in some wants but here is their comfort they have an inheritance laid up for them and that is a rich one They are now in their nonage when they come to heaven they shall have enough In all dangers let it be considered what care their Father taketh for them because they are his children Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation An heir of a great family what shall he need to fear so long as he is conversing among his fathers servants All the creatures are such to God and thou being a child thou art amongst thy Father's servants and therefore needest to fear no danger from them Fourthly In case of spirituall faintings and fears and 4. In case of spirituall faintings fears and desertion desertions The soul of a believer sometimes fainteth away for fear David saith My heart and flesh fail me Here is now a swounding child consider what fathers are wont to do in such cases how they send out for help presently all the house is little enough to look after a child in such a condition God himself pittieth his swounding children and sendeth his Ministers yea his own Spirit to speak comfort to such and to administer some Aquavitae to them some water of life that he may fetch them again out of their faintings Sometimes fear possesseth a child of God perhaps of falling into desertion as it is possible such may befall the dearest of God's Saints as with Heman who thought himself free amongst the dead God sometimes doth this but sal 88. 5. still as a Father As a father that seeth his child ready to run into a river or into the mire he will take the child and make him believe he will throw him in but it is to make him fearfull of being thrown in So God makes his children believe that he will throw them into hell it self but it is for this very end and purpose that they may never come there for this fear will keep them from the waies of hell Yea sometimes God is pleased to desert his own children Sion saith My God hath forgotten me as it is in Isaiah but then it is no more but as when a father goeth behind a door and suffereth his child to cry after him and hideth himself on purpose to try the affections of the child to make him the more eager in the pursuit of his father which done then he discovereth himself Just so it is with God He withdraweth the light of his countenance not on purpose to keep it so for ever but to make it more endeared to his children As the Prophet speaketh In a little while I hid Isa 54. 8. my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy God and thy Redeemer Lastly Here is comfort in case of approaching death a 5. In case of approaching death time when men stand much in need of comfort when they are to leave all their outward comforts in this world therefore they had need of better Now if a man can say in assurance of faith as Christ did Father I commend my spirit Luk. 23. 46. into thy hands Here is an everlasting consolation a Fort that all the devills in hell cannot batter A man that in his life-time hath got acquaintance with God may with confidence commend his soul to God as to a Father when he dieth Other people may leave an estate behind them and men may look after that A man may commend his estate to his friend and his body to the grave and some may have so much charity as to interr that But whom shall he commend his soul to It is not for every man to think to commend his spirit to God with confidence Upon what acquaintance will God say can you do this Will we trust our Jewels to any but our best friends will we put them into the hands of those that we never saw in our lives No. But a man that hath known God for his Father he will with confidence say Father into thy hands I commend my spirit I do not onely lay my Jewell at thy feet but put it into thy hands that so it may be safe in thy custody I commend it into thy hands out of which all the devills in hell shall never be able to pull it With this confidence Paul believed Happy is that soul that is able to say as our Saviour did before his Ascension to his Disciples I go to my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God When a man is able to look his friends in the face though with a dying look and shall say Be of good comfort I shall be no loser I go to my Father and your Father Blessed are the people that are in Joh. 20. 17. such a case Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. Blessed are the people that have received Jesus Christ aright and so are become sons of Adoption I have now done with that Point and shall go on Vers 13. Which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God This verse containeth a further description of them that received Christ They were described in the 12 Verse by their faith And in this 13 Verse they are described by their birth To them that believe in his Name which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Their birth concerning which we are here told First what is not the efficient Cause of it Secondly what is First what is not the efficient Cause of it Three things are here removed 1. Blood 2. The will of the flesh 3. The will of man Secondly what is God and God onely I shall take the Clauses as they lye in order First I shall shew That Believers as such are not born of blood Secondly That they are born not of the will of the flesh Thirdly not of the will of man But Fourthly they are born of God First Believers as such They are not born of blood 1. Believers are not born of blood what is that Ye know in our ordinary manner of speech we are used to make mention of base blood Noble blood blood Royall and accordingly they are said to be born of blood to intimate that they have not grace from their Ancestors It doth not come to them by descent We say of many diseases that such and such come of a blood because they are derived from parents They are not born of blood to shew that the work of grace is not derived from one's Ancestors Therefore the word in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are not born of bloods We may think it on purpose to be put in to meet with that mistake of the bragging of the Jewes who still boast to be the sons of Abraham Joh.
this Tomb for nothing And so indeed the creature hath no satisfaction in it A man comes and thinks to find much and he hath there nothing but a sad lesson for himself to carry away with him Wherefore let us no longer play the Prodigall seeing there is bread in our Father's house let us not go to feed upon husks the creatures are no better All is vanity and worse they are not onely vanity but vexation of spirit which ariseth from the disappointment of a man's hopes when a man is vexed when he is frustrated looks for much and finds a little That is his case here a man looks for contentment and findeth trouble As our Saviour in the daies of his flesh it is said He went to the fig-tree expecting Mar. 11. 13. fruit and found none therefore he was provoked and cursed the tree Many a one leaves the creature with a curse which he sought after with expectation of satisfaction from it Oh! it is a cursed preferment and pleasure saith he even of that very thing which he thought would have fully satisfied his soul when he first enjoyed it But now this fulness of Christ is such as there is no vanity in it no vexation from it nay so far is it from vexation that it giveth satisfaction which nothing else can give Psal 36. 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house and thou shalt make them to drink of the rivers of thy pleasure For vexation in the one here is satisfaction in the other and for those drops of pleasure which men find in the creature here is rivers of pleasure such are those everlasting joyes that are in Christ For the pleasures of the creature here are Rivers every man may have his fill If it were a Cistern an Army might come and empty that But here is enough therefore I need not to envy another's satisfaction there is enough for all that come to Christ I have now done with the first Observation of the first part of my Text. The Second hath diverse Branches The first that offers it self is the Partakers hereof and those are a great many We all saith the Apostle here We all have received even grace for grace A short Observation is to be taken from thence namely Observ That all the members of Christ are partakers of some spirituall endowments We all have received of his fulnesse Not one but Christ imparts something to in his measure Therefore it is clearly said by the Apostle Ephes 4. 7. Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Here is grace and grace to every one and grace from Christ to every one yet to every one in his measure not alike measure to all but some measure to each One star saith the Apostle differs from another in glory Not a Star but receiveth light from the Sun the 1 Cor. 15. 41. one receiveth more light than the other Therefore there is a different glory in the Stars The Lord Jesus shineth upon every believing soul but not upon every one in a like lustre You know there was a time when Esau question'd his father's store strongly Hast thou but one blessing my father Gen. 27 38 but no man needeth to question the store of this everlasting Father he hath more blessings than one he hath some blessings Christ hath blessings for every Member for every Member of his We have all received Therefore it is said Mal. 2. 15. And did not he make one yet had he the residue of the spirit Some read Abundance and some read Residue of spirit both well God hath given endowments of spirit to an hundred and he hath a residue of spirit for a thousand more and when he hath endowed a thousand thousands he hath a residue of spirit for ten thousand millions more Ephes 2. 5. Which is the head Even when we were dead in sins hath he quickned us together with Christ by grace ye are saved Here is one head but many members The Head is Christ the Believers are the members All the members of the body they are compact together saith this place The whole body is joyned together by the bones that meet in the joynts and let into one another Compact by that which every joynt supplieth So the souls of believers as they are all knit to Christ their Head so they are let into one another by a spirit of love And something every joynt supplieth therefore every joynt hath its particular work As there is a vegetative power in the soul that putteth forth it selfe to every member One member to the proportion of an arm another of an hand another of a finger So there is a working of the spirit of grace in the whole body of Christ that brings every member to its proportion one to this degree another to that which God hath predestin'd him to Therefore it is that the growth of every member upon the increase of the body helps to the edifying of it selfe in love Look then that as in the body every member shares with the soul that bringeth it to the perfection due to that member So doth every believer share with the spirit of Christ in some spirituall indowment fit for his station It may be of great use to us First It may serve as an Antidote against scornfulnesse and contempt Secondly As a spurre to improve First The consideration of this truth That all the members of Christ partake of some spirituall indowment We 1. Spirituall indowments are as Antidotes to keep us from scorning and contemning one another all have received serveth as an Antidote against scornfulnesse and contempt of one another If every man hath received his part Who art thou that despisest thy brother Prov. 17. 5. Who so mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker And he that is glad at Calamity shall not be unpunished It pleaseth God to make him so therefore to mock him is to reproach God so to contemn the poor Saint for want of those parts to expresse himselfe by that thou hast thy reproach is to the Spirit of God God hath purposely dispenced his gifts and graces so that there is no believer but hath some and none that hath all indowments in an eminent way None hath all that he may not think to stand alone And none but hath some that every one may have use of another that the highest should not contemn the meanest The head should not say to the foot I have no need of thee As it is in Countries Non omnes fert omnia Tell us one Country produceth Wines another Sugars another Spices God hath purposely so done this that one Kingdome might have interest one with another In the like manner God hath ordered things in his mysticall body and given to all his members severall indowments that they might not contemn one another As it is in a materiall building where there is a sort of stones laid
even as the Angels It is said of them that they behold the face of God Matth. 18. 20. Christ saith there I say to you that in heaven their Angels do alwaies behold the face of my Father which is in heaven So when men come to be like Angels in a state of glory they shall also see the face of God But no man hath seen God at any time during this life God in his Essence For this we have more than one place of Scripture the same words in the Text are repeated in 1 Joh. 4. 12. No man hath seen God at any time And Paul hath a place to the same purpose 1 Tim. 6. 16. Who onely hath immortality dwelling in light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen nor can see There are but three waies that can be imagined by which man in a state of mortality can see God in his Essence either it must be by his Bodily eyes or by the eye of Reason or by the eye of Faith But a man cannot see God by any of these therefore no man can see God in that sense First No man can see God by his Bodily eye for the very 1. The eyes of our bodies cannot behold the Essence of God light wherein he dwelleth is inaccessible to the eye of sense we cannot so much as see our own souls or the Angels that are inferiour spirits How then shall we be able with our bodily eyes to see the Father of spirits the Lord of glory The Israelites could not so much as endure the shining of Moses his face How then can the eye of the body be imagined capable of that infinite glorious light that is in the essence of God And yet there is a place that speaks as if a man in the state of mortality by his bodily eyes had seen God Gen. 32. 30. Jacob called the name of the place Penuel for I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved Here is a man in the state of mortality that saw God face to face For this ye must know that Jacob did indeed see God but God in a representation not God in his essence He saw the Second Person in the Trinity in the shape of a man that wrestled with him This was all the sight of God that he had The Second Person in the Trinity before he took the nature of man took the shape of man such a shape had Christ taken here in which he wrestled with Jacob and this is that God which Jacob saw face to face not God in his essence but God in a representation And that very thing of God appearing in the Old Testament in a representation to the eyes of the body sheweth that he never appeared to them in his essence because his representations are many and his essence is one He appeared in a Bush to Moses and to Eliah in a still Voice to Jacob as a Wrestler to Joshua as a Captain of the Lord's hoast These were all representations that God was pleased to make of himself and thus men saw him But his essence all this while was invisible neither could it be diversified as his representations were being but one That is memorable which Isaiah saith Isa 6. 5. Mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts The Jews took this advantage against him and said he was a false Prophet Why He said he had seen the King the Lord of hoasts whereas God saith to Moses Thou canst not see my face and live Therefore they put him to death No man can see God in his essence and live But Isaiah saw him and he said true but it was in a representation Secondly No man can see God in his essence no not by the eye of Reason Reason hath but three waies by which it 2. The eye of our Reason cannot behold him in his Essence Reason knoweth God three waies 1. By way of Causality comes to the knowledge of God and those are known to Schollars by these names Via causalitatis via Remotionis and via Eminentiae First By way of Causality and so reason comes to gather of God by all the creatures which it seeth lovely and looks at all these as effects of God as the cause of all and so comes to the knowledge of God as the first cause Thus Reason collects of God But how far is this from seeing the essence of God Reason discovers a God but not what God is in his Beeing onely that He is For no effect can shew the nature of its cause fully but either such as manifesteth the whole force of the cause or else such as is of the same kind with the cause as burning that sheweth the nature of the fire because the fire being a naturall agent burns to the utmost of its power Therefore burning sheweth what nature the fire is of as carrying the nature of the force in it As a child sheweth the nature of the father because of the same nature with the father But the creatures cannot shew God because they are of effects different from him These are parts of the way but how little proportion is readd of him The thunder of his power who can understand Neither are the creatures of the same rank and kind with God as the child is with the father they are all of them finite God is infinite So that all that Reason can do this way is to gather that there is a God but not what he is Secondly There is the way of Remotion by looking over 2. By way of Remotion all the creatures and by setting aside whatsoever savours of imperfection in them and ascribing the remainder to God Thus we say that God is Immortall Impassible Impeccable because we say that to die to suffer and to sin are the imperfections of the creature God cannot sin God cannot die God cannot lie God cannot suffer But this still comes short of seeing God in his essence for by this we see what God is not not what he is by this way of Remotion 3. The third way which is a way of Eminency Reason 3. By way of Eminency goeth over the creatures once again and looks whatsoever is good in them and savours of perfection in them and ascribes that to God as the Author of those perfections So when it seeth in Man wisdom and strength and goodnesse Reason can ascribe to God as the cause of them a more eminent goodness and wisdom and strength And this is the nearest and the farthest Reason can go And yet in all these it cometh short of the essence of God because in this way it findeth out what he is rather in regard of his qualities speaking after the manner of men then what he is in his essence Thus we cannot see God in his essence no not by the eye of Reason There is onely one more that is the eye of Faith which â— The eye of Faith cannot apprehend God in his
the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Who is it that shall appear at the last Day in the Clouds but Christ who is called the great God and our Saviour God blessed for ever saith Paul to the Romans The great God saith Paul to Titus And lest any Heretick should hope to shift it off as they are as full of shifts as the Serpent is of turnings and windings and should say Why Angels are called gods and Magistrates are called gods To stop their mouths St. John telleth you He is the true God I and God properly so called The true God You know what they use to object against this as if the Object Father were onely called the true God And the place seemeth to have some colour in it Joh. 17. 13. This is life eternall that they know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ seemeth to be made a different Person from the true God I answer There is no necessity of limiting this phrase Answ The onely true God to the Person of the Father the First Person in the Trinity It is true indeed that the word Thee in the third Verse referreth to the word Father in the first Verse These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said Father glorifie thy Son c. And this is eternall life that we know thee the onely true God Ye must know the word Father is taken two manner of waies in Scripture First Sometimes it is taken for the First-Person in the Trinity And Father is taken for the Divine Essence or rather for an Attribute that is common to all the Persons in the Trinity Every one is Father in this sense So Christ is Father as well as the First Person He is called The everlasting Father and The Prince of peace Isa 9. 6. Father in that sense is no more than God in his Essence Mal. 2. 10. Have we not all one Father hath not one God created us There is a concurrence of all the Persons in this great work of Creation and so in this Relation of Father That Jam. 1. 27. True religion and undefiled before God and the Father Father here belongeth to all the Persons 1 Pet. 1. 17. We know that all judgement is committed to Christ So that Father is taken here essentially and belongeth to all the Trinity If ye understand it so here then the Objection is of no force But Christ is conceived here as Mediator and as Man praying to the whole Trinity under the name of Father and saying This is eternall life to know thee onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent So that 1 Tim. 2. 5. is parallel There is one God and one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus Nothing is so familiar in Scripture as to distinguish Christ as Mediator from God taking the word essentially for all the Persons in the Trinity Secondly Suppose the word Father Joh. 17. be taken Personally for the First Person in the Trinity yet the word Onely is not here to be limited to the First Person I pray you observe that This is eternall life that they know thee the onely true God It is not Thee onely the true God as if the Father onely were the true God Indeed the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not to be tyed to the saying Thee onely but Thee God is to be tyed to the word Onely To know thee the onely true God So as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word Onely is not exclusive from the other two Persons the Son and God distinguished from Creatures and Idols not from the other Persons the holy Ghost but onely exclusive from the Creatures who are improperly called gods as sometimes Angels and sometimes Magistrates are called so and Idols so called falsly The onely true God excluding Idolls but not the Son and the holy Ghost You may as well argue from that place 1 Cor. 8. 5 6. that God the Father is not Lord as argue from this that Christ is not the true God for it is said there Though there be that are called gods both in heaven and in earth as there be gods many and lords many But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him But one Lord Jesus Christ May men from hence argue and say The Father is not the Lord Jesus Christ But many argue and say That Christ is not God because he saith There is but one God the Father of whom are all things I will not hold you long upon this because I hope there are not many here that need solution in this point though the errour be spreading Consider that place Matth. 11. 27. All things are delivered to me of my Father saith Christ And None knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any the Father save the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him None knoweth the Son but the Father Why doth not the Son know himself doth not the holy Ghost know the Son Yes It is said The Spirit searcheth the deep things of God Neither knoweth any the Father save the Son Doth not the Father know himself and the holy Ghost both the Persons Yes But this none excludeth Creatures from the other Persons So the true God is distinguished from Creatures and Idolls not from the other Persons in the Trinity I will make Use of this to meet with such Hereticks as Vse 1 deny this Would to God I could say there were none in this City but mine ears have heard a man stifly to deny the Divinity of Christ and dispute against it and blaspheme that great truth without which I think a man may safely say there is no possibility of salvation I wonder that of all the old Errors swept down into this latter Age as into a sink of time this of the Socinians and Arians Beware of Heresies should be held forth amongst the rest Let us beware of their doctrines shun their meetings and persons that come to us with the denyall of the Divinity of Christ in their mouths This was John's doctrine and his practise Irenaeus tells us that after he was returned from his Banishment and came to Ephesus he came to bathe himself and in the Bath he found Cerinthus that said Christ had no beeing till he received it from the Virgin Mary Upon the sight of whom John skipped out of the Bath and called his companions from thence saying Let us go from this place lest the Bath should fall down upon us because Cerinthus is in it that is so great an enemy to God Ye see his Doctrine see his words too 2 Joh. 10 11. If any come to you having not this doctrine receive him not into your house neither bid him God-speed for he that biddeth him God-speed is partaker of his evill deed What the Doctrine was ye may see
word Power for it rather signifieth as the Margents of your great Bibles have it Right or Priviledge or as the Geneva hath it The Prerogative What is this to the Point of the Power against Free-will Read it so and the colour for their pretence is taken off and so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often signifieth Right and Priviledge as in that 1 Cor. 9. 5 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Have we not power to eat and to drink and to lead about a sister a wife as well as other Apostles and have not we power to forbear working that is right and priviledge as well as the rest Thirdly Suppose we should read it Power to become the 3. Power and Priviledg signifie one and the same thing sons of God as our Translation hath it yet this Power will imply no more than the word Priviledge doth As if a man should say That the Pope had a speciall eye to those Bishops that wrought for him in the Councell of Trent and gave them all power to become Cardinalls that is he gave them this priviledge to be so What is this to Free-will Lastly read it Power and suppose it to imply some liberty 4. This Power is given to Believers not to them in the state of Nature of will yet it serveth not their turn neither For the power here spoken of is a power received by those that formerly believed in Christ What is this then to the power of of them that are yet in the state of nature To as many as believed in him to them gave he power It is not Free-will if not set free by Christ But to avoid all ambiguity we shall take it for a Right or Priviledge or Prerogative which indeed is the better reading And so I ground this Observation from hence That for the sons of men to become the sons of God is a very high priviledge To as many as received Observ him to them gave he this priviledge this right this prerogative to become the sons of God When God would set forth his favour towards David to the heighth in that goodwill which he would bear to his son Solomon mark 2 Sam. 7. 14. I will be his father and he shall be my son he could not promise him a greater prerogative than this When Saul would encourage some of his Army to undertake the Duell with great Goliah that defied the Host of the living God What is the motive I will give him my daughter to wife and he shall be the King's son in law When God will encourage men to fight it out against the world and to separate from the sins thereof he useth this motive I will make them sons and daughters if they do so and so He holdeth that forth as the great prerogative 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. Come out from amongst them and seperate your selves saith the Lord touch no impure thing then will I receive you and I will be unto you instead of a Father and ye shall be to me instead of sons and daughters saith the Lord that is Almighty This will appear to be a very high prerogative If we consider first The estate from which we are raised to become sons secondly The state to which we are raised by becoming sons First this Sonship will appear to be a great priviledge 1. The high priviledge of being the sons of God if we consider from what estate we are raised That we may become sons from a state of bondage and death misery and slavery from being sons of perdition Children of wrath as the Apostle calleth it Ephes 2 3. We are by nature the children of wrath even as others For God to take children of wrath and make them children of love Heirs of perdition and make them heirs of Heaven what a rise is here It was a great matter for Pharoah's daughter to cast an eye upon poor Moses when he lay in the Bull-rushes ready to be drowned in the water and to adopt him for her owne son The Scripture speaketh of it as a great priviledge and therefore raiseth the commendations of Moses By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharoah's Hebr. 11. 24. daughter yet this Adoption of hers would not have made him heir to the Kingdome Here is an higher priviledge men are taken not out of the water but out of Hell-fire that is our portion by nature and deputed to be heirs to the King of Heaven and so as that they are made heirs to a Crown of Glory for all deputed children are heirs of the Kingdome Matth. 13. 38. The good seed are the children of the Kingdome If sons then heirs heirs of God joynt-heirs with Christ Rom. 8. 2. It will appear to be a high priviledge if ye consider that estate to which we are raised by being sons It is a wealthy and honourable and free and sweet and safe estate All this raiseth the price of it in our esteem First It is a wealthy state God doth not adopt us to a 1. Our estate by Christ is a wealthy estate poor Inheritance but to a rich as the Apostle speaks Ephes 1. 18. That you may know what is the hope of his Calling and what the riches of the glory of his Inheritance in the Saints Here is riches in this Inheritance So many times riches when there is no honour Ignoble spirits scrape a great deal of Wealth together in which they place their happinesse 2. Here is honour but here is not onely wealth but Glory to and he Glory of a Kingdome There is not such an honourable incorporation in the World as this to have God the Father for his Father and Jesus Christ for his Head and Governour and all the Saints for his Members a body politique that â—ath the eternall spirit of God for the soul of it The society of Saints is an honorable Society Here is both wealth and honour which may sometimes be where there is no liberty It is but Splendida serviâ—us a glittering slavery for men to be rich and honourable and yet in slavery But here ye read of a glorious liberty of the Sons of God 3. Here is liberty not onely riches and honour but a glorious liberty Joh. 8. 31. If the Son hath made us free we shall then be free indeed from the service of sin and bondage of Satan free from Temporall afflictions and free from the danger of eternall wrath There may riches and honour and freedome meet in some one person who yet cannot have content nor doth he live a Comfortable life for all that Therefore this in the fourth place is a Sweet state as well as wealthy 4. Here iâ— a sweet estate and honourable and free There lieth a great deal of sweetnesse in the name of a Father when the soul can say howsoever things go in the World I can look up to Heaven and say doubtlesse Thou art our Father there is so much sweetnesse to be
would have their voices to resound will make choice of Rocky places which send forth the best Eccho This Rock the Lord Jesus Christ is he that maketh our prayers to return with a blessing into our own bosoms You shall have many men that go to devotion and leave Christ behind them What a poor devotion is here The spirit of prayer is alwaies accompanied with Evangelicall humility with a mourning that floweth from our looking to Christ I know there is a great deal of legall sorrow in formall professors Men may go blubbering to hell without true repentance But here is a mourning that floweth from a looking up to Christ Where there is a spirit of Adoption men will speak from feeling which floweth from the apprehension of Christ and the certainty of God's grace in him Now this spirit of Adoption argueth Sonship But then commeth in the poor weak Believer and saith Object I am undone The other plead for themselves without a cause and he pleadeth as much against himself without a cause I cannot find such enlargement in prayer Surely the Spirit of Adoption is not in me if it were I should cry Abba Father with more importunity All Believers are not alike gifted there may be a gift of Answ prayer where there is not a spirit of prayer and a spirit of prayer where there are but poor gifts Haply thou canst onely chatter with Hezekiah like a Crane and Swallow yet consider whilst thou canst not speak there are two Spokes-men for thee the consideration whereof may render A Believer hath two Spokesmen to stand for him thee confident of success even in thy devotions how weak soever they be The lispings and stammerings of a child God liketh better then all the Oratory in the world The Spirit of God is in thee and the Blood of Christ is for thee The Spirit and We know not what to pray for as we ought but the Spirit maketh intercession in us And God knoweth the meaning of the Spirit and heareth the least whispers of his own Spirit in the soul of a poor Believer And then The Blood of Christ that speaketh better things than the blood of Abel the Blood of of Christ As Christ saith of himself it may be said of this Blood Father I know thou hearest me alwaies But I pass now from matter of Triall and I come now to matter of Exhortation All Dignity ye Use 2 know calleth for Duty Such as are partakers of this Priviledge To exhort to Duties of being the children of God they are obliged to certain Duties that flow from hence First Obedience The sons of Jonadab they were obedient 1. To Obedience to the commandment of their father Jer. 35. I set before the sons of the family of the Rechabites pots ful of wine and cups and I said unto them Drink wine But they said We must drink no wine for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father hath forbid us saying Drink no wine you nor your sons for ever Neither build houses nor sow seed nor plant ye vineyards but dwell in tents all your daies that ye may live all your daies upon the face of the earth where ye are inhabitants So we have hearkned to the voyce of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he commanded us So we drank no wine all our daies we nor our wives nor our sons nor our daughters When God hath said Drink not of the world's cup taste not of the world's dainties lest you surfeit on them it becommeth an obedint child to say My Father hath commanded me I dare not drink when he is tempted to the enjoyment of any unlawfull pleasures Mal. 3. 17. Ye read there of a son that serveth Indeed the best service God hath done him is by his sons all other services are little worth in comparison I will spare him as a man spareth his own son that serveth him The son goeth naturally and ingenuously about his father's work he doth it kindly much more kindly than a servant will that doth it onely for his wages Therefore of old they were wont to set their children to the work The chief work lay in husbandry We read of Rachel's keeping her father's sheep Gen 29. 6. and so of Jacob keeping his father in law's sheep Would we approve our selves children of God we must do the works of God Our Saviour beateth off the Pharisees from their plea upon this ground We are the children of Abraham say they If ye were saith Christ then would you do the works of Abraham Abraham believed in me No man can ever approve himself the child of God that doth not abound in the work of the Lord. The second Lesson is for Imitation Ephes 5. 1. Be ye 2. For Imitation followers of God as dear children It is naturall to children to imitate their parents look what the father doth the child is apt to learn the same If we be dear children we must be followers of God and walk in love as Christ hath loved us Blessed are the mercifull they shall be called the children of God Why Because that maketh it appear they follow God And so Be ye holy saith Peter 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. As he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation Because it is written Be ye holy for I am holy Thirdly We should learn from hence this Lesson that is 3. Learn Dependency upon God of Dependency Children hang upon their parents so should we upon God if we will carry our selves as becommeth sons This Argument Christ useth Matth. 6. 22. Take no thought saying What shall we eat and drink and be cloathed with for your heavenly Father knoweth you have need of all these things Leave the care of all these to your Father If ye were Orphans and had no father or if your father were not willing or not able to supply your wants then ye might be carefull but seeing you have an heavenly Father that knoweth all these things cast all your care upon him for He careth for you Doth not he tell us That he that provideth not for his owne family is the worst of Infidells Ye are of Gods family therefore be sure He will provide for you if ye trust Him Fourthly It teacheth us a lesson of Patience Hebr. 12. 4. It teacheth us to be patient 5. Forget not the exhortation which speaketh to you as Children My son despise not thou the Chastisements of the Lord For whom the Lord loveth He chastiseth Faint not under the correction of a Father and because it is from a Father that will lay on no more no longer than the Child standeth in need of it Herein that of our Saviour should be often in our thoughts Joh. 18. 11. The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it Why every affliction that befalleth me is a Cup out of my Fathers hand and from Him I should
were not some Havens and Harbours to strike into in a storm so no living in the World if there were not some comfort to be fetched from Heaven Look through all the Scriptures and ye will hardly find a safer harbour than this The relation between God and believers He is their Father they his Children They receive Christ and so become sons This will afford comfort to us in severall Cases which I shall briefly run over First In case of weak abilities and performances when they shall think that God is their Father and therefore is 1. Receiving Christ affordeth comfort in case of weak Performances willing to bear with them though their performances be but weak and their abilities small according to that Psal 102. 13 14. Like as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that fear him For he knoweth our frame he remembreth that we are but dust God consider what mould we are made of that we are Men and not Angels sinfull men and not men in a state of Perfection Therefore when we follow on to know him and go lamenting after the Lord as it is said of the men of Israel Jer. 9. though God discover a great deal of weaknesse in our services yet we find a great deal of acceptance in him when he looketh upon us as children The truth is though our faith be weak our God is strong and from thence commeth our safety As when a father carrieth his little child in his armes the Infant with his little feeble arms layeth hold upon the father but the safety lyeth in the father's holding him and not in his clasping about the father So we hold Christ by the feeble arm of our faith but Christ holdeth us more strongly by his Spirit and our safety commeth from thence It is true our faith is weak and so our services are accordingly weak but still look at God as a Father Suppose a man have a son in forraign parts sent abroad for his education before he hath well learned the Language he writeth a Letter home to his father He is but a scribler what he writeth is written but in broken language and badly writ But it commeth from a child and therefore the father taketh it well and passeth by all the faults The father biddeth the child shoot at such a mark the child draweth the bowe and letteth go the arrow falleth a great deal short of the mark yet he is encouraged by the father because he hath done his best As men are in a condition of belief so accordingly in a condition of As our Faith is so is our Comfort comfort If I can but go to God as a Father though with a great deal of infirmity I may hope to find successe Indeed Lord Lord is often sent away without a blessing they cried Lord Lord and had no blessing But Father Father that alwaies proceedeth from the Spirit of Adoption by which we cry Abba Father that is never sent away without an answer Deus non negavit sua petentibus saith Augustine sweetly God that freely offereth himself to those that ask not for him will be sure to give his good things to them that ask him because he is their Father Secondly As in the first place it ministreth comfort thus 2. In case of sinful failings in case of weak abilities and performances so In case of sinful failings We are not onely weaklings but sinners in what we do But yet Look at God as a Father and consider that Mal. 3. 13. I will spare them as a father spareth his own son that serveth him If we be sons serving-sons that go on to serve our Father according to what we have received from him he will spare us as a man spareth his son that serveth him Doubtless many are here that know the bowells of parents let those that do not consider David's carriage towards his sinfull son Absolom Absolom taketh up arms against his father and endeavoureth to deprive him of his Estate Crown and Life An Army commeth against him and messengers come and tell David that Absolom is overthrown What enquiry doth David make How fareth it with the Host No but Is the young man Absolom well And when a second messenger came and told him Absolom was slain How do his bowells break out at his mouth My son Absolom my son would God I had died for thee Let us judge by this how God looketh at a failing child whose bowells are infinitely much more large than those of David's Ye know the Parable of the Prodigal Luk. 15. he had run a wild course but resolving with himself to take up I will go to my father saith he and say unto him Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee He doth so And this word Father breaketh the heart of him to whom he made his addresse as ye know the story He fetched the robes and the ring and killed the fatted calf Though a prodigall yet a son still Our Saviour knew the comfort of this Relation and therefore directeth us to make use of it in his Prayer Our Father which art in heaven for give us our trespasses That is a melting word and therefore this must needs be a comfortable Relation Thirdly This affordeth Comfort to Believers In case of 3. In case of temporall sufferings temporall sufferings and want and losses and dangers Whatsoever our sufferings be they come from a Father And the holy Ghost calleth upon us again and again to consider that Deut. 8. 5. Thou shalt a so consider in thy heart that as a man chastiseth his son so the Lord thy God chastiseth thee The father will call for a rod to correct his son but will not turn him out of doors Ye have it at large Heb. 12. from the 5th verse to the 11th Ye have forgot the exhortation which speaketh to you as unto children My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth he chastiseth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth For they verily for a few daies chastise us at their pleasures but he for our profit that we might be partakers of the holinesse of God All chastisements tend to make men partakers of the holinesse of God As for the wants of Believers whatsoever they be here is comfort for them they do not want a Father It is the great consolation that Christ gave to his Disciples when he was to depart from them in regard of his corporall presence Joh. 14. 18. I will not leave you comfortlesse but I will come to you That is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the word in the Original signifieth I will not leave you orphans or fatherlesse A child though he be a son and heir yet in his minority is often kept short a servant haply the steward of a family hath as good allowance as he The children of Christ here are in minority therefore they are
said to purchase the Church with his blood because that Person which was God had blood to shed according to his human Nature though it was sanguis humanus yet it was sanguis Dei It was human blood yet the blood of that Person which was God as well as Man Now the ground of all this is that personall union The Word being made flesh Divines have laboured much to make this clear therefore have invented divers Comparisons I shall tell you of one or two of them They suppose a flaming fiery Sword here is a union of the metal and of the fire that are met together in this sword and therefore there may be a communication of the properties This fiery thing may be said to cut and this sharp thing may be said to burn because they are so united in one sword Or thus They suppose a man under two capacities one and the same man that hath skill in two Sciences suppose he is both a good Physitian and a good Lawyer Now one may in propriety of speech say This Physitian is a Lawyer and this Lawyer is a Physitian because both meet in one man A man may say This Physitian is a diligent follower of his Clyent 's businesse and this Lawyer is very good at curing his Patients Or thus A branch of a Vine is graffed into the stock of an Olive-tree and that so as it takes of each tree both the Vine-branch and the Olive bear according to their severall natures yet are in the union both of one tree but both Grapes and Olives grow upon it One may say This Vine beareth good Olives and this Olive-tree beareth good Grapes because united in one tree So it is in respect of the Manhood united to the Godhead This Son of Mary made the world and this Son of God shed his blood upon the Crosse But no more of this The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the onely begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth I now go on to what remaineth And dwelt amongst us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word signifieth properly Dwelling as in a Tabernacle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth a Tent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to dwell in a Tent or Tabernacle Then this Clause Dwelt amongst us is capable of a three-fold sense though as I suppose but one is here intended There is a Mysticall sense of these words a Spirituall sense a Civill sense First A Mysticall sense and according to that this 1. The Divinity of Christ dwelt in the human Nature phrase Dwelt amongst us is an amplification of the former The Word was made flesh and implyeth this That the Divinity of Christ dwelleth in the human Nature as in a Tabernacle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in us the plurall number noteth the human Nature and implieth as diverse go this way especially the Greek Fathers and the Arabick and Syriack all give this sense of this place to intimate That the habitation or dwelling that Christ assumed to himself was not the Person of man but the Nature of man and therefore dwelt in us There is a place of Scripture that seemeth to favour this sense Col. 2. 9. where ye find it thus said In him dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily As if so be he should have said The Godhead dwelt in the body of Christ as in a tabernacle or tent which it had erected for its own habitation Dwelt and dwelt bodily Secondly There is a Spirituall sense of this Clause and 2. Christ dwelleth in us by his Spirit according to that the meaning is this Dwelt in us namely by his Spirit by influence from heaven and this way Cajetan goeth Lest men should suspect saith he because of what was said before The Word was made flesh that now we are to have none but fleshly communion with the Son of God Though It was made flesh yet he dwelt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in us by his Spirit and conversed with us in that respect and this is implyed in the Praeposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We say not inter nos but in nobis If he had meant it of Christ's dwelling in the world he would have said Inter nos but he saith In nobis that implyeth a communication of himself to our inward man according to that sense which other Scriptures hold forth That Christ-Man dwelleth in our hearts by faith Ephes 3. 17. 2 Cor. 6. 16. God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people Thirdly There is a third sense of these words that is a 3. By his conversing amongst us Civill sense Dwelt amongst us that is Conversed amongst us as one man converseth with another He took upon him the form of a servant and was in the likenesse of man and carried himself for about 33 years upon earth as a man This is his dwelling amongst us and that is the most proper sense in this place though there be a truth in all the former yet neither of them is here intended not the First which I call the Mysticall sense because the human Nature of Christ was not assumed like as a Tabernacle or Tent which is pitched for a while and then removed but as a Mansion The Divinity took up his habitation forever in the human Nature Christ now continueth and shall for ever as true Man as he was when he was born of the Virgin Mary In that place Col. 2. 9. the Apostle useth another word where he saith that all the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelleth in him bodily the word is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in a Tabernacle but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in a Mansion and abiding place He so took the human Nature as never to lay it down again Therefore not as in a Tabernacle As for the Spirituall sense that cannot well be the meaning here Though it be true that Christ dwelleth in the hearts of his Saints and converseth with their spirits yet the Evangelist speaketh of some kind of habitation amongst men but this kind of habitation dwelling in our hearts was that which was usually in the Word from the beginning of the world so he dwelt amongst the Jewes for they were his beloved people long before he was Incarnate Besides this was ceased when the Evangelist wrote The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 habitavit in the Praeterperfect Tense If ye take it of Christ's conversing amongst men upon the face of the earth he did dwell amongst them so but he did not dwell amongst them at this time that was past but his dwelling in his Spirit amongst us that is not past Joh. 6. 56. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him It remaineth therefore that the sense of this place is plainly thus not to seek into abstruse senses The
The merit of all these redound to thee if thou canst but believe Therefore may the poor soul say as David doth in the Psalms I will go out in the strength of the Lord God I will make mention of thy righteousness even of thine onely But How comes it to passe then if there be such a fulnesse Object in Jesus Christ that so many of his Members are so empty so little grace to be seen in their conversation and belief to be found in their souls It is not for want of fulnesse in Christ but it is because Answ we are wanting to Christ and to our selves that we are so empty notwithstanding the fulnesse of our Head It is because we do not answer his fulnesse of worth and grace with the fulnesse of our affection Fulnesse should be answered with fulness As Excellency calleth for Respect so according to the degrees of the excellency should be the degrees of respect There is a full and abundant grace and merit in Christ therefore go with full assurance of faith when thou goest to him What is the reason thou art no fuller Quaer Why because thou dost open thy mouth no wider Respons Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Could we believe enough we should have enough But Christ saith as to many of his Patients Be it to thee according to thy faith According to the measure of thy Bucker so shall be the proportion of water that thou drawest out of the Well of Salvation Christ is the fountain and his blessings and graces are the water and faith is the bucket A large faith a faith drawn out fetcheth a large blessing from heaven and so as he expecteth fulnesse of faith that coming to a great God we should look for great things from him and not content our selves with outward Mediocrities but have our faith exercising it self in some proportion to the object upon which it acteth So also that we should come with the fulness of obedience in our lives as well as of faith in our hearts We should not onely draw near with assurance of faith but follow God fully as Caleb did Numb 14. get that spirit as was in Caleb to follow God fully We should have great comforts but we tread awry and so wrench our faith We go after God a little and the world a great deal when we are following God we are taken off from the pursuit of God Thence it is that our comforts are no more Suppose the head in the naturall body full of sense and spirits yet if the lower parts through which the influence should be conveyed to the vitall parts of the body be obstructed the lower parts may decay for want of the influence of the head because there is something that hinders that conveying of them namely those obstructions We suffer our understandings and wills and affections to be obstructed with the world and the things thereof therefore the fulnesse of our Head is not conveyed to us in so full a manner Herein do I exercise my self saith Paul to keep a good conscience towards God and towards man These exercises will open those obstructions and so make way for the influence of the Head That is the first Use by way of Consolation to them that are Within Secondly Here is matter of Invitation to them Without that they would from hence be perswaded to come in to Use 2 Jesus Christ because there is such a fulnesse in him as ye Matter of Invitation to them that â—â—e Without have heard of in other cases Fulnesse inviteth and why should it not do so in this The laden Bee that flyeth abroad into Gardens and Meadows Why Because they are full of flowers there is food to be had for them and something to carry home to their Hives Why doth the Merchant take such long voyages to the West Indies but because that is full of Mines of gold and silver And to the East Indies but because they are full of spices The sons of Jacob took a long journey from Canaan into Egypt because that was full of corn and they were loath to starve in their own Land The Queen of Shâ—ba came a great way to see Solomon because 1 King 19. 2. he was full of wisdom Will not all these rise up in judgment against us one day if we be not invited and drawn in by the fulness of Christ in whom there is more sweetness than in all flowers and spices more riches than in all mines of gold and silver more excellency and fulnesse than of milk and hony in Canaan than of corn in Egypt than of wisdom in Solomon Therefore me-thinks our souls should hasten to him and the rather because we all naturally affect a fulness and will be seeking it one where or other either in Christ or in the Creature and man doth dream of a fulness in the creature That which Agur speaks of speaking after the manner of men Prov. 30. 9. Give me not riches saith he lest I be full and deny thee and say Who is the Lord There is a fulnesse in wealth and pleasures and preferments that men may truly affect Let the very consideration of the emptiness of this fulnesse that is supposed to be in the creature be a motive to invite men to come in to Christ If ye go not after Christ ye will go after the high expectations of that fulnesse which will deceive you This of Christ is a filling fulnesse And That ye may call a fulnesse if ye will but it will prove emptiness in the issue Solomon at last comes to this conclusion Eccles 1. 14. I have seen all the works under the Sun and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit that is emptiness so the word signifieth As empty the creatures are even as Cisterns that hold no water Jer. 1. 13. What refreshing can be had from a cistern that hath no water in it or but little ay but that little in the issue comes to nothing they are broken Cisterns and all runs out of them that seemeth to be put in broken Cisterns that can hold no water There is a meer delusion in all the creatures they make fair promises but when a man commeth to seek for comfort in them he is like a Traveller that comes to a Well for water and findeth nothing but aire there and so cries out It is an empty Well I remember a story of Semiramis that when she did lie upon her death-bed she caused her Monument to be made and this Verse written upon her Tomb Hîc fodâ—at quisquis si princeps indiget auro If any Prince standeth in need of Treasure let him dig in this Sepulcher and see what he can find there Many years after Darius passing by and beholding the Inscription caused the Monument to be digged open where instead of a great deal of treasure he findeth another Inscription to this purpose Had'st thou not been extreamly covetous thou wouldst never have digged into