of a Saviour He loved us and washed us from our sin in his own blood He did not shed the blood of beasts as the Priests of old did but his own blood Heb. 9.12 And that no common but pretious blood 1 Pet. 1.19 The blood of God one drop of which out values the blood that runs in the veins of all Adams posterity And not some of that blood but all to the last drop He bled every vein dry for us and what remain'd lodg'd about the heart of dead Jesus was let out by that bloody Spear which pierced the Pericardium so that he bestow'd the whole treasure of his blood upon us And thus liberal was he of his blood to us when we were enemies This then is that heavenly Pelican that feeds his young with his own blood O what manner of love is this But I must hasten End 4. As Christ dyed to sanctifie his people So he dyed also to confirm the New Testament to all those sanctified ones So it was in the Type Exod. 24.8 And so it is in the truth This is the New Testament in my blood Matth. 26.28 i. e. ratified and confirmed by my blood For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the Testator Heb. 9.16 So that now all the blessings and benefits bequeathed to believers in the last Will and Testament of Christ are abundantly confirmed and secured to them by his death Yea he died on purpose to make that Testament in force to them Men make their Wills and Testaments and Christ makes his What they bequeath and give in their Wills is a free and voluntary act they cannot be compell'd to do it And what is bequeathed to us in this Testament of Christ is altogether a free and voluntary donation Other Testators use to bequeath their Estates to their Wives and Children and near relations so doth this Testator all is settled upon his Spouse the Church Upon believers his children A stanger intermedles not with these mercies They give all their goods and estates that can that way be conveyed to their friends that survive them Christ giveth to his Church in this New Testament three sorts of Goods First All Temporal good things 1 Tim. 6.1 Matth. 6.33 i. e. the comfort and blessing of all though not the possession of much As having nothing and yet possessing all things 2 Cor. 6.10 Secondly All Spiritual good things are bequeath'd to them in this Testament as Remission of sin and acceptation with God which are contained in their Justification Rom. 3.24 25 26. Sanctification of their natures both initial and progressive 1 Cor. 1.30 Adoption into the family of God Gal. 3.26 The Ministry of Angels Heb. 1.14 Interest in all the Promises 2 Pet. 1.4 Thus all spiritual good things are in Christs Testament conveyed to them And as all Temporal and Spiritual so Thirdly All Eternal good things Heaven Glory and eternal life Rom. 8.10.11 No such bequests as these were ever found in the Testaments of Princes That which Kings and Nobles settle by will upon their Heirs are but trifles to what Christ hath conferred in the New Testament upon his people And all this is confirmed and ratified by the death of Christ so that the promise is sure and the Estate indefeasible to all the Heirs of Promise How the death of Christ confirmed the New Testament is worth our Enquiry The Socinians as they allow no other end of Christs death but the confirmation of the New Testament so they affirm he did it only by way of Testimony or witness bearing in his death But this is a vile derogation from the efficacy of Christs blood to bring it down into an equality with the blood of Martyrs As if there were no more in it than was in their blood But know Reader Christ died not only or principally to confirm the Testment by his blood as a witness to the truth of those things but hiâ— death ratified it as the death of a Testator which makes the New Testament irrevocable And so Christ is called in this Text. Look as when a man hath made his Will and is dead that Will is presently in force and can never be recall'd Besides the will of the dead is sacred with men They dare not cross it It 's certain the last will and Testament of Christ is most sacred and God will never annul or make it void Moreover it is not with Christ as with other Testators who die and must trust the performance of their wills with their Executors but as he died to put it in force so he lives again to be the Executor of his own Testament And all power to fulfill his Will is now in his own hands Rev. 1.18 Inference 1. Did Christ die to confirm the New Testament in which such Legacies are bequeathed to believers How are all believers concerned then to prove the Will of dead Jesus My meaning is to clear their Title to the mercies contained in this blessed Testament And this may be done two waies By clearing to your selves your Covenant Relations to Christ. And by discovering those special Covenant impressions upon your hearts to which the Promises therein contained do belong First Examine your Relations to Christ. Are you his Spouses have you forsaken all for him Psal. 45.10 Are you ready to take your lot with him as it falls in prosperity or adversity Ier. 2.2 And are you Loyal to Christ Thou shalt be for me and not for another Hos. 3.3 Do you yield obedience to him as your Head and Husband Eph. 6.24 Then you may be confident you are interested in the benefits and blessings of Christs last Will and Testament for can you imagine Christ will make a Testament and forget his Spouse It cannot be If he so loved the Church as to give himself for her much more what he hath is settled on her Again are you his spiritual seed his children by regeneration Are you born of the Spirit Ioh. 3. Do you resemble Christ in holiness 1 Pet. 1.14 15. Do you find a reverential fear of Christ carrying you to obey him in all things Mal. 1.6 Are you led by the Spirit of Christ as many as are so led they are the Sons of God Rom. 8.14 To conclude have you the Spirit of Adoption inabling you to cry Abba Father Gal. 4.6 That is helping you in a gratious manner with reverence mixt with filial confidence to open your hearts spiritually to your Father on all occasions If so you are children and if children doubt not but you have a rich Legacie in Christs last Will and Testament He would not seal up his Testament and forget his dear children Secondly You may discern your interest in the New Testament or Covenant for they are substantially the same thing by the new Covenant impressions that are made on your hearts which are so many clear evidences of your right to the benefits it contains Such are Spiritual
study upon his knees Those truths that are got by Prayer leave an unusual sweetness upon the heart If Christ be our Teacher it becomes all his Saints to be at his Feet Inference 4. If Christ be the great Prophet and Teacher of the Church We may thence discern and Iudge of Doctrines and it may serve us as a test to try them by For such as Christ is such are the Doctrines that flow from him Every errour pretends to derive it self from him but as Christ was holy humble heavenly meek peaceful plain and simple and in all things alien yea contrary to the wisdom of the world the gratifications of the flesh such are the truths which he teacheth They have his Character and Image ingraven on them Would you know then whether this or that Doctrine be from the Spirit of Christ or no Examine the Doctrine it self by this rule And whatsoever Doctrine you find to incourage and countenance sin to exalt self to be accommodated to earthly designs and interests to wrap and bend to the humours and Lusts of men in a word what Doctrine soever directly and as a proper cause makes them that profess it carnal turbulent proud sensual c. You may safely reject it and conclude this never came from Jesus Christ. The Doctrine of Christ is after godliness His truth sanctifies There is a gustus Spiritualis judicii a Spiritual taste by which those that have their sences exercised can distinguish things that differ The Spiritual man Iudgeth all things 1 Cor. 2.15 His ear tryes words as his mouth tasteth meats Job 34.3 Swallow nothing let it come never so speciously that hath not some relish of Christ and holyness in it Be sure Christ never reveal'd any thing to men that derogates from his own glory or prejudices and obstructs the ends of his own Death Inference 5. And as it will serve us for a test of Doctrines so it serves for a test of Ministers and hence you may Judge who are authorized and sent by Christ the great Prophet to declare his will to men Surely those whom he sends have his Spirit in their Hearts as well as his words in their Mouths And according to measures of grace received they faithfully endeavour to fullfil their Ministry for Christ as Christ did for his Father as my Father hath sent me saith Christ so send I you Joh. 20.21 They take Christ for their pattern in the whole course of their Ministration and are such as sincerely endeavour to imitate the great Shepherd in these six particulars following First Jesus Christ was a faithful Minister the faithful and true witness Rev. 1.5 He declared the whole mind of God to men Of him it was Prophetically said Psal. 40.10 I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart I have declared thy faithfulness and thy Salvation I have not concealed thy loving kindness and thy truth from the great congregation To the same sence and almost in the same words the Apostle Paul professed in Acts 20.20 I have kept back nothing that was profitable unto you and vers 35. I have shewed you all things Not that every faithful Minister doth in the course of his Ministry anatomize the whole body of truth and fully expound and apply each particular to the People no that is not the meaning but of those Doctrines which they have opportunity of opening they do not out of fear or to accommodate and secure base low ends withhold the mind of God or so corrupt and abuse his words as to subject truth to their own or other mens Lusts. They Preach not as pleasing men but God 1 Thes. 2.4 For if we yet please men we cannot be the servants of Christ Gal. 1.10 Truth must be spoken though the greatest on earth be offended Secondly Jesus Christ was a tender hearted Minister Full of compassion to souls He was sent to bind up the broken in heart Isa. 61.1 He was full of bowels to poor sinners He grieved at the hardness of mens hearts Mark 3.5 He mourned over Ierusalem and said O Ierusalem Ierusalem how oft would I have gathered thy Children as a Hen gathers her brood under her wings Matth. 23.37 His bowels yearned when he saw the multitude as Sheep having no Shepherd Matth. 9.36 These bowels of Christ must be in all the under Shepherds God is my witness saith one of them how greatly I long after you all in or after the pattern of the bowels of Christ Iesus Phil. 1.8 He that shews a hard heart unaffected with the dangers and miseries of souls can never shew a commission from Christ to authorize him for ministerial work Thirdly Jesus Christ was a laborious painful Minister he put a necessity on himself to finish his work in his day A work infinitely great in a very little time Ioh. 9.4 I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day the night cometh when no man can work O how much work did Christ do in a little time on earth He went about doing good Acts 10.38 He was never idle When he sits down at Iacobs Well to rest himself being weary presently he falls into his work Preaching the Gospel to the Samaritaness In this must his Ministers resemble him Striving according to his working that worketh in them mightily Col. 1.28 29. An idle Minister seems to be a contradiction in adjecto as who should say a dark light Fourthly Iesus Christ delighted in nothing more than the success of his Ministry To see the work of the Lord prosper in his hand this was meat and drink to him When the seventy returned and reported the success of their first Embassie Lord even the Devils are subject to us through thy name Why saith Christ I behold Satan fall as lightning from heaven As if he had said you tell me no news I saw it when I sent you out at first I know the Gospel would make work where it came And in that hour Iesus rejoyced in Spirit Luk. 10.17 18 21. And is it not so with those sent by him Do'nt they value the success of their Ministry at an high rate it is not saith one the expence but the recoyling of our labours back again upon us that kills us Ministers would not die so fast nor be gray-headed so soon could they but see the travel of their Souls My littlle Children saith Paul of whom I travel again in birth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 till Christ be formed in you Gal. 4.19 As for those that have the name of Shepherds only who visit the flock only once a year about shearing time who have the instruments of a foolish Shepherd â—fâ—rcipes mulctra the shears and pail Zech. 11.15 Woful will be their condition at the appearing of this great Shepherd Fifthly Iesus Christ was a Minister that lived up to his Doctrine His Life and Doctrine harmonized in all things He pressed to holiness in his Doctrine and was the great Pattern of
friendship For this end Christ offered up himself to God I say not for this end only but more especially hence it 's called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a propitiation and so the Seaventy render that place Num. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the propitiating Ram. But here I would not be mistaken as though the reconciliation were made only between us and God the Father by the blood of the Cross for we are reconciled by it to the whole Trinity Every sin being against the divine Majesty it must needs follow that the three persons having the same divine Essence must be all offended by the commission and so all reconciled by the expiation and remission of the same But reconciliation is said to be with the Father because though the works of the Trinity ad extra be undivided and what one doth all do and what is done to one is done to all yet by this form and manner of expression as a learned man well observes the Scriptures point out the proper offices of each person The Father receives us into favour the Son mediates and gives the ransom which procures it the Spirit applies and seals this to the persons and hearts of believers However being reconciled to the Father we are also reconciled to the Son and Spirit as they are one God in three persons And if it be objected that then Christ offered up a Sacrifice or laid down a price to reconcile us to himself I shall more fairly and directly meet with and satisfie that objection when I come to speak of Christs satisfaction which is one of the principal fruits of this his excellent Oblation For present this may inform you about the nature and pretious worth of Christs Oblation The uses whereof follow in these five practical Inferences Inference 1. Hence it follows that actual Believers are fully freed from the gilt of their sins and shall never more come under condemnation The Obligation of sin is perfectly abolished by the vertue of this Sacrifice When Christ became our Sacrifice he both bare and bare away our sins First It was laid upon him then expiated by him So much is imported in that word Heb. 9.28 Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many To bear the word is a full and emphatical word signifying not only to bear but to bear away So Joh. 1.29 behold the Lamb of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that taketh away the sins of the world Not only declaratively or by way of manifestation to the Conscience but really making a purgation of sin as it is in Heb. 1.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word for word a purgation being made and not only declared Now how great a mercy is this that by him all that believe should be justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses Act. 13.39 What shall we call this grace Surely we should do somewhat more than admire it and faint under the sense of such a mercy Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Psal. 32.1 or Oh the blessedness or felicities of him that is pardoned who can express the mercies comforts happiness of such a state as this Reader let me beg thee if thou be one of this pardoned number to look over thy cancelled bonds and see what vast sums are remitted to thee Remember what thou wast in thy natural estate possibly thou wast in that black bill 1 Cor. 6.3 what and yet pardoned fully and finally pardoned and that freely as to any hand that thou hadst in the procurement of it what canst thou do less than fall down at the feet of free grace and kiss those feet that moved so freely towards so vile a sinner It is not long since that thy iniquities were upon thee and thou pinest away in them Their guilt could by no creature power be separated from thy soul. Now they are removed from thee as far as the East from the West Psal. 103.11 So that when the East and West which are the two opposite points of Heaven meet then thy soul and its guilt may meet again together O the unspeakable efficacy of Christs Sacrifice which extends to all sins 1 Joh. 1.7 the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sins sins past and present without exception And some Divines of good note affirm all sins to come also for saith Mr. Paul Baines original sin in which all future sins are as fruits in the root is pardoned and if these were not pardoned they would void and irritate former pardons And lastly it would derogate from the most plenary satisfaction of Christ. But the most say and I think truly that all the past sins of Believers are pardoned without revocation All their present sins without exception but not their sins to come by way of anticipation and yet for them there is a pardon of course which is applied on their repentance and application of Christs blood so that none of them shall make void former pardons O let these things slide sweetly to thy melting heart Inference 2. From this Oblation Christ made of himself to God for our sins we infer the inflexible severity of divine Iustice which could be no other way diverted from us and appeased but by the blood of Christ. If Christ had not presented himself to God for us Justice would not have spared us And if he do appear before God as our surety it will not spare him Rom. 8.32 He spared not his Son but delivered him up to death for us all If forbearance might have been expected from any surely it might from God who is very pitiful and full of tender mercy Jam. 5.11 yet God in this case spared not If one might have expected sparing mercy and abatement from any surely Christ might most of all expect it from his own Father yet you hear God spared not his own Son Sparing-mercy is the lowest degree of mercy yet it was denied to Christ. He abated him not a minute of the time appointed for his suffering nor one degree of wrath he was to bear Nay though in the Garden Christ fell upon the ground and sweet clodders of blood and in that unparallel'd Agony scrued up his spirit to the highest intention in that pitiful cry Father if it be possible let this cup pass and though he brake out upon the Cross in that heart rending complaint my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Yet no abatement Justice will not bend in the least but having to do with him on this account resolves to fetch its pennyworths out of his blood If this be so what is the case of thy soul Reader if thou be a man or woman that hast no interest in this Sacrifice For if these things be done in Christ a green tree what will be done to thee the dry tree Luk. 23.31 That is if God so deal with me that am not only innocent but like a green and fruitful
consider the nature of his intercession which is Just and reasonable for the matter urgent and continual for the manner of it the matter of his request is most equal What he desires is not desired gratis or upon terms unbecoming the holiness and righteousness of God to grant He desires no more but what he hath deserved and given a valuable consideration to the Father for And so the Justice of God doth not only oppose but furthers and pleads for the granting and fulfilling his requests Here you must remember that the Father is under a covenant-tye and bond to do what he asks for Christ having fully performed the work on his part the mercies he intercedes for are as due as the hire of the labourer is when the work is faithfully done And as the matter is just so the manner of his intercession is urgent and continual How importunate a suiter he is may be easily gathered from that specimen or handsel given of it in Ioh. 17. and for the constancy of it my text tells us he ever lives to make Intercession 'T is his great business in Heaven and he follows it close And to close all Fourthly Consider who they are for whom he makes Intercession The friends of God The children of God Those that the Father himself loves and his heart is propense and ready enough to grant the best and greatest of mercies to which is the meaning of Ioh. 16.26 27. the Father himself loveth you And it must needs be so for the first corner stone of all these mercies was laid by the Father himself in his most free election He also delivered his Son for us and how shall he not with him freely give us all things Rom. 8.32 So then there can remain no doubt upon a considering heart but Christ is a prevalent and successful Intercessor in Heaven There only remains one thing more to be satisfied and that is Fourthly In what sense he is said to live for ever to make intercession Shall he then be always at his work Imployed in begging new favours for us to eternity How then shall the people of God be perfect in Heaven if there be need of Christs Intercession to eternity for them I answer by distinguishing the essence and substance of Christs offices from the way and manner of Administration In the first sense it is eternal for his mediatory Kingdom as to the essence of it is to abide for ever Christ shall never cease to be a Mediator The Church shall never want an Head For of his Kingdom there shall be no end Luk. 1.33 However Christ as Mediator being employed in a kind of subordinate way 1 Cor. 3.23 when he shall have accomplished that design for which he became a Mediator then shall he deliver up the Kingdom in the sence we spake before to the Father and so God shall be all in all 1 Cor. 15.24 Then shall the divinity of Christ which was so empty and obscured in his undertaking this temporary dispensatory Kingdom be more gloriously manifested by the full possession use and enjoyment of that natural divine eternal Kingdom which belongs to all three co-essential and co-equal persons reigning with the same Power Majesty and glory in the unity of the divine essence and common Acts in all and over all infinitely and immutably for ever And so Christ continues to be our Mediator and yet that affords no argument that our happiness shall be incompleat but rather argues the perfection of the Church which thenceforth shall be governed no more as now it is nor have any further use of Ordinances but shall be ruled more immediately gloriously triumphantly and ineffably in the world to come The substance of his mediatorship is not changed but the manner of the administration only Vse 1. Doth Christ live for ever in Heaven to present his blood to God in the way of intercession for believers How sad then is their case that have no interest in Christs blood but instead of its pleading for them cries to God against them as the despisers and abusers of it Every unbeliever despises it The Apostate treads it underfoot He that is an intercessor for some will be an accuser of others To be guilty of a mans blood is sad but to have the blood of Jesus accusing and crying to God against a soul is unspeakably terrible Surely when he shall make inquisition for blood when the day of his vengeance is come he will make it appear by the Judgements he will execute that this is a sin never to be expiated but vengeance shall pursue the sinner to the bottom of Hell Ah what do men and women do in rejecting the gratious offers of Christ What tread upon a Saviour and cast contempt by unbelief and hardness of heart upon their only remedy I remember I have read of an harlot that kill'd her child and said that it smiled upon her when she went to stab it Sinner doth not Christ smile upon thee yearn upon thee in the Gospel and wilt thou as it were stab him to the heart by thine infideliâ—y Wo and alas for that man against whom this blood cries in Heaveâ— Vse 2. Doth Christ live for ever to make intercession Hence let believers fâ—tch relief and draw encouragement against all the causes and grounds of their fears and troubles For surely this answers them all First Hence let them be encouraged against all their sinful infirmities and lamented weaknesses 'T is confessed these are sad things they grieve the spirit of God sadden your own hearts cloud your evidences but having such an High-Priest in Heaven can never be your ruine 1 Joh. 2.1 2. My little children these things write I unto you that you sin not And if any man sin we have an advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous My little children children especially little children when first beginning to take the foot are apt to stumble at every straw So are raw young and unexperienced Christians but what if they do Why though it must be far from them to take incouragement so to do from Christ and his intercession yet if by surprizal they so sin let them not be utterly discouraged for we have an Advocate He stops whatever plea may be brought in against us by the Devil or the Law and answers all by his satisfaction He gets out fresh pardons for new sins And this Advocate is with the Father he doth not say with his Father though that had been a singular support in it self nor yet with our Father which is a sweet encouragement singly considered but with the Father which takes in both to make the encouragement full Remember ye that are cast down under the sense of sin that Jesus your friend in the Court above is able to save to the uttermost Which is as one calls it a reaching word and extends it self so far that thou canst not look beyond it Let thy soul be set on the highest mount
Father As if Christ did not present our pleas and arguments as well as simple desires to God As if the choisest part of our prayers must be kept back because Christ presents our prayers to God No no Christs pleading is one thing ours another His and ours are not opposed but subordinated His pleading doth not destroy but makes ours successful God calls us to plead with him Isai. 1.18 come now let us reason together God as one observes reasoneth with us by his word and providences outwardly and by the motions of his Spirit inwardly but we reason with him by framing through the help of his Spirit certain holy arguments grounded upon allowed principles drawn from his nature name word or works And it is condemned as a very sinful defect in Professors that they did not plead the Churches cause with God Jer. 30.13 There is none to plead thy cause that thou maist be bound up What was Iacobs wrestling with the Angel but his holy pleading and importunity with God And how well it pleased God let the event speak As a Prince he prevailed and had power with God On which instance a Worthy thus glosseth Let God frown smite or wound Iacob is at a point a blessing he came for and a blessing he will have I will not let thee go saith he unless thou bless me His limbs his life might go but there is no going for Christ without a pawn without a blessing This is the man now what is his speed the Lord admires him and honours him to all generations What is thy name saith he q. d. I never met with such a man titles of honour are not worthy of thee Thou shalt be called not Iacob a shepherd with men but Iacob a Prince with God Nazianzen said of his sister Gorgonia that she was modestly impudent with God There was no putting her off with a denial The Lord on this account hath honoured his Saints with the title of his Recorders men fit to plead with him as that word mazkir signifies Isai. 62.6 Ye that make mention of the Lord keep not silence give him no rest it notes the office of him that recorded all the memorable matters of the King and used to suggest seasonable Items and Memorandums of things to be done By these holy pleadings the King is held in his Galleries as it is Cant. 7.5 I know we are not heard either for our much speaking or our excellent speaking 't is Christs pleading in Heaven that makes our pleading on earth available but yet surely when the spirit of the Lord shall suggest proper arguments in prayer and help the humble suppliant to press them home believingly and affectionately when he helps us to weep and plead to groan and plead God is greatly delighted in such prayers Thou saidst I will surely do the good Said Iacob Gen. 32.12 It 's thine own free promise I did not go on mine own head but thou bidst me go and encouragest me with this promise O this is taking with God When by the spirit of Adoption we can come to God crying Abba Father Father hear forgive pity and help me am I not thy Child thy Son or Daughter to whom may a Child be bold to go with whom may a Child have hope to speed if not with his Father Father hear me The Fathers of our flesh are full of bowels and pity their children and know how to give good things to them when they ask them when they ask bread or cloaths will they deny them And is not the Father of Spirits more full of bowels more full of pity Father hear me This is that kind of prayer which is melody in the ears of God Corollary 3. What an excellent pattern is here for all that have the charge and government of others committed to them whether Magistrates Ministers or Parents to teach them how to acquit themselves towards their relations when they come to die Look upon dying Jesus see how his care and love to his people flamed out when the time of his departure was at hand Surely as we are bound to remember our Relations every day and to lay up a stock of prayers for them in the time of our health so it becomes us to imitate Christ in our earnestness with God for them when we die Though we die our prayers die not with us They out-live us and those we leave behind us in the world may reap the benefit of them when we are turned to dust For my own part I must profess before the world that I have a high value for this mercy And do from the bottom of my heart bless the Lord who gave me a Religious and tender Father who often poured out his soul to God for me He was one that was inwardly acquainted with God and being full of bowels to his children often carried them before the Lord prayed and pleaded with God for them wept and made supplication for them This stock of prayers and blessings left by him before the Lord I cannot but esteem above the fairest inheritance on earth O it is no small mercy to have thousands of fervent prayers lying before the Lord filed up in Heaven for us And oh that we would all be faithful to this duty Surely our love especially to the souls of our Relations should not grow cold when our breath doth O that we would remember this duty in our lives and if God give opportunity and ability fully discharge it when we die considering as Christ did we shall be no more but they are in this world In the midst of a defiled tempting troublesom world It 's the last office of Love that ever we shall do for them After a little while we shall be no longer sensible how it is with them for as the Church speaks Isai. 63.16 Abraham is ignorant of us and Israel acknowledgeth us not what Temptations and troubles may befal them we do not know O imitate Christ your pattern Corollary 4. To Conclude Hence ye may see what an high esteem and pretious value Christ hath of Believers this was the treasure which he could not be quiet he could not die till he had secured it in a safe hand I come unto thee holy Father keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me Surely Believers are dear to Jesus Christ. And good reason for he hath paid dear for them Let his dying language this last farewel speak for him how he prized them The Lords portion is his people Jacob is the Lott of his inheritance Deut. 32.9 They are a peculiar treasure to him above all the people of the earth Exod. 19.5 What is much upon our hearts when we die is dear to us indeed O how pretious how dear should Jesus Christ be to us were we first and last upon his heart did he mind us did he pray for us did he so wrestle with God about us when the sorrows
and unpattern'd meekness of Christ supporting such a burden with such evenness and steadiness of spirit Christian patience or the grace Patience is an ability or power to suffer hard and heavy things according to the will of God It is a power and a glorious power that strengthens the suffering Soul to bear It is our passive fortitude Col. 1.11 Strengthened with all might according to the glorious power unto all patience and long suffering with Ioyfulness i. e. strengthened with a might or power corresponding to the glorious power of God himself Or such as might appear to be the proper impress and image of that divine power which is both its principle and pattern For the Patience which God exercises towards sinners that daily wrong and load him is call'd power and great power Num. 14.17 Let the power of my Lord be great as thou hast spoken saying the Lord is long Suffering forgiving c. Hence it 's observed Prov. 24.10 That the loss or breaking of our patience under adversity argues a decay of strength in the soul. If thou faint in the day of adversity thy strength is small It 's a power or ability in the soul to bear hard heavy and difficult things Such only are the objects of patience God hath several sorts of burdens to impose upon his people Some heavier others lighter Some to be carried but a few hours others many days Others all our days Some more spiritual bearing upon the Soul Some more external touching or punishing the flesh imediatly and the spirit by way of Sympathy And sometimes both sorts are laid on together So they were at this time on Christ. His Soul burdened as deep as it could swim Full of the sence the bitter sence and apprehension of the wrath of God His Body fill'd with tortures In every member and sence grief took up his lodging Here was the highest exercise of Patience It 's a power to bear hard and heavy things according to the Will of God The involving of that respect differs patience the Christian grace from patience the Moral Vertue So the Apostle describes it 1 Pet. 4.19 Let them that suffer according to the will of God c. i. e. who exercise patience gratiously as God would have them And then our patience is as Christs most exactly was according to the will of God when it is as extensive as intensive and as protensive as God requires it to be First When it is as extensive as God would have it So was Christs patience It was a patience that stretched and extended it self to all and every trouble and affliction that came upon him Troubles came upon him in troops in multitudes It 's said Psal. 40.12 Innumerable evils have compassed me about Yet he found patience enough to receive them all It is not so with us Our patience is often worn out And like fick people we fancy if we were in another Chamber or Bed it would be better If it were any other trouble than this we could bear it Christ had no exceptions at any burden his Father would lay on His patience was as large as his trouble and that was large indeed Secondly It 's then according to the will of God when it is as intensive as God reuqires it to be i. e. in the Apostles phrase Iam. 1.4 When it hath it's perfect work or exercise when it 's not only extended to all kinds of troubles but when it works in the highest and most perfect degree And then may patience be said to be perfect as it was in Christ when it is plenum sui prohibens alieni full of it self and exclusive of its opposites Christs patience was full of its self i. e. it included all that belonged to it It was full of submission peace and serenity full of obedience and complacency in his Fathers Will. He was in a perfect calm As a Lamb or Sheep saith the Text that houls not opposes not but is dumb and quiet And as his external behaviour so his internal frame and temper of soul was most serene and calâ—â— Not one repining thought against God Not one revengeful thought against man once ruâ—â—led his Spirit Father forgive them for they know not what they do was all the hurt he wisht his worst enemies And as it included all that belonged to it so his perfect patience excluded all its opposites No discontents murmurings despondencies had place in his heart So that his patience was a most intensive perfect patience And as it was as extensive and as intensive so it was Thirdly As Prâ—tensive as God required it to be i. e. it held out to the end or his â—ryal He did not faint at last His â—roubles did not out-live his patience He indeed was strengthened with all might unto all patience and long-suffering This was the patience of Christ our perfect pattern He had not only patience but Longanimity Thirdly In the last place let us inquire into the grounds and reasons of this his most perfect patience And if you do so you shall find perfect Holiness Wisdom Foreknowledge Faith Heavenly mindedness and obedience at the root of this his perfect Patience First This admirable patience and meekness of Christ was the fruit and off-spring of his perfect Holiness His nature was free from those corruptions that ours groan and labour under otherwise he could never have carryed it at this rate Take the meek Moses who excell'd all others in that grace and let him be tryed in that very grace wherein he excells and see how unadvisedly he may speak with his Lips Psal. 106.33 Take a Iob whose famous patience is trumpeted and resounded over all the world ye have heard of the patience of Iob. And let him be tryed by outward and inward troubles meeting upon him in one day and even a Iob may curse the day when he was born Envy revenge discontent despondencies are weeds naturally springing up in the corrupt soil of our sinful natures I saw a little Child grow pale with envy said Austin And the Spirit that is in us lusteth unto envy saith the Apostle Iam. 4.5 The principles of all these evils being in our natures they will shew themselves in time of Tryal The old man is fretful and passionate But it was otherwise with Christ. His nature was like a pure Christal Glass full of pure Fountain water which though shaken and agitated never so much cannot shew because it hath no dregs The Prince of this world cometh and hath nought in me Joh. 14.30 No principle of corruption for a handle to temptation Our High Priest was holy harmless undefil'd separate from sinners Heb. 7.26 Secondly The Meekness and Patience of Christ proceeded from the infinite wisdom with which he was filled The wiser any man is the more patient he is Hence meekness the fruit is denominated from patience the root that bears it Iam. 3.13 The meekness of wisdom And anger is lodged in folly as its proper
of your life as in the morning of the day If a man have any business to be done let him take the morning for it For in the after part of the day a hurry of business comes on so that you either forget it or want opportunity for it Thirdly Now because your life is immediately uncertain You are not certain that ever you shall attain the years of your Fathers There are graves in the Church yard just of your length And skulls of all sorts and sizes in Golgotha as the Jews proverb is Fourthly Now because God will not spare you because you are but young sinners little sinners if you die Christless If you are not as you think old enough to mind Christ surely if you die Christless you are old enough to be damned There 's the small spray as well as great logs in the fire of Hell Fifthly Now because your life will be the more eminently useful and serviceable to God when you know him betime and begin with him early Austin repented and so have many thousands since him that he began so late and knew God no sooner Sixthly Now because your life will be the sweeter to you when the morning of it is dedicated to the Lord. The first fruits sanctifie the whole harvest This will have a sweet influence into all your days Whatever changes straights or troubles you may afterwards meet with The THIRTY TIHRD SERMON MATTH XXVII XLVI And about the ninth hour Iesus cried with a loud voice saying Eli Eli lamasabachtani that is to say my God my God why hast thou forsaken me THis verse contains the fourth memorable saying of Christ upon the Cross. Words able to rend the hardest heart in the world It is the voice of the Son of God in an agony His sufferings were great very great before but never in that extremity as now When this heaven-rending and heart-melting out-cry brake from him upon the Cross Eli Eli lamasabachtani In which words are considerable the time matter and manner of this his sad complaint First The time when it was uttered about the ninth hour i. e. about three of the clock after noon For as the Jews divided the night into four quarters or watches so they divided the day in like manner into four quarters or greater hours Which had their names from that hour of the day that closed the quarter So that beginning their account of their lesser hours from six in the morning which with them was the first their ninth hour answered to our third after noon And this is heedfully marked by the Evangelists on purpose to shew us how long Christ hanged in distress upon the Cross both in soul and body which at least was three full hours Towards the end whereof his soul was so filled distressed and overwhelmed that this doleful cry brake from his soul in bitter anguish My God my God c. Secondly The matter of the complaint It is not of the cruel tortures he felt in his body nor of the scoffs and reproaches of his name he mentions not a word of these they were all swallowed up in the sufferings within as the River is swallowed up in the Sea or the lesser flame in the greater He seems to neglect all these and only complains of what was more burdensom than ten thousand Crosses Even his Fathers deserting him my God my God why hast thou forsaken me It is a more inward trouble that burdens him darkness upon his spirit the hidings of Gods face from him an affliction he was totally a stranger to till now Here he lays his hand in this complaint This was the pained place to which he points in this dolorous out-cry Thirdly The manner in which he utters his sad complaint and that was with a remarkable vehemency he cried with a loud voice not like a dying man in whom nature was spent but as one full of vigor life and sence He gathered all his spirits together stirred up the whole power of nature when he made this grievous out-cry There is in it also an emphatical reduplication which shews with what vehemency it was uttered Not singly my God but he doubles it my God my God as distressed persons use to do So Elisha when Eliâ—ah was separated from him by the Chariots and Horses of fire cries out my Father my Father Nay moreover to encrease the force and vehemency of this complaint here is an affectionate interrogation Why hast thou forsaken me Questions especially such as this are full of spirits It is as if he were surprised by the strangeness of this affliction and rouzing up himself with an unusual vehemency turns himself to his Father and cries why so my Father O what dost thou mean by this What hide that face from me that never was hid before What and hide it from me now in the depth of my other torments and troubles O what new what strange things are these Lastly here is an observable variation of the language in which this astonishing complaint was uttered For he speaks both Hebrew and Syriack in one breath Eli Eli lama are all Hebrew Sabachtani is a Syriack word used here for emphasis sake Hance we observe DOCT. That God in design to heighten the sufferings of Christ to the uttermost forsook him in the time of his greatest distress to the unspeakable affliction and anguish of his soul. This proposition shall be considered in three parts The desertion it self The design or end of it The effect and influence it had on Christ. First The desertion it self Divine desertion generally considered is Gods withdrawing himself from any not as to his Essence that fills Heaven and Earth and constantly remains the same But it 's the withdrawment of his favour grace and love When these are gone God is said to be gone And this is done two ways either absolutely and wholly or respectively and only as to manifestation In the first sense Devils are forsaken of God They once were in his favour and love but they have utterly and finally lost it God is so withdrawn from them as that he will never take them into favour any more In the other sense he sometimes forsakes his dearest Children i. e. he removes all sweet manifestations of his favour and love for a time and carries it to them as a stranger though his love be still the same And this kind of desertion which is respective temporary and only in regard of manifestation is justly distinguished from the various ends and designs of it into probational cautional castigatory and poenal Probational desertions are only for the proof and trial of grace Cautional desertions are designed to prevent sin Castigatory desertions are Gods rods to chastize his people for sin Poenal desertions are such as are inflicted as the just reward of sin for the reparation of that wrong sinners have done by their sins Of this sort was Christs desertion A part of the curse and a special
Her beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone but was she content to part with him so No such thing By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth I sought him but I found him not I will arise now and go about the City c. Thirdly Though God forsook Christ yet he returned to him again It was but for a time not for ever In this also doth his desertion parallel yours God may for several wise and holy reasons hide his face from you but not so as it 's hid from the damned who shall never see it again This cloud will pass away This night shall have a bright morning For saith thy God I will not contend for ever neither will I be always wroth for the spirit should fail before me and the souls which I have made As if he should say I may contend with him for a time to humble him but not for ever left instead of a sad child I should have a dead child Oh the tenderness even of a displeased Father Fourthly Though God forsook Christ yet at that time he could justifie God So you read Psal. 22.2 3. O my God saith he I cry in the day time but thou hearest not and in the night season and am not silent but thou art holy Is not thy spirit according to thy measure framed like Christs in this Canst thou not say even when he writes bitter things against thee he is a holy faithful and good God for all this I am deserted but not wronged There is not one drop of injustice in all the Sea of my sorrows Though he condemn me I must and will Justifie him This also is Christ-like Fifthly Though God took from Christ all visible and sensible comforts inward as well as outward yet Christ subsisted by faith in the absence of them all His desertion put him upon the acting of his faith My God my God are words of faith The words of one that rolls upon his God And is it not so with you too Sence of love is gone sweet sights of God shut up in a dark cloud well what then Must thy hands presently hang down and thy soul give up all its hopes What! is there no faith to relieve in this case Yes yes and blessed be God for faith Who is among you that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voice of his servants that walketh in darkness and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay himself upon his God Isai. 50.10 To conclude Sixthly Christ was deserted a little before the glorious morning of light and joy dawned upon him It was a little a very little while after this sad cry before he triumphed gloriously And so it may be with you Heaviness may endure for a night but joy and gladness will come in the morning You know how Mr. Glover was trasported with joy and cryed out as a man in a Rapture O Austin he is come he is come he is come meaning the Comforter who for some time had been absent from his soul. But I fear I am absolutely and finally forsaken Why so Do you find the characters of such a desertion upon your soul Be righteous Judges and tell me whether you find an heart willing to forsake God Is it indifferent now to you whether God ever return again or no Are there no mournings meltings hankerings after the Lord Indeed if you forsake him he will cast you off for ever But can you do so Oh no let him do what he will I am resolved to wait for him cleave to him mourn after him though I have no present comfort from him no assurance of my interest in him yet will I not exchange my poor weak hopes for all the good in this world Again You say God hath forsaken you but hath he let loose the bridle before you To allude to Iob. 30.11 Hath he taken away from your souls all conscientious tenderness of sin so that now you can sin freely and without any regret If so it 's a sad token indeed Tell me soul if thou judgest indeed God will never return in loving kindness to thee any more why dost thou not then give thy self over to the pleasures of sin and fetch thy comforts that way from the creatures since thou canst have no comfort from thy God Oh no I cannot do so If I die in darkness and sorrow I will never do so My soul is as full of fear and hatred of sin as ever though empty of joy and comfort Surely there are no tokens of a soul finally abandoned by its God Inference 4. Did God forsake his own Son upon the Cross then the dearest of Gods people may for a time be forsaken of their God Think it not strange when you that are the children of light meet with darkness yea and walk it â— Neither charge God foolishly Say not he deals hardly with you You see what befel Jesus Christ whom his soul delighted in It 's doubtless your concernment to expect and prepare for days of darkness You have heard the doleful cry of Christ my God my God why hast thou forsaken me You know how it was with Job David Hâ—man Asaph and many others the dear servants of God What heart-melting lamentations they have made upon this account And are you better than they Oh prepare for spiritual troubles I am sure you do enough every day to involve you in darkness Now if at any time this trial befall you mind these two seasonable Admonitions and lay them up for such a time Admonition 1. First Exercise the faith of adherence when you have lost the faith of evidence When God takes away that he leaves this That is necessary to the comfort this to the life of his people It 's sweet to live in views of your interest but if they be gone believe and roll on God for an interest Stay your selves on your God when you hâ—ve no light Isai. 50.10 Drop this anchor in the dark and do not reckon all gone when evidence is gone Never reckon your selves undone whilst you can adhere to your God Direct acts are noble acts of faith as well as reflexive ones Yea and in some respects to be preferred to them For First As your comfort depends on the evidencing acts of faith so your salvation upon the adhering act of faith Evidence comforts but affiance saves you And sure salvation is more than comfort Secondly Your faith of evidence hath more sensible sweetness but your faith of adherence is of more constancy and continuance The former is as a flower in its mouth the latter sticks by you all the year Thirdly Faith of evidence brings more joy to you but faith of adherence brings more glory to God For thereby you trust him when you cannot see him Yea you beleive not only without but against sence and feeling And doubtless that which brings glory to God is better than that which brings comfort to you
visitation Lastly If your work be not finished when you come to die you can never finish your lives with comfort He that hath not finished his work with care can never finish his course with joy Oh what a dismal case is that soul in that finds it self surprized by death in an unready posture To lie shivering upon the brink of the grave saying Lord what will become of me O I cannot I dare not die For the poor soul to shrink back into the body and cry Oh it were better for me to do any thing than die Why what 's the matter Oh I am in a Christless state and dare not go before that awful Judgement-seat If I had in season made Christ sure I could then die with peace Lord what shall I do How dost thou like this Reader Will this be a comfortable close When one asked a Christian that constantly spent six hours every day in prayer why he did so He answered O I must die I must die Well then look it that ye finish your work as Christ also did his The THIRTY SIXTH SERMON LUK. XXIII XLVI And when Iesus had cried with a loud voice he said Father into thy hands I commend my spirit and having said thus he gave up the ghost THese are the last of the last words of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the Cross with which he breatheth out his soul. They were Davids words before him Psal. 31.5 and for substance Stephens after him Act. 7.57 They are words full both of faith and comfort Fit to be the last breathings of every gratious soul in this world They are resolvable into these five particulars The Person depositing or committing The Lord Iesus Christ who in this as well as in other things acted as a common person as the head of the Church This must be remarked carefully for therein lies no small part of a believers consolation When Christ commends his soul to God he doth as it were bind up all the souls of the Elect in one bundle with it and solemnly present them all with his to his Fathers acceptance To this purpose one aptly sences it This commendation made by Christ turns to the singular profit and advantage of our souls in as much as Christ by this very prayer hath delivered them into his Fathers hand as a pretious treasure when ever the time comes that they are to he loosed from the bodies which they now inhabit Jesus Christ neither lived nor dyed for himself but for believers What he did in this very act refers to them as well as to his own Soul You must look therefore upon Christ in this last and solemn act of his life as gathering all the souls of the Elect together and making a solemn tender of them all with his own soul to God Secondly The depository or person to whom he commits this pretious treasure and that was his own Father Father into thy hands I commit Father is a sweet encouraging assuring Title Well may a Son commit any concernment how dear soever into the hand of a Father Especially such a Son into the hands of such a Father By the hands of the Father into which he commits his soul we are not to understand the naked or meer power but the Fatherly acceptation and protection of God Thirdly The depositum or thing committed into this hand my Spirit i. e. my soul now instantly departing upon the very point of separation from my body The soul is the most pretious of all treasures it 's call'd the darling Psal. 35.17 Or the only one i. e. that which is most excellent and therefore most dear and pretious A whole world is but a trifle if weighed for the price of one soul Matth. 16.26 This inestimable treasure he now commits into his Fathers hands Fourthly The Act by which he puts it into that faithful hand of the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I commend We rightly render it in the present tense though the word be future For with these words he breathed out his Soul This word is of the same import with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I present or tender it unto thy hands It was in Christ an act of Faith A most special and excellent act intended as a president for all his people Fifthly And Lastly the last thing observable is the manner in which he uttered these words And that was with a loud voice He spake it that all might hear it and that his enemies who judged him now destitute and forsaken of God might be convinced that he was not so But that he was dear to his Father still and could put his soul confidently into his hands Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit Taking then these words not only as spoken by Christ the Head of all believers and so commending their souls to God with his own but also as a pattern teaching them what they ought to do themselves when they come to die We observe DOCT. That dying believers are both warranted and encouraged by Christs example believingly to commend their pretious Souls into the hands of God Thus the Apostle directs the Faith of Christians to commit their souls to Gods tuition and Fatherly protection when they are either going into prisons or to the stake for Christ 1 Pet. 4.19 Let them saith he that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing as unto a faithful Creator This Proposition we will consider in these two main branches of it sc. what is implied and carryed in the souls commending it self to God by Faith when the time of separation is come And what warrant or encouragement gratious souls have for their so doing First What is implyed in this Act of a believer his commending or committing his soul into the hands of God at Death And if it be throughly weighed you will find these six things at least carried in it First It implies this evidently in it that the soul out-lives the body and fails not as to its being when its body fails It feels the house in which it dwelt dropping into ruins and looks out for a new habitation with God Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit The soul understands it self a more noble being than that corruptible body to which it was united and is now to leave in the dust It understands its relation to the Father of spirits and from him it expects protection and provision in its unbodied state and therefore into his hands it puts it self If it vanished or breathed into air and did not survive the body if it were annihilated at death it were but a mocking of God to say when we die Father into thy hand I commend my Spirit Secondly It implies the souls true rest to be in God See which way its motions and tendencies are not only in life but in death also It bends to its God It rolls it even puts
say to you of this place You are a people that were born under and bred up with the Gospel It hath been your singular priviledge above many Towns and Parishes in England to enjoy more than 60 years together an able and fruitful Gospel Ministry among you The dews of Heaven lay upon you as it did upon Gideons Fleece when the ground was dry in other places about you You have been richly watered with Gospel showers You with Capernaum have been exalted to Heaven in the means of Grace And it must be owned to your praise that you testified more respect to the Gospel than many other places have done and treated Christs Ambassadors with more civility whilst they prophesied in Sackcloth than some other places did These things are praise worthy in you But all this and much more than this amounts not to that which Jesus Christ expects from you and which in his name I would now perswade you to and oh that I the least and unworthiest of all the Messengers of Christ to you might indeed prevail with all that are Christless among you 1. to answer the long continued calls of God to you by a through and sound Conversion that the long suffering of God may be your salvation and you may not receive all this grace of God in vain O that the damned might never be set a wondering to see a people of your advantages for Heaven sinking as much below many of themselves in misery as you now are above them in means and mercy Dear friends my hearts desire and prayer to God for you is that you may be saved Oh that I knew how to engage this whole Town to Jesus Christ and make fast the marriage knot betwixt him and you albeit after that I should presently go to the place of silence and see man no more with the Inhabitants of the World Ah sirs methinks I see the Lord Jesus laying the merciful hand of an holy violence upon you methinks he calls to you as the Angel to Lot saying arise lest ye be consumed and while he lingred the men laid hold upon his hand the Lord being merciful unto him And they brought him without the City and said escape for thy life stay not in all the plain escape to the Mountain lest thou be consumed Gen. 19.15 How often to allude to this hath Jesus Christ in like manner laid hold upon you in the Preaching of the Gospel and will you not fly for refuge to him Will you rather be consumed than endeavour an escape A beast will not be driven into the fire and will not you be kept out The merciful Lord Jesus by his admirable patience and bounty hath convinced you how loath he is to leave or loose you To this day his arms are stretched forth to gather you and will you not be gathered Alas for my poor neighbours Must so many of them perish at last what shall I do for the daughter of my people Lord by what Arguments shall they be perswaded to be happy what will win them effectually to thy Christ they have many of them escaped the pollutions of the World through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour They are a people that love thine Ordinances they take delight in approaching to God thou hast beautified many of them with lovely and obliging tempers and dispositions Thus far they are come there they stick and beyond this no power but thine can move them O thou to whose hand this work is and must be left put forth thy saving power and reveal thine arm for their salvation thou hast glorified thy name in many among them Lord glorifie it again 2. My next request is that you will all be perswaded whether converted or unconverted to set up all the duties of Religion in your families and govern your Children and Servants as men that must give an account to God for them in the great day O that there were not a prayerless Family in this Town How little will your Tables differ from a manger where beasts feed together if God be not owned and acknowledged there in your eating and drinking And how can you expect blessings should dwell in your Tabernacles if God be not called upon there Say not you want time for it or that your necessities will not allow it for had you been more careful of those duties it 's like you had not been exposed to such necessities besides you can find time to be idle you can waste a part of every day vainly Why could not that time be redeemed for God Moreover you will not deny but the success of all your affairs at home and abroad depends upon the blessing of God and if so think you it is not the right way even to temporal prosperity to engage his presence and blessing with you in whose hand your all is Say not your Children and servants are ignorant of God and therefore you cannot comfortably joyn with them in those duties For the neglect of these duties is the cause of their ignorance and it is not like they will be better till you use Gods means to make them so Besides prayer is a part of natural worship and the vilest among men are bound to pray else the neglect of it were none of their sin O let not a duty upon which so many and great blessings hang fall to the ground upon such silly not to say wicked pretences to shift it off Remember death will shortly break up all your families and disband them and who then think you will have most comfort in beholding their dead The day of account also hastens and then who will have the most comfortable appearing before the just and holy God Set up I beseech you the ancient and comfortable duties of reading the Scriptures singing of Psalms and Prayer in all your dwelling places and do all these conscientiously as men that have to do with God and try the Lord herewith if he will not return in a way of mercy to you and restore even your outward prosperity to you again How ever to be sure far greater encouragements than that lye before you to oblige you to your duties 3. More especially I have a few things to say to you that have attended on the Ministry or are under my oversight in a more particular manner and then I have done And First I cannot but with deep resentments observe to you the goodness of our God yea the riches of his goodness Who freely gave Jesus Christ out of his own bosom for us and hath not withheld his spirit Ordinances and Ministers to reveal and apply him to us Here 's love that wants an Epithete to match it Who engaged my heart upon this transcendent subject in the course of my Ministry among you A subject which Angels study and admire as well as we Who so signally protected and overshadowed our Assembly in those dayes of trouble wherein these truths were delivered to you You then sate down under
sins of the Elect he bare the sins of many and by the manner of his bearing it viz. meekly and forgivingly he made intercession for the transgressors this was his work 2. The Reward or fruit which is promised him for this work therefore will I divide him a portion with the great and he shall divide the spoil with the strong wherein is a plain allusion to Conquerours in War for whom are reserved the richest garments and most honourable captives to follow the Conquerour as an addition to his magnificence and triumph these were wont to come after them in chains Isa. 45.14 see Iudg. 5.3 3. The Respect or Relation betwixt that work and this Triumph some will have this work to have no other relation to that glory then a meer antecedent to a consequent others give it the respect and relation of a meritorious cause to a reward 't is well observed by Dr. Featly that the Hebrew particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we render therefore noting order it is not worth so much contention about it whether it be the order of causality or meer antecedency neither do I foresee any absurdity in calling Christs exaltation the reward and fruit of his humiliation however 't is plain whether one or other 't is that the Father here agrees and promises to give him if he will undertake the redemption of the elect by pouring out his soul unto death of all which this is the plain result DOCT. That the business of mans salvation was transacted upon Covenant-terms betwixt the Father and the Son from all Eternity I would not here be mistaken as though I were now to treat of the Covenant of Grace made in Christ betwixt God and us it is not the Covenant of Grace but of Redemption I am now to speak to which differs from the Covenant of grace both in regard of the foederates in this 't is God the Father and Jesus Christ that mutually Covenant in that it 's God and man they differ also in the preceptive part in this it is required of Christ that he should shed his blood in that it is required of us that we believe they also differ in their promises in this God promises to Christ a name above every name ample Dominion from Sea to Sea in that to us grace and glory so that these are two distinct Covenants The substance of this Covenant of Redemption is Dialogue-wise exprest to us in Esa. 49. where as Divines have well observed Christ begins at the first and second verse and shews his Commission telling his Father how he had both called and prepared him for the work of Redemption the Lord hath called me from the womb he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword and made me a polished shaft c. q. d. by reason of that super-abundant measure of the spirit of wisdom and power wherewith I am anointed and filled my Doctrine shall as a sword pierce the hearts of sinners yea like an arrow drawn to the head strike point blank into souls standing at a great distance from God and Godliness Having told God how ready and fit he was for his service will know of him what reward he shall have for his work for he resolves his blood shall not be sold at low and cheap rates hereupon vers 3. the Father offers him the elect of Israel for his reward biding Low at first as they that make bargains use to do and only offers him that small remnant still intending to bid higher but Christ will not be satisfied with these he values his blood higher than so therefore in vers 4. he is brought in complaining I have laboured in vain and spent my strength for nought q. d. this is but a small reward for so great sufferings as I must undergo my blood is much more worth than this comes to and will be sufficient to redeem all the elect dispersed among the Isles of the Gentiles as well as the lost sheep of the house of Israel hereupon the Father comes up higher and tells him he intends to reward him better than so and therefore vers 6. tells him it 's a light thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the Tribes of Jacob and to rest over the preserved of Israel I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou maist be my Salvation to the ends of the earth Thus is the Treaty carryed on betwixt them transacting it after the manner of men Now to open this great point we will here consider 1. The persons transacting one with another 2. The business transacted 3. The quality and manner of the transaction which is foederal 4. The articles to which they agree 5. How each person performs his engagement to the other And lastly the antiquity or eternity of this Covenant transaction First The persons transacting and dealing with each other in this Covenant and indeed they are great person◠God the Father and God the Son the former as a Creditor the latter as a surety the Father stands upon satisfaction the Son engages to give it if it be demanded why the Father and the Spirit might not as well have treated about our redemption as the Father and Son It is answered Christ is the natural Son of God and therefore fittest to make us the adopted Sons of God Christ also is the middle person in the Trinity and therefore fittest to be the Mediator or middle person betwixt us and God the Spirit hath another office assigned him even to apply as Christ's Vicegerent the redemption designed by the Father and purchased by the Son for us The business transacted betwixt them And that was the redemption and recovery of all Gods elect our eternal happiness lay now before them our dearest and everlasting concerns were now in their hands the elect though not yet in being are here considered as existent yea and as fallen miserable forlorn creatures how these may again be restored to happiness salvâ justitia dei without prejudice to the honour justice and truth of God this this is the business that lay before them For the manner or quality of the transaction it was foederal or of the nature of a Covenant it was by mutual engagements and stipulations each person undertaking to perform his part in order to our recovery We find each person undertaking for himself by solemn promise The Father promiseth that he will hold his hand and keep him Isa. 42.6 The Son promiseth he will obey his Fathers call to suffering and not be rebellious Isa. 50.5 and having promised each holds the other to his engagement The Father stands upon the satisfaction promised him and when the payment was making he will not abate him one farthing Rom. 8.32 God spared not his own Son i. e. he abated nothing of the full price he was to have at his hands for us And as the Father stood strictly upon the terms of the Covenant so did Christ also
of his Blood and sufferings as that which in it self was sufficient to stop the course of Gods Iustice and render him not only placable but abundantly satisfied and well pleased even with those that before were Enemies And so much is said of it Coll. 1.21 And ye that were sometime alienated and Enemies in your minds by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his Flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight Surely that which can cause the holy God justly incensed against Sinners to lay aside all his wrath and take an Enemy into his bosom and establish such an amity as can never more be broken but to rest in his love and to joy over him with singing as it is Zeph. 3.17 this must be a most excellent efficatious thing Fourthly Christ being a Mediator of reconciliation implys the ardent love and large pity that filled his Heart towards poor Sinners For he doth not not only mediate by way of intreaty going betwixt both and perswading and beging Peace but he mediates as you have heard in the capacity of a surety by putting himself under an obligation to satisfie our debts O how compassionately did his Heart work towards us that when he saw the arm of Justice lifted up to destroy us would interpose himself and receive the stroke though he knew it would smite him dead Our Mediator like Ionah his Type seeing the stormy Sea of Gods wrath working tempestuously and ready to swallow us up cast in himself to appease the storm I remember how much that noble Act of Marcus Curtius is celebrated in the Roman Story who being informed by the Oracle that the great breach made by the Earthquake could not be closed except something of worth were cast into it heated with love to the Commonwealth he went and cast in himself This was looked upon as a bold and brave adventure but what was this to Christ Fifthly Christ being a Mediator betwixt God and Men implys as the fitness of his Person so his authoritative call to undertake it And indeed the Father who was the wronged Person call'd him to be the Umpire and Arbitrator trusting his honour in his hands Now Christ was invested with this office and power virtually soon after the breach was made by Adams fall for we have the early promise of it Gen. 3.15 ever since till his incarnation he was a virtual and effectual Mediator and on that account he is call'd the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world Rev. 13.8 And actually from the time of his incarnation But having discussed this more largely in a former discourse I shall dismiss it here and apply my self to the third thing proposed which is Thirdly How it appears that Jesus Christ is the true and only Mediator betwixt God and Men I reply it 's manifest he is so First because he and no other is revealed to us by God And if God reveal him and no other we must receive him and no other as such Take but two Scriptures at present that in 1 Cor. 8.5 the Heathen have many Gods and many Lords i. e. many great Gods supream powers and ultimate objects of of their worship and lest these great Gods should be defiled by their immediate and unhallowed approaches to them they therefore invented Heroes Demigods intermediate Powers that were to be as Agents or Lord Mediators betwixt the Gods and them to convey their Prayers to the Gods and the blessings of the Gods back again to them But unto us saith he there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we by him i. e. one supream Essence the first Spring and Fountain of blessings and one Lord i. e. one Mediator 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by whom are all things and we by him By whom are all things which come from the Father to us and by whom are all our addresses to the Father so Acts 4.12 Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved No other name i. e. no other authority or rather no other person authorized under Heaven i. e. in the whole World for Heaven is not here opposed to Earth as though there were other Intercessors in Heaven besides Christ no no in Heaven and Earth God hath given him and none but him to be our Mediator One Sun is sufficient for the whole World And one Mediator for all men in the world So that the Scriptures affirm this is he and exclude all others Secondly because he and no other is fit for and capable of this Who but he that hath the divine and humane nature united in his single Person can be a fit Days-man to lay his hand upon both who but he that was God could support under such sufferings as were by divine Justice exacted for satisfaction take a person of the greatest Spirit and put him but an hour in the case Christ was in when he sweat Blood in the Garden or utter'd that heart rending cry upon the Cross and he had melted under it as a moth Thirdly because he is alone sufficient to reconcile the world to God by his Blood without accessions from any other The vertue of his Blood reacht back as far as Adam and reaches forward to the end of the world and will be as fresh vigorous and efficatious then as the first moment it was shed The Sun makes day before it actually rise and continues day to us sometimes after it is set So doth Christ who is the same yesterday to day and for ever so that he is the true and only Mediator betwixt God and Men. No other is revealed in Scripture No other sufficient for it No other needed beside him The last thing to be explained is in what a capacity he executed his mediatory work About which we affirm according to Scripture that he performs that work as God-man in both natures Papists in denying Christ to act as Mediator according to his divine nature do at once spoil the whole mediation of Christ of all its efficacy dignity and value which rises from that nature which they deny to co-operate and exert its vertue in his active and passive obedience They say the Apostle in my Text distinguishes the Mediator from God in saying there is one God and one Mediator Ours aptly reply that the same Apostle distinguishes Christ from Man Gal. 1.1 not by Man but by Iesus Christ. Doth it thence follow that Christ is not true man or that according to his divine nature only he call'd Paul But what need I stay my Reader here Had not Christ as Mediator power to lay down his life and power to take it up again Ioh. 10.15 18. had he not as Mediator all power in Heaven and Earth to institute Ordinances and appoint Officers Matth. 28.18 to baptize men with the Holy Ghost and Fire Matth. 3.11 to
heard him So that his very enemies were forced to acknowledge that never any man spake like him Joh. 7.46 Thirdly It implys Christ to be the Original and fountain of all that light which is ministerially diffused up and down the world by men Ministers are but Stars which shine with a borrowed light from the Sun So speaks the Apostle 2 Cor. 4.6 7. For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ. Those that teach men must be first taught by Christ. All the Prophets of the Old and all the Apostles Pastors and Teachers of the New Testament have lighted their Candles at his Torch 'T was Christ that gave them a mouth and wisdom Luk. 21.15 What Paul received from the Lord he delivered to the Church 1 Cor. 11.23 Jesus Christ is the chief Shepherd 1 Pet. 5.4 And all the under Shepherds receive their gifts and commissions from him These things are manifestly implyed in Christs Prophetical Office We shall next enquire how he executes and discharges this his Office Or how he enlightens and teacheth men the will of God And this he hath done variously gradually plainly powerfully sweetly purely and fully First Our great Prophet hath revealed to men the will of God variously Not holding one even and constant tenour in the manifestations of the Fathers will but as the Apostle speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at sundry times and in divers manners Heb. 1.1 Sometimes he taught the Church immediately and in his own person Ioh. 18.20 He declared Gods righteousness in the great congregation Psal. 22.22 And sometimes immediately by his Ministers and Officers deputed to that service by him So he dispensed the knowledge of God to the Church both before his incarnation It was Christ that in the time and by the Ministry of Noah went and Preached to the Spirits in prison as it is 1 Pet. 3.19 That is to men and women then alive but now separated from the body and imprisoned in Hell for their disobedience And it was Christ that was with the Church in the wilderness instructing and guiding them by the Ministry of Moses and Aaron Acts 7.37 38. And so he hath taught the Church since his ascension He cannot now be personally with us having other business to do for us in Heaven but however he will not be wanting to teach us by his Officers whom for that end he hath set and appointed in the Church Ephes. 4.11.12 Secondly He hath dispensed his blessed light to the Church gradually The discoveries of light have been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in many parts or parcels sometimes more obscure and cloudy as it was to the Old Testament-believers by Visions Dreams Urim Thumim vocal Oracles Types Sacrifices c. Which though comparatively it were but a weak glimering light and had no glory set by that which now shines 2 Cor. 3.7 8 9 10 18. Yet it was sufficient for the instruction and Salvation of the Elect in those times But now is light sprung up gloriously in the Gospel dispensation And we all with open face behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord. It is to us not a twy-light but the light of a perfect day And still it is advancing in the several ages of the world I know more said Luther than blessed Austin knew and they that come after me will know more than I know Thirdly Jesus Christ our great Prophet hath manifested to us the will of God plainly and perspicuously When he was on earth himself he taught the People by Parables and without a Parable he spake nothing Matth. 13. 3 4. He cloathed Sublime and Spiritual mysteries in earthly Metaphors stooping them thereby to the low and dull capacities of men Speaking so familiarly to the People about them as if he had been speaking earthly things to them Ioh. 3.12 And so according to his own example would he have his Ministers Preach using great plainness of speech 2 Cor. 3.12 And by manifestation of the truth commending themselves to every mans conscience 2 Cor. 4.2 Yet not allowing them to be rude and careless in expression pouring out indigested crude immethodical words No an holy serious strict and grave expression befits the lips of his Embassadours And who ever spake more weightily more Logically or perswasively than that Apostle by whose Pen Christ hath admonished us to beware of vain affectation and swelling words of vanity But he would have us stoop to the understandings of the meanest And not give the People a Comment darker than the Text. He would have us rather pierce their consciences than tickle their phancies And break their heart than please their ears Christ was a very plain Preacher Fourthly Jesus Christ discovered truth powerfully Speaking as one having authority and not as the Pharisees Matth. 7.29 They were cold and dull Preachers Their words did even freeze betwixt their lips But Christ spake with power There was heat as well as light in his Doctrine And so there is still though it be in the mouth of poor contemptible men 2 Cor. 10.4 The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the casting down of strong holds 'T is still quick and powerful sharper than a two edged Sword and piercing to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and of the jâ—ynts and marrow Heb. 4.12 The blessed Apostle imitated Christ. And being filled with his Spirit spake home and freely to the hearts of men So many words so many claps of Thunder as one said of him which made the hearts of sinners shake and tremble in their breasts All faithful and able Ministers are not alike gifted in this particular but surely there is an holy seriousness a Spiritual grace and Majesty in their Doctrine commanding reverence from the hearers Fifthly This Prophet Jesus Christ taught the people the mind of God in a sweet affectionate and taking manner His words made their hearts burn within them Luk. 24.32 It was Prophesied of him Isa. 42.2 He shall not cry nor life up nor cause his voice to be heard on high A bruised reed he shall not break and smoaking flax be shall not quench He knew how to speak a word in season to the weary Soul Esa. 61.1 He gathered the Lambs with his arms And gently led those with young Esa. 4.11 How sweetly did his words slide to the melting hearts about him He drew with cords of Love with the bands of a man He discouraged none Upbraided none that were willing to come to him His familiarity and free condescensions to the most vile and and despiseable sinners was often made the matter of his reproach Such is his gentle and sweet carriage to his people that the Church is called the Lambs Wife Rev. 19.7 Sixthly He revealed the mind of God purely to men His Doctrine had not the least dash of
errour to debase it His most enviously observant hearers could find nothing to charge him He is the faithful and true witness Rev. 1.5 And he hath commanded his Ministers to conserve the simplicity and purity of the Gospel and not to blend and sophisticate it 2 Cor. 4.2 Seventhly and lastly He revealed the will of God perfectly and fully keeping back nothing needful to Salvation So he tells the Disciples Iob. 15.15 All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you He was faithful as a Son over his own house Heb. 3.6 Thus you have a brief account of what is implyed in this part of Christs Prophetical office and how he performed it Inference 1. If Jesus Christ who is now passed into the heavens be the great Prophet and Teacher of the Church hence we Justly infer the continual necessity of a standing Ministry in the Church For by his Ministers he now teacheth us and to that intent hath fixed them in the Church by a firm constitution there to remain to the end of the world Matth. 28. ult He teacheth men no more personally but Ministerially His Ministers supply the want of his personal presence 2 Cor. 5.20 We pray you in Christs stead These offices he gave the Church at his Ascention i. e. when he ceased to teach them any longer with his own lips And so set them in the Church that their succession shall never totally fail For so that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he hath set 1 Cor. 12.28 Plainly implyes They are set by a sure establishment a firm and unalterable constitution even as the times and seasons which the Father hath put 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in his own power It 's the same word And it 's well they are so firmly set and fixed there for how many adversaries in all ages have endeavoured to shake the very office it self Pretending that it 's needless to be taught by men and wresting such Scriptures as these to countenance their errour Ioel. 2.28 29. I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh and your Sons and Daughters shall Prophesie c. And Ier. 31.34 They shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them As to that of Ioel it is answered that if an Old Testament Prophesie may be understood according to a New Testament interpretation then that Prophesie doth no way oppose but confirm the Gospel Ministry How the Apostle understood the Prophet in that his Prophesie may be seen in Acts 2.16 When the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost upon the Apostles And surely he must be a confident person indeed that thinks not an Apostle to be as good an Expositer of the Prophet as himself And for that in Ier. 31. we say First that if it conclude against ministerial teachings it must equally conclude against Christian Conferences Secondly We say that cannot be the sence of one Scripture which contradicts the same sence of other Scriptures But so would this Eph. 4.11 12. 1 Cor. 12.28 And thirdly We say the sence of that Text is not negative but comparative Not that they shall have no need to be taught any truth but no such need to be taught the first truths That there is a God And who is this true God They shall no more teach every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me To conclude God hath given Ministers to the Church for conversion and edification work till we all come into the unity of the Faith to a perfect man Ephes. 4. 11 12. So that when all the Elect are converted and all those Converts become perfect men when there is no errour in Judgement or practice and no seducer to cause it then and not till then will a Gospel-Ministry be useless But as it 's well observed there is not a man that opposes a Gospel Ministry but the very being of that man is a sufficient argument for the continuance of it Inference 2. If Christ be the great Prophet of the Church and such a Prophet then it follows That the weakest Christians need not be discouraged at the dulness and incapacity they find in themselves For Christ is not only a patient and condescending Teacher but he can also as he often hath done reveal that to babes which is hid from the wise and learned Matth. 11.25 The testimonies of the Lord are sure making wise the simple Psal. 19.7 Yea and such as you are the Lord delights to chuse that his grace may be the more conspicuous in your weakness 1 Cor. 1.26 27. You will have nothing of your own to glory in You will not say as a proud wretch once said Ego Deus meus I and my God did this Jesus Christ affects not social glory He will not divide the praise with any Well then be not discouraged Others may know more in other things than you but you are not incapable of knowing so much as shall save your souls if Christ will be your Teacher In other knowledge they excell you but if ye knew Jesus Christ and the truths as it is in him one drop of your knowledge is worth a whole Sea of their gifts One truth suckt by Faith and Prayer from the breast of Christ is better than ten thousand dry notions beaten out by wracking the understanding It 's better in kind the one being but natural the other Supernatural from the saving Illuminations and inward teachings of the Spirit And so is one of those better things that accompany Salvation It 's better in respect of effects Other knowledge leaves the heart as dry barren and unaffected as if it had it's seat in another mans head but that little you have been taught of Christ sheds down its gracious influences upon your affections and slides sweetly to your melting hearts So that as one prefer'd the most despicable work of a plain ruâ—tick Christian before all the Triumphs of Alexander and Caesar much more ought ye to prefer one saving manifestation of the Spirit to all the powerless Illuminations of natural men Inference 3. If Christ be the great Prophet and Teacher of the Church it follows that Prayer is a proper means for the increase of knowledge Prayer is the Goden Key which unlocks that treasure When Daniel was to expound that secret which was contained in the Kings Dream about which the Chaldean Magicians had rackt their brains to no purpose what course doth Daniel take Why he went to his house saith the Text Dan. 2.17 18. And made the thing known to Hananiah Mishael and Azariah his companions that they would desire mercies of the God of Heaven concerning this secret And then was the secret revealed to Daniel Luther was wont to say three things make a Divine Meditation Temptation and Prayer Holy Mr. Bradford was wont to
holiness in his Life Matth. 11.28 Learn of me I am meek and lowly And such his Ministers desire to approve themselves Phil. 4.9 What ye have heard and seen in me that do He Preacht to their eyes as well as ears His Life was a Comment on his Doctrine They might see holiness acted in his Life as well as sounded by his lips He Preacht the Doctrine and lived the Application Sixthly Lastly Iesus Christ was a Minister that minded and maintained sweet secret communion with God for all his constant publick labours If he had been Preaching and healing all the day yet he would redeem time from his very sleep to spend in secret Prayer Matth. 14.23 When he had sent the multitude away he went up into a Mountain apart to pray and was there alone O blessed pattern Let the keepers of the Vineyards remember they have a Vineyard of their own to keep A Soul of their own that must be lookt after as well as other mens Those that in these things imitate Christ are surely sent to us from him and are worthy of double honour They are a choice blessing to the people The TENTH SERMON LUKE XXIV XLV Then opened he their understandings c. KNowledge of Spiritual things is well distinguished into intelectual and practical The first hath its seat in the mind the latter in the heart This later Divines call a knowledge peculiar to Saints and in the Apostles Dialect it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Philip. 3.8 The eminency or excellency of the knowledge of Christ. And indeed there is but little excellency in all those pretty notions which furnish the Lips with discourse unless by a sweet and powerful influence they draw the conscience and will to the obedience of Christ. Light in the mind is necessarily antecedent to the sweet and heavenly motions and mountings of the affections For the farther any man stands from the light of truth the farther he must needs be from the heat of comfort Heavenly quicknings are begotten in the heart while the Sun of righteousness spreads the beams of truth into the understanding and the Soul sits under those its wings Yet all the light of the Gospel spreading and diffusing it self into the mind can never savingly open and change the heart without an other Act of Christ upon it and what that is the Text informs you Then opened be their understandings that they might understand the Scriptures In which words we have both an Act of Christ upon the Disciples understandings and the immediate end and scope of that Act. First Christs Act upon their understandings He opened their understandings By understanding is not here meant the mind only in opposition to the heart will and affections but these were opened by and with the mind The mind is to the heart as the door to the house What comes into the heart comes in at the understanding which is introductive to it and although truths sometimes goes no farther then the Entry never penetrates the hearts yet here this effect is undoubtedly included Expositers make this expression paralel to that in Acts 16.14 The Lord opened the heart of Lydia And it is well observed that it is one thing to open the Scriptures that is to expound them and give the meaning of them as Paul is said to do in Acts 18.3 And another thing to open the mind or heart as it is here There are as a learned man truly observes two doors of the Soul bard against Christ. The understanding by ignorance and the heart by hardness both these are opened by Christ. The former is opened by the Preaching of the Gospel the other by the internal operation of the Spirit The former belongs to the first part of Christs Prophetical office opened in the former the later to that special internal part of his Prophetical office to be opened in this Sermon And that it was not a naked Act upon their minds only but that their hearts and minds did work in fellowship being both touched by this Act of Christ is evident enough by the effects mentioned vers 52.53 They returned to Ierusalem with great Ioy and were continually in the Temple praising and blessing God It is confessed that before this time Christ had opened their hearts by conversion and this opening is not to be understood simply but secundum quid in reference to those particular truths in which till now they were not sufficiently informed and so their hearts could not be duly affected with them They were very dark in their apprehensions of the death and resurrection of Christ and consequently their hearts were sad and dejected about that which had befallen him vers 17. but when he opened the Scriptures and their understandings and heart together then things appeared with another face and they return blessing and praising God Secondly here is farther to be considered the design and end of this Act upon their understandings That they might understand the Scriptures Where let it be marked Reader that the teachings of Christ and his Spirit were never designed to take men off from the reading studying and searching of the Scriptures as some vain Notionists have pretended opposing those things which are subordinated But to make their studies and duties the more fruitful beneficial and effectual to their Souls Or that they might this way receive the end and blessing of all their duties God never intended to abolish his word by giving his Spirit And they are true Fanaticks as Calvin upon this place calls them that think or pretend so By this means he would at once impart more light and make that they had before more operative and useful to them especially in such a time of need as this was Hence we observe DOCT. That the opening of the mind and heart effectually to receive the truths of God is the peculiar prerogative and office of Iesus Christ. One of the great miseries under which lapsed nature labours is spiritual blindness Jesus Christ brings that eye-salve which only can cure it Rev. 3.18 I counsel thee to buy of me eye-salve that thou maist see Those to whom the Spirit hath applied it can say as it is 1 Ioh. 5.20 We know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true even in his Son Iesus Christ this is the true God and eternal life To the Spiritual illumination of a Soul it suffices not that the object be revealed nor yet that man the subject of that knowledge have a due use of his own reason but it is further necessarie that the Grace and special assistance of the Holy Spirit be superadded to open and molifie the heart and so give it a due tast and relish of the sweetness of Spiritual truth By opening the Gospel he reveals truth to us and by opening the heart in us Now though this cannot be without that yet it 's much more excellent to have truth
revealed in us than to us This Divines call praecipuum illud 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 muneris Prophetici The principal perfective effect of the Prophetical office The special blessing promised in the new Covenant Heb. 8.10 I will put my Laws in their mind and write them in their hearts For Explication of this part of Christs Prophetical office I shall as in the former shew what is included in the opening of the understanding And by what acts Christ performs it Now to give you a brief account of what is included in this Act of Christ take it in the following particulars First It implys the transcendent nature of Spiritual things far exceeding the highest flight and reach of natural reason Jesus Christ must by his Spirit open the understandings of men or they can never comprehend such mysteries Some men have strong natural parts and by improvement of them are become Eagle-eyed in the mysteries of nature Who more acute than the Heathen sages yet to them the Gospel seemed foolishness 1 Cor. 1.20 Austin confesses that before his conversion he often felt his Spirit swell with offence and contempt of the Gospel and he despising it said dedignabar esse parvulus He scorned to become a child again Bradwardine that profound Doctor learned usque ad stuporem even to a wonder professes that when he read Pauls Epistles he contemned them because in them he found not a metaphysical wit Surely it 's possible a man may with Berengarius be able to dispute de omni scibili Of every point of knowledge To unravel nature from the Cedar in Lebanon to the Hysop on the wall and yet be as blind as a Bat in the knowledge of Christ. Yea it 's possible a mans understanding may be improved by the Gospel to a great ability in the literal knowledge of it so as to able to expound the Scriptures orthodoxly and enlighten others by them as it is Matt. 7.22 The Scribes and Pharisees were well acquainted with the Scriptures of the old Testament yea such were their abilities and esteem among the people for them that the Apostle stiles them the Princes of this world 1 Cor. 2.8 And yet notwithstanding Christ truly calls them blind guides Matt. 23. Till Christ open the heart we can know nothing of him or of his will as we ought to know it So experimentally true is that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.14 15. The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness to him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned But he that is spiritual Iudgeth all things yet he himself is Iudged of no man The spiritual man can Judge and discern the carnal man but the carnal man wants a faculty to Judge of the spiritual man As a man that carries a dark Lanthorn can see another by its light but the other cannot discern him Such is the difference betwixt persons whose hearts Christ hath or hath not opened Secondly Christ opening the understanding implys the insufficiency of all external means how excellent so ever they are in themselves to operate savingly upon men till Christ by his power open the soul and so makes them effectual What excellent Preachers were Isaiah and Ieremiah to the Jews the former spake of Christ more like an Evangelist of the new than a Prophet of the old Testament The later was a most convictive and pathetical Preacher yet the one complains Isai. 53.1 Who hath believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed the other laments the successlesness of his Ministry Ier. 6.28 The bellows are burnt the lead is consumed of the fire the founder melteth in vain Under the new Testament what people ever enjoyed such choice helps means as those that lived under the Ministry of Christ and the Apostles yet how many remained still in darkness Matt. 11.27 We have piped to you but ye have not danced we have mourned unto you but ye have not lamented Neither the delightful ayrs of mercy nor the doleful ditties of Judgment could affect or move their hearts And indeed if you search into the reason of it you will be satisfied that the choicest means can do nothing upon the heart till Christ by his spirit open it because ordinances work not as natural causes do for then the effect would always follow unless miraculously hindred and it would be equally wonderful that all that hear should not be converted as that the three Children should be in the fiery Furnace so long and yet not be burned no it works not as a natural but as amoral cause whose efficacy depends on the gracious and arbitrary concurrence of the spirit The wind bloweth where it listeth Joh. 3.8 The ordinances are like the pool of Bethesda Iohn 5.4 At a certain time an Angel came down and troubled the waters and then they had a healing vertue in them So the spirit comes down at certain times in the word and opens the heart and then it becomes the power of God to Salvation So that when you see souls daily sitting under excellent and choice means and remain dead still you may say as Martha did to Christ of her Brother Lazarus Lord if thou hadst been here they had not remained dead If thou hadst been in this Sermon it had not been so in effectual to them Thirdly it implys the utter impotency of man to open his own heart and thereby make the word effectual to his own conversion and Salvation He that at first said let there be light and it was so must shine into our hearts or they will never be savingly enlightned 2 Cor. 4.6 A double misery lies upon a great part of mankind viz. impotency and pride They have not only lost the true liberty and freedom of their wills but with it have so far lost their understanding and humility as not to own it But alas man is become a most impotent Creature by the fall So far from being able to open his own heart that he cannot know the things of the spirit 1 Cor. 2.14 Cannot believe Iohn 6.44 Cannot obey Rom. 8.7 Cannot speak one good word Matt. 12.34 Cannot thing one good thought 2 Cor. 3.5 Cannot do one good act Iohn 15.5 O what a helpless shiftless thing is a poor sinner suitably to this state of impotence conversion is in Scripture cal'd regeneration Iohn 3.3 A resurrection from the dead Eph. 2.5 A creation Eph. 2.10 A victory 2 Cor. 10.5 Which doth not only imply man to be purely passive in his conversion to God but a renitency and opposition made to that power which goes forth from God to recover him Lastly Christ opening the understanding imports his Divine power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself Who but God knows the heart who but a God can unlock and open it at pleasure no meer Creature no not the Angels themselves who for their large understanding are Intelligencies
can command or open the heart We may stand and knock at mens hearts till our own ake but no opening till Christ come He can fit a key to all the cross wards of the will and with sweet efficacy open it and that without any force or violence to it These things are carried in this part of his office Consisting in opening the heart Which was the first thing propounded for explication Secondly In the next place let us see by what acts Jesus Christ performs this work of his and what way and method he takes to open the heart of Sinners And there are two principal ways by which Christ opens the understandings and hearts of men viz. By His word And spirit First by his word to this end was Paul commissionated and sent to preach the Gospel Act. 26.18 To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God The Lord can if he pleases accomplish this immediately but though he can do it he will not do it ordinarily without means because he will honour his own institutions Therefore you shall observe that when Lydia's heart was to be opened there appeared unto Paul a man of Macedonia who prayed him saying come over into Macedonia and help us Act. 19.9 God will keep up the reputation of his ordinances among men And though he hath not tyed himself yet he hath tyed us to them Cornelius must send for Peter God can make the earth produce corn as it did at first without cultivation and labour but he that shall now expect it in the neglect of means may perish for want of bread Secondly But the ordinances in themselves cannot do it as I noted before and therefore Jesus Christ hath sent forth the Spirit who is his Pro Rex his vicegerent to carry on this work upon the hearts of his Elect. And when the Spirit comes down upon Souls in the administration of the ordinances he effectually opens the heart to receive the Lord Jesus by the hearing of faith He breaks in upon the understanding and conscience by powerful convictions and compunctions so much that word Iohn 16.8 imports he shall convince the world of Sin Convince by clear demonstration such as inforces assent so that the Soul can not but yeeld it to be so And yet the door of the heart is not opened till he have also put forth his power upon the will and by a sweet and secret efficacy overcome all it's reluctations and the Soul be made willing in the day of his power When this is done the heart is opened Saving light now shines in it and this light set up by the Spirit in the Soul is First a new light in which all things appear far otherwise than they did before The name of Christ and Sin the word Heaven and Hell have an other sound in that mans ears than formerly they had When he comes to read the same Scriptures which possibly he had read an hundred times before he wonders he should be so blind as he was to over look such great weighty and concerning things as he now beholds in them and saith where were mine eyes that I could never see these things before Secondly It is a very affecting light A light that hath heat and powerful influences in it which makes deep impressions on the heart Hence they whose eyes the great Prophet opens are said to be brought out of darkness into his marvelous light 1 Pet. 2.9 The Soul is greatly affected with what it sees The beams of light are contracted and twisted together in the mind and being reflected on the heart and affections soon cause them to smoak and burn Did not our hearts burn within us whilst he talked with us and opened to us the Scriptures Thirdly And it is a growing light Like the light of the morning which shines more and more unto a perfect Day Prov. 4.18 When the Spirit first opens the understanding he doth not give it at once a full sight of all truths or a full sence of the power sweetness and goodness of any truth but the Soul in the use of means grows up to a greater clearness day by day It 's knowledge grows extensively in measure and intensively in power and efficacy And thus the Lord Jesus by his Spirit opens the understanding Now the use of this follows in 5. practical deductions Inference 1. If this be the work and office of Jesus Christ to open the understandings of men Hence we infer the misery that lyes upon those men whose understandings to this day Iesus Christ hath not opened Of whom we may say as it is Deut. 29.4 To this day Christ hath not given them eyes to see Natural blindness whereby we are deprived of the light of this world is sad but spiritual blindness is much more sad See how dolefully their case is represented 2 Cor. 4.3 4. But if our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost whose eyes the God of this world hath blinded lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them He means a total and final concealment of the saving power of the word from them Why what if Jesus Christ withhold it and will not be a Prophet to them what is their condition truly no better than lost men It is hid 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to them that are to perish or be destroyed This blindness like the covering of the face or tying the handkerchief over the eyes is in order to their turning off into Hell More particularly because the point is of deep concernment let us consider First the Iudgement inflicted and that 's spiritual blindness A sore misery indeed Not anuniversal ignorance of all truths O no in natural and moral truths they are often times acute and sharpe sighted men but in that part of knowledge which wrape up eternal life Iohn 17.2 there they are utterly blinded As it 's said of the Iews upon whom this misery lies that blindness in part is happened to Israel They are learned and knowing persons in other matters but they know not Jesus Christ there is the grand and sad defect Secondly the subject of this Judgement the mind which is the eye of the soul. If it were but upon the body it would not be so considerable this falls immediately upon the soul the noblest part of man and upon the mind the highest and noblest faculty of the soul whereby we understand think and reason This in Scripture is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the spirit The intellectual rational faculty which Philosophers call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the leading directive faculty which is to the soul what the natural eye 〈◊〉 to the body Now the soul being the most active and restless thing in the world always working and its leading directive power blind Judge what a sad and dangerous state such a soul is in Just like a fiery high metled
that any creature was ever yet set upon and inlarged to take in view the most spatious prospect both of sin and misery and difficulties of being saved that ever yet any poor humble soul did cast within it self yea joyn to these all the hindrances and objections that the heart of man can invent against it self and salvation lift up thine eyes and look to the utmost thou canst see and Christ by his intercession is able to save thee beyond the Horizon and utmost compass of thy thoughts even to the utmost Secondly Hence draw abundant encouragement against all heartstraightnings and deadness of spirit in prayer Thou complainest thy heart is dead wandring and contracted in duty O but remember Christs blood speaks when thou canst not it can plead for thee and that powerfully when thou art not able to speak a word for thy self to this sense that Scripture speaks Can. 3.6 Who is this that cometh out of the Wilderness in pillars of smoke perfumed with myrh and frankincense all the powders of the Merchant The duties of Christians go up many times as pillars or clouds of smoke from them more smoke than fire Prayers smoked and sullied with their offensive corruptions but remember Christ perfumes them with myrh c. he by his intercession gives them a sweet perfume Thirdly Christs intercession is a singular relief to all that come unto God by him against all sinful damps and slavish fears from the justice of God Nothing more promotes the fear of reverence Nothing more suppresseth unbelieving despondencies and destroys the spirit of bondage So you find it Heb. 10.19 20 21. Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Iesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh And having an High-Priest over the house of God let us draw near with a true heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in full assurance of faith Or let us come unto God as a Ship comes with full sayl into the Harbour O what a direct and full gale of encouragement doth this intercession of Christ give to the poor soul that lay a ground or was wind-bound before Fourthly The intercession of Christ gives admirable satisfaction and encouragement to all that come to God against the fears of deserting him again by Apostacy This my friends this is your principal security against these matters of fear With this he relieves Peter Luk. 22.31.32 Simon saith Christ Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy fath fail not q. d. Satan will fan thee not to get out thy chaff but boult out thy flower His temptations are levell'd against thy faith but fear not my prayer shall break his designs and secure thy faith from all his attempt upon it Upon this powerful intercession of Christ the Apostle builds his triumph against all that threatens to bring him or any of the Saints again into a state of condemnation And see how he drives on that triumph from the resurrection and session of Christ at the Fathers right hand and especially from the work of intercession which he lives there to perform Rom. 8.34 35. Who is he that condemneth it 's Christ that died yea rather that 's risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ Fifthly It gives sweet relief against the defects and wants that yet are in our sanctification We want a great deal of faith love heavenly mindedness mortification knowledge We are short and wanting in all There are the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the remains or things wanting as the Apostle calls them 1 Thes. 3.10 Well if grace be but yet in it's weak beginnings and infancy in thy soul this may incourage that by reason of Christs intercession it shall live grow and expatiate it self in thy heart He is not only the author but the finisher of it Heb. 12.2 He is ever begging new and fresh mercies for you in Heaven and will never be quiet till all your wants be supplied He saves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the uttermost i. e. as I told you before to the last perfective compleating act of salvation So that this is a fountain of relief against all your fears Vse 3. Doth Christ live for ever to make intercession then let those who reap on earth the fruits of that his work in Heaven draw instruction thence about the following duties to which it leads them as by the hand First Do not forget Christ in an exalted state You see though he be in all the glory above at Gods right hand an enthron'd King he doth not forget you He like Ioseph remembers his brethren in all his glory But alas how oft doth advancement make us forget him as the Lord complains in Hosea 13.5 6. I did know thee in the Wilderness in the Land of great drought but when they came into Canaan According to their pastures so were they filled they were filled and their heart was exalted therefore have they forgotten me As if he had said O my people you and I were better acquainted in the Wilderness When you were in a low condition left to my immediate care living by daily faith Oh then you gave me many a sweet visit but now you are filled I hear no more of you Good had it been for some Saints if they had never known prosperity Secondly Let the intercession of Christ in Heaven for you encourage you to constancy in the good ways of God To this duty it sweetly encourages also Heb. 4.14 Seeing then that we have a great High-Priest that is passed into the Heavens Iesus the Son of God let us hold fast our profession Here is incouragement to perseverance on a double account One is that Jesus our head is already in Heaven and if the head be above water the body cannot drown The other is from the business he is there imployed about which is his Priesthood he is passed into the Heavens as our great High-Priest to intercede and therefore we cannot miscarry Thirdly Let it incourage you to constancy in prayer O do not neglect that excellent duty seing Christ is there to present all your petitions to God Yea to perfume as well as present them So the Apostle Heb. 4.16 infers from Christs intercession Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need Fourthly Hence be encouraged to plead for Christ on earth who continually pleads for you in Heaven If any accuse you he is there to plead for you And if any dishonour him on earth see that you plead his interest and defend his honour Thus you have heard what his intercession is and what benefits we receive by it Blessed be God for Iesus Christ. The FOURTEENTH
hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles through Iesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith That spirit that at first sanctified and since hath so often sealed comforted directed resolved guided and quickned your souls had not come to perform any of these blessed Offices upon your hearts if Christ had not died Thirdly All Eternal good things are the purchase of his blood Heaven and all the glory thereof is purchased for you that are Believers with this price Hence that glory whatever it be is called an inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you to the lively hope whereof ye are begotten again by the resurrection of Christ from the dead 1 Pet. 1.3 4. Not only present mercys are purchased for us but things to come also As it is 1 Cor. 3.22 Man is a prudent and prospecting creature and is not satisfied that it 's well with him for present unless he have some assurance it shall be well with him for time to come His mind is taken up about what shall be hereafter and from the good or evil things to come he raiseth up to himself vast hopes or fears Therefore to compleat our happiness and fill up the uttermost capacity of our souls all the good of eternity is put into the account and Inventory of the Saints Estate and Inheritance This happiness is ineffable It 's usually distinguisht into what is essential and what is accessory to it The essentials of it as we in our embodied state can conceive is either the Objective Subjective or Formal happiness to be enjoyed in Heaven The Objective happiness is God himself Psal. 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but thee If it could be supposed saith one that God should withdraw from the Saints in Heaven and say take Heaven and divide it among you but as for me I will withdraw from you the Saints would fall a weeping in Heaven and say Lord take Heaven and give it to whom thou wilt it 's no Heaven to us except thou be there Heaven would be a very Bokim to the Saints without God In this our glory in Heaven consists to be ever with the Lord. 1 Thes. 4.17 God himself is the chief part of a Saints inheritance in which sence as some will understand Rom. 8.17 they are called heirs of God The Subjective glory and happiness is the attemperation and suiting of the soul and body to God This is begun in sanctification perfected in glorification It consists in removing from both all that is indecent and inconsistent with a state of such compleat glory and happiness and in super-induceing and cloathing it with all Heavenly qualities The immunities of the body are its freedom from all natural infirmities which as they come in so they go out with sin Thenceforth there shall be no diseases deformities pains flaws monstrosities their good physitian death hath cured all this And their vile bodies shall be made like unto Christs glorious body Phil. 3.21 And be made a spiritual body 1 Cor. 15.44 For agility like the Chariots of Aminadab For Beauty as the top of Lebanon for incorruptibility as if they were pure Spirits The Soul also is discharged and freed from all darkness and ignorance of mind being now able to discern all truths in God that Chrystal Ocean of truth The leaks of the memory stopt for ever The roving of its fancy perfectly cured The stubbornness and reluctancy of the will for ever subdued and retained in due and full subjection to God So that the Saints in glory shall be free from all that now troubles them They shall never sin more nor be once tempted so to do for no serpent hisses in that paradise They shall never grieve or groan more for God shall wipe all tears from their eyes They shall never be troubled more for God will then recompense tribulation to their troubles and to them that are troubled rest They shall never doubt more for fruition excludes doubting The Formal happiness is the fulness of satisfaction resulting from the blessed sight and enjoyment of God by a soul so attemper'd to him Psal. 17.15 When I awake I shall be satisfied with thy likeness This sight of God in glory called the beatifical vision must needs yield ineffable satisfaction to the beholding soul in as much as it will be an intuitive vision The intellectual or mental eye shall see God 1 Ioh. 3.2 The corporeal glorified eye shall see Christ. Iob 19.26 27. What a ravishing vision will this be And how much will it exceed all reports and apprehensions we had here of it Surely the one half was not told us It will be a transformative vision it will change the beholder into its own image and likeness We shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 As Iron put into the fire becomes all fiery so the soul by conversing with God is changed into his very similitude It will be an Appropriative vision whom I shall see for my self Job 19.26 27. In Heaven interest is clear and undoubted fear is cast out No need of marks and signs there for what a man sees and enjoys how can he doubt of It will be a ravishing vision these we have by faith are so how much more those in glory How was Paul transported when he was in a visional way wrapt up into the third Heaven and heard the unutterable things though he was not admitted into the blessed society but was with them as the Angels are in our assemblies a stander by a looker on If a spark do so inflame what is it to lie down like a Phoenix in her bed of Spices Like a Salamander to live and move in the fire of love It will also be an eternal vision vacabimus videbimus as Augustin said we shall then be at leisure for this imployment and have no diversions from it for ever No evening is mentioned to the seaventh days sabbath no night in the new Ierusalem And therefore Lastly It will be a fully satisfying vision God will then be all in all Etiam ipsa curiositas satietur curiosity it self will be satisfied The blessed soul will feel it self blessed filled satisfied in every part Ah what an happiness is here to look and love to drink and sing and drink again at the fountain head of the highest glory And if at any time its eye be turned from a direct to a reflex sight upon what it once was how it was wrought on how fitted for this glory how wonderfully distinguished by special grace from them that are howling in flames whilst himself is shouting aloud upon its bed of everlasting rest all this will enhaunce the glory And so also will the Accessories of this blessedness The place where God is enjoyed
over them First He imposes a new Law upon them and enjoyns them to be severe and punctual in their obedience to it The soul was a Belialite before and could endure no restraint It 's Lusts gave it Law We our selves were sometimes foolish disobedient serving divers lusts and pleasures Tit. 3.3 What ever the flesh craved and the sensual appetite whined after it must have cost what it would cost if damnation were the price of it it would have it provided it should not be present pay Now it must not be any longer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without Law to God but under Law to Christ. Those are the articles of peace which the soul willingly signes in the day of its admission to mercy Matth. 11.29 Take my yoak upon you and learn of me This Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus makes them free from the Law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 Here 's much strictness but no bondage For the Law is not only written in Christs Statute-book the Bible but coppied out by his spirit upon the hearts of his subjects in correspondent principles which makes obedience a pleasure and self-denial easie Christs yoak is lined with Love so that it never galls the necks of his people 1 Joh. 5.3 His commandments are not grievous The soul that comes under Christs government must receive Law from Christ and under Law every thought of the heart must come Secondly He rebukes and chastises souls for the violations and trangressions of his Law That 's another act of Christs Regal authority whom he loves he rebukes and chastens Heb. 12.6 7. These chastisements of Christ are either by the rod of providence upon their bodies and outward comforts or upon their spirits and inward comforts Sometimes his rebukes are smart upon the outward man 1 Cor. 11.30 For this cause many among you are weakly and sick and many sleep They had not that due regard to his body that became them and he will make their bodies to smart for it And he had rather their flesh should smart than their souls should perish Sometimes he spares their outward and afflicts their inner man which is a much smarter rod. He withdraws peace and takes away joy from the spirits of his people The hidings of his face are sore rebukes However all is for emendation not for destruction And it is not the least priviledge of Christs Subjects to have a seasonable and sanctified rod to reduce them from the waies of sin Psal. 23.3 thy rod and thy staff they comfort me Others are suffered to go on stubbornly in the way of their own hearts Christ will not spend a rod upon them for their good Will not call them to account for any of their transgressions but will reckon with them for altogether in Hell Thirdly Another Regal Act of Christ is the restraining and keeping back his servants from iniquity and withholding them from those courses which their own hearts would incline and lead them to For even in them there is a spirit bent to backsliding but the Lord in tenderness over them keeps back their souls from iniquity and that when they are upon the very brink of sin my feet were almost gone my steps were well nigh slipt Psal. 73.2 Then doth the Lord prevent sin by removing the occasion providentially or by helping them to resist the temptation gratiouslyly assisting their spirits in the trial So that no temptation shall befall them but a way of escape shall be opened that they may be able to bear it 1 Cor. 10.13 And thus his people have frequent occasions to bless his name for his preventing goodness when they are almost in the midst of all evil And this I take to be the meaning of Gal. 5.16 This I say then walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Tempted by them ye may be but fulfil them ye shall not My spirit shall cause the temptation to die and wither away in the womb in the embrio of it so that it shall not come to a full birth Fourthly He protects them in his waies and suffers them not to relapse fom him into a state of sin and bondage to Satan any more Indeed he is restless in his endeavours to reduce them again to his obedience he never leaves tempting and soliciting for their return and where he finds a false professor he prevails but Christ keeps his that they depart not again Joh. 17.12 All that thou hast given me I have kept and none of them is lost but the son of perdition They are kept by the mighty power of God through faith to salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 Kept as in a Garrison according to the importance of that word None more solicited none more safe than the people of God They are preserved in Christ Iesus Jude 1. It is not their own grace that secures them but Christs care and continual watchfulness Our own graces left to themselves would quickly prove but weights sinking us to our own ruine As one speaks this is his Covenant with them Jer. 32.4 I will put my fear in their inwards and they shall not depart from me Thus a King he preserves them Fifthly As a King he rewards their obedience and encourages their sincere services Though all they do for Christ be duty yet he hath united their comfort with their duty This I had because I kept thy precepts Psal. 119.56 They are engaged to take this encouragement with them to every duty that he whom they seek is a bountiful rewarder of such as diligently seek him Heb. 11.6 O what a good master do the Saints serve Hear how a King expostulates with his Subjects Jer. 2.31 Have I been a barren wilderness on a land of darkness to you q. d. Have I been such a hard master to you Have you any reason to complain of my service To whomsoever I have been straight-handed surely I have not been so to you You have not found the waies or wages of sin like mine Sixthly He pacifies all inward troubles and commands peace when their spirits are tumultuous This peace of god Rules in their hearts Col. 3.15 it doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 act the part of an Umpire in appeasing strife within When the tumultuous affections are up and in a hurry when anger hatred and revenge begin to rise in the soul this hushes and stills all I will hearken saith the Church what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace to his people and to his Saints Psal. 85.8 He that saith to the raging Sea be still and it obeys him he only can pacifie the disquieted spirit They say of Frogs that if they be croaking never so much in the night bring but a light among them and they are all quiet Such a light is the peace of God among our disordered affections These are Christs Regal acts And he puts them forth upon the souls of his people powerfully
sweetly suitably First Powerfully whether he restrains from sin or impels to duty he doth it with a soul determining efficacy For his Kingdom is not in word but in power 1 Cor. 4.20 And those whom his Spirit leads go bound in the spirit to the fulfilling and discharge of their duties Acts 20.22 And yet Secondly He rules not by compulsion but most sweetly His Law is a Law of Love written upon their hearts The Church is the Lambs wife Rev. 19.7 A bruised reed he shall not break and smoaking flax he shall not quench Isa. 42.2 3. I beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ saith â—he Apostle 2 Cor. 10.1 for he delighteth in free not in forced obedience He rules children not slaves And so his Kingly power is mixed with Fatherly love His yoak is not made of Iron but Gold Thirdly He rules them suitably to their natures in a rational way Hos. 11.4 I drew them with the cords of a man with bands of Love i. e. in a way proper to convince their reason and work upon their ingenuity And thus his internal Kingdom is administred by his Spirit who is his prorex or vicegerent in our hearts Thirdly And Lastly we will open the priviledges pertaining to all the Subjects of this Spiritual Kingdom And they are such as follow First Those souls ever whom Christ raigns are certainly and fully set free from the curse of the Law If the Son make you free then are you free indeed Joh. 8.36 I say not they are free from the Law as a rule of life such a freedom were no priviledge to them at all but free from the rigorous exactions and terrible maledictions of it to hear our liberty proclaimed from this bondage is the joyful sound indeed The blessedst voice that ever our ears heard And this all that are in Christ shall hear if we be led by the Spirit we are not under the Law Gal. 5.18 Blessed are the people that hear this joyful sound Psal. 89.15 Secondly Another priviledge of Christs Subjects is freedom from the dominion of sin Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not raign over them for they are not under the Law but under grace One Heaven cannot bear two Suns Nor one soul two Kings When Christ takes the throne sin quits it It 's true the being of sin is there still It 's defiling and troubling power remains still but its dominion is abolished O joyful tydings O welcome day Thirdly Another priviledge of Christs Subjects is protection in all troubles and dangers to which their souls or bodies are exposed This man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our Land and when he shall tread in our Palaces Mica 5.5 Kings owe protection to their Subjects None so able so faithful in that work as Christ. All thou gavest me I have kept and none is Lost. Joh. 17.12 Fourthly Another priviledge of Christs Subjects is a merciful and tender bearing of their burdens and infirmities They have a meek and patient King Tell the daughter of Syon thy King cometh meek and lowly Matth. 21.5 Matth. 11.29 Take my yoak and learn of me for I am meek and lowly The meek Moses could not bear the provocations of the people Numb 11.12 but Christ bears them all He carries the Lambs in his arms and gently leads them that be with young Esa. 42.11 He is one that can have compassion upon the ignorant and them that are out of the way Fifthly Again Sweet peace and tranquility of soul is the priviledge of the Subjects of this Kingdom For this Kingdom consisteth in Peace and Ioy in the Holy-Ghost Rom. 14.17 And till souls come under his Scepter they shall never find peace Come unto me ye that are weary I will give you rest Yet do not mistake I say not they have all actual peace at all times No they often break that peace by sin but they have the root of peace the ground-work and cause of peace If they have not peace yet they have that which is convertible into peace at any time They also are in a state of peace Rom. 5.11 being justified by faith we have peace with God This is feast every day A mercy which they only can duly value that are in the depths of trouble for sin Sixthly Lastly Everlasting Salvation is the priviledge of all over whom Christ raigns Prince and Saviour are joyned together Acts 5.31 He that can say thou shalt guide me with thy counsels may add what follows and afterwards bring me to glory Psal. 73.24 Indeed the Kingdom of grace doth but breed up children for the Kingdom of glory And to speak as the thing is it 's the Kingdom of Heaven here begun The difference betwixt them is not specifical but only gradual and therefore this as well as that bears the name of the Kingdom of Heaven The King is the same and the Subjects the same The Subjects of this are shortly to be translated to that Kingdom Thus I have named and indeed but named some few of those inestimable priviledges of Christs Subjects We next apply it Inference 1. How great is their sin and misery who continue in bondage to sin and Satan and refuse the Government of Christ Who had rather sit under the shadow of that bramble than under the sweet and powerful government of Christ. Satan writes his Laws in the blood of his Subjects grinds them with cruel oppression Wears them out with bondage to divers Lusts and rewards their service with everlasting misery And yet how few are weary of it and willing to come over to Christ Behold said one of Christs Heralds Christ is in the field sent of God to recover his right and your liberty His Royal Standard is pitcht in the Gospel and proclamation made that if any poor sinners weary of the Devils Government and laden with the miserable chains of his Spiritual bondage so as these Irons of his sins enter into his very soul to afflict it with the sense of them shall thus come and repair to Christ he shall have protection from Gods Justice the Devils wrath and sins dominion in a word he shall have rest and that glorious Isai. 11.10 And yet how few stir a foot towards Christ but are willing to have their ears boared and be perpetual slaves to that cruel Tyrant O when will sinners be weary of their bondage and sigh after deliverance If any such poor soul shall read these lines let him know and I do proclaim it in the name of my Royal Master and give him the word of a King for it he shall not be rejected by Christ. Ioh. 6.37 Come poor sinners come the Lord Jesus is a merciful King and never did nor will hang up that poor penitent that puts the rope about his own neck and submits to mercy Inference 2. How much doth it concern us to enquire and know whose government we are under and who is King over our Souls Whether Christ
few particulars of Christs humiliation in his incarnation Next we shall infer somethings from it that are practical Inference 1. Hence we gather the fulness and compleatness of Christs satisfaction as the sweet first fruits of incarnation Did man offend and violate the Law of God Behold God himself is become a man to repair that breach and satisfie for the wrong done The highest honour that ever the law of God received was to have such a person as the man Christ Jesus is to stand before its Bar and make reparation to it This is more than if it had poured out all our blood and built up its honour upon the ruines of the whole creation It is not so much to see all the Stars in Heaven overcast as to see one Sun eclipsed The greater Christ was the greater was his humiliation and the greater his humiliation was the more full and compleat was his satisfaction and the more compleatness there is in Christs satisfaction the more perfect and steady is the Believers consolation If he had not stoopt so low our joy and comfort could not be exalted so high The depth of the foundation is the strength of the superstructure Inference 2. Did Christ for our sakes stoop from the Majesty glory and dignity he was possessed of in Heaven to the mean and contemptible state of a man what a pattern of self-denial is here presented to Christians What objection against or excuses to shift off this duty can remain after such an example as is here propounded Brethren let me tell you the Pagan world was never acquainted with such an Argument as this to press them to self-denial Did Christ stoop and cannot you stoop Did Christ stoop so much and cannot you stoop in the least Was he content to become any thing a worm a reproach a curse and cannot you digest any abasements Do the least slights and neglects rancle your hearts and poyson them with discontent malice and revenge O how unlike Christ are you Hear and blush in hearing what your Lord saith in Joh. 13.14 If I then your Lord and Master wash your feet ye also ought to wash one anothers feet This example obliges not as a learned man well observes to the same individual act but it obliges us to follow the reason of the example That is after Christs example we must be ready to perform the lowest and meanest Offices of love and service to one another And indeed to this it obliges most forcibly for it is as if a Master seeing a proud sturdy Servant that grudges at the work he is imployed about as if it were too mean and base should come and take it out of his hand and when he hath done it should say doth not your Lord and Master think it beneath him to do it and is it beneath you I remember it is an excellent saying that Bernard hath upon the nativity of Christ. Saith he what more detestable what more unworthy or what deserves severer punishment than for a poor man to magnifie himself after he hath seen the great and high God so humbled as to become a little Child it is intollerable impudence for a worm to swell with pride after it hath seen majesty emptying it self To see one so infinitely above us to stoop so far beneath us Oh how convincing and shaming should it be Ah how opposite should pride and stoutness be to the spirit of a Christian I am sure nothing is more so to the Spirit of Christ. Your Saviour was lowly meek self-denying and of a most condescending Spirit He looked not at his own things but yours Phil. 2.4 And doth it become you to be proud selfish and stout I remember Ierom in his Epistle to Pamachius a godly young noble-man adviseth him to be eyes to the blind feet to the lame yea saith he if need be I would not have you refuse to cut wood and draw water for the Saints and what saith he is this to buffeting and spetting to crowning with thorns scourging and dying Christ did undergo all this and that for the ungodly Inference 3. Did Christ stoop so low as to become a man to save us Then those that perish under the Gospel must needs perish without apology What would you have Christ do more to save you Loe he hath laid aside the robes of Majesty and glory put on your own garments of flesh come down from his Throne and brought Salvation home to your own doors Surely the lower Christ stooped to save us the lower shall we sink under wrath that neglect so great Salvation The Lord Jesus is brought low but the unbeliever will lay him yet lower even under his feet he will tread the Son of God under foot Heb. 10.28 for such as the Apostle there speaks is reserved something worse than dying without mercy What pleas and excuses others will make at the Judgement Seat I know not but once it 's evident you will be speechless And as one well observes the vilest sinners among the Gentiles nay the Devils themselves will have more to say for themselves than you I must be plain with you I beseech you consider how Iews Pagans and Devils will rise up in Judgement against you The Iew may say I had a legal yoak upon me which neither I nor my fathers were able to bear Christ invited me only into the garden of nuts where I might sooner break my teeth with the hard shells of Ceremonies than get the kernel of Gospel-promises In the best of our Sacrifices the smoak filled our Temple smoak only to provoke us to weep for a clearer manifestation We had but the old edition of the Covenant of grace in a character very darkly intelligible you have the last edition with a Commentary of our rejection and the worlds reception and the spirits effusion You had all that heart could wish I perish eternally may the poor Pagan say without all possibility of reconciliation and have only sinned against the Covenant of works having never heard of a Gospel Covenant nor of reconciliation by a Mediator O had I heard but one Sermon had Christ but once broke in upon my soul to convince me of my undone condition and to have shewn a righteousness to me but wo is me I never had so much as one offer of Christ. But so have I must you say that refuse the Gospel I have or might have heard thousands of Sermons I could scarce escape hearing one or other shewing me the danger of my sin and my necessity of Christ but notwithstanding all I heard I wilfully resolved I would have nothing to do with him I could not endure to hear strictness prest upon me It was all the hell I had upon earth that I could not sin in quiet Nay may the Devil himself say it 's true I was ever since my fall malitiously set against God but alas as soon as I had sinned God kickt me out of Heaven and told me
Infancy to be hurried up and down and driven out of his own land as a vagabond Thirdly Our Lord Jesus Christ was yet more humbled in his life by that poverty and outward meanness which all along attended his condition He lived poor and low all his daies so speaks the Apostle 2 Cor. 8.9 Though he was rich yet for our sakes he became poor so poor that he was never owner of a house to dwell in but lived all his daies in other mens houses or lay in the open air His outward condition was more neglected and destâ—â—ute than that of the birds of the air or beasts of the earth so he told that Scribe who professed such readiness and resolution to follow him but was soon cooâ—â—d when Christ told him Matth. 8.20 The Foxes have holes and the Birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head It was a common saving among the Jews when the Messiah comes he will not find a place to sit down in Sometimes he feeds upon barly bread and a broyled fish and sometimes he was hungry and had nothing to eat Mark 11.12 As for monies he was much a stranger to it when the Tribute mony was demanded of him he and Peter were not so well furnished to make half a crown betwixt them to pay it but must work a miracle for it Matth. 17. ult He came not to be ministred unto but to minister Matth. 20.28 Not to amass earthly treasures but to bestow Heavenly ones His great and Heavenly soul neglected and despised those things that too many of his own too much admire and prosecute He spent not a careful thought about those things that eat up thousands and ten thousands of our thoughts Indeed he came to be humbled and to teach men by his example the vanity of this world and pour contempt upon the ensnaring glory of it and therefore went before us in a chosen and voluntary poverty Yet he lived not a mendicant life neither but was sometimes fed by ordinary and sometimes miraculous and extraordinary waies He had wherewith to support that pretious body of his till the time was come to offer it up to God but would not indulge and pamper that flesh which he purposely assumed to be humbled in Fourthly Our Dear Jesus was yet further humbled in his life by the horrid temptations wherewith Satan assaulted him than which nothing could be more grievous to his holy hearâ— The Evangelist gives us an account of this in Luke 4. from the first to the 14. verse In which context you find how the bold and envious spirit meets the Captain of our Salvation in the field comes up with him in the wilderness when he was solitary and had not a Second with him verse 1. There he keeps him fasting forty daies and forty nights to prepare him to close with his Temptation All this while Satan was pointing and edging that Temptation with which at last he resolves to try the breast of Christ by an home-thrust Verse 2. By this time he supposes Christ was an hungry as indeed he was and now he thought it was time to make his assault which he doth in a very suitable Temptation at first and with variety of Temptations trying several Weapons upon him afterward But when he had made a thrust at him with that first Weapon in which he especially trusted command that these stones be made bread verse 3. and saw how Christ had put it by verse 4. Then he changes postures and assaults him wiâ—h Temptations to blasphemy even to fall down and worship the Devil But when he saw he could fasten nothing on him that he was as pure Fountain water in a Chrystal vial how much soever agitated and shaken no dregs or filthy sedement would rise but he remained pure still I say seeing this he makes a politick retreat quits the field for a season verse 13. yet leaves it cum animo revertendi with a resolution to return to him again And thus was our blessed Lord Jesus humbled by the Temptations of Satan and what can you imagine more burdensom to him that was brought up from eternity with God delighting in the holy Father to be now shut into a wilderness with a Devil there to be baited so many daies and have his ears filled though not defiled with horrid blasphemy Oh how was the case altered with Christ from what to what was he now come A chast woman would account it no common misery to be dog'd up and down and sollicited by some vile Russian though there were no danger of defilement A man would account it no small unhappiness to be shut up five or six weeks together with the Devil though appearing in an humane shape and to hear no language but that of Hell spoken all that time and the more holy the man is the more would he be afflicted to hear such blasphemies malignantly spet upon the holy and reverent name of God much more to be solicited by the Devil to joyn with him in it this I say would be accounted no small misery for a man to undergo How great an Humiliation then must it be to the great God to be humbled to this to see a slave of his house setting upon himself the Lord. His Jailor coming to take him prisoner if he can A base apostate Spirit daring to attempt such things as these upon him Surely this was a deep abasement to the Son of God Fifthly Our blessed Lord Jesus was yet more humbled in his life than all this and that that by his own sympathy with others under all the burdens that made them groan For he much more than Paul could say who is afflicted and I burn not He lived all his time as it were in an Hospital among the sick and wounded And so tender was his heart that every groan for sin or under the effects of sin pierced him so that it was truly said himself bare our sicknesses and took our infirmities Matth. 8.16 17. It was spoken upon the occasion of some poor creatures that were possessed by the Devil and brought to him to be dispossessed It 's said of him Joh. 11.33 That when he saw Mary weeping and the Jews also weeping which came with her he groaned in the Spirit and was troubled And verse 35. Iesus wept yes his heart flowed with pity for them that had not one drop of pity for themselves Witness his tears spent upon Ierusalem Luke 19.41 42. He foresaw the misery that was coming though they neither foresaw nor feared it O how it pierced him to think of the calamities hanging over that great City Yea he mourned for them that could not mourn for their own sins Therefore it 's said Mark 3.5 He was grieved for the hardness of the peoples hearts So that the commendation of a good Physitian that he doth as it were die with every patient was most applicable to our tender-hearted
condition Inference 4. From the fourth particular of Christs Humiliation in his life by Satans Temptations we infer That those in whom Satan hath no interest may have most trouble from him in this world Joh. 14.30 The Prince of this world cometh and hath nought in me Where he knows he cannot be a Conqueror he will not cease to be a Troubler This bold and daring spirit adventures upon Christ himself for doubtless he was filled with envy at the sight of him and would do what he could though to no purpose to obstruct the blessed design in his hand And it was the wisdom and love of Christ to admit him to come as near him as might be and try all his darts upon him that by this experience he might be filled with pity to succour them that are tempâ—ed And as the set on Christ so much more will he adventure upon us and but too oft comes off a Conqueror Sometimes he shoots the fiery darts of blasphemous injections These fall as flashes of lightning on the dry thaâ—ch which instantly sets all in a combustion And just so is it attended with an after thunder-clap of inward horror which shivers the very heart and strikes all into confusion within Divers rules are prescribed in this case to relieve poor distressed ones One adviseth to think seriously on that which is darted suddainly and to do by your hearts as men use to do with young horses that are apt to start and boggle at every thing in the way we bring them close to the things they fright at make them look on them and smell to them that time and better acquaintance with such things may teach them not to start Others advise to diversions of the thoughts as much as may be to think quite another way These rules are contrary to one another and I think signifie but little to the relief of a poor soul so distressed The best rule doubtless is that of the Apostle Eph. 6.16 Above all taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked Act your faith my friends upon your tempted Saviour who passed through Temptations before you and particularly exercise faith on three things in Christs Temptations First Believingly consider how great variety of Temptations were tried upon Christ and of what an horrid blasphemous nature that was fall down and worship me Secondly Believingly consider that Christ came off a perfect Conqueror in the day of his tryal Beat Satan out of the field For he saw what he attempted on Christ was as impossible as to batter the body of the Sun with Snow-balls Thirdly Lastly believe that the benefits of those his victories and conquests are for you and that for your sakes he permitted the Tempter to come so near him As you find Heb. 2.18 Heb. 4.15 If you say true Christ was tempted as well as I but there 's a vast difference betwixt his Temptations and mine For the Prince of this world came and found nothing in him Ioh. 14.30 He was not internally defiled though externally assaulted but I am defiled by them as well as troubled This is a different case True it is so and must be so or else it had signified nothing to your relief For had Christ been internally defiled he had not been a fit Mediator for you Nor could you have had any benefit either by his Temptations or Sufferings for you But he being Tempted and yet still holy bearing the burden and still escaping the defilement of sin hath not only satisfied for the sins you commit when tempted but also gotten an experimental sense of the misery of your condition which is in him though now in glory as aspiring of pity and tender compassion to you Remember poor Tempted Christian the God of peace shall shortly tread Satan under thy feet Rom. 16.20 Thou shalt set thy foot on the neck of that enemy And as soon as both thy feet are over the threshold of glory thou shalt cast back a smiling look and say now Satan do thy worst Now I am there where thou canst not come Mean while till thou be out of his reach let me advise thee to go to Jesus Christ and open the matter to him Tell him how that base spirit falls upon thee yea sets upon thee even in his presence Intreat him to rebuke and command him off Beg him to consider thy case and say Lord dost not thou remember how thy own heart was once grieved though not defiled by his assaults I have grief and guilt together upon me Ah Lord I expect pity and help from thee thou knowest the heart of a stranger the heart of a poor Tempted one This is singular relief in this case O try it Inference 5. Was Christ yet more humbled by his own sympathy with others in their distresses Hence we learn that a compassionate spirit towards such as labour under burdens of sin or affliction is Christ-like and truly excellent This was the spirit of Christ O be ye like him Put on as the Elect of God bowels of mercy Col. 3.12 Weep with them that weep and rejoyce with them that do rejoyce Rom. 12.15 It was Cain that said am I my brothers keeper Blessed Paul was of a contrary temper 2 Cor. 11.29 Who is weak and I am not weak who is offended and I burn not Three things promote sympathy in Christians one is the Lords pity for them he doth as it were suffer with me in all their afflictions he was afflicted Isai. 63.9 Another is the relation we sustain to Gods afflicted people They are members with us in one body and the members should have the same care one of another 1 Cor. 12.25 The last is we know not how soon our selves may need from others what others now need from us Restore him with the spirit of meekness considering thy self lest thou also be tempted Gal. 6.1 Inference 6. Did the world help on the Humiliation of Christ by their base and vile usage of him Learn hence That the Iudgment the world gives of persons and their worth is little to be regarded Surely it dispenses its smiles and honours very praeposterously and unduly In this respect among others the Saints are stiled such persons of whom the world is not worthy Heb. 11.38 i. e. it doth not deserve to have such choise spirits as these are left in it since it knows not how to use or treat them It was the complaint of Salvian above eleven hundred years ago If any of the Nobility saith he do but begin to turn to God presently he looseth the honour of Nobility O in how little honour is Christ among Christian people when Religion shall make a man ignoble So that as he adds many are compelled to be evil lest they should be esteemed vile And indeed if the world give us any help to discover the true worth and excellency of men by it is by the
of death compassed him about how much are we engaged not only to love him and esteem him whilst we live but to be in pangs of love for him when we feel the pangs of death upon us To be eyeing him when our eye-strings break To have hot affections for Christ when our hands and feet grow cold The very last whisper of our departing soul should be this Blessed be God for Iesus Christ. The TWENTY FIRST SERMON I COR. XI XXIII XXIV XXV The Lord Iesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he brake it and said take eat this is my body which is broken for you this do in remembrance of me After the same manner also he took the Cup when he had supped saying this Cup is the New-Testament in my blood this do as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me CHrist had no sooner recommended his dear charge to the Father but the time of his death hasting on he institutes his last Supper to be the lasting memorial of his death in all the Churches until the second coming therein graciously providing for the comfort of his people when he should be removed out of their sight And this was the second preparative act of Christ in order to his death he will set his house in order and then die This his second Act manifests no less love than the former It 's like the plucking off the ring from his finger when ready to lay his neck upon the block and delivering it to his dearest friends to keep that as a memorial of him Take this c. in remembrance of me In the words read are four things noted by the Apostle about this Last and Lovely Act of Christ. viz. the Author time institution and end of this holy and solemn ordinance First The Author of it The Lord Iesus it 's an effect of his Lordly power and royal authority Matth. 28.18 And Iesus came and spake unto them saying all power is given unto me in Heaven and earth go ye therefore The government is upon his shoulder Isai. 9.6 He shall bear the glory Zech. 6.13 Who but he that came out of the bosom of the Father and is acquainted with all the counsels that are there knows what will be acceptable to God And who but he can give creatures by his blessing their Sacramental efficacy and vertue Bread and Wine are naturally fit to refresh and nourish our bodies but what fitness have they to nourish souls Surely none but what they receive from the blessing of Christ that institutes them Secondly The time when the Lord Jesus appointed this ordinance In the same night in which he was betrayed It could not be sooner because the passover must first be celebrated nor later for that night he was apprehended It is therefore emphatically expressed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that same night that night for ever to be remembred He gives that night a cordial draught to his Disciples before the conflict He settles that night an Ordinance in the Church for the confirmation and consolation of his people in all generations to the end of the world By instituting in that night he gives abundant evidence of his care for his people in spending so much of that little very little time he had left on their account Thirdly The Institution it self in which we have the memorative significative instructive signs and they are Bread and Wine And the glorious mysteries represented and shadowed forth by them viz. Jesus Christ crucified the proper New-Testament nourishment of Believers Bread and Wine are choice creatures and do excellently shadow forth the flesh and blood of crucified Jesus And that both in their natural usefulness and manner of preparation Their usefulness is very great Bread is a creature necessary to uphold and maintain our natural life Therefore it 's called the staff of bread Isai. 3.1 Because as as a feeble man depends and leans upon his staff so doth our feeble spirits upon bread Wine was made to chear the heart of man Iudg. 9.13 They are both useful and excellent creatures Their preparations to become so useful to us is also remarkable The Corn must be ground in the Mill the Grapes torn and squeesed to pieces in the Wine-prefs before we can either have Bread or Wine And when all this is done they must be received into the body or they nourish not So that these were very fit creatures to be set apart for this use and end If any object it 's true they are good creatures but not pretious enough to be the signs of such profound and glorious Mysteries It was worth the creating of a new creature to be the sign of the new Covenant Let him that thus objects ask himself whether nothing be pretious without pomp The pretiousness of these Elements is not so much from their own natures as their use and end and that makes them pretious indeed A Loadstone at Sea is much more excellent than a Diamond because more useful A peniworth of wax applyed to the Label of a Deed and sealed may in a minute have its value raised to thousands of pounds These creatures receive their value and estimation on alike account Nor should it at all remain a wonder to thee why Christ should represent himself by such mean and common things when thou hast well considered that the excellency of the picture is in its similitude and conformity to the original and that Christ was in a low sad and very abased state when this picture of him was drawn he was then a man of sorrows These then as lively signs shadow forth a crucified Jesus Represent him to us in his red garments This pretious Ordinance may much more than Paul say to us I alwaies bear about in my body the dying of the Lord Iesus That 's the thing it signifies Fourthly Lastly Take notice of the use design and end of this institution 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in remembrance or for a memorial of me O there 's much in this Christ knew how apt our base hearts would be to lose him amidst such a throng of sensible objects as we here converse with And how much that forgetfulness of him and of his sufferings would turn to our prejudice and loss And therefore doth he appoint a sign to be remembred by as oft as ye do this ye shew forth the Lords death till he come Hence we shall observe suitable to the design of this discourse DOCT. That the Sacramental memorial Christ left with his people is a special mark of his care and love for them What! to order his picture as it were to be drawn when he was dying to be left with his Spouse to rend his own flesh and set abroch his own blood to be meat and drink for our souls O what manner of love was this 'T is true his Picture in the Sacrament is full of scars and wounds but
Tree O let the place where you assemble to so see this sight of your crucified Jesus be a Bokim a place of lamentation Inference 3. Moreover hence it 's evident that the believing and affectionate remembrance of Christ is of singular advantage at all times to the people of God For it 's the immediate end of one of the greatest Ordinances that ever Christ appointed to the Church To have frequent recognitions of Christ will appear to be singularly efficatious and useful to Believers if you consider First If at any time thy heart be dead and hard this is the likeliest means in the world to dissolve melt and quicken it Look hither hard heart hard indeed if this hammer will not break it Behold the blood of Jesus Secondly Art thou easily overcome by Temptions to sin This is the most powerful pull back in the world from sin Rom. 6.2 How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein We are crucified with Christ what have we to do with sin Such a thought as this when thy heart is yielding to Temptations How can I do this and crucifie the Son of God afresh Haâ—h he not suffered enough already on earth shall I yet make him groan as it were for me in Heaven look as David poured the water brought from the Well of Bethlehem on the ground though he was athirst for said he it is the blood of the men i. e. they eminently hazarded their lives to fetch it much more should a Christian pour out upon the ground yea despise and trample under foot the greatest profit or pleasure of sin saying nay I will have nothing to do with it I will on no terms touch it for it is the blood of Christ. It cost blood infinitely pretious blood to expiate it If there were a knife in your house that had been thrust to the heart of your Father you would not take pleasure to see that knife much less to use it Thirdly Are you afraid your sins are not pardoned but still stand upon account before the Lord what more relieving what more satisfying than to see the Cup of the New-Testament in the blood of Christ which is shed for many for the remission of sins Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it 's Christ that died Fourthly Are you staggered at the sufferings and hard things you must endure for Christ in this world doth the flesh shrink back from these things and cry spare thy self What is there in the world more likely to steel and fortifie thy spirit with resolution and courage than such a sight as this Did Christ face the wrath of men and the wrath of God too Did he stand as a pillar of brass with unbroken patience and stedfast resolution under such troubles as never met in the like height upon any mear creature till death beat the last breath out of his nostrils And shall I shrink for a trifle Ah he did not serve me so I will arm my self with the like mind 1 Pet. 2.2 Fifthly Is thy faith staggered at the promises canst thou not rest upon a promise Here 's that will help thee against hope to believe in hope giving glory to God For this is Gods seal added to his Covenant which ratifies and binds fast all that God hath spoken Sixthly Dost thou idle away pretious time vainly and live unusefully to Christ in thy generation what more apt both to convince and cure thee than such a remembrance of Christ as this O when thou considerest thou art not thine own thy time thy tallents are not thine own but Christs When thou shalt see thou art bought with a price a great price indeed and so art strictly obliged to glorifie God with thy soul and body which are his 2 Cor. 5.14 This will powerfully awake a dull sluggish and lazy spirit In a word what grace is there this remembrance of Christ cannot quicken What sin cannot it mortifie What duty cannot it animate O it is of singular use in all cases to the people of God Inference 4. Lastly Hence we infer Though all other things do yet Christ neither doth nor can grow stale Here 's an Ordinance to preserve his remembrance fresh to the end of the world The blood of Christ doth never dry up The beauty of this Rose of Sharon is never lost or withred He is the same yesterday to day and for ever As his body in the grave saw no corruption so neither can his Love or any of his excellencies When the Saints shall have fed their eyes upon him in Heaven thousands and millions of years he shall be as fresh beautiful and orient as at the beginning Other beauties have their prime and their fading time but Christs abides eternally Our delight in creatures is often most at first acquaintance when we come nearer to them and see more of them the edge of our delight is rebated But the longer you know Christ and the nearer you come to him still the more do you see of his glory Every farther prospect of Christ entertains the mind with a fresh delight He is as it were a new Christ every day and yet the same Christ still Blessed be God for Iesus Christ. The TWENTY SECOND SERMON LUK. XXII XLI XLII XLIII XLIV And he was withdrawn from them about a stones cast and kneeled down and prayed saying Father if thou be willing remove this Cup from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done And there appeared an Angel unto him from Heaven strengthning him And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground THE hour is now almost come even that hour of sorrow which Christ had so often spoken of Yet a little a very little while and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners He hath affectionately recommended his Children to his Father He hath set his house in order and ordained a memorial of his death to be left with his people as you have heard There is but one thing more to do and then the Tragoedy begins He recommended us he must also recommend himself by prayer to the Father and when that is done he is ready let Iudas with the black guard come when they will This last Act of Christs preparation for his own death is contained in this Scripture wherein we have an account First Of his Prayer Secondly Of the Agony attending it Thirdly His relief in that Agony by an Angel that came and comforted him First The Prayer of Christ in a praying posture he will be found when the enemy comes He will be taken upon his knees He was pleading hard with God in prayer for strength to carry him through this heavy trial when they came to take him And this prayer was a very remarkable prayer both for the solitariness of it he withdrew about a stones cast vers 41. from his dearest intimates
draw nigh to our God Then should we be urging that seasonable request to God Psal. 22.11 Be not far from me for trouble is near for there is none to help Wo be to him whom death or troubles finds a far off from God And as prayer is the best preparative for troubles so the choisest relief under them Griefs are eased by groans The heart is cooled and disburdened by spiritual evaporations You know it is some relief if a man can pour out his complaint into the bosom of a faithful friend thoughâ— he can but pity him how much more to pour out our complaints into the bosom of a faithful God who can both pity and help us Luther was wont to call prayers the Leaches of his cares and sorrows they suck out the bad blood It 's the title of Psa. 102. A prayer for the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. It 's no small ease to open our hearts to God When we are as full of grief as Elihu was of matter let us say as he did Job 32.19 behold Lord my heart is as wine which hath no vent it is ready to burst as new bottles I will speak that I may be refreshed To go to God when thou art full of sorrow when thy heart is ready to burst within thee as it was with Christ in this day of his trouble and say Father thus and thus the case stands with thy poor child And so and so it is with me I will not go up and down whining from one creature to another it 's to no purpose to do so nor yet will I leave my complaint upon my self but I will tell thee Father how the case stands with me For to whom should children make their moan but to their Father Lord I am oppressed undertake for me What thinkest thou Reader of this Is it relieving to a sad soul Yes yes if thou be a Christian that hast had any experience this way thou wilt say there is nothing like it Thou wilt bless God for appointing such an Ordinance as prayer and say blessed be God for prayer I know not what I should have done nor how in all the world I should have waded through the troubles I have past if it had not been for the help of prayer Inference 2. Did Christ withdraw from the Disciples to seek God by prayer Thence it follows That the company of the best men is not alwaies seasonable Peter Iames and Iohn were three excellent men and yet Christ saith to them tarry ye here while I go and pray yonder The society of men is beautiful in its season and no better than a burden out of season I have read of a good man that when his stated time for closet prayer was come he would say to the company that were with him whatever they were Friends I must beg your excuse for a while there is a friend waits to speak with me The company of a good man is good but it ceases to be so when it hinders the enjoyment of better company One hour with God is to be preferred to a thousand daies enjoyment of the best man on earth If the dearest friends thou hast in the world intrude unseasonably betwixt thee and thy God it 's neither rude nor unmannerly to bid them give place to better company I mean to withdraw from them as Christ did from the Disciples to enjoy an hour with God alone In publick and private duties we may admit of the company of others to join with us and if they be such as fear God the more the better but in secret duties Christ and thee must whisper it over betwixt your selves And then the company of the wife of thy bosom or thy friend that is as thine own soul would not be welcome When thou prayest enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret Matth. 6.6 It is as much as if Christ had said see all clear Be sure to retire in as great privacy as may be Let no ear but Gods hear what thou hast to say to him This is at once a good note of sincerity and a great help to spiritual liberty and freedom with God Inference 3. Did Christ go to God thrice upon the same account thence learn That Christians should not be discouraged though they have sought God once and again and no answer of peace comes Christ was not heard the first time And he goes a second he was not answered the second he goes the third and last time yet was not answered in the thing he desired viz. that the cup might pass from him and yet he hath no hard thoughts of God but resolves his will into his Fathers If God deny you in the things you ask he deals no otherwise with you than he did with Christ. O my God saith he I cry in the day-time but thou hearest not and in the night and am not silent Yet he justifies God but thou art holy Psal. 22.2 Christ was not heard in the thing he desired and yet heard in that he feared Heb 5.7 The cup did not pass as he desired but God upheld him and enabled him to drink it He was heard as to support he was not heard as to exemption from sufferings his will was exprest conditionally and therefore though he had not the thing he so desired yet his will was not crossed by the denial But now when we have a suit depending before the throne of grace and cry to God once and again and so answer comes How do our hands hang down and our spirits wax feeble Then we complain with the Church Lam. 3.8 When I cry and shout he shutteth out my prayer thou coverest thy self with a cloud that our prayers cannot pass through Then with Ionah we conclude we are cast out of his sight Alas we judge by sence according to what we see and feel and cannot live by faith on God when he seems to hide himself put us off and refuse our requests It calls for an Abrahams faith to believe against hope giving glory to God If we cry and no answer comes presently our carnal reason draws a headlong ' hasty conclusion sure I must expect no answer God is angry with my prayers The seed of prayer hath lain so long under the clods and it appears not surely it 's lost I shall hear no more of it Our prayers may be heard though their answer be for present suspended As David acknowledged when he cooly considered the matter Psal. 31.22 I said in my hast I am cut off from before thine eyes nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplication when I cried unto thee No no Christian a prayer sent up in faith according to the will of God cannot be lost though it be delaid We may say of it as David said of Sauls sword and Ionathans bow that they never return empty Inference 4. Was
Iudas his Tomb-stone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. let every one that beholds me learn to be godly indeed to be sincere in his profession and love Christ more unfeignedly than I did O Professors look to your foundation and build not upon the sand as this poor creature did That 's sound advice indeed which the Apostle gives 1 Cor. 10.12 Let him that thinks he he standeth take heed lest he fall O beware of a loose foundation If you begin your profession as Iudas did no wonder if it shall end as his did 1. Beware therefore you hold not the truth in unrighteousness Iudas did so he knew much but lived not up to what he knew for he was still of a worldly spirit in the height of his profession His knowledge never had any saving influence upon his heart He Preacht to others but he himself was a cast-away He had much light but still walked in darkness He had no knowledge to do himself good Secondly Beware you live not in a course of secret sin Iudas did so and that was his ruine He made a profession indeed and carried it smoothly but he was a thief Ioh. 12.6 He made no conscience of committing the sin so he could but cover and hide it from men This helped on his ruine and so it will thine Reader if thou be guilty herein A secret way of sinning under a covert of profession will either break out at last to the observation of men or else slide thee down insensibly to Hell and leave thee only this comfort that no body shall know thou art there Thirdly Beware of hypocritical pretences of Religion to accommodate self ends Iudas was a man that had notable skill this way He had a mind to fill his own purse by the sale of this costly ointment which Mary bestowed upon her Saviours feet And what a neat cover had he fitted for it to do his business clearly Why saith he this might have been sold for three hundred pence and given to the poor Here was Charity to the poor or rather poor Charity for they were only a blind to his base self ends O Christian be plain hearted take heed of craft and cunning in matters of Religion This spoil'd Iudas Fourthly Beware of self confidence Iudas was a very confident man of himself Last of all Iudas said Master is it I Matth. 26.25 But he that was last in the suspicion was first in the transgression He that trusteth his own heart is a fool saith Solomon Prov. 28.26 such a fool was this great Professor It will be your wisdom to keep a jealous eye upon your own hearts and still suspect its fairest pretences Fifthly If you will not do as Iudas did nor come to such an end as he did take heed you live not unprofitably under the means of grace Iudas had the best means of grace that ever man enjoyed He heard Christ himself Preach he joyned often with him in prayer but he was never the better for it all it was but as the watering of a dead-stick which will never make it grow but rot it the sooner Never was there a rotten branch so richly watered as he was O 't is a sad sin and a sad sign too when men and women live under the Gospel from year to year and never the better I warn you to beware of these evils all ye that profess Religion Let these footsteps by which Iudas went down to his own place terrifie you from following him in them Corollary 2. Learn hence also that eminent knowledge and profession puts a special and eminent aggravation upon sin Judas Iscariot one of the twelve Poor wretch better had it been for him if he had never been numbred with them nor enlightned with so much knowledge as he was endued with for this rent his Conscience to pieces when he reflected on what he had done and presently run himself into the gulf of despair To sin against clear light is to â—in with an high hand It 's that which makes a sad waste of the Conscience That without doubt which now torments this poor soul in Hell is that he should go against his light against his profession to gratifie a base lust to his eternal ruine Had he known no better it had been more excusable Those that had a hand in the death of Christ through mistake and ignorance were capable to receive the pardon of their sin by that blood they so shed Act. 3.17 19. compared Take heed therefore of abusing knowledge and putting a force upon Conscience Corollary 3. Learn hence in the third place That unprincipled Professors will sooner or later become shameful Apostates â—udas was an unprincipled Professor and see what he came to Ambition invited Simon Magus to the profession of Christ he would be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some great one And how quickly did the rottenness of his principles discover themselves in the ruine of his profession that which wants a root must needs wither as Christ speaks Matth. 13.20 21. that which is the predominant interest will prevail and sway with us in the day of our trial Hear me all you that profess Religion and have given your names to Christ if that profession be not built upon a sollid and real work of grace upon your hearts you shall never honour Religion nor save your souls by it O 't is your union with Christ that like a spring maintains your profession So much as you are united to Christ so much constancy steadiness and eavenness you will manifest in the duties of Religion and no more O Brethren when he that professes Christ for company shall be left alone as Paul was When he that made Religion a stirrup to help him into the sadle of preferment and honour shall see that he is so advanced to be drawn forth into Christs camp and endure the heat of the day and not to take his pleasure in a word when he shall see all things about him discouraging and threatning his dearest interest on earth exposed for Religion sake and he hath no faith to ballance his present losses with his future hopes I say when it comes to this you shall then see the rottenness of many hearts discovered And Iudas may have many fellows who will part with Christ for the world as he did O therefore look well to your foundation Corollary 4. Moreover in this example of Iudas you may read this truth That men and women are never in more eminent danger than when they meet with temptations exactly suited to their master-lusts to their own iniquity O pray pray that ye may be kept from a violent suitable temptation Satan knows that when a man is tried here he falls by the root The love of this world was all along Iudas his master-sin and some conjecture he was a married man and had a great charge but that is conjectural it was his predominant Lust. The Devil found out this and
so with me I feel my heart really melted many times when I read the sufferings of Christ. I feel my heart raised and ravished with strange Joys and comforts when I hear the glory of Heaven opened in the Gospel Indeed if it were not so with me I might doubt the root of the matter is wanting But if to my knowledge affection be added A melting heart matched with a knowing head now I may be confident all is well I have often heard Ministers cautioning and warning their people not to rest satisfied with idle and unpractical notions in their understandings but to labour for impressions upon their hearts this I have attained and therefore what danger of me I have often heard it given as the mark of an Hypocrite that he hath light in his head but it sheds not down its influences upon the heart Whereas in those that are sincere it works on their hearts and affections So I find it with me therfore I am in a most safe estate O Soul of all the false signs of grace none more dangerous than those that most resemble true ones And never doth the Devil more surely and incurably destroy than when transformed into an Angel of light What if these meltings of thy heart be but a flower of nature What if thou art more beholding to a good temper of body than a gratious change of spirit for these things Well so it may be Therefore be not secure but fear and watch Possibly if thou wouldst but search thine own heart in this matter thou maist find that any other pathetical moving story will have the like effects upon thee Possibly too thou maist find that notwithstanding all thy raptures and joys at the hearing of Heaven and its glory yet after that pang is over thy heart is habitually earthly and thy conversation is not there For all thou canst mourn at the relations of Christs Sufferings thou art not so affected with sin that was the meritorious cause of the sufferings of Christ as to crucifie one corruption or deny the next temptation or part with any way of sin that is gainful or pleasurable to thee for his sake Why now Reader if it be so with thee what art thou the better fâ—r the fluency of thy affections Dost think in earnest that Christ hath the better thoughts of thee because thou canst shed tears for him when notwithstanding thou every day piercest and woundest him O be not deceived Nay for ought I know thou maist find upon a narrow search that thou puttest thy tears in the room of Christs blood and givest the confidence and dependance of thy soul to them and if so they shall never do thee any good Oh therefore search thy heart Reader be not too confident take not up too easily upon such poor weak grounds as these a soul undoing confidence Always remember the Wheat and Tares râ—semble each other in their first springing up That an Egg is not liker to an Egg than Hypocrisie in some shapes and forms into which it can cast it self is like a genuine work of grace O remember that among the Ten Virgins that is the reformed professors of Religion that have cast off and separated themselves from the worship and defilements of Anti-christ five of them were foolish There be first that shall be last and last that shall be first Matth. 19.30 Great is the deceitfulness of our hearts Ier. 17.9 And many are the subtilties and devices of Satan 2 Cor. 11.3 Many also are the astonishing examples of self deceiving souls recorded in the Word Remember what you lately read of Iudas Great also will be the exactness of the Last Judgement And how confident soever you be that you shall speed well in that day yet still remember that Trial is not yet past Your final Sentence is not yet come from the mouth of your Judge This I speak not to affright and trouble but to excite and warn you The loss of a soul is no small loss and upon such grounds as these they are every day cast away This may suffice to be spoken to the first observation built upon this supposition that it was but a pang of meer natural affection in them But if it were the effect of a better principle the fruit of their Faith as some Judge then I told you the observation from it would be this DOCT. 2. That the believing meditation of what Christ Suffered for us is of great force and efficacy to melt and break the heart It is the Promise Zach. 12.10 They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as one mourneth for his only Son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first born Ponder seriously here the Spring and Motive They shall look upon me It 's the eye of Faith that melts and breaks the heart The effect of such a sight of Christ they shall look and mourn Be in bitterness and sorrow True Repentance is a drop out of the eye of Faith And the measure or degree of that sorrow caused by a believing view of Christ. To express which two of the fullest instances of grief we read of are borrowed That of a tender Father mourning over a dear and only Son That of the people of Israel mourning over Iosiah that peerless Prince in the valley of Megiddo Now to shew you how the believing meditation of Christ and his suffering comes kindly and savingly to break and melt down the gracious heart I shall propound these four considerations of the heart breaking efficacy of Faith eyeing a Crucified Jesus First The very reallizing of Christ and his sufferings by Faith is a most affecting and melting thing Faith is a true Glass that represents all those his sufferings and agonies to the Life It presents them not as a fiction or idle tale but as a true and faithful Narative This saith Faith is a true and faithful saying that Christ was not only cloathed in our flesh He that is over all God blessed for ever the only Lord the Prince of the Kings of the Earth become a man but it is also most certain that in this body of his flesh he grappled with the infinite wrath of God Which fill'd his soul with horror and amazement That the Lord of Life did hang dead upon the Tree That he went as a Lamb to the slaughter And was as a Sheep dumb before the Shearer That he endured all this and more than any finite understanding can comprehend in my room and stead For my sake he there groaned and bled For my Pride Earthliness Lust Unbelief hardness of Heart he endured all this I say to reallize the sufferings of Christ thus is of great power to affect the coldest dullest heart You cannot imagine the difference there is in presenting things as realities with convincing and satisfying evidences and our looking on them as a fiction or uncertainty Secondly But Faith can apply as well as
savingly Inference 2. Have the believing meditations of Christ and his sufferings such heart melting influences the surely then proper order of raising the affections is to begin at the exercise of faith It grieves me to see how many poor Christians tug at their own dead hearts endeavouring to raise and affect them but cannot They complain and strive strive and complain pump and draw but no love to the Lord comes no brokenness of heart comes They go to this ordinance and that to one duty and another hoping that now the Lord will affect it and fill the sails but come back disappointed and ashamed like the troops of Tema Poor Christian hear me one word possibly it may do thy business and stand thee in more stead than all the methods thou hast yet used If thou wouldst indeed get an heart Evangelically melted for sin and broken with the kindly sense of the grace and love of Christ thy way is not to force thy affections nor to vex thy self and go about complaining of an hard heart but set thy self to believe reallize apply infer and compare by faith as you have been directed and see what this will do They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and mourn This is the true way and proper method to raise the heart and break it Inference 3. Is this the way to get a truly broken heart then let those that have attained brokenness of heart this way bless the Lord whilst they live for so choice a mercy And that upon a double account First For as much as an heart so affected and melted is not attainable by any natural or unrenewed person If they would give all they have in the world it cannot purchase one such tear or groan over Christ. Mark what characters of special grace it bears in the description that 's made of it in that forementioned place Zech. 12.10 Such a frame as this is not born with us or to be acquired by us for it 's there said to be poured out by the Lord upon us I will pour on them c. There 's no hypocrisie or dissimulation in these mournings for they are compared to the mourning of a man for his only Son And sure the hearts of parents are not untouched when they behold such sights Nature is not the principle of it but faith For it 's there said they shall look on me i. e. believe and mourn Self is not the end and center of these sorrows It is not so much for damning our selves as for piercing Christ they shall look on me whom they have pierced and shall mourn so that this is sorrow after God and not a flash of nature as was discoursed from the former point And therefore you have cause to bless the Lord whilst you live for such a special mercy as this is And Secondly As it 's the right so it is the choisest and most pretious gift that can be given you for it 's rancked among the prime mercies of the new Covenant Ezek. 36.26 This shall be the Covenant A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you a heart of flesh What wouldst thou have given sometimes for such an heart as now thou hast though it be not yet as thou wouldst have it And however you value and esteem it God himself sets no common value on it for mark what he â—aith of it Psal. 51.17 the sacrifices of God are a broken heart a broken and a contrite spirit O God thou wilt not despise i. e. God is more delighted with such an heart than all the sacrifices in the world One groan one tear flowing from faith and the spirit of Adoption is more to him than the Cattle upon a thousand hills And to the same sense he speaks again Isai. 66.1 2. Thus saith the Lord the heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool where is the house that ye build to me and where is the place of my rest but to this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word q. d. all the magnificent Temples and gloririous structures in the world give me no pleasure in comparison of such a broken heart as this Oh then for ever bless the Lord that hath done that for you which none else could do And what he hath done but for few besides you The TWENTY SIXTH SERMON ACT. II. XXIII Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain HAving considered in order the preparative acts for the death of Christ both on his own part and on his enemies part we now come to consider the death of Christ it self which was the principal part of his humiliation and the chief pillar of our consolation Here we shall in order consider First The kind and nature of the death he died Secondly The manner in which he bare it viz. patiently solitary and instructively droping divers holy and instructive lessons upon all that were about him in his seven last words upon the Cross. Thirdly The funeral solemnities at his burial Fourthly and Lastly The weighty ends and great designs of his death In all which particulars as we proceed to discuss and open them you will have an account of the deep abasement and humiliation of the Son of God In this text we have an account of the kind and nature of that death which Christ died as also of the causes of it both principal and instrumental First The kind and nature of the death Christ died which is here described more generally as a violent death Ye have slain him and more particularly as a most ignominious cursed dishonorable death ye have crucified him Secondly The causes of it are here likewise expressed and that both principal and instrumental The principal cause permitting ordering and disposing all things about it was the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God There was not an action or circumstance but came under this most wise and holy counsel and determination of God The Instruments effecting it were their wicked hands This foreknowledge and counsel of God as it did no way necessitate or enforce them to it so neither doth it excuse their fact from the least aggravation of its sinfulness It did no more compel or force their wicked hands to do what they did than the Mariners hoising up his sails to take the wind to serve his design compels the wind And it cannot excuse their action from one circumstance of sin because Gods end and manner of acting was one thing their end and manner of acting another His most pure and holy theirs most malitious and daringly wicked Idem quod duo faciunt non est idem To this purpose a grave Divine will expresses it In respect of God
will deliver it you again in that day whiter than the snow in Salmon Inference 7. Did Pilate give this Title to cast the reproach of his death upon the Jews and clear himself of it How natural is it to men to transfer the fault of their own actions from themselves to others For when he writes this is the King of the Jews he wholly charges them with the crime of crucifying their King and it is as if he had said hereafter let the blame and fault of this action lye wholly upon your own heads who have brought the guilt of his blood upon your selves and children I am clear you have extorted it from me O where shall we find a spirit so ingenious to take home to it self the shame of its own actions and charge it self freely with its own guilt Indeed it 's the property of renewed gratious hearts to remember confess and freely bewail their own evils to the glory of God and that 's a gratious heart indeed which in this case judgeth that the glory which by confession goeth to the name of his God is not so much glory lost to his own name but it 's the power of grace moulding our proud natures into another thing that must bring them to this The TWENTY EIGHTH SERMON ZECH. XIII VII Awake O sword against my shepherd and against the man that is my fellow saith the Lord of Hosts smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones IN the former Sermons we have opened the nature and kind of the death Christ died even the cursed death of the Cross. Wherein nevertheless his innocency was vindicated by that honourable Title providentially affixed to his Cross. Method now requires that we take into consideration the manner in which he endured the Cross and that was solitarily meekly and instructively His solitude in suffering is plainly expressed in this Scripture now before us It cannot be doubted but the Prophet in this place speaks of Christ if you consider Matth. 26.31 Where you shall find these words applyed to Christ by his own accommodation of them Then said Iesus unto them all ye shall be offended because of me this might for it is written I will smite the Shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered Besides the Title here given Gods Fellow is too big for any creature in Heaven or Earth beside Christ. In these words we have four things particularly to consider First the Commission given to the Sword by the Lord of Hosts Secondly the person against whom it is Commissionated Thirdly the dismal effect of that stroke Fourthly and lastly the gracious mitigation of it First The Commission given to the Sword by the Lord of Hosts Awake O Sword and smite saith the Lord of Hosts The Lord of Hosts at whose beck and command all the Creatures are Who with a word of his mouth can open all the Armories in the World and command what weapons and instruments of death he pleaseth Calls here for the Sword Not the Rod gently to chasten But the Sword to destroy The Rod breaks no bones but the Sword opens the door to death and destruction The Strokes and thrusts of the Sword are mortal And he bids it awake It signifies both to rouze up as one that awakes out of sleep and to rouze or awake with triumph and rejoycing So the same word is rendred Iob. 31.29 Yea he commands it to awake and smite And it is as if the Lord had said come forth of thy Scabbard oh Sword of Justice thou hast been hid there a long time thou hast as it were been asleep in thy Scabbard now awake and glitter thou shalt Drink Royal Blood such as thou never shedst before Secondly The person against whom it is commissionated My Shepherd and the man that is my fellow This Shepherd can be no other than Christ who is often in Scripture stiled a Shepherd yea the chief Shepherd the Prince of Pastors Who redeemed feeds guides and preserves the flock of Gods Elect 1 Pet. 5.4 Ioh. 10.11 This is he whom he also stiles the man his fellow Or his neighbour as some render it And so Christ is in respect of his equality and unity with the Father both in essence and will His next neighbour His other self You have the sence of it in Phil. 2.6 He was in the form of God and thought it no robbery to be equal with God Against Christ his fellow his next neighbour the delight of his Soul the sword here receives its Commission Thirdly You have here the dismal consequent of this deadly stroke upon the Shepherd And that is the scattering of the Sheep By the Sheep understand here that little flock the Disciples which followed this Shepherd till he was smitten i. e. apprehended by his enemies and then they were scattered i. e. dispersed they all forsook him and fled And so Christ was left alone amidst his enemies Not one durst make a stand for him or owne him in that hour of his danger Fourthly And lastly here is a gracious mitigation of this sad dispersion I will turn my hand upon the little ones By little ones he means the same that before he called Sheep but the expression is designedly varied to shew their feebleness and weakness which appeared in their relapse from Christ. And by turning his hand upon them understand Gods gracious reduction and gathering of them again after their sad dispersion so that they shall not be lost though scattered for the present For after the Lord was risen he went before them into Galilee as he promised Matth. 26.31 And gather'd them again by a gracious hand so that not one of them was lost but the Son of perdition The words thus opened I shall observe suitably to the Method I have proposed DOCT. That Christs dearest friends forsook and left him alone in the time of his greatest distress and danger This Doctrine containing only matter of fact and that also so plainly deliver'd by the pens of the several faithful Evangelists I need spend no longer time in the proof of it than to refer you to the several Testimonies they have given to it But I shall rather chuse to fit and prepare it for Use by explaining these four Questions First Who were the Sheep that were scattered from their Shepherd and left him alone Secondly What evil was there in this their scattering Thirdly What were the grounds and causes of it Fourthly And lastly what was the Issue and event of it First Who were these Sheep that were dispersed and scattered from their Shepherd when he was smitten It 's evident they were those pretious Elect Souls that he had gathered to himself who had long followed him and dearly Loved him and were dearly beloved of him They were persons that had left all and followed him and till that time faithfully continued with him in his Temptations
from themselves also Yea so great is the difference betwixt himself and himself as if he were not the same man And where is he that doth not so experience it Sometimes bold and couragious despising dangers and bearing down all discouragements in the strength of zeal and love to God at another time faint feeble and discouraged at every petty thing Whence is this but from the different administrations of the spirit who sometimes gives forth more and sometimes less of his gratious influence Thâ—se very men that flincht now when the spirit was more abundantly shed forth upon them could boldly own Christ before the Council and despised all dangers for his sake A little dog if his Master be by and encourage him will venture upon a greater beast than himself Though Peter stood at the door without when the other Disciple or one of the other Disciples as the Syriack turns it and Grotius approves it as the best that is one of the private Disciples that lived in Ierusalem went in so boldly Ioh. 18.16 17. We are strong or weak according to the degrees of assisting grace So that as you cannot take the just measure of a Christian by one act so neither must they judge of themselves by what they sometimes feel in themselves But when their spirits are low and their hearts discouraged they should rather say to their souls hope in God for I shall yet praise him it 's low with me now but it will be better Inference 6. Was the sword drawn against the Shepherd and he left alone to receive the mortal strokes of it How should all adore both the Iustice and Mercy of God so illustriously displayed herein Here is the Triumph of Divine justice and the highest Triumph that ever it had to single forth the chief Shepherd the man that is Gods fellow and sheath its sword in his breast for satisfaction No wonder it 's drawn and brandished with such a Triumph awake rejoycingly O sword against my Shepherd c. for in this blood shed by it it hath more glory than if the blood of all the men and women in the world had been shed And no less is the mercy and goodness of God herein signalized in giving the sword a commission against the man his fellow rather than against us Why had he not rather said Awake O sword against the men that are my enemies shed the blood of them that have sinned against me than smite the Shepherd and only scatter the sheep Blessed be God the dreadful sword was not drawn and brandished against our souls that God did not set it to our breasts that he had not made it fat with our flesh and bathed it in our blood that his fellow was smitten that his enemies might be spared O what manner of love was this Blessed be God therefore for Jesus Christ who received the fatal stroke himself and hath now so sheathed that sword in its scabbard that it shall never be drawn any more against any that believe in him Inference 7. Were the Sheep scattered when the Shepherd was smitten Learn hence that the best of men know not their own strength till they come to the trial Little did these holy men imagine such a cowardly spirit had been in them till temptation put it to the proof Let this therefore be a caution for ever to the people of God You resolve never to forsake Christ you do well but so did these and yet were scattered from him You can never take a just measure of your own strength till Temptation have tried it 'T is said Deut. 18.2 3. that God led the people so many years in the wilderness to prove them and to know i. e. to make them know what was in their hearts Little did they think such unbelief murmurings discontents and a spirit bent to backsliding had been in them till their straights in the wilderness gave them the sad experience of these things Inference 8. Did the dreadful sword of Divine Justice smite the Shepherd Gods own fellow and at the same time the flock from whom all his outward comforts arose were scattered from him Then learn that the holiest of men have no reason either to repine or despond though God at once should strip them of all their outward and inward comforts together He that did this by the man his fellow may much rather do it by the man his friend Smite my Shepherd there 's all comfort gone from the inner man Scatter the Sheep there 's all comfort gone from the outward man What refreshments had Christ in this world but such as came immediately from his Father or those holy ones now scattered from him In one day heâ— seth both heavenly and earthly comforts Now as God dealt by Christ he may at one time or other deal with his people You have your comforts from Heaven so had Christ in a fuller measure than ever you had or can have He had comforts from his little flock you have your comforts from the society of the Saints the Ordinances of God comfortable Relations c. Yet none of these are so firmly setled upon you but you may be left destitute of them all in one day God did take all comfort from Christ both outward and inward and are you greater than he God sometimes takes outward and leaves inward comfort sometimes he takes inward and leaves outward comfort but time may come when God may strip you of both This was the case of Iob a favorite of God who was blessed with outward and inward comforts Yet a time came when God stript him of all and made him poor to a Proverb as to all outward comfort and the venom of his arrows drank up his spirit and the inward comforts thereof Should the Lord deal thus with any of you how seasonable and relieving will the fâ—llowing considerations be First Though the Lord deal thus with you yet this is no new thing he hath dealt so with others yea with Jesus Christ that was his fellow If these things were done in the green tree in him that never deserved it for any sin of his own how little reason have we to complain Nay Secondly Therefore did this befall Jesus Christ before you that the like condition might be sanctified to you when you shall be brought into it For therefore did Jesus Christ pass through such varieties of conditions on purpose that he might take away the curse and leave a blessing in those conditions against the time that you should come into them Moreover Thirdly Though inward comforts and outward comforts were both removed from Christ in one day yet he wanted not support in the absence of both How relieving a consideration is this Ioh. 16.32 Behold saith he the hour cometh yea is now come that ye shall be scatterâ—d every man to his own and shall leave me alone And yet I am not alone because the Father is with me With me by way of support
neither was guile found in his mouth who when he was reviled reviled not again when be suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that Iudgeth righteously Here 's your pattern A perfect pattern A lovely and excellent pattern Will you be perswaded to the imitation of Christ herein Methinks I should perswade you to it Yea every thing about you perswades to patience in your sufferings as well as I. Look which way you will upward or downward inward or outward backward or forward to the right hand or to the left You shall find all things perswading and urging the Doctrine of Patience upon you First Look upward when tribulations come upon you Look to that Soveraign Lord that commissionates and sends them upon you You know troubles do not rise out of the dust nor spring out of the ground but are framed in heaven Ier. 18.11 Behold I frame evil and devise a device against you Troubles and afflictions are of the Lords framing and devising to reduce his wandering people to himself Much like that device of Absalom in setting Ioabs field of Corn on fire to bring Ioab to him 2 Sam. 14.30 in the frame of your afflictions you may observe much of divine wisdom in the choice measure and season of your troubles Soveraignty in electing the instruments of your affliction In making them as afflictive as he pleaseth And in making them obedient both to his call in coming and going when he pleaseth Now could you in times of trouble look up to this Soveraign hand in which your souls bodies and all their comforts and mercies are how quiet would your hearts be Psal. 39.9 I was dumb and opened not my mouth because it is thy doing 1 Sam. 3.18 It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good O when we have to do with men and look no higher how do our Spirits swell and rise with revenge and impatiency But if you once come to fee that man as a Rod in your Fathers hand you will be quiet Psal. 46.10 Be still and know that I am God q. d. consider with whom you have to do Not with your fellow but with your God who can puff you to destruction with one blast of his mouth In whose hand you are as the clay in the potters hand It is for want of looking up to God in our troubles that we fret murmur and despond at the rate we do Secondly Look downward and see what is below you as well as up to that which is above you You are afflicted and you cannot bear it Oh! no trouble like your trouble Never man in such a case as you are Well well cast the eye of your mind downward and see who lie much lower than you Can you see none on earth in a more miserable state than your selves Are you at the very bottom and not a man below you Sure there be thousands in a sadder case than you on earth What is your affliction Have you lost a relation Others have lost all Have you lost an Estate and are become poor Well but there be some you read of Iob 30.4 5 6 7. Who cut up Mallows by the bushes and Iuniper roots for their meat They are driven forth from among men they cryed after them as after a Thief They dwell in the cliffs of the Vallies in caves of the earth and in the Rocks Among the bushes they brayed under the Nettles they were gather'd together What difference as to manner of Life do you find between the persons here described and the wild beasts that herd together in desolate places Are you persecuted and afflicted for Christs sake What think you of their sufferings Heb. 11.36 37. Who had trial of cruel mockings yea moreover of bonds and imprisonments they were stoned they were sawn asunder were tempted were slain with the Sword they wandered about in Sheep-skins and Goat-skins being destitute afflicted tormented And are you better than they I know not what you are but I am sure these were such of whom the World was not worthy vers 38. Or are your afflictions more spiritual and inward Say not the Lord never dealt more bitterly with the soul of any than he hath with yours What think you of the case of David Heman Iob Asaph whose doleful crys by reason of the terrors of the Almighty are able to melt the stoniest heart that reads their stories The Almighty was a terror to them The Arrows of God were within them They roared by reason of the disquietness of their hearts Or are your afflictions outward and inward together An afflicted soul in an afflicted body Are you fallen like the Ship in which Paul sailed into a place where two Seas meet Well so it was with Paul Iob and many other of those worthies gone before you Sure you may see many on earth who have been or are in far lower and sadder states than your selves Or if not on earth doubtless you will yield there are many in Hell who would be glad to exchange conditions with you as bad as you think yours to be And were not all these moulded out of the same Lump with you Surely if you can see any creature below you especially any reasonable being you have no reason to return so ungratefully upon your God and accuse your maker of severity or charge God foolishly Look down and you shall see grounds enough to be quiet Thirdly Look inward you discontented Spirits and see if you can find nothing there that may quiet you Cast your eye into your own hearts Consider either the corruptions or the graces that are there Cannot you find weeds enough there that need such winter weather as this to rot them Hath not that proud heart need enough of all this to humble it That carnal heart need of such things as these to mortifie it That backsliding wandering heart need of all this to reduce and recover it to its God If need be ye are in heaviness 1 Pet. 1.6 Oh Christian didst thou not see need of this before thou camest into trouble Or hath not God shewn thee the need of it since thou wast under the Rod It 's much thou shouldst not see it but be assured if thou dost not thy God doth He knows thou wouldst be ruined for ever if he should not take this course with thee Thy corruptions require all this to kill them Thy Lusts will take all this it may be more than this and all little enough And as your corruptions call for it so do your Graces too Wherefore think ye the Lord planted the principles of Faith Humility Patience c. in your Souls What were they put there for nothing Did the Lord intend they should lie sleeping in their drowsy habits Or were they not planted there in order to exercise And how shall they be exercised without tribulations can you tell Doth not tribulation work patience and patience experience and experience hope Rom. 5.3 4. Is not the trial of your Faith
he turn not he will whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready he hath also prepared for him the instruments of death he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors Psal. 7.12 This laies the blood of every man that perishes in his enmity to Christ at his own door And vindicates the righteousness of God in the severest strokes of wrath upon them This also will be a cutting thought to their hearts eternally I might once have had pardon and I refused it The Gospel-Trumpet sounded a parly Fair and gratious terms were offered but I rejected them Inference 3. Is there mercy with God and forgiveness even for his worst enemies upon their submission how unlike to God then are all implacable spirits Some there are that cannot bring their hearts to forgive an enemy to whom revenge is sweeter than life 1 Sam. 24.16 If a man find his enemy will he let him go This is Hell-fire a fire that never goeth out how little do such poor creatures consider if God should deal by them as they do by others what words could express the misery of their condition It 's a sad sin and a sad sign a character of a wretched state whereever it appears Those that have found mercy should be ready to shew mercy and they that expect mercy themselves should not deny it others This brings us upon the third and last observation viz. DOCT. 3. That to forgive enemies and beg forgiveness for them is the true character and property of the Christian spirit Thus did Christ Father forgive them And thus did Stephen in imitation of Christ. Act. 7.59 60. And they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying Lord Iesus receive my spirit and he kneeled down and cryed with a loud voice Lord lay not this sin to their charge This suits with the rule of Christ Matth. 5.44 45. But I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them which dâ—spightfully use you and persecute you That ye may be the children of God your Father which is in Heaven Here I shall first open the nature of this duty and shew you what a forgiving spirit is and then the excellency of it how well it becomes all that call themselves Christians First Let us enquire what this Christian forgiveness is And that the nature of it may the better appear I shall shew you both what it is not and what it is First It consists not in a stoical insensibility of wrongs and injuries God hath not made men as insensible stupid blocks that have no sence or feeling of what is done to them Nor hath he made a Law inconsistent with their very natures that are to be governed by it But allows us a tender sense of natural evils though he will not allow us to revenge them by moral evils Nay the more deep and tender our resentments of wrongs and injuries are the more excellent is our forgiveness of them so that a forgiving spirit doth not exclude sense of injuries but the sense of injuries graces the forgiveness of them Secondly Christian forgiveness is not a politick concealment of our wrath and revenge because it will be a reproach to discover it or because we want opportunity to vent it This is carnal policy not Christian meekness So far from being the mark of a gratiâ—us spirit that it 's apparently the sign of a vile nature It is not Christianity to repose but depose injuries Thirdly Nor is it that moral vertue for which we are beholding to an easier and better nature and the help of moral rules and documents There are certain vertues attainable without the change of nature which they call Homilitical vertues because they greatly adorn and beautifie nature such as temperance patience justice c. these are of singular use to conserve peace and order in the world And without them as one aptly speaks the world would soon break up and its civil scocieties disband But yet though these are the ornaments of nature they do not argue the change of nature All graces in the exercise of them involve a respect to God And for the being of them they are not by natural acquisition but supernatural infusion Fourthly and Lastly Christian forgiveness is not an â—injurious giving up of our rights and properties to the Lusts of every one that hath a mind to invade them No these we may lawfully defend and preserve and are bound so to do though if we cannot defend them legally we must not avenge our wrongs unchristianly This is not Christian forgiveness But then positively It is a Christian lenity or gentleness of mind not retaining but freely passing by the injuries done to us in obedience to the command of God It is a lenity or gentleness of mind The grace of God demulces the angry stomach calms the tumultuous passions new-moulds our sowr spirits and makes them benign gentle and easie to be intreated Gal. 5.22 The fruit of the spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness c. This gratious lenity inclines the Christian to pass by injuries so to pass them by as neither to retain them revengefully in the mind or requite them when we have opportunity with the hand Yea and that freely not by constraint because we cannot avenge our selves but willingly We abhor to do it when we can So that as a carnal heart thinks revenge its glory the gratious heart is content that forgiveness should be his glory I will be even with him saith nature I will be above him saith grace It is his glory to pass over transgression Prov. 19.11 And this it doth in obedience to the command of God their own nature inclines them another way The spirit that is in us lusteth to envy but he giveth more grace James 4.5 It lusteth to revenge but the fear of God represses those motions Such considerations as these God hath forbidden me Yea and God hath forgiven me as well as forbidden me prevail upon him when nature urges to revenge the wrong Be kind one to another tender hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Eph. 4.32 This is forgiveness in a Christian sense Secondly And that this is excellent and singularly becoming the profession of Christ is evident In as much as This speaks your Religion excellent that can mould your hearts into that heavenly frame to which they are so averse yea contrarily disposed by nature It is the glory of Pagan morality that it can abscondere vitia hide and cover mens lusts and passions But the glory of Christianity lies in this that it can abscindâ—re vitia not hide but destroy and really mortifie the Lusts of nature Would Christians but live up to the excellent principles of their Religion Christianity shall be no more out-vied by heathenish morality The greatest Christian shall be no more challenged to imitate Socrates if he can We
O then exercise this when you have lost that Admonition 2. Secondly Take the right method to recover the sweet light which you have sinned away from your souls Do not go about from one to another complaining nor yet sit down desponding under your burden But First Search diligently after the cause of Gods withdrawment Urge him hard by prayer to tell thee wherefore he contends with thee Iob. 10.2 Say Lord what have I done that so offends thy spirit what evil is it which thou so rebukest I beseech thee shew me the cause of thine anger Have I grieved thy spirit in this thing or in that Was it my neglect of duty or my formality in duties Was I not thankful for the sense of thy love when it was shed abroad in my heart O Lord why is it thus with me Secondly Humble your souls before the Lord for every evil you shall be convinced of Tell him it pierces your hearts that you have so displeased him And that it shall be a caution to you whilst you live never to return again to folly Invite him again to your souls and mourn after the Lord till you have found him If you seek him he will be found of you 2 Chron. 15.2 It may be you shall have a thousand Comforters come about your sad souls in such a time to comfor them This will be to you instead of God and that will repair your loss of Christ. Despise them all and say I am resolved to sit as a Widow till Christ return he or none shall have my love Thirdly Wait on in the use of means till Christ return O be not discouraged Though he tarry wait you for him for Blessed are all they that wait for him The THIRTY FOURTH SERMON JOH XIX XXVIII After this Iesus knowing that all things were now accomplished that the Scriptures might be fulfilled saith I Thirst. IT is as truly as commonly said death is dry Christ found it so when he died When his spirits laboured in the agonies of death then he said I thirst This is the fifth word of Christ upon the Cross spoken a little before he bowed the head and yielded up the Ghost It is only recorded by this Evangelist and there are four things remarkable in this complaint of Christ viz. the person complaining The complaint he made The time when And the reason why he so complained First The person complaining Iesus said I thirst This is a clear evidence that it was no common suffering Great and resolute spirits will not complain for small matters The spirit of a common man will endure much before it utters any complaint Let us therefore see Secondly The affliction or suffering he complains of and that is Thirst. There are two sorts of thirst One natural and proper another spiritual and figurative Christ felt both at this time His soul thirsted in vehement desires and longings to accomplish and finish that great and difficult work he was now about And his body thirsted by reason of those unparalleled agonies it laboured under for the accomplishing hereof But it was the proper natural thirst he here intends when he said I thirst Now this natural thirst of which he complains is the raging of the appetite for humid nourishment arising from the scorching up of the parts of the body for want of moisture And amongst all the pains and afflictions of the body there can scarcely be named a greater and more intolerable one than extream thirst The most mighty and valiant have stooped under it Mighty Sampson after all his conquests and victories complains thus Judg. 15.18 And he was sore athirst and called on the Lord and said thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant and now shall I die for thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised Great Darius drank filthy water defiled wâ—th the bodies of the slain to relieve his thirst and protested never any drink was more pleasant to him Hence Isai. 41.17 Thirst is put to express the most afflicted state When the poor and needy seek water and there is none and their tongue faileth for thirst I the Lord will hear them i. e. when my people are in extream necessities under any extraordinary pressures and distresses I will be with them to supply and relieve them Thirst causes a most painful compression of the heart when the body like a sponge sucks and draws for moisture and there is none And this may be occasioned either by long abstinence from drink or by the labouring and expence of the spirits under grievous agonies and extream tortures which like a fire within soon scâ—rch up the very radical moisture Now though we find not that Christ tasted a drop of liquor since he sate with the Disciples at the Table after that no more refreshments for him in this world yet that was not the cause of this raging thirst but it is to be ascribed to the extream sufferings which he so long had conflicted with both in his soul and body These preyed upon him and drank up his very spirits Hence came this sad complaint I thirst Thirdly Let us consider the time when he thus complained When all things were now accomplished saith the Text i. e. when all things were even ready to be accomplished in his death A little a very little while before his expiration When the travailing throws of death began to be strong upon him And so it was both a sign of death at hand and of his love to us which was stronger than death that would not complain sooner because he would admit of no relief nor take the lest refreshment till he had done his work Fourthly and Lastly Take notice of the design and end of his complaint That the Scriptures might be fulfilled he saith I thirst i. e. that it might appear for the satisfaction of our faith that whatsoever had been predicted by the Prophets was exactly accâ—mplished even to a circumstance in him Now it was foretold of him Psal. 69.21 They gave me gall for my meat and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink and herein it was verified Hence the Note is DOCT. That such were the Agonies and extream sufferings of our Lord Iesus Christ upon the Cross as drank up his very spirits and made him cry I thirst If I said one should live a thousand years and every day die a thousand times the same death for Christ that he once died for me yet all this would be nothing to the sorrows Christ endured in his death At this time the Bridegroom Christ might have borrowed the word of his Spouse the Church Lam. 1.12 Is it nothing to you all ye that pass by See and behold if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger Here we are to enquire into and consider the extremities and agonies Christ laboured
large a capacity to take in the full sence of the wrath of God as Christ had The larger any ones capacity is to understand and weigh his troubles fully the more grievous and heavy is his burden If a man cast vessels of greater and lesser quantity into the Sea though all will be full yet the greater the vessel is the more water it contains Now Christ had a capacity beyond all meer creatures to take in the wrath of his Father And what deep and large apprehensions â—e had of it may be judged by the bloody sweat in the garden which was the effect of his meer apprehensions of the wrath of God Christ was a large vessel indeed As he is capable of more glory so of more sence and misery than any other person in the world Thirdly The damned suffer not so innocently as Christ suffered they suffer the just demerit and recompence of their sin They have deserved all that wrath of God which they feel and must feel for ever It is but that recompence which was meet But Christ was altogether innocent He had done no iniquity neither was guile found in his mouth yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him When Christ suffered he suffered not for what we had done but his sufferings were the sufferings of a surety paying the debts of others The Messiah was cut off but not for himself Dan. 9.26 Thus you see what his external sufferings in his body and his internal sufferings in his soul were Thirdly In the last place it is evident that such extream sufferings as these meeting together upon him must needs exhaust his very spirits and make make him cry I thirst For let us consider First What meer external pains and outward afflictions can do These prey upon and consume our spirits So David complains Psal. 39.11 When thou with rebukes correctest man for iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away as a Moth i. e. look as a Moth frets and consumes the most strong and well wrought garment and makes it seary and rotten without any noise so afflictions wast and wear out the strongest bodies They make bodies of the firmest constitution like an old rotten garment They shrivel and dry up the most vigorous and flourishing body and make it like a bottle in the smoke Psal. 119.83 Secondly Consider what meer internal troubles of the soul can do upon the stongest body These quickly spend it's strength and devour the Spirits So Solomon speaks Prov. 17.22 A broken Spirit drieth the bones i. e. it consumes the very marrow with which they are moistned So Psal. 32.3 4. My bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long For day and night thy hand was heavy on me my moisture or chief sap is turned into the drought of Summer What a spectacle of pity was Francis Spira become meerly through the anguish of his spirit A spirit sharpned with such troubles like a keen knife cuts through the sheath Certainly who ever hath had any acquaintance with troubles of soul knows by sad experience how like an internal flame it feeds and preys upon the very spirits so that the strongest stoop and quail under it But Thirdly When outward bodily pains shall meet with inward spiritual troubles and both in extremity shall come in one day how soon must the firmest body fail and wast away like a candle lighted at both ends Now strengâ—h fails a pace and nature must fall flat under this load When the Ship in which Paul sailed fell into a place where two Seas met it was quickly wrackt and so will the best constituted body in the world if it fall under both these troubles together The soul and body sympathize with each other under trouble and muâ—ually relieve each oâ—her If the body be sick and â—ull of pain the spirit supports chears and relieves it by reason and resolution all that it can And if the spirit be afflicted the body sympathizes and helps to bear up the spirit But now if the one be over-laid with strong pains more than it can bear and calls for aid from the other and the other be oppressed with intolerable anguish and cries out under a burden greater than it can bear so that it can contribute no help but instead thereof adds to its burden which before was above strength to bear Now nature must needs fail and the friendly union betwixt soul and body suffer a dissolution by such an overwhelming pressure as this So it was with Christ when outward and inward sorrows met in one day in their extremity upon him Hence the bitter cry I thirst Inference 1. How horrid a thing is Sin How great is that evil of evils Which deserves that all this should be inflicted and suffered for the expiation of it The sufferings of Christ for sin gives us the true account and fullest representation of its evil The Law saith one is a bright glass wherein we may see the evil of sin but there is the Red glass of the sufferings of Christ and in that we may see more of the evâ—l of sin than if God should let us down to Hell and there we should see all the tortures and torments of the damned If we should see them how they lie sweltering under Gods wrath there it were not so much as the beholding of sin through this Red glass of the sufferings of Christ. Suppose the bars of the bottomless pit were broken up and damned spirits should ascend from thence and come up among us with the chains of darkness rattling at their heels and we should hear the groans and see the gastly paleness and tremblings of those poor creatures upon whom the righteous God hath imprest his fury and indignation if we could hear how their consciences are lashed by the fearful scourge of guilt and how they shriek at every lash the arm of Justice gives them If we should see and hear all this it is not so much as what we may see in this Text where the Son of God under his sufferings for it crys out I thirst For as I shewed you before Christs sufferings in divers respects were beyond theirs O then let not thy vain heart slight sin as if it were but a small thing If ever God shew thee the face of sin in this glass thou wilt say there is not such another horrid representation to be made to a man in all the world Fools make a mock of sin but wise men tremble at it Inference 2. How afflictive and intolerable are inward troubles Did Christ complain so sadly under them and cry I thirst Surely then they are no such light matters as many are apt to make of them If they so scorcht the very heart of Christ dryed up the green tree preyed upon his very spirits and turned his moisture into the drought of Summer they deserve not to be sleighted as they are by some The Lord Jesus was fitted to bear and suffer as strong
but you must work to obey the commands of Christ into whose right ye are come by Redemption You must work to testifie your thankfulness to Christ for the work he finished for you You must work to glorifie God by your obedience Let your light so shine before men For these and divers other such ends and reasons your life must be a working life God preserve all his people from the gross and vile opinions of Antinomian Libertines who cry up grace and decry obedience Who under specious pretences of exalting a naked Christ upon the throne do indeed strip him naked of a great part of his glory and vilely dethrone him My pen shall not english what mine eyes have read Tell it not in Gath. But for thee Reader be thou a follower of Christ imitate thy pattern Yea let me perswade thee as ever thou hopest to clear up thine interest in him imitate him in such particulars as these that follow First Christ began early to work for God He took the mornning of his life the very top of the morning to work for God How is it said he to his Parents when he was but a child of about twelve years that ye sought me Wist ye not that I must be about my Fathers business Reader if the morning of thy life be not gone oh devote it to the work of God as Christ did If it be ply thy work the closer in the afternoon of thy life If a man have any great and necessary business to do it 's good doing in the morning afterwards a hurry of business and diversion comes on Secondly As Christ began betime so he followed his work close He was early up and he wrought hard so hard that he forgat to eat bread Joh. 31 32. So zealous was he in his Fathers work that his friends thought he had been besides himself Mark 3.21 So zealous that the zeal of Gods house eat him up He flew like a Seraphim in a flame of zeal about the work of God O be not ye like Snales What Augustus said of the young Roman well becomes the true Christian whatsoever he doth he doth it to purpose Thirdly Christ often thâ—ught upon the shortness of his time and wrought hard because he knew his working time would be but little So you find it Joh. 9.4 I most work the works of him that sent me whilst it is day the night cometh when no man can work O in this be like Christ. Rouze your hearts to diligence with this consideration If a man have much to write and be almost come to the end of his paper he will write close and pack much matter in a little room Fourthly He did much work for God and made little noise He wrought hard but did not spoil his work when he had wrought it by vain ostentation When he had exprest his Charity in acts of mercy and bounty to men he would humbly seal up the glory of it with this charge see ye tell no man of it Matth. 8.4 he affected not popular air All the Angels in Heaven could not do what Christ did and yet he called himself a worm for all that Psal. 22.6 O imitate your pattern Work hard for God and let not pride blow upon it when you have done It 's hard for a man to do much and not value himself for it too much Fifthly Christ carried on his work for God resolvedly No discouragements would beat him off though never any work met with more from first to last How did Scribes and Pharisees Jews Gentiles yea Devils set upon him by persecutions and reproaches violent oppositions and subtil temptations but yet on he goes with his Fathers work for all that He is deaf to all discouragements So it was foretold of him Isai. 42.4 He shall not fail nor be discouraged O that more of this spirit of Christ were in his people O that in the strength of love to Christ and zeal for the glory of God you would pour out your hearts in service and like a River sweep down all discouragements before you Sixthly He continued working whilst he continued living His life and labour ended together He fainted not in his work Nay the greatest work he did in this world was his last work O be like Christ in this be not weary of well doing Give not over the work of God while you can move hand or tongue to promote it And see that your last works be more than your first O let the motions of your soul after God be as all natural motions are swiftest when nearest the center Say not it is enough whilst there is any capacity of doing more for God In these things Christians be like your Saviour Inference 6. Did Christ finish his work Look to it Christians that ye also finish your work which God hath given you to do That you may with comfort say when death approaches as Christ said Joh. 17.4 I have glorified thee on earth I have finished the work thou gavest me to do and now O Father glorifie thou me with thine own self Christ had a work committed to him and he finished it you have a work also committed to you O see that you be able to say it 's finished when your time is so O work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling and that I may perswade you to it I beseech you lay these considerations close to heart First If your work be not done before you die it can never be done when you are dead There 's no work nor knowledge nor device in the grave whither thou goest Eccles. 9.5 10. They that go down to the pit cannot celebrate the name of God Isai. 38.18 Death binds up the hand from working any more strikes dumb the tongue that it can speak no more for then the composition is dissolved The body which is the souls tool to work by is broken and thrown aside The soul it self presented immediately before the Lord to give an account of all its works O therefore seeing the night cometh when no man can work as Christ speaks Ioh. 9.4 make haste and finish your work Secondly If you finish not your work as the season of working so the season of mercy will be over at death Do not think you that have neglected Christ all your lives you that could never be perswaded to a laborious holy life that ever your cries and entreaties shall prevail with God for mercy when your season is past No no it 's too late Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him Job 27.9 The season of mercy is then over as the tree falls so it lies Then he that is holy shall be holy still and he that is filthy shall be filthy still Alas poor souls you come too late The Master of the house is risen up and the doors are shut Luk. 19.42 the season is over Happy had it been if ye had known the day of your
1 Pet. 4.19 Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing as to a faithful Creator It 's very true this single relation in it self gives little ground of encouragement unless the creature had conserved that integrity in which it was originally created And they that have no more to plead with God for acceptance but their relation to him as creatures to a Creator will doubtless find that word made good to their little comfort Isa. 27.11 It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour But now grace brings that relation into repute Holiness ingratiates us again and revives the remembrance of this relation So that believers only can plead this Secondly As the gratious soul is his creature so it is his redeemed creature One that he hath bought and that with a great price Even with the pretious blood of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 This greatly encourages the departing soul to commit it self into the hands of God so you find Psal. 31.5 Into thy hands I commend my Spirit thou hast redeemed it O Lord God of truth Surely this is mighty encouragement to put it self upon God in a dying hour Lord I am not only thy creature but thy redeemed creature One that thou hast bought with a great price O I have cost thee dear For my sake Christ came from thy bosom and is it imaginable that after thou hast in such a costly way even by the expence of the pretious blood of Christ redeemed me thou shouldst at last exclude me Shall the ends both of Creation and Redemption of this soul be lost together Will God form such an excellent creature as my soul is in which are so many wonders of the wisdom and power of its Creator Will he be content when sin had marr'd the frame and defaced the glory of it to recover it to himself again by the death of his own dear Son and after all this cast it away as if there were nothing in all this Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit I know thou wilt have a respect to the work of thy hands Especially to a redeemed creature upon which thou hast been out so great sums of Love which thou hast bought at so dear a rate Thirdly Nay that 's not all the gratious soul may confidently and securely commit it self into the hands of God when it parts with its body at death not only because it is his creature his redeemed creature but because it is his renewed creature also And this lays a firm ground â—or the believers confidence of acceptecâ—a not that it is the proper cause or reason of its acceptance but as it is the souls best evidence that it is accepted with God and shall not be refused by him when it comes to him at death For in such a soul there is a double workmanship of God both glorious pieces though the last exceeds in glory A natural workmanship in the excellent frame of that noble creature the soul. And a gratious workmanship upon that again A new creation upon the old Glory upon Glory We are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus Eph. 2.10 The Holy Ghost came down from heaven on purpose to create this new workmanship To frame this new creature And indeed it is the Top and glory of all Gods works of wonder in this world And must needs give the believer encouragement to commit it self to God whether at such a time it shall reflect either upon the end of the work or upon the end of the workman both which meet in the salvation of the soul so wrought upon the end of the work in our glory By this we are made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1.12 It is also the design and end of him that wrought it 2 Cor. 55. Now he that hath wrought us for the self same thing is God Had he not designed thy soul for glory the spirit should never have come upon such a sanctifying design as this Surely it shall not sail of a reception into glory when it 's cast out this Tabernacle Such a work was not wrought in vain neither can it ever perish When once sanctification comes upon a soul it so roots it self in the soul that where the soul goes it goes Gifts indeed they die All natural excellency and beauty that goes away at death Iob 4. ult But grace ascends with the soul. It is a sanctified when a separate soul. And can God shut the door of Glory upon such a soul that by grace is made meet for the inheritance O it cannot be Fourthly As the gracious soul is a renewed soul so it is also a Sealed Soul God hath sealed it in this world for that glory into which it is now to enter at death All gracious souls are sealed objectively i. e. they have those works of grace wrought on their souls which do as but now is said ascertain and evidence their Title to glory And many are sealed formally That is the spirit helps them clearly to discern their interest in Christ and all the promises This both secures heaven to the soul in it self and becomes also an earnest or pledge of the glory in the unspeakable joys and comforts that it breeds in the soul. So you find 2 Cor. 1.22 Who hath sealed us and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts Gods sealing us gives high security His objective seal makes it sure in it self his formal seal makes it so to us But if over and above all this he will please as a fruit of that his sealing to give us those heavenly unexpressible joys and comforts which are the fruit of his formal sealing work to be an earnest a foretast and hansel of that glory how can the soul that hath found all this doubt in the least of a rejection by its God when at death it comes to him surely if God have sealed he will not refuse you If he have given you his earnest he will not shut you out Gods earnest is not given in Jest. Fifthly Moreover every gratious soul may confidently cast it self into the arms of its God when it goes hence with Father into thy hands I commit my Spirit For as much as every gratious soul is a soul in Covenant with God and God stands obliged by his Covenant and Promise to such not to cast them out when they come unto him As soon as ever thy soul became his by regeneration that Promise became its own Heb. 13.5 I will never leave you nor forsake you And will he leave the soul now at a pinch when it never had more need of a God to stand by it than it hath then every gratious soul is entitled to that Promise Ioh. 14.3 I will come again and receive you to my self And will he fail
ascended you shall ascend to him personally hereafter oh that you would ascend to him Spiritually in acts of Faith Love and desires daily Sursum Corda up with your hearts was the form used by the Ancient Church at the Sacrament How good were it if we could say with the Apostle Phil. 3.21 Our Conversation is in Heaven from whence we look for a Saviour An heart ascendant is the best evidence of your interest in Christs ascension Inference 2. Did Christ go to Heaven as a fore-runner What haste should we make to follow him He ran to Heaven he ran thither before us Did he run to glory and shall we linger Did he flee as an Eagle towards Heaven and we creep like snails Come Christians lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset you and run with patience the Race set before you looking unto Iesus Heb. 12.1 2. The Captain of our Salvation is entred within the gates of the new Ierusalem and calls to us out of Heaven to hasten to him proposing the greatest incouragements to them that are following after him saying he that overcomes shall sit with me in my Throne as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his Throne Rev. 3.21 How tedious should it seem to us to live so long at a distance from our Lord Jesus our Life Inference 3. Did Christ ascend so triumphantly leading Captivity Captive How little reason then have believers to fear their conquered enemies Sin Satan and every enemy was in that day led away in triumph dragged at Christs Chariot wheels Brought after him as it were in Chains 'T is a lovely sight to see the necks of those Tyrants under the foot of our Ioshuah He made at that day an open shew of them Col. 2.15 Their strength is broken for ever In this he shewed himself more than a conqueror for he conquered and triumphed too Satan was then trod under his feet And he hath promised to tread him under our feet also and that shortly Rom. 16.20 Some power our enemies yet retain the Serpent may bruise our heel but Christ hath crusht his head Inference 4. Did Christ ascend so munificently shedding forth so many mercies upon his people Mercies of inestimable value reserved on purpose to adorn that day O then see that you abuse not those most pretious ascension gifts of Christ but value and improve them as the choicest mercies Now the Ascension gifts as I told you are either the Ordinances and Officers of the Church for he then gave them Pastors and Teachers or the Spirit that furnisht the Church with all its gift Beware you abuse not either of these First Abuse not the Ordinances and Officers of Christ. This is a sin that no Nation is plunged deeper into the guilt of it thâ—n this Nation And no Age more than this Surely God hath written to us the great things of his Law and we have accounted them small things We have been loose wanton sceptical professors for the most part that have had nice and coy stomachs that could not relish plain wholesom truths except so and so modified to our humors For this the Lord hath a Controversie with the Nation and by a sore Judgement he hath begun to rebuke this sin already And I doubt before he make an end plain truths will down with us and we shall bless God for them Secondly But in the next place see that you abuse not the Spirit whom Christ hath sent from Heaven at his ascension to supply his bodily absence among us and is the great pledge of his care for and tender love to his people Now take heed that you dont vex him by your disobedience Nor greive him by your unkindnesses Nor quench him by your sinful neglects of duty or abuse of light O deal kindly with the Spirit and obey his voice Comply with his designs and yield up your selves to his guidance and conduct Methinks to be intreated by the Love of the Spirit Rom. 15.30 Should be as great an Argument as to be intreated for Christs sake Now to perswade all the Saints to be tender of grieving the Spirit by sin let me urge a few Considerations proper to the point under hand And Consid. 1. First He was the first and principal mercy that Christ received for you at his first entrance into Heaven It was the first thing he asked of God when he came to Heaven So he speaks Ioh. 14.16 17. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you No sooner had he set foot upon the place but the first thing the great thing that was upon his heart to ask the Father for us was that the Spirit might be forthwith dispatcht and sent down to his people So that the spirit is the first-born of mercies And deserves the first place in our hearts and esteems Consid. 2. Secondly The Spirit comes not in his own name to us though if so he deserves a dear welcome for his own sake and for the benefits we receive by him which are inestimable but he comes to us in the name and in the loves both of the Father and Son As one authorized and delegated by them Bringing his Credentials under both their hands and seals Ioh. 15.26 But when the Comforter is come whom I will send to you from the Father Mark I will send him from the Father and in Ioh. 14.26 The Father is said to send him in Christs name So that he is the messenger that comes from both these great and holy persons And if you have any Love for the God that made you any kindness for Christ that died for you shew it by your obedience to the Spirit that comes from them both and in both their names to us and who will be both offended and grieved if you grieve him O therefore give him an enterâ—ainment worthy of one that comes to you in the name of the Lord. In the Fathers name and in the Sons name Consid. 3. Thirdly But that is not the only consideration that should cause you to beware of grieving the Spirit because he is sent in the name of such great and dear persons to you but he deserves better entertainment than any of the Saints give him for his own sake and upon his own account and that upon a double score viz. Of his Nature and Office First On the account of his Nature for he is God Co-equal with the Father and Son in Nature and digniâ—y 2 Sam. 23.23 The Spirit of the Lord spake by me and his word was in my tongue the God of Israel said the Rock of Israel spake to me So that you see he is God The rock of Israel God omnipotent for he created all things Gen. 1.2 God omnipresent filling all things Psal. 139.7 God omniscient who knows your hearts Rom. 9.1 Beware of him therefore and grieve him not for in so doing you grieve God Secondly Upon
with other Martyrs that were bound with Cords to Execution and he for his dignity was not bound he cryed give me my Chain too let me be a Knight of the same order Disgrace it self is honourable when 't is endured for the Lord of glory And surely there is as one phraseth it a little Paradise a young Heaven in sufferings for Christ. If there were nothing else in it but that they are endured on his account it would richly reward all we can endure for him but if we consider how exceeding kind Christ is to them that count it their glory to be abased for him that though he be alwaies kind to his people yet if we may so speak he overcometh himself in kindness when they suffer for him it should make men in Love with his reproaches Inference 5. If Christ sate not down to rest in Heaven till he had finished his work on earth then 't is in vain for us to think of rest till we have finished our work as Christ also did his How willing are we to find rest here To dream of that which Christ never found in this world nor any ever found before us O think not of resting till you have done working and done sinning Your life and your labours must end together Write saith the Spirit blessed are the dead that die in the Lord for they rest from their labours Rev. 14.13 Here you must have the Sweat and there the Sweet 'T is too much to have two Heavens Here you must be content to dwell in the Tents of Keder hereafter you shall be within the curtains of Solomon Heaven is the place of which it may be truly said That there the weary be at rest O think not of sitting down on this side Heaven There are four things will keep the Saints from sitting down on earth to rest viz. Grace Corruptions Devils and wicked men First Grace will not suffer you to rest here Its tendencies are beyond this world It will be looking and longing for the blessed hope A gratious person takes himself for a Pilgrim seeking a better Country and is alwaies suspicious of danger in every place and state It 's still beating up the sluggish heart with such language as that Mica 2.10 Arise depart this is not thy rest for it is polluted It s farther tendencies and continual Jealousies will keep you from sitting long still in this world Secondly Your Corruptions will keep you from rest here They will continually exercise your Spirits and keep you upon your watch Saints have their hands filled with work by their own hearts every day Sometimes to prevent sin and sometimes to lament it And allwaies to watch and fear to mortifie and kill it Sin will not long suffer you to be quiet Rom. 7.21 22 23 24. And if a bad heart will not break your rest here then Thirdly There is a busie Devil will do it He will find you work enough with his Temptations and suggestions and except you can sleep quietly in his arms as the wicked do there 's no rest to be expected Your adversary the Devil goeth about as a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour whom resist 1 Pet. 5.8 Fourthly Nor will his Servants and instruments let you be quiet on this side Heaven Their very name speaks their turbulent disposition My Soul saith the holy man is among Lyons and I lye even among them that are set on fire even the Sons of men whose teeth are Spears and Arrows Psal. 57.4 Well then be content to enter into your rest as Christ did into his He sweat then sate and so must you The FORTY SECOND SERMON ACT. X. XLII And he commanded us to Preach unto the people and to testifie that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Iudge of quick and dead CHrist enthroned in the highest glory in Heaven is there to abide for the effectual and successful government both of the World and of the Church untill the number given him by the Father before the World was and purchased by the blood of the Cross be gathered in and then cometh the Judgement of the great day which will perfectly separate the pretious from the vile put the redeemed in full possession of the purchase of his blood in Heaven and then shall he deliver up the Kingdom to his Father that God may be all in all This last act of Christ namely his Judging the world is a special part of his Exaltation and honour bestowed upon him because he is the Son of man Joh. 5.27 In that day shall his glory as King and absolute Lord shine forth as the Sun when it shineth in its strength O what an honour will it be to the man Christ Jesus who stood arraigned and condemned at Pilates bar to sit upon the great white Throne surrounded with thousands and ten thousands of Angels Men and Devils waiting upon him to receive their final Sentence from his mouth In this will the glory of Christs Soveraignty and power be eminently and illustriously displayed before Angels and men And this is that great truth which He commanded to be Preached and testified to the people namely that it is he which is ordained of God to be the Iudge of quick and dead Wherein we have four things to be distinctly considered viz. The Subject Object Fountain and Truth of this supream judiciary authority First The Subject of it Christ. It is he that iâ— ordained to be Iudge Judgement is the act of the whole undivided Trinity The Father and Spirit Judge as well as Christ in respect of authority and consent but it 's the act of Christ in respect of visible management and execution and so it 's his per proprietatem by propriety the Father having conferred it upon him as the Son of man but not his per appropriationem so as to exclude either the Father or Spirit from their authority for they Judge by him Secondly The Object of Christs Judiciary authority The quick and dead i. e. all that at his coming do live or ever had lived This is the Object personal All the men and women that ever sprang from Adam all the Apostate Spirits that fell from Heaven and are reserved in chains to the Judgement of this great day And in this personal object is included the real object viz. all the actions both secret and open that ever they did 2 Cor. 5.5 Rom. 2.16 Thirdly The Fountain of this delegated authority which is God the Father for he hath ordained Christ to be the Judge He is appointed sc. as the Son of man to this honourable office and work The word notes a firm establishment of Christ in that office by his Father He is now by right of redemption Lord and King He enacts Laws for government then he comes to Judge of mens obedience and disobedience to his Laws Fourthly And lastly here is the infallible Truth or unquestionable certainty of all this He
the dear Son of God came from the blessed bosom of the Father assumed flesh brake by the strength of his own Love through all discouragements and impediments laid down his own life a ransom for their Souls for whom he Lived Died Rose Ascended and lives for ever in Heaven to intercede to live holy to Christ as Christ lived and died wholly for them O Brethren never was the Heathen world acquainted with such arguments to deter them from sin never acquainted with such motives to urge them to holiness as I shall this day acquaint you with My request is to give up both your hearts and lives to glorifie the Father Son and Spirit whose you are by the holiness and heavenliness of them Other things are expected from you than from other men See that you turn not all this grace that hath founded in your ears into wantonness Think not because Christ hath done so much for you you may sit still much less indulge your selves in sin because Christ hath offered up such an excellent sacrifice for the expiation of it No no though Christ came to be a Curse he did not come to be a a Cloak for your sins If one died for all then were all dead that they that live should not henceforth live to themselves but to him that died for them 2 Cor. 5.15 O keep your lives pure and clean Don't make fresh work for the blood of Christ every day If you live in the Spirit see that you walk in the Spirit Gal. 5.25 That is saith Cornelius à Lapide very solidly Let us shape and order our lives and actions according to the dictates instinct and impulses of the Spirit and of that grace of the Spirit put within us and planted in our hearts which tendeth to practical holiness Oh let the grace which is in your hearts issue out into all your Religious Civil and natural actions Let the Faith that is in your hearts appear in your prayers The Obedience of your hearts in hearing The Meekness of your hearts in suffering The Mercifulness of your hearts in distributing The Truth and Righteousness of your hearts in trading The Sobriety and Temperance of your hearts in eating and drinking These be the fruits of Christs sufferings indeed and they are sweet fruits Let grace refine enoble and elevate all your actions that you may say truly our conversation is in Heaven Let grace have the ordering of your tongues and of your hands the moulding of your whole conversation Let not Humility appear in some actions and Pride in others Holy seriousness in some companies and vain frothiness in others Suffer not the fountain of corruption to mingle with or pollute the streams of grace Write as exactly as you can after your Copy Christ. O let there not be as one well expresses it here a line and there a blanck Here a word and there a blot One word of God and two of the World Now a Spiritual rapture and then a fleshly Frollick This day a fair stride to Heaven and to morrow a slide back again towards Hell But be you in the fear of the Lord all the day long Let there be a due proportion betwixt all the parts of your conversation Approve your selves the servants of Christ in all things By pureness by knowledge by long suffering by the Holy Ghost by Love unfeigned by the Word of Truth by the power of God by the armour of Righteousness on the right hand and on the left 2 Cor. 6.6 See then how accuratly you walk Cut off occasion from them that desire occasion and in well doing commit your selves to God and commend Religion to the World That this is your great concernment and duty I shall evidence to your conscience by these following considerations That of all persons in the world the Redeemed of the Lord are most obliged to be holy Most assisted for a life of holiness And that God intends to make great Vse of their lives both for the conviction and conversion of others Consid. First God hath most obliged them to live pure and strict lives I know the command obliges all men to it even those that cast away the cords of the commands and break Christs bonds asunder are yet bound by them and cannot plead a dispensation to live as they do Yea and it is not unusual for them to feel the obligations of the command upon their consciences even when their impetuous Lusts hurry them on to the violation of them but there are special ties upon your souls that oblige you to holiness of life more than others Many special and peculiar engagements you are under First from God Secondly from your selves Thirdly from your Brethren Fourthly from your enemies First God hath peculiarly obliged you to purity and strictness of Life Yea every person in the blessed Trinity hath cast his Cord over your Souls to bind up your hearts and lives to the most strict and precise obedience of his commands The Father hath obliged you and that not only by the common tie of Creation which is yet of great efficacy in it self for is it reasonable that God should create and form so excellent a piece and that it should be employed against him That he should plant the Tree and another eat the Fruit of it But besides this common engagement he hath obliged you to holiness of life First By his wise and merciful designs and counsels for your recovery and salvation by Jesus Christ. It was he that laid the corner stone of your salvation with his own hands The first motion sprang out of his breast If God had not designed the Redeemer for you the world had never seen him he had never left that sweet bosom for you It was the Act of the Father to give you to the Son to be Redeemed and then to give the Son to be a Redeemer to you Both of them stupenduous and astonishing Acts of grace And in both God acted as a most free Agent When he gave you to Christ before the beginning of time there was nothing out of himself that could in the least move him to it When the Father Son and Spirit sate as I may say at the Counsel Table contriving and laying the design for the salvation of a few out of many of Adams degenerate off-spring there was none came before them to speak one word for thee but such was the divine pleasure to insert thy name in that Catalogue of the saved Oh how much owest thou to the Lord for this And what an engagement doth it leave upon thy soul to obey please and glorifie him Secondly By his bountiful remunerations of your obedience which have been wonderful What service didst thou ever perform for him for which he hath not paid thee a thousand times more than it was worth Didst thou ever seek him diligently and not find him a bountiful rewarder none seek him in vain unless such only as seek him vainly Heb. 11.6
Mr. Coverdale well translates filii non negantes such as will keep touch with me and will answer their Covenant engagements And again surely thou wilt fear me thou wilt receive instruction And shall not all this engage you to God What! neither the antient and bountiful love of God in contriving your Redemption from eternity nor the bounty of God in rewarding all and every piece of service you have done for him Nor yet the pleasure he takes in your obedience and upright walking Nor the incouraging promises he hath made thereto nor yet his confident expectations of such a life from you whom he hath so many waies obliged and endeared to himself will you forget your antient friend Contemn his rewards take no delight or care to please him Slight his promises and deceive and fail his expectations Be astonished O ye Heavens at this And be horribly afraid Consider how God the Father hath fastned this five fold cord upon your Souls and shew your selves Christians yea to use the Prophets words Esa. 46.8 Remember this and shew your selves men Secondly You are yet farther engaged to this precise and holy life by what the Son hath done for you is not this pure and holy life the very aim and next end of his death Did he not shed his blood to redeem you from your vain conversations 1 Pet. 1.18 Was not this the design of all his sufferings that being delivered out of the hands of your enemies you might serve him in righteousness and holiness all the daies of your life Luk. 1.74 75. And is not the Apostles inference 2 Cor. 5.14 15. highly reasonable if one dyed for all then were all dead and that he dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live to themselves but to him that dyed for them Did Christ only buy your Persons and not your services also No no who ever hath thy time thy strength or any part of either I can assure thee Christian that Christ hath paid for it and thou givest away what is none of thine own to give Every moment of thy time is his Every Talent whether of grace or nature is his And dost thou defraud him of his own Oh how liberal are you of your pretious words and hours as if Christ had never made a purchase of them Oh think of this when thy life runs muddy and â—oul When the fountain of corruption flows out at thy tongue in idle frothy discourses or at thy hand in sinful unwarrantable actions doth this become the redeemed of the Lord Did Christ come from the bosom of his Father for this Did he groan sweat bleed endure the Cross and lay down his life for this Was he so well pleased with all his sorrows and sufferings his pangs and agonies upon the account of that satisfaction he should have in seeing the travail of his Soul Isa. 53.11 as if he had said Welcome Death welcome Agonies welcome the bitter cup and heavy burthen I chearfully submit to all this These are travailing pangs indeed but I shall see a beautiful birth at last These throws and Agonies shall bring forth many lively Children to God I shall have joy in them and glory from them to all Eternity This blood of mine these sufferings of mine shall purchase to me the Persons Duties Services and obedience of many thousands that will Love me and Honour me Serve me and Obey me with their Souls and Bodies which are mine And doth not this engage you to look to your lives and keep them pure Is not every one of Christs wounds a mouth open to plead for more holiness more service and more fruit from you Oh what will engage you if this will not But Thirdly This is not all as a man when he weigheth a thing casteth in weight after weight till the scales are counterpoised so doth God cast in engagement after engagement and argument upon argument till thy heart Christian be weighed up and won to this heavenly life And therefore as Elihu said to Iob cap. 36.22 Suffer me a little and I will shew thee what I have yet to speak on Gods behalf Some Arguments have already been urged on the behalf of the Father and Son for purity and cleanness of life and next I have something to plead on the behalf of the Spirit I plead now on his behalf who hath so many times helped you to plead for your selves with God He that hath so often refreshed quickened and comforted you he will be quenched grieved and displeased by an impure loose and careless conversation and what will you do then Who shall comfort you when the Comforter is departed from you When he that should releive your souls is far off Oh grieve not the holy Spirit of God by which you are sealed to the day of Redemption Eph. 4.30 There is nothing grieves him more than impure practices For he is a holy Spirit And look as water damps and quenches the fire so doth sin quench the Spirit 1 Thes. 5.19 Will you quench the warm affections and burning desires which he hath kindled in your bosoms if you do it is a question whether ever you may recover them again to your dying day the Spirit hath a delicate Sence It is the most tender thing in the whole world He feels the least touch of sin and is grieved when thy corruptions within are stirred by temptations and break out to the defiling of thy life then is the holy Spirit of God as it were made sad and heavy within thee As that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes. 4.30 may be rendred For thereby thou both resistest his motions whereby in the way of a loving constraint he would lead and guide thee in the way of thy Duty yea thou not only resistest his motions but crossest his grand design which is to purge and sanctifie thee wholly and build thee up more and more to the perfection of holiness And when thou thus forsakest his conduct and crossest his design in thy soul then doth he usually with-draw as a man that is grieved by the unkindness of his friend He draws in the beams of his evidencing and quickning grace Packs up all his divine Cordials and saith as it were to this unkind and disingenious Soul Hast thou thus requited me for all the favours and kindnesses thou hast received from me Have I quickened thee when thou wast dead in transgressions did I descend upon thee in the Preaching of the Gospel and communicate life even the life of God to thee leaving others in the state of the Dead Have I shed forth such rich influences of grace and comfort upon thee Comforting thee in all thy troubles helping thee in all thy duties satisfying thee in all thy doubts and perplexities of soul saving thee and pulling thee back from so many destructive temptations and dangers What had been thy condition if I had not come unto thee Could the Word have converted thee without me
your lives be loose and defiled you will not only be a shame to your friends but the Song of your enemies You will make mirth in Hell And gratifie all the enemies of God This is that they watch for They are curious observers of your goings And that which makes them Triumph at your falls and miscarriages is not only that deep rooted enmity betwixt the two seeds but because all your miscarriages and evils are so many absolutions to their consciences and Justifications as they think of their waies and practices For look as your strictness and holiness doth as it were cast and condemn them as Noah Heb. 11.7 by his practice condemned the world their consciences fly in their faces when they see your holy and pure conversations It lays a damp upon them It works upon their consciences and causes many smart reflections So when you fall you as it were absolve their consciences loose the bonds of conviction you had made fast upon them and now there 's matter of Joy put before them Oh say they what ever these men talk we see they are no better than we They can do as we do They can Cozen and Cheat for advantage They can comply with any thing for their own ends 't is not conscience as we once thought but meer stomach and humor that made them so precise And oh what a sad thing is this Hereby you shed Soul-blood You fasten the bonds of death upon their souls You kill those convictions which for any thing you know might have made way to their conversion When you fall you may rise again but they may fall at your example and never rise more Never have a good opinion of the waies of God or of his people any more Upon this consideration David begs of God Psal. 5.8 Lead me O Lord in thy righteousness because of my enemies or as the Hebrew my observers make thy way straight before my face And thus you see how your very enemies oblige you to this holy and pure conversation also Now put all this together and see to what these particulars will amount You have heard how God the Father hath engaged you to this conversation purity by his designment of your Salvation Rewarding your obedience His pleasure in it His Promises to it And his great confidence in you that you will thus walk before him The Lord Iesus hath also engaged you thereunto by his death and sufferings whereby you were Redeemed from your vain conversations The Spirit hath engaged you by telling you plainly how much you will grieve and wrong him resist and quench him if you do not keep your selves pure Yea you are obliged further by your selves your clear illumination your high profession your many prayers and confessions your many censures and reprehensions of others do all strengthen your obligation to holiness Yea you are obliged further to this holy life by the shame grief and trouble your loose walking will bring upon your friends And the mirth it will make for and mischief it will do to your enemies Who will fall and break their necks where it may be you only stumbled and brake your shins Who are Justified and absolved as before you heard by your miscarriages And now what think you of all this Are you obliged or not to this purity of life Are all these bonds tied with such slip-knots that you can get loose and free your selves at pleasure from them If all these things are of no force with you if none of these bonds can hold you may it not be questioned notwithstanding your profession whether any spiritual principle any fear of God or love to Christ be in your souls or no O you could not play fast and loose with God if so you could not as Sampson snap these bonds assunder at your pleasure Consid. 2. Secondly As you are more obliged to keep the issues of life pure than others are so God hath given you greater assistances and advantages for it than others have God hath not been wanting to any in helps and means Even the Heathen who are without the Gospel will yet be speechless and inexcusable before God but how much more will you be so who besides their light of nature and the general light of the Gospel have first such a principle put within you Secondly such patterns set before you Thirdly such an assistant ready to help you Fourthly so many rods at your backs to quicken you and prevent your wandering If notwithstanding all these helps your live be still unholy First Shall men of such principles walk as others do Shall we lament for you as David once did for Saul saying there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away the shield of Saul as though he had not been anointed with oyl There the honour of a Christian was vilely cast away as though he had not been anointed with the Spirit You have received an unction from the holy one which teacheth you all things 1 Joh. 2.20 Another Spirit far above that which is in other men 1 Cor. 2.12 And as this Spirit which is in you is fitted for this life of holiness for ye are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus to good works Ephes. 2.10 So this holy Spirit a principle infused into your souls hath such a natural tendency to this holy life that if you live not purely and strictly you must offer violence to your own principles and a new nature A twofold help this principle affords you for a life of holiness 1. First It pulls you back from sin as in Ioseph How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God! And it also inclines you powerfully to obedience 'T is a curb to sin and a spur to holiness It is unpossible for all others to live spiritually and heavenly because they have no new nature to incline them thereunto And methinks it should be hard for you to live carnally and sensually and therein cross the very bent and tendency of the new creature which is formed in you How can you neglect Prayer as others do whiles the Spirit by divine pulsations is awaking and rousing up your sluggish hearts with such inward motions and whispers as that Psal. 27.8 Seek my face Yea whilst you fell during your omissions of duty something within that bemoans it self and as it were cryes for food pains and gripes you like an empty stomach and will not let you be quiet till it be relieved How can you let out your hearts to the world as other men do when all that while your Spirit is restless and akes like a bone out of joint And you can never be at ease till you come back to God and say as Psal. 116. Return to thy rest O my soul. Is it not hard yea naturally impossible to fix a stone and make it abide in the fluid air Doth not every creature in a restless motion tend to its proper Center and desire its own perfection So doth this new creature