is a strong Tower the righteous run there and are safe O you see what Protection the Horns of this Altar Christ did afford the Israelites in the land of Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the Wilderness all along to their Canaan what a covering cloud was be to his people by day and what a Pillar of fire was he to them by night for the safety of all these in the Wilderness which by faith took hold of him as their Horn of strength and safety insomuch that the people never miscarryed untill they let go their hold-fast in him as you may see in Psalm 106. from 34. to the 42. Verse O therefore soul wouldest thou be preserved from the storm and blast of the terrible One which beateth against the wall which affrights thee in the Worship and Servive of God O then when ever it be thou art about to Worship God either in publick or private be sure as soon as thou drawest near to the Altar of Worship to take fast hold of the Horns of it I mean lay fast hold by the hand of Faith of the promised strength and Protection of Christ and be sure to hang there O lift up thy soul to him and beg him that he would now hide thee from the Justice of God that for the stains and infirmities and pollutions thy duties are clothed with all thou mightest escape the portion that Nadab and Abihu was once in the like case overtaken withall Levit. 10. 12. And beg of him that he would be a refuge for thee against the Malice of the Devil who will be at thy right hand to resist thee Zach. 3. 1. And that he would hide thee from the malice and fury of the wicked of the Earth who are hunting up and down from place to place like so many dogs to find out such as are attending the service of God That if possible they may undoe them either in or for their work this made Paul so earnestly intreat the Saints in his day that they would pray that he might be delivered from unreasonable men For all men have not faith 2 Thes 3. 2. So Ephes 6. 12. For we wrestle not against flesh and bloud bue against Principalities against Powers against the Rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness got into high places CHAP. 24. I come to speak of the Incense Altar overlaid with Gold as it differed from the former which was overlaid with Brass THe use of the Incense Altar was to offer Incense upon for a sweet smelling savour to the Lord Exod. 40 26. 27. which Incense offered upon the Altar overlaid with Gold did make the other offerings that were offered upon the Altar overlaid with Brass so savory and sweet before the Lord. This the Apostle applies to Jesus Christ in Ephes 5. 2. In which words he takes in the use of both the Altars and shews you that the Incense Altar overlaid with Gold was set up to make the sacrifices of the slain beasts which were offered upon the Altar overlaid with Brass very sweet and delightfull to God Pray observe well the words consist of two parts First Of what relates to the Altar overlaid with Brass Secondly What relates to the Altar overlaid with Gold which was called the Incense Altar First Of what related to the Altar overlaid with Brass upon which was offered the slain beasts Exod. 40. 29. This is set forth to you in these words of Ephes 5. 2. Walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and sacrifice to God This part of the Verse agrees
of satisfaction as from what Christ doth at the Incense Altar therefore it is that the word Rather is put upon that not that the one could be without the other I mean this not that we could have been justified had not Christ died but S. Paul shews you where to go in doubting seasons for the greatest confirmation of your Faith and Comfort therefore saith S. Paul Rom 8. 34. Who shall condemn it is Christ that died yea Rather is risen and sitteth at the right hand of God making Intercession for us Therefore soul with S. Paul lift up thy head and look up to the Incense Altar and there shalt thou see thy blessed surety that once took all thy sins upon him yet now he sits at the right hand of God on the Throne of the Majesty of Heaven fully set free of all thy sins and discharged of all thy guilt Thou maist assure thy self they will never come into mind more God can never call them into remembrance more Jer. 31. 34. They can never trouble thee more to condemn or accuse thee before God O soul before thy sins can accuse or trouble thee they most trouble Christ in Heaven for they are not thine but Christs sins I mean they are so accounted to be his because he hath taken them upon him for thee if thou art a Believer Therefore as its natural for every thing to make to their home or Centre so if ever sin return again it will first light upon Jesus Christ You know the Ant makes to his hill the Fox when abroad will to his hole the Bee when abroad will to his hive and if ever sin swarm again it will to its hive which is Christ for he hath made it his by imputation and is become the hive of sin O doubting soul fear it not if by faith thou didst ever lay thy sins upon Jesus Christ O rest contented trouble not thy self about it for sin shall never trouble either thee or thy surety more Christ hath made sure work with sin it stands him upon it so to do For it was his sin for it was Christ was made sin for us that knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor 5. 21. And let all the Devils in Hell do what they can yet Christ shall come the second time without sin to salvation Heb. 9. 28. The work of the Incense Altar which was overlaid with Gold it was to offer upon it the Incense Oblation or Offering Exâ—d 30 1 2 3. with Exod. 39. 38. Which Incense was made of sweet Spices as Gumm Galbanum and Frankincense Verse 34. This was as I have already said to pefume all the other Offerings which were offered to God in Sacrifice This shews us the second part of Christs work as he is a Believers High Priest whose Work and Office as a High Priest as I have hinted already was not only to offer himself up a Sacrifice to God for Believers but also to make Intercession to God for them which Intercession of Christ answers to the work of the Incense Altar Insomuch that both of these works of the two Altars meets in Christ the High Priest of Believers Therefore in the High Priest under the Law which was a Type of Christ our great Gospel High Priest you may see how both these works were proper to him First To offer the Sacrifice for the people Lev. 2 3 4 5 6 7. Secondly To make Intercession for the people Lev. 9. 22. And Aaron lifted up his hands and blessed the people and came down from Offering the Offering for sin and the burnt-offering and the peace-offering So Lev. 16. 11 12 13. which blessing of the people is as much as to say his praying for the people for so much the lifting up of hands doth import Exod. 17. 11. with 1 Tim. 2. 8. that God would pardon their sin accept their sacrifices and send them the blessings of this life and that which is to come 1 Kings 8. 55 56 57 both of which works in the High Priest under the Law doth the Apostle apply to Christ and shews as I have already said That Christ was the Anti-type of the Jews High Priest in these two works 1. Of offering the sacrifices 2. In making Intercession for the people saith the Apostle in Heb. 8. 3. For every High Priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices wherefore it is necessary that this man meaning Christ should have somewhat to offer Now what is it that this man Christ Jesus the Believers High Priest was to offer in sacrifice to God for the people look into the 9th Chap. 26. verse and there it is told you what it was saith the Apostle But now in the end of the world hath he appeared meaning Christ to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself Secondly The same Apostle tells you that Christ hath another work to do as our High Priest besides the offering up of himself as a sacrifice to God for Believers and that is the work of Intercession or praying to God continually for all manneâ— of blessings for his Saints which relate to this life and that which is to come Heb. 7. 24 25. But this man meaning Christ because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood What to do Verse 25. for ever to make Intercession for us Now about the Office or Work of Christ as an Intercessour there are these things considerable First The work it self Secondly The time of it how long it shall last Thirdly The end or purpose of the work All this you may see held out to you in the Incense Altar which was the Type of this work of Christs constant interceeding for his people Exod. 30. 7 8. 9 10. 1. First there is the work it self Verse 7. And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet Incense every morning when he dresseth the Lamps he shall burn the Incense upon it So that there is a work of Intercession for the High Priest to do which High Priest now is Jesus Christ therefore faith the Apostle Heb. 7. 21. with 25. The Lord sware and will not repent thou art a Priest for ever meaning Christ after the order of Melchisedeck Now what was the work of Mechisedeck was it not to offer up prayers to God on the behalf of the people that God would bless them with the blessings of his love and favour Gen. 14. 18 19. with Heb. 7. 1. Therefore the Apostle adds this passage after that he hath shewed you that Christ was in the work of his Intercession the similitude of Melchisedeck Heb. 5. 6 7. Where speaking of Christ saith Who in the days of his flesh offered up prayers and supplications with tears and strong crys unto him that was able to save him from death Now you must not think that Christ in his crys and tears and supplications only prayed for himself at that time No no but for all the Elect who at that time met in Christ as
in prayer to God thy self in the greatest necessity thou mighst comfort thy self in this thy High Priest is praying for thee for saith the Apostle he ever liveth to make Intercession for us Heb. 7. 25. This is the ground why thy barrel of Meal wasteth not and thy Cruse of Oil spend not it self in time of Famine and why the Plague cometh not nigh thy dwelling place in pestilentious seasons Job 5. 17 18 to 23. Secondly The next thing we are to speak of is the time how long this is to last or how long this interceding work of Christ was to continue for Believers not only for the Saints under the Old Testament seasons but for the Saints under the New Testament seasons also even for us saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 34. And such a High Priest became us Heb. 7. 26. And this will further appear if you consider this work in the Type of it as it s held out to you Exod. 30. 8. And when Aaron lighted the lamps at even he shall burn Incense upon it a perpetual Incense before the Lord throughout your Generations Now observe it was perpetually to burn before the Lord throughout their Generations there was not a Generation but must have the benefit of this Altar of Incense so is Christ an Intercessour for the Elect in all Generations and not only for time either of the day or of the night but Christ is pouring out his interceding groans to the Father for his people Therefore saith the Apostle Heb. 7. 25. He ever liveth to make Intercession for us Use 3. O soul then doubt not thy case goeth on in Heaven well enough there is alwayes prayer going up to God for thee to keep thee night and day from danger so long as Moses his hands were kept up by Aaron and Hur it went well enough with Israel Exod. 17. O but here are the hands of Christ lifted up for thee night and day to keep thee from the Arrow that flieth by day and the shaft which flieth by night Read that place Isa 27. 2 3. In that day sing ye a Vineyard of Red Wine I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment least any hurt it I will keep it night and day O Christ is interceding night and day for thee against all evils It may be thou fearest that sin and corruption will undo thy soul that the Devil and temptation will be thy ruine that wicked men will swallow thee up in the end O soul look up to Jesus Christ under all this eye him at the Throne of grace wrestling by his strong crys for thee O soul live upon this in doubting seasons O go on in the way of thy duty with chearfulness O remember the Lord is with thee his Spirit shall be with thee his Prayers with thee O fear not O saith David The Lord is on my side I will not fear what man can do unto me O soul whatever thy danger be that shall beset thee whether it be from Hell or this World it can never seize thee while Christ is at prayer for thee but Christ as thou hast heard ever liveth to intercede on thy behalf Object But some may say then why are men so strict to enjoyn the people to pray is it not enough that Christ their High Priest prayeth for them in Heaven I answer It is true in point of prevailing with God for the Elect so Christ their High Priest prayeth enough for them And in this sense there is no need of Believers praying I mean so as if their prayers did give any strength to the Priestly work or office of Jesus Christ therefore that cursed Tenent of the Papist is to be abhorred by all true Christians which teacheth that the prayers of the Church meriteth or procureth the grace of God by its own strength or efficacy blindly mistaking that place James 5. 16. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much Now in this sense there is no need of Believers prayers for this will be to destroy the Mediator-ship of Christ and to render his Priestly office of no effect for in point of merit oâ— worth God only accepts of the prayers of Christ and of the Elects for his sake according to that word in Matth. 3. 17 This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased But secondly notwithstanding the Intercession of Jesus Christ yet in point of obedience to God it is a Christians duty to pray So much as this is handed out to you in the Priesthood of old Read Luke 1. 8 9 10. Speaking of Zecharias the Priest While he was executing the Priests office before God in the order of his course according to the custom of the Priests office his lot was to burn Incense when he went into the Temple of the Lord and the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of the Incense Now Zecharias the Priest represents our Lord Jesus in the work of his Priestly interceding office for the Elect and you read that nowithstanding Zecharias was interceding at the Incense Altar within the Temple yet the people were to pray at the same time without strongly proving that although Jesus Christ our Gospel High Priest still intercedes in Heaven for the Elect yet notwithstanding it is highly the duty of all the Elect while without the Temple of glory and remain yet in the body to pray This will farther appear if you consider that place in Rev. 8. 3 4. And another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden Censer in his hand and there was given unto him much Incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the Golden Altar which was before the Throne and the smoak of the Incense which came up with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand If you would know who this Angel was or is you may read Rev. 1. 13. and there you shall as I have said already find him to be Jesus Christ in all his Priestly Formalities as our High Priest And in this Chapter he is set forth to you in the performance of his work of Intercession for the Saints by having a Golden Censer in his hand which was what the High Priest under the Law did administer before the Lord withall Numb 16. 46 47. And the Angel had Incense given him to offer up to God in the Censer which was in his hand which Incense I understand to be meant the infinite worth of his bloud and righteousness which is continually pleaded by Christ as a ground of full satisfaction to God for the Elect It s said there was much Incense given to this Angel that is as the Apostle elsewhere saith in Col. 1. 19. It pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell which sheweth the abundant worth and efficacy that lay in the death and righteousness of Christ therefore he is able to save to the uttermost all
those that come to God by him Heb. 7. And to be a propitiation in his bloud for the sins of the whole world John 1. 2 2. That is there was so much Incense given this Angel by the Lord or so much vertue put into the death of Christ that although it was never intended for all the world yet there is a vertue or a sufficiency in his death able to save all the world at once And it s said the Angel offered Incense that is the Lord Jesus Christ was interceding at the Throne of grace for the Saints Now pray observe all this was done with the prayers of all Saints so that the Saints are set forth as a praying people as well as Christ is set forth as an interceding High Priest Christs prayers and his peoples prayers going up together before the Lord make up the great cloud of Incense which went up from the Altar Thus you see the point cleared that Christs interceding in Heaven at his Fathers right hand for Believers doth not give any liberty to the least neglect in prayer here on earth therefore doth our High Priest himself enjoyn prayer to be made by the Saints that live under his Priesthood Matth. 26 41. And farther says that men ought to pray always Luke 18. 1. So likewise the Apostles of Christ they tell you that the subjects of this Gospel Priesthood must pray James 5. 13. and that they must pray every where 1 Tim. 2. 8. and that without ceasing 1 Thes 5. 17 and that men should continue instant in it Rom. 12. 22. and that men should pray always night and day Eph 6. 18. Thes 2. 3 10. and for one another James 5. 16. with this advice that it must be in the Holy Ghost Jude 20. likewise this hath been made the Character of a good man Acts 9. 11 and on the contrary a prayerless heart is looked upon in Scripture to be a wicked heart Job 27. 10. Thirdly and lastly I come to speak of the end or main purpose of the work of the Incense Altar or of the work of Christs Intercession which he driveth on in Heaven for Believes Now the purpose of this glorious work of Christs Intercession it was to make Reconciliation for sin or amongst many other things one mainâ— thing was this viz. the keeping up a constant peace between God and the Soul therefore it was called the office for atonement Exod. 30. 10. And Aaron shall make an atonement upon the horns of the Incense Altar once a year with the bloud of the sin offering of atonements once in the year shall he make atonement upon it throughout your Generations its most holy to the Lord. This the Apostle applies to Jesus Christ Heb. 2 17. where you have the Apostle speaking of Jesus Christ as our Gospel High Priest succeeding Aaron of old the Apostle hath this saying about it in Verse 17. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful High Priest in things pertaining to God and that he might make Reconciliation for the sins of the people Note here That he might make Reconciliation for the sins of the people or an atonement which is all one so that this was the end or purpose of the High Priests atonement it was to keep peace between God and the people under the Law this you may see read Numb 16. 46 47 48. And Moses said to Aaron take the Censer and put fire therein off the Altar and put on Incense and go quickly unto the Congregation and make an atonement for them for there is wrath gone out from the Lord the Plague is begun And Aaron took as Moses commanded him and ran into the midst of the Congregation and behold the Plague was begun among the people and he put on Incense and made an atonement for the people and he stood between the dead and the living and the Plague was stayed Thus you see clearly what the purpose and end of the Priests interceding or making atonement for the people amounts unto it is to interpose between Gods wrath and the people or to keep God at peace with the people which is the proper work of Jesus Christ now in glory to make peace for the Saints and to interpose by his Intercession between the anger of God and their sinning souls who labours by those strong cries sighs and groans with many tears which cannot be uttered to prevail with God that he would be pleased for his own death and righteousness sake to pass by those many sins failings and infirmities which his people are apt to commit And as in the like case we read of Moses Exod. 32. 11 12 13. So doth Christ of whom in the work of Intercession Moses was the Type cast himself at the feet of God praying begging intreating that he would be pleased to pass by the sins and daily infirmities of his people and not remember their iniquities against them but that he would extend his Love Favour and Grace to their souls as afore-time and would lead them and conduct them by his special grace to the good land of Canaan the land of promise which was purchased for them by his own bloud upon the Cross at Jerusalem and begs his Father that he would be pleased to look more upon his bloud and righteousness for them and less upon their sins And doth confess as Moses did that the people are and ever have been a stiff-necked and rebellious people ever since he knew them but yet still crys good Father put up all the injuries done against thy glory by this people and let not thy wrath wax hot against the sheep of thy pasture O remember the promises which thou hast made to me concerning this people That a seed should serve me a Generation of men should call me blessed Psal 22. 30. and Psal 72. 17. And that I should see of the travel of my soul and be satisfied Isa 53. 11. and therefore prays that the Father would consider what loss it would be to him who was his Son should the people miscarry how all his sufferings would be lost the end of his coming in the flesh would be lost the fruit of all his Sermons works of Miracles and works of Righteousness would be lost therefore in John 17. 24. Prays saying Father I will that they whom thou hast given me may be with me where I am that they may behold â—y glory which thou hast given me for thou hase loved me before the Foundation of the world Use 4. O then soul thou seest where to fly under the guilt of sin O what comfort wlll this afford a poor doubting soul that shall well digest this truth into his soul that Jesus Christ is interceding for him now in Heaven how will the knowledge of this feed the hearts of Gods people in times of doubts O let not the Wolves catch any comfort from hence this is what belongs to the true
favour he is called a shepherd Psal 23. 1. Now you know a shepherd doth not throw away his weak Lambs but rather takes up such as are weak and cannot go and carry them in his arms and lodgeth them in his bosom Oh so doth Christ make much of weak Lambs such as cannot go of themselves Christ will carry Isa 40. 11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd he shall gather the Lambs with his arms and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those which are with young Oh see with what heart burnings Christ parts with any of his weak ones Ephraim was a weak lamb and Ephraim would be gone from Christ but observe how Christ parts with Ephraim Hosea 11. 8. How shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Israel how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I seâ— thee as Zebaim my heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together And Christ is the same to thee that ever he was to Ephraim his arm of mercy is not shortned Oh therefore come to him with joy and comfort for he will never leave thee nor forsake thee Lastly Art thou weak in duty O look up to him as thy High Priest full of compassion and love and pity toward weak souls Oh do not despair Christ cannot cast thee off because of thy infirmities in duty for then he would have carried but very few home to heaven for the best that ever were have been very infirm in duty and have had cause to cry out with the Church All our Righteousnesses are but as mâ—nstruous cloths and as filthy rags in thy presence O Lord Isa 64. 6. But Christ is called a Father yea an everlasting Father Isa 9. 6. Doth a Father in the flesh reject or despise the work a weak child doth because it is not done with so much strength as he expects or rather doth he not pity him under his weakness and favour him in his work and considering he seeth the child doth what he can the Father likes it as well as if it were a great deal more Oâ— so it is with this High Priest oh he is so full of compassion that he will not reject thee for thy weakness in performance of duty though the duty be done with little strength or a weak hand yet if it be right for sincerity and truth Christ will accept it kindly hear what he saith about it Zach. 4. 10. For the whole hath despised the day of small things Therefore labour for sincerity of heart that those things thou dost for Christ may be done in truth and fear not Christ hath great compassions he will rather help thee in the work then reject thee for it read Rom. 8. 26. Thus you see what that Qualification in the Priest if well improved will afford us in a doubting season I now come to the second Qualification in the High Priest and that is his Faithfulness This will afford us comfort three manner of ways First In point of supply as to grace Secondly Against falling off from grace Thirdly Against the evil of affliction and persecution First In point of supply with grace I know the Lords people do find the want of that many a time Cant. 2 5. Supporting grace under affliction strengthning grace against wearisomness in duty mortifying grace to sin and corruption and comforting grace in the hour of temptation now here is a fulness of this laid into Christ 〈◊〉 1. 19. chap. 2. 9. And he made the steward of it Oh go to Christ for it Obj. But some may say if we should he may deny it to us and keep it to himself as many Stewards have done who have been intrusted with a treasure in the behalf of others yet they have been defrauded of it through the unfaithfulness of the Steward Oh soul be not discouraged as to that but put him upon the trial there is not one jot of grace that the Father hath given Christ for thee which he can keep from thee I must confess all the supplies of grace which the Father hath given forth for the use and benefit of his Elect he hath intrusted Christ with it and hath made him the disposer of it Iohn 1. 14. with 16. But to be sure of it he will not yea he cannot diminish one jot or mite of it and that for these two reasons First Because in his own nature he is faithful it s abundantly more easie for the Sun to cease shining then it is for Christ to cease being faithful therefore in the Revelations the holy Ghost gives him this name Rev. 3. 14. The faithful and true witness Therefore soul what ever supply of the grace of the Spirit thou wantest assure thy self thou shalt have it if thou makest use of Christ for it he will not withhold one drop of it from thy soul Oh therefore come with boldness to the Throne of grace to ask grace and mercy to help in time of need plead with Christ for it tell him that thou hast heard that the Father hath laid in a stock of justifying pardoning and sanctifying grace into his hands for poor naked sinful unclean miserable sinners and hath made him the Lord Treasurer of it and tell him that thou art come to him as a miserable poor sinner for a portion of it for a portion of pardoning grace and sanctifying grace then see whether Christ will deny it thee Oh he is so far from withholding from a sinner what is his due by gift from the Father that he hath taken great care and pains to possesse the soul of it upon every occasion read that place in Proverbs which relates to Christ as a Steward intrusted in this great work of giving out grace to the Lords people Prov. 9. 1 2 3 4 5 6. Wisdom hath buâ—lâ—ed her house she hath hewen out her seven pillars she hath killed her beasts she hath mingled her wine she hath furnished her table she hath sent forth her maidens she crieth upon the highest places of the City who so is simple let him turn in hither as for him that wanteth understanding she saith to him Come eat of my bread and drink of my wine which I have mingled for sake the foolsh and live and go in the way of understanding Farther you may see how intent Jesus Christ was in this work of distributing freely and faithfully to men the portion given them as sinners by and from the Father Iohn 7 37. In the last day of the Feast which was their great day Jesus stood and cryed If any man thirst let him come to me and drink Mark he chose the great day of the Feast when the company were greatest he did not take a time to proclaim what treasure he had received from the Father for poor sinners when there were but few in place to hear him but when the most of the people were met together besides he did not whisper the matter but cryed aloud that all
Law in their inward parts and write it upon their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people Now by that Law in the heart what can it be but the conveying of the sanctifying grace of the Covenant into the Souls of the Lords people at the hour and time of their Conversion Lastly There is grace in the state or that which we call a state of grace which is a souls being planted into Jesus Christ by faith from this men and women can never possibly fall away And for these three grounds First Because those that have been really planted into Jesus Christ they all receive from him eternal life and Christ saith that those which have received from him eternal life they shall never perish Iohn 10. 28. Now if some will assert such shall perish or may perish and Christ saith they shall not soul I leave thee to believe which of these two thou pleasest Secondly It cannot be they can fall from grace because they have Christs hand to defend them now Christ is God as well as man and all power in Heaven and Earth is given into his hand Math. 28. 18 Iohn 10 28. Thirdly It cannot be so because they are in the Fathers hand Iohn 10 29. They are in the Fathers hand by Electon and in the Sons by Redemption and Intercession and none can pluck them out of these infinite Divine hands how is it then that such a Doctrine can be true which says that true believers may fall from grace totally and finally But lastly this Qualification of faithfulness in Christ may afford a great deal of comfort in afflicting and persecuting seasons let the soul meet with never so great distress he may be sure to comfort himself in the faithfulness of Christ though friends may leave him and an estate may leave him saith Christ Isa 43 2. When thou passest thorow the waters I will be with thee and thorow the Rivers they shall not overflow thee when thou walkest thorow the fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shall the flame kindle upon thee This the Prophet David could experience to be true at sundry times who saith that Christ had been with him in six yea in seven troubles who doth instance in some of his troubles how he had found Christ with him in these troubles one was this when his Father and Mother left hm then the Lord took him up Psal 27. 10. Another was this when his friends and acquaintance had withdrawn from him and did look strange upon him the Lord stood by him Psal 31. 11. So St. Paul could say likewise when all men forsook him yet the Lord stood by him 2 Tim. 4. 16 17. And therefore would comfort the distressed Corinthians 1 Cor. 10 13. That though no temptation had hapned to them but what was common to Saints yet Christ was faithful who would not suffer them to be tempted above what they were able to bear and would with the temptation make away for their escape Now St. Paul could speak this by experience for he had found it so Oh therefore live upon the faithfulness of Christ in a Gaol in a Dungeon any where for he hath said he will never leave thee nor forsake thee if thou art sick he will make thy bed in thy sickness Psal 41. 3. If thou art poor he will stick closer to thee then a Brother Prov. 18 24. If thou art tempted it shall be in his arms Heb. 2. 18. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour those which are tempted In a word he is so faithful as to bear a part with thee in all thy afflictions let them be what they will Isa 63. 9. In all their afflictions he is afflicted and the Angel of his presence saved them Oh therefore make him thy High Priest live upon him for thee and thine in all conditions whatsoever intrust him with thy soul with thy body with thy relations with thy estate with thy all for he is the faithful and true witness Rev. 3. 14. CHAP 30. The Consecrated Garments of the High Priest in which he was to Minister for the people THe High Preists garments were twofold there was what was proper to his body from the neck downward to the feet and secondly there was what was proper to the head of the High Priest from the neck upwards Now in the garments which were proper to the body of the High Priest from the neck downward there were these things considerable First The long Robe it self which covered the whole body of the High Priest from the neck down to the feet we find it to be a very glorious thing as it will appear if we consider the matter of which it was made which was of Gold blue Purple and Scarlet and fine Linen Exod 27 4 5. This shews us or sets forth to us the glorious Robe of Christs Righteousness in which Believers only stand justified before God The body of the High Priest when clothed with his Priestly garments held out two things to an eye of faith First The head with its Crown and Miter upon it that held out Christ as the head of his Church therefore that had the Miter and the Crown upon it Secondly The whole body of the Priest below the head that signified the whole Church of Christ over whom Christ is head Now as the body of the Priest was wholly covered over in all the parts of it with this glorious long Robe so it shews us how the whole body of the Elect stand covered over with Christs Righteousness before God in which alone they are in person and performance presented complete before God Therefore when the Apostle is speaking of the Elects meeting in Christ and covered over with this glorious Robe of Righteousness saith in Col. 2. 10. And ye are complete in him which is the head of all Principalities and Powers That is when Believers have by faith put on the Righteousness of Christ about them as the High Priest did put on his garments then are they complete in Gods sight and not till then Hence it is when the Apostle speaks of the work of making Christ ours he delivered himself in such phrases as hold analogy with the High Priests putting on his long Robe that you may know the one was a Type of the other As in Rom. 13. 14. But ye put on the Lord Jesus Christ so Eph. 4. 24. And that ye put on the new man which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness so Phil. 3. 9. And be found in him not having mine own Righteousness which is of the Law That is to put him on as a Robe or to be found in him or his righteousness wholly covered over with it by faith as with a garment Thus you see how the Scriptures make the High Priests garments and the Righteousness of Jesus Christ to agree and harmonize together Use 1. Then this shews us the usefulness of the
then can be numbred so Jer. 29 11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected end so that you may perceive how the Scripture doth make the High Priests carrying the names of the Children of Israel upon his brest-plate and Christ our great High Priest carrying the whole of the conditions of his Church upon his heart now in heaven to agree and simbolize Use 1. Then comfort thy self O poor dejected soul remember what ever thy condition be in this life it hangs upon the heart of Christ in heaven what is it soul that troubles thee is it spiritual troubles is it the weight of thy sins look up this hangs upon the heart of Christ in heaven art thou violently tempted to blaspheme God and Christ or to make away with thy own life look up to Christ thy High Priest he bears this upon his heart in heaven art tempted to deny the faith and quit thy profession this is upon Christs heart too doth lust and corrupion press thee low and oftentimes carry thee away from God look up this is upon the heart of Christ too art thou complaining for the want of the comfortable shinings forth of the presence of God dost thou with David feel the want of the spirit of God the strength of it the light of it the life and comfort of it Psal 51. 10 11 12. Look up this condition likewise is upon the heart of Christ Doth duty seem burthensome and Ordinances seem dry and barren and sapless to thee O look up this is upon Christs heart too Is thy condition a condition of outward trouble or distress all hangs on Christs heart art thou weark and sickly much under pain this hangs on the heart of Christ likewise Is thy family smitten is thy Husband or Wife or Children or Parents or Servants smitten under the hand of God this hangs on the heart of Christ art thou afflicted under the loss of Relations art thou Wifeless Childless Friendless is thy Husband taken from thee by Death or Banishment and thou left with five or six small Children to the wide world and hardly bread to put into their mouths all these conditions Christ bears upon his heart art thou a Prisoner or banished from thy All dear Wife Husband Children Estate and all for thy Conscience sake Assure thy self all this lives upon the heart of Christ now in glory that he might be deeply affected with these conditions which this world affords his people O read that blessed place in Heb. 2. 17. Wherefore it behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful High Priest in things pertaining to God to make Reconciliation for the sins of the people for in that himself hath suffered being tempted he is able to succour those that are temâ—â—ed This leads me to a second thing about the brest-place upon the High Priests heart which was this The Priest was to carry the names of the Children of Israel written upon the brest-plate before the Lord which shews us that Christ doth not as he is our High Priest only carry the sense of Believers conditions upon his heart but it seems it is to good purpose for he carrieth them in before the Lord Exod. 28. 29. And Aaron shall bear the names of the Children of Israel in the brest-plate of judgment upon his heart when he goeth into the holy place for a memorial before the Lord continually But some may ask me what comfort will that afford a Believer that Christ was to carry their conditions before the Lord Answer O there is much in this Mystery and that in point of prevalency with God who is the great Lord of all the blessings that Believers do enjoy for there is not any special favour which comes from Christ to a Believer but Christ first draws it forth from the Father Iames 1. 17. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the father of lights Now all this in the Type is to assure the Believer that without doubt if he hath hung up his condition upon the heart of Christ it must go well with it in heaven for God the Father is merciful enough in himself for he is called the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort and consolation and one in whom the fatherless findeth mercy so that there is an aptness and readiness in God himself upon the knowledge of his peoples conditions to give out relief and supply to them O but when the wants necessities miseries and afflctions trials and temptationss shall be brought in before God by a High Priest one who was constituted and appointed by the Father for this very end this must needs be effectual otherwise God will render his work in the High Priest of no effect but God never made or set up any thing in vain but the sitting of the High Priest was Gods own act and ancient contrivance Exod. 28. 1. And the Priest was appointed on purpose by the Lord for this piece of work amongst the rest to produce the several conditions of his people before him in order to a supply surely this must amount to something on which Believers may depend for comfort but besides if we do but mind what the High Priest was to do when he was to carry the several conditions of the people before the Lord it will still add to our comfort and that was this he was in the same place to pour out strong cries to God that he would both look upon and take into deep consideration the Estates of the people now brought into his presence and that by a High Priest a man in office chosen by himself for the purpose to bear the names of the whole Israel of God before the Lord in order to supply Surely this must prevail in heaven for if the Lord was so ready to be moved with compassion at the cries of an Ishmael Gen. 21. 17. Surely much more will God hear the cries of a High Priest who hath the anointings upon him to make him every way prevailing upon the heart of God Exod. 29. 7. Surely methinks this should very much encourage Believers to wait upon God in dark times for supplies besides when this High Priest shall be the Son of God yea his only Son brought up with him from eternity Prov. 8 23. And when the Father shall see that Jesus Christ his Son brings in the wants distresses temptations afflictions of his people upon his heart giving assurance thereby that he hath made their conditions all of them his own for they live upon and in the heart of Jesus Christ as that their wants are his wants their pains are his pains and temptations his temptations for he sympathyzeth with them in all respects Isa 63 9. In all their afflictions he is afflicted And when he shall add to it his strong cries and tears poured forth
beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth and of his fullness have we all received and grace for grace ver 17. For the Law was given by Moses but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ Christ is called the head of the body Eph 5 Whose Office it is to give down his supplies to the several members of the same for the mutual benefit of the whole body There was a stock of grace and holiness laid into Christ for this very purpose therefore is Christ called the Saints treasury or store-house Col. 2. 3. So saith our Saviour himself Iohn 17. 19. For their sakes I sanctifie my self that they all might be sanctified through the truth O therefore souls make to Christ for grace and holiness remember the Urim and Thimmim of all perfection both of Doctrine and holiness of life lieth in Jesus Christ on purpose to be given out to those that come for it Here it was David fled for sanctification under the decays of grace Psal 51. 7 10. Purge me with hysop and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter then snow Psal 36. 9. For with thee is the Fonntain of life and in thy light shall we see light Soul dost thou want grace purging grace sanctifying grace wouldst thou be more holy in thy life and conversation then thou hearest where the fountain is make out to him it s his desire to have thee come thou canst not please him in any thing better then to sue to him for grace and holiness therefore saith Christ If any man thirst let him come to me and drink John 7. 37. Therefore come with boldness to the throne of grace to ask grace and mercy to help in time of need Heb. 4. 16. Lastly We may draw out this from the Urim and Thummim upon the Priests heart for our comfort to help us in dark erronious times When the Doctrines of the Scripture are by men corrupted as that we cannot drink them any where should we travel from Sea to Sea there is not a Priest or Minister that stands up in the defence of truth but every one perverts and corrupts it I say should we fall into such a season that we cannot find a Minister with the Urim or Thummim upon his breast yet we may comfort our selves in this that our High Priest in heaven is not corrupted he hath the Urim and Thummim still as much upon his heart as ever who taketh care to feed his people with sound Doctrine and with wholesome food however it goes amongst the Priests here below yet this Priests lips shall preserve knowledge if you will seek the Law at his mouth Mal. 2. 7. In the greatest darkness that over-spread Egypt yet he provided a light for his people in Goshen Exod. 10. 23. So when the Anti-christian darkness spread the Roman Empire all over yet Christ took care that his people should have a place of nourishment provided for them Rev. 12. 14. So in the times of Israels Apostasie when all the shepherds were corrupted in Israel when they had trodden down the good pasture of truth and justice both in Church and State and had fould the remainders of it with their feet Ezek. 34. 18 19. Yet then see the care of this Gospel High Priest in those times that although others did perish for want of sound wholsome soul-food yet his people should be fed from himself with the finest of Wheat and Oil read Ezek. 34. 11 12 13 14 O therefore make use of Christ upon this account let him be your stay let errour fill all the publick places in the world yet thy High Priest will provide for the sincere though in holes and corners I will send you the Comforter saith Christ and he shall teach you all things John 14. 26. Men may shut up all thy sound Ministers from thy soul such who have fed thee with knowledge and understanding but be of good comfort they can never shut up from thee this Gospel teaching Spirit this will give thy heart a visit in the most secret places of the earth this was with the Spouse in the secret places of the stairs and in the clefts of the Rocks Cant. 2. 14. This soul teaching Agent is not straitned saith our Saviour its like the wind it bloweth where it listeth men may hear the sonnd of it but cannot tell from whence it comes Iohn 3. 8. There was likewise at the hem of this glorious Robe tied several Bells and Pomgranates a Bell and a Pomgranate a Bell and a Pomgranate round about the hem of the Robe Exod. 39. 25 26 with Exod. 28. 35. The Use of this may be several ways considered First It was for noise or sound when the Priest was to enter before the Lord for this purpose was the Bells for it would have cost the Priest his life if he should have gone in to the presence of the Lord without these Bells ringing at the hem of his Robe Exod. 28. 35. Here we see what little regard God hath to these silent Meetings in Worship as the Quakers and others dream of God loves a laudable sound in his Worship Aarons Bells were to make a sound in the Woship of God But some may say is God taken with Words and Voices I answer would not the same Objection have quarrelled with Aarons Bells would one think God should be taken with the ringing of a company of Bells in his Worship friends have a care you be not such as would be wiser then God let us keep close to the known rule of Worship if we cannot give a reason why we should do this or that or the other thing in the Worship of God let us remember God can And for the Saints meeting together in Scripture I find it was to speak often one to another Mal. 3. 16. And another private Meeting Iohn 20. 19. But our Saviour comes and speaks or preacheth a word of peace to them and in ver 26. Another private Meeting but our Saviour by his speaking keeps it from being a silent one Another private meeting held in Acts 1. 13 14. Where they continued in breaking of bread and in prayer but never read of any such silent meetings as the Quakers keep so likewise if we consider the exhortations which the Scripture gives to the Saints about their meeting together we find it was to provoke one another to love and good works Heb. 10 24 25. And that should spend the time away in their building up of one another in their most holy faith and praying together in the holy Ghost Iude 20. Now can this be done where there is nothing but silence will sitting an hour or two together only looking in the ground in our meetings fulfil these exhortations Alas Brethren God will be served with whole man soul and body the body as well as the soul for God made both for his glory and Christ Redeemed both for the Worship of God
And upon this account we are bid to glorifie God with our bodies as well as with our souls 1 Cor. 6. 20. And we are exhorted to present God with our whole bodies as well as our souls in the Worship of God as living sacrifices which is but our resonable service Rom. 12. 1. Therefore saith David My tongue shall be as the Pen of a ready Writer Ps 45. 1. He would make use of his tongue in the Worship of God to praise him withall So Psal 71. 24. My tongue shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long Psal 27. 7. Ps 28 2. Obj. But some will say the Scripture saith that bodily exercise profiteth little I answer not bodily exercise used in the worship of God excluded but bodily exercise when the soul is excluded out of the worship of God this signisies but little in Gods account else why did the Apostle exhort the Romans to give up the body as well as the soul to God in his service Romans 12. 1. But secondly the gingling of Aarons Bells did signifie the laudable sound that the Priests Doctrine was to make in the ears of the people he was not to be a dumb silent Minister but to make his Doctrine to ring for God in the ears of the people you may see the Charge which is given in this case to Ministers Isa 58. 1. Cry aloud spare not lift up thy voice like a Trumpet and shew my people their transgressions and the house of Iacob their sins Use 3. O how few Aaronites can we see or hear now in the world how seldom can the poor people hear the ringing of the Bells of sound Doctrine in their ears in some Parishes not above once a moneth in so much that the poor people have almost forgot that kind of Musick and as for others when they do ring the Aaronite Bells of Doctrine to the people it s so much confounded with the sound of other mixt Bells which they have added to them that when the Minister rings them the people can hardly tell whether they be rung in England or in Rome Lastly The Bells of Aarons garment did signifie the readiness forwardness and aptness which there should be in the Priest to the work which God called him unto he was not to be hauld and dragged to his work he was to act readily from a principle of willingness you may conceive the Bells at the end of the long Robe would gingle with every little motion of the body so should Ministers readily freely and willingly give out the mind of God to the dark blind world this is so in a great measure found upon the Ministers of Christ that have the Aaronite Bells upon their garments read that noble passage of the Apostle in Acts 3. 6. Silver and Gold have I none but such as I have give I thee in the name of Iesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk Therefore saith our Saviour to his Disciples when he sent them forth to preach the Gospel to the world Math. 10. 8. Freely have you received therefore freely give God abhors a lazie idle Preacher they are the worst plants that stands in his Vineyard an idle Minister will quickly grow an ignorant Minister for so the Lord puts them together Isa 56. 10. His watch-men are blind they are all ignorant they are all dumb dogs they cannot bark sleeping lying down loving to slumber Therefore when the Apostle would give a true Character of an Aaronite indeed one that carryeth the Aaronite Bells to the hem of his garment he tells you in 2 Tim. 2 24. He should be apt to teach that is ready willing or forward in his work one that need not be puld to it with Cart-ropes that acts from a principle of love to and delight in his work saith St. Paul A Dispensation is committed to me and woâ—am I if I preach not the Gospel 1 Cor. 9 16. Our Saviour tells you that the Gospel shall flow so freely from them that are his Ministers as water from a fountain Iohn 7 38. Use 4. Of Lamentation O how few of such Ministers do the Earth abound with at this time that are apt to teach the Gospel to the poor world yea they are so far from being apt to this work themselves that they labour to stop up the way against others who out of Conscience to their duty though at a low rate would do the work themselves but must stand by as useless and can do nothing The good Lord Judge between party and party in this matter if it be thy blessed will how many poor souls lies now a perishing through this dreadful evil is notorious known to many Countries though not so much laid to heart and bewailed before the Lord as the matter requireth Again There were Pomgranates likewise mixed with the Bells at the hem of the long Robe Now the Pomgranates with the Bells did set forth the glory of the doctrine of the Gospel for the colour of the Pomgranates was very glorious as you may see if you read their complexion in Exo. 28. 33. for they were to be made of sky colour Purple and of Scarlet but the Pomgranate alone did set forth to us the fatness and nourishment which the Gospel doth afford the souls of Believers that live upon the Gospel for so is the Pomgranate set forth in the Scripture to be a very pleasant feeding fruit Canticles 4 13. O so is the Gospel its fatness it self is called a feast of marrow and fat things of Wine well refined upon the Lees as you have it in Isa 25. 6. O this is the refreshing satisfying fatning good in the world O the Gospel what a choice thing is it to the souls of the Lords people which makes them cry out bread and the Gospel is good fare A gracious soul knows no such feasting as preaching no such fatness as the word of God brings forth to them the love of which have made some to throw up all their Estates and good things in this life to purchase it This made the Apostle kick up their fishing Trade and this made Matthew to leave his great place in the Custom-Office and Zacheus to throw up the half of his Estate to the poor O they saw by an eye of faith a better glory in the colour of the Pomgranate truth of the Tabernacle they had heard better Musick in the Bells of the Priesthood and had tasted more fatness in the juice of the Pomgranate Doctrine of grace and Reconciliation with the Father by the blood of Christ then in all the pleasant Musicks glories or rarest feeding dainties which this world could afford them could it give me ten thousand times as much again as its able O saith David whose Court abounded with all worldly pleasures and delights the greatest fatness lieth in the house of God Psal 36. 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house and thou shalt make them drink of the Rivers of
to Christ do arise they all flow from the Priestly office of Christ who wears the Priestly Miter the truth is it s from the Miter upon Christs Head that we draw all our comfort Alas Brethren what comfort could we take in God himself but through Christ and what comfort could we take in Christ but as he wears the Miter upon his Head as our High Priest whatsoever comfort we have in any other office of Christ namely as a King or Prophet it all originated in the Priestly office of Christ the truth is the Priestly office of Christ is an office of meer love and tender compassion set up on purpose for the succour and relief of poor sinners there is no mixture of terrour in this office of Christ there is a mixture of terrour in the other offices of Christ the Lord Christ is King and hath a Kingly office and by it Rules over his Church and Rules over all the world but all do not obtain mercy that he Rules over As for those mine enemies that would not that I should Rule over them bring them forth and slay them before me Luke 19 27. But there is not the least mixture of terrour in this of his Priestly office the Miter shews nothing but grace and love and wonderful compassion infinite bowels of tender love to the sinner a God reconciled in Christ by the sacrifice of himself which was slain for sinners the bloud of which speaks to you better things then the bloud of Abel for the bloud of Abel bespoke sin committed and a guilty soul and an angry God but Christs bloud bespeaks sin remitted and pardoned and a God recorcied again the bloud of Abel spakes for vengeance from under the ground but the bloud of Christ speaks for grace mercy pardon and reconciliation again from under the Altar Abels bloud bespake the sinner under the Curse but Christs bloud speaks him into the blessing again Acts 3. 26. Abels bloud spake the soul at a great distance with God but the bloud of Christ speaks him very nigh God again Eph. 2. 13. But now in Christ Jesus ye that were sometimes afar off are made nigh by the bloud of Christ Use 7. Then soul when ever thou hast to do with Christ view him in his Priestly atire having his Miter upon his Head O thou canst not look upon Christ under a more blessed consideration then this that can afford thee like succour as this will do for this will yield the soul blessed relief against all thy fears and temptations whatsoever the Miter was put upon the Head of Christ on purpose to be looked unto for relief and succour in a time of doubt and danger what was the great relief amongst the Jews against their sins the Jews you may observe they had many reliefs when they were in the wilderness if at any time they were stung with the fiery Serpents then they had their brazen Serpent to look unto as a relief against that distress when they wanted water they had their Rock to make at as a relief against that distress when they wanted bread they had their Manna from heaven as a relief against that distress and if they sinned whether they did go then they took a sacrifice and went unto the Priest and he was to offer for them so that the Priestly office then was the only relief they had against sin So now the Priestly office of Christ is the only relief and succour the people of God have against all temptations doubts and fears under heaven O make much use of the Miter in times of fear look unto it as the Jews were to look to their brazen Serpent upon the pole when stung with Serpents so when ever thou art stung with the Serpent of temptation and guilt and horour and terrour about guilt look up with an eye of faith to this Miter the Crown as I may call it of his Priestly office and thou shalt be healed and cured of all thy stingings so saith Christ himself Isa 45. 22. Look unto me and be ye saved all ye ends of the earth for I am God and there is none else Mark look unto me he doth not bid you to look to that unhollowed Bear the Pope who to deceive the poor miserable world of their Estates and Wealth hath feigned a Miter and puts him upon his Head and Bug-bears the world with it as if he were some great one which by the pretended power of his conjuring State and Cross-keys of hell afrights the poor ignorant world into an opinion of some more then ordinary Authority must reside in this Beast for his Cap sake when alas he nothing but Cheats the world by it both of their souls and treasure he is a Limb of the Devil to Cheat men of their souls because he keeps them in ignorance about the Priesthood of Christ and arrogates and assumes that Authority as proper to himself he saith he hath the Miter upon his Head and he is in the Priestly Chair and he can procure pardon with God for sins and he hath the keys of Hell and Death which the holy Ghost only attributes to Christ Rev. 1. 18. And he can open Purgatory and let out of torment and he hath the key of David which the holy Ghost gives only to Christ Rev. 3 7. And he can open heaven and let into glory O horrid Blasphemy What a beast is this and how much to be abandoned by all those that love Christ and their souls how doth he dis-throne and shut out Christ of his great office as a Priest and Saviour 2. He Cheats poor souls of their Estates here because he takes their money of them to save them from sin and to discharge them of some torment and to let them into heaven when he himself shall not escape the vengeance of Christ but shall be for his juggling and deceit tormented in fire and brimstone for ever and ever Rev. 19. 20 21 Where the whole Rabble of that gang shall eternally dwell together And as for others viz. the lesser sort of Popes that imitates the High Priest in his garments with respect to his Cap and Linen Ephod it s a clear denying of Christ to be come in the flesh and John saith these are Anti-christ 1 John 4. 3. For if these garments were Types of Christ then they were only to continue untill the coming of Christ so reasons the Apostle Heb. 10. 1. Who saith that these things were shadows of good things to come but not the very Image and therefore when these good things were come which was the substance then the shadow must give place as no longer of use so saith St. Paul to the Colossians chap. 2. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. Well then if these Ceremonies were only the signs of Christ to come and to give place to him when he did come then what does their present use signifie but that he is not yet come and so as John speaks denyed
young and lively is better then that which is old and feeble It was first to shew the High Priest under the Law that God expected he should be lively and strong for the Lord in all he did for him he was to consecrate the best of his years and the best of his time strength and abilities for the Lord that the worship of God called for the best of our all for its service therefore was he to be consecrated with a young Bullock not an old or feeble one 2. It shews us that time or age never enfeebles our great High Priest in heaven the Priest was to be consecrated with a young Bullock shewing you that the Priest Believers have in heaven grows never old he is not subject to tire or faint in his employment he is as lively and active in his work for his people now as at the first day he entred heaven as their Priest and so is it lookt upon by the Father that makes our High Priest still so prevallent upon the Heart of God he is the same yesterday to day and for ever Lastly We might make this use of it to perswade all young persons to dedicate themselves to God betime in the prime of their dayes when the marrow is warm in the bones A young Bullock not an old must be offered to God in sacrifice O so should it be with you my friends would you offer up your selves as an acceptable sacrifice to God O then let it be in your youth minde that exhortation of Solomon Eccles 12. 1. Remember thy creator in the dayes of thy youth while the evil dayes come not nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt saâ— I have no pleasure in them It was Timoâ—hies honour and it is spoken to his great praise that that he had consecrated his soul and body to God in the time of his youth at a time when he was mostly capable to act for God 1 Tim. 4. 12. 2 Tim. 3. 15. Alas Sirs when we live so long in sin as to spend the marrow of our bodies in the service of the Devil How do we think God should be pleased with the offering up of our old dry bones for a sacrifice upon his Altar There is nothing doth more ingage God to take care for a soul in old age then when a soul is careful to consecrate himself to God in his youthful dayes Then was Moses to take a vessel of oyl and pour it on the Priests head which was called the anointing of him Exod. 29. 7. The oyl of anointing poured forth upon the High Priest signified these three things First It signifieth the great endowments of the Priest with respect to the gifts of the Spirit which should be upon him as necessary to the work he was to do for the people for so is the anointing understood sometimes 1 Sam. 10. 1. 6. And Samuel took a vial of oyl and poured it upon the head of Saul and kissed him and said Is it not because the Lord hath annointed thee to be captain over his inheritance Now look into the 6. verse and there you shall see the gifts of the Spirit spoken of that should fit him for government an office unto which he was anointed And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee and thou shalt prophesie with them and be turned into another man And look you into the 10th verse and there you shall see the gifts of the Spirit upon him This shews us what infinite gifts of all manner of perfections fell upon Christ to fit him for the great work of the Priesthood saith Christ Isa 61. 1. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me A Spirit of counsel that he might be able to give sound advice at all times to his Church Isa 9. 6 A Spirit of courage and strength that he might go through all oppositions for his people therefore is he called the mighty God Isa 9. 6. A Spirit of wisdom that he might be able to out-wit his subtle adversaries in hell or on the earth 1 Cor. 1. 24. A Spirit of love and tenderness that he might not reject for but pitty his people under their temptations weaknesses and infirmities Heb. 2. 17 18. A Spirit of pardon that he might be able to pass by his peoples sins iniquities and transgressions Nehemiah 9. 17. A Spirit of faithfulness as not to neglect his people in any condition nor wanting in the giving out to them any supply to his people which the Father hath both given the Saints by promise and laid into Christ as their store-house of grace and wisdom for that purpose Psalm 36. 5. All this was in Christ the Head for the use of the Body mystical as the streams are in the fountain not onely to be imployed for them but to be given down to them into their souls according as they shall draw it out of this Well by the vessel of believing so saith the Church who made use of Christ upon this account Isa 12 2 3. Behold God is my salvation I will trust and not be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and song and is become my salvation therefore saith Christ with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation Secondly It denotes the perfection of grace and holiness which was to dwel in Christ for so much may we understand by the pouring forth of the anointing saith the Apostle It pleased the father that in him should all fulness dwell Col. 1. 19. A fulness of grace and holiness that from him we might derive it for our use and benefit in this life Thirdly The anointing of the High Priest did signifie that legal right he had to administer in the Priests office above another man hence is that of the Apostle Heb. 5. 4. And no man taketh this honour upon him but he that was called of God as was Aaron Now this would afford great comfort to a soul if well considered that the Lord Jesus Christ was not only a Priest or an Advocate but he was an anointed Priest and Advocate one who had a legal right to the place he came not in the wrong way therefore no Thief or Robber we need not doubt no one can invalue Christs work when it s done for believers meerly for want of right to officiate you know if a Councellour at Law undertake to plead a mans case for him and should dispute it never so ably and should carry it in Law yet if this can be objected against the Councellour that he is not lawfully inducted to the place as a Councellour all will be invalued that hath been done and said and looked upon as of no force O therefore soul if Christ intercedes as a High Priest and pleads as an Advocate at the Throne of grace for thee thou needst not fear of thy Case there is not any enemy thou hast can hurt thee in this Case should the Law object the Justice of God object
should Satan object against thy Christ it s nothing he had the legal anointings of the father upon him to in right him to his work saith Christ Isa 61. 1. The spirit of the Lord is upon me and he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel That is the sense of what he means by preaching Lastly That which was appointed to consecrate the Priest withall the Priest was to eat it Exod. 29. 32 33. Which shews us that the work of the Priesthood lives in the heart of Christ it should be of that infinite delight to him as food is to the hungry stomack the Priest should eat in his office and work he should as it were live upon it and feed and feast himself with it as a man doth on his daily food so saith Christ himself speaking of this great work of the Priesthood it is my meat and drink to be imployed in and about it Iohn 4. 34. It is my meat and drink to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work All this is to encourage doubting souls to make use of Christ to bring their sins and sores and sorrows temptations and corruptions to him and their leporisiecal souls to him and the ignorant hard unbelieving dead carnal proud lustful revengeful hearts to him as their High Priest and lay them down at the door of his Priestly office O this is meat and drink to Christ the High Priest O for Christ to see his door crouded up full with halted mained blind leporous souls all waiting for a cure O this makes the heart of Christ leap in heaven saith Psal 40. 8. I delight to do thy will O God Now what was the great will of God it was that the desperate and damned should be saved by the Priesthood of Christ and that he should preach good tidings to the meek and that he should bind up the broken-hearted and preach liberty to the captive and let loose the prisoners and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord Isa 61. 1 2. And that he should comfort all that mourn of the Elect Isa 40. 1 2. O saith Christ this is my delight it s my meat and drink to do my fathers will remember the Priest hath eaten in that with which he was consecrated Secondly So should it be with all the Ministers of the Gospel with what delght should they go about their work O saith St. Paul the goodness of God constraineth us or the love of God constraineth us 2 Cor. 5 14. This work was as meat and drink to him St. Paul had eaten in his Consecrating matter which was bitter in his belly but as sweet as Honey to his taste as it s said of the little book John was to eat Rev. 8. 9. CHAP 33. The work which the High Priest was to do for the people when chosen for them UNder which general there are these things to be considered First The place where the High Priest was to perform the work of the Priesthood Secondly The work he was to do when in the place for administration Thirdly What the Priest was to do for the people upon all occasions of need besides his solemn work in the Tabernacle First The place where the Priest was to perform the work of the Priesthood that was in the Tabernacle within the veil a place where none but the Priest was to enter Lev. 16. 16 17. This was a Type of Christs interceding work now he is in Heaven Heb. 9. 24. For Christ is not entred into the holy place made with hands but into heaven it self there to appear in the presence of God for us He is there to intercede forth blessings for us and to Advocate our Case he takes up all our accusations laid in against us There he answereth all objections which may be made in Heaven by the Law against us he is there to gather up all our Inditements which may be laid into our charge and he is always there for this work Christ is never absent when there is need for his presence on our behalf saith the Apostle he ever liveth to make Intercession for us it s likewise said that the people were not to go into the Tabernacle but were to stand without at the door of the Tabernacle Lev. 16. â—6 17. This shews us two things First The dark state which God held them under in comparison to us Gospellers it was little of the glory or of the mystery of the grace of the Gospel which that people knew its true they knew they had a High Priest within in the Tabernacle within the veil of it but what he did or acted they were not to look into what manifestations he had of God or glorious discoveries from God they were not to see or have any knowledge of therefore if the ministration of the Law were glorious much more will the ministration of the Gospel exceed in glory so reasons St. Paul 2 Cor. 3. 7 8 9 10 11 12. And he tells you wherein the Gospel is rather glorious in that the veil is taken away and we can now with open face behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord ver 16. 18. Secondly It shews us that at best while we are in this Tabernacle of our body we are absent from our greatest Vision of glory we are but in the outer Court we behold only the back-side of the Tabernacle in comparison to what we shall see when we come to pass within the veil where our High Priest is he saith Paul at best We walk by faith and not by sight 2 Cor. 5. 7. We have here but a few drops of our true Tabernacleglory brought whom to us by the eye of faith through Ordinances O but when we are out of the body we shall swim in the Rivers of all glorious perfection saith David Psalm 16. 11. Where we shall be brought into the presence of God where shall be the fulness of joy at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore therefore saith Paul 2 Cor. 5. 8. We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Who would desire to live in this dark dungeon Tabernacle state apart from those celestial glories but rather who would covet as Paul did to be at whom to this blessed Canaan of rest where all true blessedness dwells Again It s observed that the people were to bring their offerings and lay them down at the door of the Tabernacle and the Priest was to take it and offer it for them before the Lord Levit. 1. 3. 4 5. This teacheth what believers should do now in Gospel dayes bring all their offerings to the Lord Christ all the duties in worship and offer it to him that he may present it in his own name to God O how doth this reprove that vain opinion of the Papists who dream of I know not how many High Priests in Heaven whom they adore with that respect which is
onely due to Christ as the Virgin Mary the Mother of God as they can term her and Saint Peter Paul and John besides many other late canonized Saints whom they attribute the honour of the Priesthood unto unto whom they dedicate the Services Pray what Saint or Angel were the Jews to create to themselves in this great work besides their High Priest which was of the Lords own institution by Moses 2. As to the work the High Priest was to do when in the Tabernacle within the rail First he was to take the blood of the sacrifice and to sprinkle the mercy-seat therewith Levit. 16. 14 15. which shews the prevalency and force of Christs intercession now in heaven for us Christ enters heaven with the worth of his Merits and in the vertue of his Blood and shews the Father a sufficient ground for what he intercedes about Lord here is my Blood for this request and for the other petition which I put up to thee in the behalf of my people below if I ask grace or pardon Lord here is my blood upon the mercy-seat if I ask deliverance for them from their enemies Lord here is my blood for it upon the mercy-seat Secondly The Priest was to adde to this strong cryes and prayers by the burning incense Altar for the people praying to God for pardon for them and that he would accept their persons and their sacrifices and would be their God and would bless their souls and would send them help from his holy Sanctuary Levit. 16. 12 13. This is the very work of Christ now in Heaven the blessing of his people with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things is from him it s attributed to Christ Acts 3. 26. Unto you first God having raised up Jesus Christ sent him to bless you in turning every one of you from his iniquities therefore soul what ever thou wantest of this nature apply thy self to the Priest of Blessings and thou shalt not fail Again then was the Priest to take of the Incense and cast it into the fire which was upon the Incense Altar that so a cloud of Incense might arise before the Lord Lev. 9. 22 23. This was to shew us for our comfort what abundance of acceptable matter goeth up to God in the intercession of Christ a whole cloud of Incense and certainly this must prevail with God in the behalf of his people for that 's the purpose of Christs offering up incense it was not for himself but his people it is the Incense of his own blessed worth and excellency which is in a way of powerful Intercession of fered up to God with his peoples duties to make them and their services a sweet smelling savour to God and after this manner and to this purpose you have our Saviour represented again by the Spirit to John after his Ascention â—eâ— 8. 3 4. Where the purpose of the going up of this cloud of Incense is laid open to you it is as I have said to perfume all the rest of the Saints prayers duties and services as that they may be a sweet smelling savour to God this makes the weakest services of the weakest Believer acceptable to God therefore soul when ever thou art about to perform any duty to God and findest that thou canst not do it but with weakness yea much weakness then take that weak duty and cast it into the Incense fire of intercession which standeth upon the Altar Christ in the vessel of the hot burning coals of his zeal and love to thee and for thy good and then it will ascend up with the rest of Christs and his peoples to God in that great cloud where it will be acceptable indeed CHAP. 34. What the Priest was to do for the people upon all occasions besides his solemn Work in the Tabernacle FIrst the High Priest was to take notice of every uncleanness that should be found amongst the people either in their persons garments or in their houses Levit. 14. from the 3. to the 40. verse as that if any plague or leprosie sore or ulcer should break forth upon the person of any of the people then were they to go to the High Priest and shew it him and he was to look upon it and endeavour their cleansing All this is to be set upon a door of access for a poor doubting soul to come to Christ in the worst of times for look what work the High Priest under the Law was to do for the seed of Abraham according to the flesh the same is Christ a Believers Gospel High Priest to do for Abraham according to Faith and this action of the High Priest to the Israelites in a case of bodily mallodies leads you to Christ in a case of spiritual malladies I believe the want of knowledge into this mystery hath occasioned many doubts and fears in many poor souls who hath not had Satan a little wanting to make the most of their ignorance in this matter in a way of heaping on their trouble vvho stir up corruption in the soul what he can and labours to create guilt upon the conscience and vvhen he hath filled the soul vvith all manner of sores and spiritual plagues and running griefs then doth Satan labour to plaister them abroad upon the conscience to the affrighting of the soul off of Christ and tells the soul that certainly the holiness of Christ vvill never endure to have fellovvship vvith such a soul his nature is too pure to cast an eye upon such an impure piece as the soul is therefore the soul vvere better sit still vvhere he is then to think of going out to Christ for it vvill be but lost labour Thus he labours to over-shoot the Priestly office of Christ and shevvs the soul much of Christ according to his divine Nature not suffering the soul to have the least vievv of considered as a High Priest vvho vvas appointed to be such on purpose to have to do vvith â—linde lame sick sore corrupted deformed desperate and damned sinners that he might heal them Isa 6. 1. 2. and for a demonstration to the point in hand you may observe through the whole Life of Christ in the dayes of his flesh these vvere the most vvhich he for the most part of his time conversed vvithal It vvas for this the Pharisees upbraided Christ as a friend to Publicans and Sinners because he eat and drank mostly vvith such besides our Saviour himself tells you That he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Use 1. O therefore soul be not discouraged for the future let not Satan hinder thee for time to come of making use of Christ in times vvhen thou findest thy sores and plagues and corrupted issues upon thy soul O then above all times come to Christ if thou at such a time as this is standest off from Christ thou art guilty of robbing Christ of one great part of the glory of his High Priesthood thou shut'st out
Christ of doing that work which as a Priest he was sent into the world to do O where wilt thou go to have thy case bettered or who shall cure these wounds sicknesses sores leprosies and guilts which Sin and Satan hath created upon thee if thou come not to Jesus Christ O this is the good Samaritan that takes up the soul wounded by the spiritual thieves and bounds up his wounds and pours oyl into his griefs and healeth all his diseases Luke 10. 36. O therefore come to Christ make use of him as thy High Priest bring thy soul with all its corruptions sores and plagues and running griefs upon thee to him lay it down at his door tell him that thou hast brought a soul full of the plague and leprosie full of unbelief full of the sores of pride hardness of heart impenitency revenge hypocrisie lust worldly mindedness a soul full of the issues of vain thoughts and plead with Christ for a cure tell him that he is the High Priest appointed by the Father for this very end and purpose not to reject thee for thy misery but to pitty thee under it and to shew mercy to thee about it and to help thee out of it Heb. 2. 17. Wherefore it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren in all things that he might be a merciful high priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people in that himself hath suffered being tenâ—ted he is able to succour them that are tempted Heb. 5. 2. Who can have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the war for that he himself also is compassed with infirmities Here it was David run in the like case when his sores and griefs of corruption run upon him He did not do as a great many troubled souls have done namely then to run from Christ Ps 38 3 4. 5 6 7 8. There is no soundness in my flesh because of thy anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin for mine iniquities are gone over my head as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me My wounds â—stinck and are corrupt because of my foolishness I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day long for my loins are filled with a loathsome disease and there is no soundnesse in my flesh But did this drive David from Jesus Christ no surely but rather put a necessity upon him to make the more haste towards him in order to cure therefore in the 9. Verse and 15. Verse Lord all my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hid from thee for in thee Lord do I hope thou wilt hear O Lord my God Secondly As the Priest was to take notice of their personal uncleanness so also of the uncleannesse in their houses Lev 14 35 36. And he that oweth the house shall come and tell the Priest saying it seemeth to me that there is as it were the Plague in the house then the Priest shall command that they empty the house before the Priest goeth into it to see the Plague that all that is in the house be not made unclean and afterward the Priest shall go into see the house Now the end for which the Priest was to view the house you may see in the same Chapter it was that he might endeavour the cleansing of it if the plague were in it of the same use is Christ to his Gospel-house which is his Church if the plague enter into it the plague of discention and discord the plague or leprosie of formality or the plague of a luke-warm spirit or the plague of errour and unsound Doctrine its proper to Jesus Christ to take notice of this in his Churches and he doth so read Rev. 2. 1 2 3. 4 5. with Rev. 3. 16 17 18. Therefore in all such Cases it s the duty of the Churches of Christ to apply themselves to him for redress if Christians in the use of fasting and fervent prayer would more press upon Christ for help in this case I doubt not but we should have more purer and unstained Churches by far then we have amongst us Was there ever more need for Churches to make use of Christ upon this account then now had ever the Israelite more cause to go to the Priest and say it seemeth to me the plague is in the house then Christians have to go to Christ and say it seemeth to me the plague is in the house is not the plague of a formal cursed lukewarm spirit in the Churches of Christ are not the walls of it over-spread with the hollow greenish and reddish strakes to be seen there Levit 14. 37. Are they not over-spread with the plague of Contention and Discord was there ever more of this plague reigning over the Churches of Christ then at this day O how deeply have this plague rooted it self in the hearts of the Lords people that four years affliction will not yet fetch it out but God will fetch it out of their hearts or else he will fetch their bodies out of their warm houses besides what a fearful spirit and plague of Apostasie have their over-spread the minds of the Churches of Christ I will not say this hath leavened every one but sure I am too many of them Then what cause have the Church and house of Christ to make to Christ with all haste for cure and were it the will of God how could it be wished that Christ our High Priest were more visited upon this account by his people Fifthly If any man had sinned either ignorantly or wilfully the Priest upon his coming to him was to offer sacrifice for him and it was pardoned Levit. 5. 17 18. The same work is Christ to do for believers for he is their High Priest for this very purpose saith the Apostle speaking of Christ he is to make Reconciliation for the sins of the people Heb. 2. 17. It s as much the mark and office of Jesus Christ to do so for believers as ever it was the work of the legal High Priests to do it for the Israelites therefore soul when ever thou hast been over taken in a fault do not fly from Christ but away to him for he is thy High Priest in Heaven on purpose to make an atonement for that sin and Reconciliation to God for that sin only when thou hast been with Christ believe that for his sake it shall be pardoned and the father will be pacified and doubt not of it it will be so soul thou maist apply as really as the Jews that very word in Levit. 5. 18. And the Priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist not and it shall be forgiven him to this agreeth the words of the Apostle in 1 John 2. 1 2. If any man sin we have an Advocaâ—e with the father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our
more then the whole world is worth Now to prevent these Fears and Objections the Priest was to be taken from amongst his own Brethren it shall be no stranger whom you know not or that knows not you but of your own selves from amongst his Brethren bone of your bone and flesh of your flesh this yields great relief against Fears Suppose the King should send an Army over Sea into some strange Country now if he shall make choice of some Alien or Outlandish man to be General over them how would this discourage the Army in their way and work for who knows but that a stranger may sell them into their Enemies hands or should he not do so yet he being an Alien they not known to him what ever their necessities with respect to want of food clothing or any other necessaries may be he cannot understand their complaints and they perish without remedy but now if the General be one of their own Nation they will not so much fear the being betraid into the hands of their enemies because their General and they are all alike hateful to the enemy they engage against besides when ever they have any request to put up to him or matter of moment to inform him withall they are sure he knows their language and understands their tongue and they his for he is born of the same Nation a General made of his Brethren Now as the High Priest under the Law was a Type of Christ in all respects so in this very respect likewise that so Believers might have great encouragement to apply themselves to him at all times hence it is that Moses alluding to Christ saith Deut. 18. 15. A Prophet shall â—he Lord your God raise up unto you from amongst his Brethren like unto me him shall you hear in all things So Heb. 2. 17. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren So that you see the Apostle as well as Moses speaking about Christ alludes to the High Priest under the Law which was to be taken forth from amongst his Brethren Use 2. Oh then what comfort and encouragement should this afford the soul against the former Objections First as to their non-acquaintance with him Oh soul thou needst not fear for thy High Priest is no stranger to thee he is not an Alien which cannot understand thy speech thou maist freely lay open thy mind to him in prayer what ever distress or want thou art in come to him in prayer and thou needst not fear he will well know what it is thou supplicatest him about this it was that encouraged David to come to him and freely pour out his soul to him he knew that Christ was no stranger nor a man of an unknown tongue to him and he knew that Christ could as well understand what he had to express on his part of Christ Psal 139. 4. Lord there is not a word in my tongue but thou knowest it altogether Besides Christ is so well skilled in our tongue that he can throughly judge of our meaning and broken sighs and groans delivered up before him if we want expressions he can help the soul out in the thing for he doth not only know what we should speak but what we would speak before him and so helps us out in the matter Rom. 8. 26 27. Likewise the Spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh Intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh Intercession for the Saints according to the will of God For Christ is made a High Priest for this end to spread the complaints of his people before the Lord therefore is it recorded in Rev. 8. 3. And another Angel stood at the Altar having a Golden Censer and there was given him much Incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints So that you see Christ did offer up the complaints sighs and groans of his people to God therefore must he be taken from amongst his Brethren a member of the same Nation born and trained up amongst the people that so he might be fully capable to do them that service for which he was ordained a Priest Use 3. What encouragement should this Doctrine give a soul to adventure his all in the hands of this Christ in point of that faithfulness we may expect to find in him meerly upon this account that he is a High Priest called forth to the work from amongst his Brethren and then this would remove the other Objection which some poor soul may make against Christ O! That which I have to entrust the High Priest withall is of infinite value and if it should miscarry through the unfaithfulness of the Priest I am for ever undone and shall never recover my self more Now to prevent these fears the High Priest was to be taken from amongst his Brethren a man interested with them in all the proyerties together whose happiness is bound up in the peoples one who must stand and fall with those he is a Priest unto who promotes but his own in seeking the peoples good for whom he undertakes therefore must he be taken from amongst his Brethren to assure us of his faithfulness and diligence in the work he hath undertaken for Believers you know that Christ our High Priest is called an Advocate that is one that pleads a case in Law 1 John 2. 1. Now what an encouragement would this afford a person to make use of such a man in his case who is concerned in the same case himself so as that if it goes ill with the Client it must go ill with the Advocate Oh soul thus much maist thou draw out of this particular of the High Priests being taken from amongst his Brethren it is to encourage thee to make use of Jesus Christ for a High Priest to God in the behalf of thy soul thou maist assure thy self that he will be faithful to thee No bribes offered him can pervert or corrupt him therefore is he called a righteous Advocate 1 John 2. 1. We have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous the Inheritance which Christ as a High Priest intercedes for and as an Advocate pleads for in Heaven its what Christ and thee are co-heirs and joynt-heirs of together Rom. 8. 17. If Children then heirs heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ So that thou standest and fallest with Jesus Christ Christ promotes his own Interest in promoting thine if he prove unfaithful it s as well to himself as to thee Oh therefore doubt of nothing put thy all into his hands adventure whole soul and body upon his Priesthood thou canst not do better that which was Peters Exhortation to the Saints in his day is mine to thee Pet. 1. 4 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God
commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithful Creator Soul it would be very necessary for thee to keep this truth always warm upon thy heart that it may give down its daily comfort to thee that the High Priest is thy Brother for he was taken from amongst his Brethren it would be the choicest food thou canst live upon in thy wilderness condition if thou wert to take up thy quarters at any time in a Dungeon yet if thou hast this pot of Manna with thee viz. thy Brother is a High Priest in Heaven what more comfortable consideration in the world then this David was wonderfully raised in his hopes and expectations from hence Psal 23. 1. The Lord is my sheepherd I shall not want that is he is a Priest whose office it is to supply the wants of the soul in any condition for so much was expected from the High Priest under the Law he was to procure what blessings he could for the people Numb 6 23 24 25 26. And the Lord spake unto Moses saying speak unto Aaron and to his Sons saying on this wise ye shall bless the Children of Israel saying the Lord bless thee and keep thee the Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace Now that which greatens this mercy is this That as its the Place and Office of Christ to supply the wants of his people there is no condition whatsoever that his people are in at any time but Christ is privy to it Psal 139 2 3. Thou knowest my down sitting and my uprising thou understandest my thoughts afar off thou compass est my path and my lying down and art acquainted with all my ways Herein lay Davids great comfort and the same may be thine that this want-supplying Priest that was so well acquainted with his peoples several conditions he could appropriate him to himself as his sheepherd The Lord is my sheepherd saith David that is as if he had said I draw much of my comfort from the place out of which the Priest was to be chosen which is this he was to be called forth from amongst his Brethren so that he is not a stranger to me a man whose voice or words I understand not or he mine but he is my Brother which understands my thoughts afar off CHAP. 29. I now come to speak of the Qualifications which were required in the Person which was to be the Peoples High Priest under the Law THe High Priest was to be one of the meekest tenderest mercifullest men exceeding others of his Brethren a man brimful of bowels of tender love and compassion towards those he was to be a Priest unto And secondly he was to be as faithful as merciful Both of which Qualifications in the High Priest under the Law you have the Apostle speaking of in the Epistle to the Hebrews First That he was to be full of bowels and tender compassion towards those for whom he was chosen a High Priest Heb. 5. 1. For every High Priest taken from amongâ—st men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God that he might offer gifts and sacrifices for sins so Ver. 2. Who can have compassion of the ignorant and them that go out of the way Secondly The Priest was to be a faithful man a man discharging his duty with all faithfulness and sincerity towards his people not seeking his own before their good using all diligence in his place and calling withholding no due right from the people thus much you have from the Apostle in Heb 2. 17. Speaking of Christ saith That in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren that he might be a faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God to make Reconciliation for the sins of the people To be made like unto his Brethren who are these Answer not only all Believers for they are called Christs Brethren too but also and most principally with respect to office by Brethren is meant all those High Priests which were before his Incarnation who were likewise the fore-running Types of him in the work of the Priesthood and that it was the Priests of old that are mostly intended in this Text as the Brethren which Christ was to be made like unto will appear if we consider the end why the Apostle saith our Saviour must be made like unto his Brethren It was that he might make Reconciliatien for the sins of the people Heb. 2. 17. A work proper to none under the Law but to the Priests But wherein was Christ to be made like unto his Brethren you may see in the Text it was in point of faithfulness as well as in other respects That he might be a faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God to make Reconciliation for the sins of the people So that you see so much as this was expected to be found in and from the High Priest under the Law that he should be faithful Now both of the Qualifications in an abundant measure the Apostle shews you are in Christ our Gospel High Priest for so he applies the thing for our comfort as indeed all this was but to set forth the fulness of grace which from the Spirit of anointing the Father caused to run into Christ to fit him for this great work of the Priesthood read Heb. 5â— 1 2. and Chap. 2. 17. Isa 11 2 3 4. with Isa 61. 1. Use 1. I shall first of all take up the first of the Qualifications and labour to improve it for the encouragement of two sorts of persons First For those who as yet keep themselves off from this High Priest Christ through a sinful fear Secondly For those who have made choice of Christ for their High Priest but still live in continual doubt about their conditions As for the first fort of persons who yet stand off from Christ and are afraid to close with him so as to make him their High Priest Oh soul how long wilt thou doubt and by doubting keep thy soul off from Jesus Christ knowest thou not that there is a necessity for thee to hasten to Jesus Christ art thou not convinced that thou art a sinner and under the Curse doth not the word tell thee that God is angry with thee every day Psal 7. 11. Dost thou not hear the sound of wrath that is gone out against thee are not the first fruits of it upon thee already which is but the fore-runner of the full Winepress which like a dark storm is hastning after and is there not great need that Reconciliation for sin should be made to God for thy poor soul why then dost thou delay thy hastning to Christ the High Priest that he might make atonement for thee to the Lord that so a stop may be put to that wrath which from the Lord is gone out against thee or dost thou know a better way of