the power of any creature What Angel or what man can worke such thinges If my works bee not aboue all works belieue not in â—ee but if it be otherwise belieue in mee And there were nonâ— other argumâ—nt in the worlde to moue men to belieue that the Lorde â—esus is the God of glory and that in his Manhood the Godhead dwelleth the very effects the words the works the deed testifie and â—hee is able to conuict all the conscienceâ— of men and Angels and make them say The Lord Iesus is the God of glory Yea Brethren and there were no more to peswade vs that Iesus is the God of glorie but the word wee haue of Iesus this power of the word of the Crosse and this grace and Majesty that shines in the Scriptures it testifieth plainly that the Lord the Author of that worde is the God of Heauen for it hath such a power in the soules of men and women that either it conuicteth them or else it conuerteth them and therefore it is called the power of God And it were the word of man that worde coulde neuer haue such power to conuict the worlde or to bring the soules of men to saluation So the effectes that come from the Lord testifie to the world that he is God and is able to conuict the consciences of all the enemies in the worlde yea euen of the Deuill himselfe But and there bee no more they will neuer bring thee to saluation Therefore if thou wouldest haue that solide fayth in Iesus Christ and that taste of his sweetnesse in thine heart thou must haue another witnesse â— the holy Spirite must concur with the outwarde worde and the outwarde works drawing alluring and perswading thee by renewing thine heart and that bringeth with it the greatest joye and sweetnesse in the world When the Spirit is inwardly in the heart draweth it to Christ as the eye seeth the workes the soule beginneth to rest and repose vpon the Lord with a joy vnspeakeable Therfore euer preasse to get the presence of that Spirite or otherwise the works will but conuict vs and make vs inexcusable in that great day Yet he insists he bringeth another argument to allure them to belieue Verilie verilie sayth the Lord belieue mee that I am in the Father if ye belieue this it shall be for your owne weale it shall not only bee for my glory but for your weale Yee thinke my workes great but belieue in me and I shall make you worke these workes and greater than these So this argument is taken for their owne weale Who getteth greatest vantage in the honouring of God Who getteth greatest vantage in belieuing Is it the Lorde No he may want thee and all thy well-doing and not an haire the more bee impaired of his glory All the vantage commeth to the creature and the glory of the creature standeth in glorifying the Creator The felicity of man and woman in earth is in belieuing Christ Iesus So wilt thou be blessed belieue In a word and thou belieue the best is thine owne and all the profite redoundeth to thee What vantage bringeth fayth with it There is not a man or a woman that will once belieue in the Lord Iesus but as soone his heart will be filled with that Spirit and with all good things and with power to worke all manner of good works surmounting all the powers of nature So a poore body belieuing in Christ Iesus will haue more power to doe good than all the Kinges in the world that haue no more but nature So it is saide of Steuen that he was full of fayth and of the Spirit and of power And what followeth he was so powerful in reasoning that the Pharisees could not resist him he had a wonderous working with him And in the Primitiue Kirke after the Lorde had suffered and when hee was glorified they who did belieue in him got such a power that was marueilous to the world Looke the Actes and the last Chapter of Marke So they who belieue in Christ surpasse the worlde It is true those extraordinary and miraculous workes cease now but yet the power that followeth on the fayth in Christ abideth effectuall if not in such miraculous works as were to cast out Deuils to speake with Tongues c. which were in the Primitiue Kirke Yet in such workes as the worlde cannot worke The wordes of a sinfull man are powerfull to regeneration and to renewe a dead soule And it is no lesse wonder to raise vp a dead soule than to raise a dead man out of the graue yea it is a greater work And if ye wil go to works fayth maketh vs meete to work the works of charity And I say it is better to worke a charitable worke than such miraculous workes the one is more excellent and precious than the other Iudas wrought wonders but hee could not worke the works of charitie These works of charity are as as many witnesses of our election and they bring greater joye with them than all miraculous works When the Disciples returned to Christ rejoycing that they had wrought great miracles through his Name the Lord saieth vnto them Rejoyce rather in this that your names are written in the Heauens Luke 10.17 If vvee finde the power of fayth in working charitable workes wee may thinke vs well for we are lifted aboue this world and are become Citizens in Heauen awaiting for that redemption to come So I say fayth is powerfull in worde and deede and hee who wanteth this fayth hee wanteth power in word and deede and so blessed is he who hath this fayth Now there ariseth a question in the words Some would thinke this a marueilous thing that the Lorde will giue power to his Disciples to worke greater workes than himselfe wrought I answere It is true indeed the Disciples of Iesus Christ after his Ascension wrought greater workes than the Lord did in his owne person but it was not so much the Disciples as it was the Lorde of glory that wrought these works by the Disciples hee vttered his power vsing them as ministers Yet should not the Lorde haue wrought greater workes himselfe in his owne person than hee wrought by his Disciples Should he not himselfe haue wrought greater works when he was in the earth than hee wrought by his Disciples when he was in Heauen I answere No for the Lord so long as he was in the earth was but humble that diuine power did keep it self close vttered not it selfe in the full measure and so it behoued to be that the Godhead should not vtter the selfe in his humiliation Buâ— when he is glorified in the nature of man in the Heauen then the power of that Godhead in him vttered it self in greater power than in the earth And if there were no more to proue that Christ glorified wrought greater thinges by his Apostles than he did in his owne person when hee was humbled this one
I charge thee till thou gettest that life without the which there is no quietnesse thou mayest be quiet for a while but blacke shall bee thy wakening and say thou Lord liue in my soule for and he liue not heere in thy soule thou shalt not get that life to come Now to draw to an ende Hee letteth them see what vantage they shall haue of that sight It is no small vantage to see Christ In that day would the Lord say what shall yee see vvhen yee see mee Yee shall see two thinges two vnions in the sight of which standeth the joye of the creature The first is the vnion betwixt me and the Father J am in the Father that is I am God with the Father And next ye shal see yourselues to stand in this societie That is That yee are in mee and I in you to your joye and comfort One may aske Howe shalt thou see him vnited with the Father A man or vvoman shall not so soone set the eye of the soule vpon Iesus Christ shall not so soone belieue in him but as soone they shall knowe and belieue the vnity of the essence and glory of the Father and of the Sonne By fayth in Christ they shall gripe an infinite power Who is he that belieueth in Iesus Christ vvho findeth not in his heart an infinite power and an infinite mercy And vve feele not this vvee feele nothing And vvee feele not by fayth an vnspeakeable loue vvee feele nothing In one vvord vvhen one belieueth in Christ they shall see in him an infinit Majesty othervvayes fayth could not rest on him for fayth can rest on nothing but on God I remember Paul to the Ephesians Chap. 1. Vers 18.19 hee prayeth the Lord to illuminate the hearts of the Ephesians to see heauenly thinges and among the rest to see that excellent greatnesse of power There is none that belieueth in Christ but they finde an excellent power Then if fayth finde the Majesty of God in him the man vvill lay this conclusion and say I see my Sauiour is God and is one vvith the Father And there the soule getteth a sweet repose to rest vpon So ye see as soone as the soule belieueth in Christ it feeleth an vnspeakeable power and Majesty and so gathereth hee is God and one vvith the Father Except hee were God and one with the Father it coulde not bee that one belieuing in Christ coulde haue such joye and peace in the heart This is the Trueth and hee were not God mine heart could not haue joye in belieuing in him So this power wee finde striking from the Lord in belieuing telleth vs that the Lord is God Nowe to speake of the second vnion Howe is this that when wee looke to Christ by fayth wee finde vs joyned with him in that blessed society The eye shall not so soone bee set on Christ and gette a blinke of him but in him it shall finde the satiety of joye In the face of Christ is all light and joye as Paul sayeth Turne the heart till him the vaile shall vanish awaye and the minde shall bee illuminated because the Lord is a Spirit 2. Cor. Chap. 3. vers 16.17 When thou belieuest in him his face shall shine in thy soule thou shalt see no light but in him Is this the effect of fayth What then shouldest thou gather Thou vvouldest neuer finde ioye except the Spirit had vnited thee and him All this light power and ioye which is in our soules floweth from that vnion of Christ with vs. Then Brethren the sight of Christ will let vs see the two ioyfullest sightes that euer wee saw First that vnion betwixt him and his Father and so thou wilt see thy Sauiour to bee God equall with the Father in glory and Maiesty The next is Thou shalt see thy selfe to stand in that societie with the Father and the Sonne Men would be in honest societie What more gracious yea what more blessed societie woldest thou haue than to be in societie with the blessed Trinitie in glory for euer For this is the felicitie of man to bee ioyned with that blessed Trinitie euen with the Father with the Sonne and with the holy Spirit To whom be praise and honour foreuer and euer Amen THE SEVENTH LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xiiii VERS 21.22.23.24.25.26 21 Hee that hath my Commandements and keepeth them is hee that loueth mee and hâ—e that loueth mee shall bee loued of my Father and I will loue him and will shew mine owne selfe to him 22 Judas saide vnto him not Iscariot Lord what is the cause that thou wilt shew thy selfe vnto vs and not vnto the world 23 Jesus answered and said vnto him If any man loue mee hee will keepe my word and my Father will loue him and wee will come vnto him and will dwell with him 24 Hee that loueth mee not keepeth not my words and the word which yee heare is not mine but the Fathers which sent mee 25 These thinges have I spoken vnto you being present with you 26 But the Comforter which is the holy Ghoste whome the Father will send in my Name hee shall teach you in all thinges and bring all thinges to your remembrance which I haue tolde you WEE haue heard welbeloued Brethren how Christ hath insisted much with his Disciples to assure them that after his departure out of this world he would giue them another Comforter to wit the holy Spirit the Spirit of Trueth and he would giue them his presence from the Heauen Hee hath repeated his promise often to assure them of the trueth thereof Nowe hee returneth vnto that seconde exhortation and exhorteth his Disciples of newe to keepe his Commandementes in his absence Hee sayeth the Lord who hath my Commandements and keepeth them is hee who loueth mee As he would say Wouldest thou know the man who loueth me when I am in the Heauens It is hee who keepeth my CoÌ„mandements here on earth Ye see the Lord is very earnest to exhort his Disciples to keep his CoÌ„mandemeÌ„ts as they vvould testifie to the vvorld that they loue him The Lord knew vvell enough the hypocrisie of this vvorlde and in this latter age chiefely that men vvomen vvould haue a pretence of loue and faith and haue none indeed in their heart and therfore he insisteth vvith his Disciples that men should kythe it indeede The babler and the speaker onely is not the louer but the doer Iohn in his first Epistle Chap. 3. vers 18. saith My little Children let vs not loue in word neither in tounge but in deed and trueth They who belieue are not those who speake most but those who doe most James Chap. 2 vers 18. saith Let me see thy fayth by thy workes and I will shew thee my fayth by my works Christ is not a voyce or a sound sounding in mens eares but the Lord Iesus is in deede and effect and there are none who haue Christ
of the godlie and those who belieue in Iesus Christ the Spirite entereth into their heartes and worketh the greatest joye and consolation that euer was There was neuer a soule that knewe what true joye meaned but those that felt the Spirite The other effect is in respect of those who abide rebellious against Christ In respect of them the holy Spirite is aye rebuking and threatning them to their damnation and that by the Ministerie of poore men for hee will set them vp and make them stand vp and rebuke all the obstinate yea euen the Kinges of the earth if they will not belieue All these reproofes that come out of the mouthes of the seruauntes of IESVS CHRIST howe simple soeuer they bee they proceede not so much from the mouthes of men as from the holie Spirite and they contemne the holie Spirit who contemne those men his Ministers and the Lord of Heauen will bee auenged on them in that great Daye But to come to the particulars Hee shall rebuke the worlde and conuict it of three thinges The first is Hee shall conuict the worlde of sinne Next Of righteousnesse And thirdlie Of judgement The first of these three concerneth the faythlesse vvorlde and the other two concerne the Lord Iesus Hee shall conuict the world that the Lord Iesus is not only holy and righteous but also the great and glorious Iudge of the world First he saith The holy Spirit when hee shall come hee shall conuict the world of sinne Then hee sheweth the ground Because the world belieueth not in me The sinne is infidelitie in that they belieue not in Iesus Christ the heauiest sinne that can fall vpon any man for it bringeth on the greatest guiltinesse and condemnation that euer was Hee who belieueth not in mee saith Christ he is condemned already Iohn 3. vers 18. Looke how soone thou sinnest if thou refuse to turne thine heart to the Lord Iesus as soone thou art condemned the Lord delayeth not the sentence to the last daye but when thou hast sinned the Lord immediately ascendeth as a Iudge to his Tribunall and giueth out the sentence of wrath against thee because thou belieuest not in the onely begotten Sonne of God So there is no greater sinne than infidelity for where it is all sinnes are imputed as by the contrary the greatest righteousnesse that any man in this world can haue is to belieue in Christ it is such a righteousnes that taketh away all the sin whatsoeuer where it is no sinne is imputed Art thou a Murderer a Blasphemer an Adulderer c. belieue in Christ that he died for thee and thy sins shal not be laid to thy charge for the righteousnes of Christ cloatheth a guilty man with righteousnes And this moued a notable seruaÌ„t of God to say There is no sin without infidelity no righteousnes without faith Meaning that of al the sins in the world the sin of infidelity is the greatest for if thou belieue not the least euil thought that thou canst think shal abide before God coÌ„tinually so long as infidelity abideth all sin abideth take it away all thy sins shall be taken away This is then the meaning would ye haue proofe of this how the holy Spirit shal reproue the world of sin look Paul 1. Cor. 14.24 there ye will find the experience hereof for hee saieth Jf a man prophesie conforme to the worde if an idiote commeth in at the doore oâ— an vnlearned man that belieueth not hee is rebuked of all and is judged of all and so are the secretes of his heart made manifest to wit that infidelitie that laye in his heart is made manifest and then hee falleth downe on his face and worshippeth GOD and sayeth plainlie GOD is in you indeede We haue the experience of this in our own selues when Iesus Christ is preached there are none that heare and are guiltie but their heartes are conuicted there is none of you but ye find this for if thou be an harlot when thou hearest harlotry preached thou art conuicted except thou be conuerted by the holy Spirit and canst come to God and say Lord for Christes sake haue mercy on mee for that person that doeth so is not onelie vnconuicted but also is comforted by the Spirite And happie is that soule which findeth this wrought into it Nowe What is the next thing when the Spirite shall come whereof he shall conuict the world and vnbelieuing Iewes Hee shall conuict the world saith the Lord of justice that is He shall conuict the worlde and the vnbelieuing Iewes That the Lord Iesus was that holy One for the Iewes counted him the most vnjust man that was in the world they put him in the ranke of thieues they preferred Barabbas to him But the Spirit of God when hee shall come hee shall conuince the worlde That hee was the holiest man in the world as hee is called Act. 7. vers 52. The ground of the conuiction is this Hee passed vp to the Father It appeared that he was the justest man in the worlde seeing hee passed vp to Heauen after his glorious resurrection For if he had bene a sinner hee had neuer entâ—ed into that Heauenly Sanctuary No vnholy thing can enter into Heauen if a man haue but so much as one spot of sinne he cannot come there So then there was neuer soule that gotte entry into Heauen that got accesse to the Majesty of God but the Lord Iesus first And then so many as shall bee washen from their sinnes by faith in his blood so many onely shall enter into that Sanctuarie as shall bee clad with the righteousnesse of Christ If thou wouldest goe to Heauen striue to bee clad with that garment that is Haue faith or else thou shalt neuer haue entresse into Heauen The proofe of this That the Lord was the holiest man in the world appeared soone after Christ ascended An example yee haue in the second Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles vers 23. where Peter or rather the Spirit of God by the mouth of Peter immediately after Christes ascention objecteth to the Iewes that him whome they had slaine with wicked handes the Lord had raised him from the dead and glorified him in the Heauens Whereby the holy Spirite so conuicted and pricked their heartes that they saide to Peter and the rest Men and Brethren what shall wee doe That is How shall we be cleansed from that innocent blood So nowe it appeareth that Christ was the justest man that euer liued in the worlde thorowe the working of the Spirit that conuicteth them thereof The thirde point whereof the holy Spirite shall reprooue the world is of judgement So as the Lord is just so is hee the glorious Iudge of the worlde On what ground shall this passe Because the prince of this worlde is judged The LORD IESVS is the Iudge of the worlde in that hee hath condemned the Deuill hee hath not judged the silliest and the weakest in the
That as the Father and the Sonne are one not onelie in that mutuall loue but in that verie Godhead substance and essence that is that vnitie one GOD the Father the Sonne and the Holie Spirite so wee also are one Nowe it is not required that wee bee one in essence but one in heartes and soules that is to saye Let euerie one of vs loue another let peace bee amongst vs and in this point wee must represent GOD and this is that vnitie that our heartes bee joyned with others in loue No man is knitte to CHRIST or yet to the Father but in loue and when wee are knitte vnto them our heartes are knitte euerie one to another So in one worde when wee see loue amongst men and especiallie amongst Christians when wee see their heartes joyned in loue wee may saye The Father keepeth these because they are in vnitie one with another and hee hath a care ouer them or else they coulde neuer haue this vnitie of minds in loue And where there is nothing but dissention and euerie one byting and backe-byting another they are not in the custodie of GOD for if they were in his keeping they woulde bee one as the Father and the Sonne are one So in one worde the LORDES care is not ouer those Therefore as euer yee woulde bee sure that the LORD hath a care ouer you looke that yee haue an vnitie amongst your selues And this is it that the Apostle Paul moste recommendeth vnto vs an vnitie of minde So as wee woulde testifie vs to bee the members of IESVS CHRIST let vs bee in vnitie with our neighbour for by this wee testifie to the worlde that wee are GODS and giuen to IESVS CHRIST and where there is no loue no amitie there the members are not joyned with the Head and wee haue no part with CHRIST for where fayth is there is loue and where fayth is there the members will concur together in vnitie of minde The LORD giue vs fayth in IESVS CHRIST in whome standeth all our happinesse and felicitie and to whome with the Father and the Holie Spirite bee all honour prayse power and dominion for euermore AMEN THE XXII LECTVRE OF CHRISTES PRAYER BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvii VERS 12.13.14.15 12 While J was with them in the worlde I kept them in my Name those that thou giuest mee haue I kept and none of them is lost but the childe of perdition that the Scripture might bee fulfilled 13 And nowe come J to thee and these thinges speake I in the worlde that they might haue my joye fulfilled in themselues 14 I haue giuen them thy worde and the worlde hath hated them because they are not of the world as I am not of the world 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the worlde but that thou keepe them from euill IN the second part of this Prayer Welbeloued in the Lord Iesus the Lord being to depart out of this life and to rise againe and to ascend vp to the Heauens he recommendeth his Disciples whome he was to leaue behinde him to the keeping and preseruation of the Father To this purpose hee hath sundry arguments and reasons First sayeth he I haue manifested thy Name to them therefore Father keepe them Then Thou hast chosen them out of the worlde from all eternitie therefore Father keepe them Then They were thine therefore Father keepe thine owne And againe Thou hast giuen them to mee therefore keepe them And againe They haue kept thy worde and belieued in mee that thou hast sent mee therefore keepe them And againe I am glorified in them therefore keepe them And last of all I am to leaue them behinde mee in the worlde therefore keepe them These arguments and reasons wee haue heard Nowe hee goeth forwarde and addeth to the eight reason beginning at the Text which wee haue read The eight reason is from his owne keeping of his Disciples while hee abode with them in the world While J was with them in the worlde I kept them in thy Name and saued them And those whome thou gauest to mee I haue kept so that there is not one of them lost saue one the sonne of perdition meaning Iudas that the Scripture might mee fulfilled euen that Scripture which fore-tolde of his destruction therefore I kept them so long as I was with them Now Father I recommende them vnto thee and I put them into thine hand Yet the words would bee better weighed This keeping of his Disciples he amplifieth by sundry circumstances The first circumstance is A carefulnesse diligence and earnestnesse in keeping them This carefulnesse appeareth in doubling of the words hee is not content to say once J haue kept them but he sayth it ouer again The Sonne of God the Lord Iesus whom he keepeth hee keepeth them faithfully and carefully not slackly but diligently night and day his eye is vpon them and as hee himselfe sayth O Hierusalem as the Henne gathereth her Birdes vnder her winges so would I haue done to thee And no doubt the Lord gathereth his owne vnder the wings of his grace and keepeth them after a most tender and intiere fashion of keeping So wee may learne at his example those whom God hath concredited vnto vs to be kept in this world by vs whether they bee in our Familie whether they be in the Kirke of God or whether they bee in the Policie or Commonwealth wheresoeuer they be one or moe how many or how few they be who are concredited vnto vs and giuen out of the hand of God to be kept and defended in this world by vs. Wee learne heere by the example of Christ to keepe them so carefullie and faithfullie that they lose not in our hand The Prophet sayeth Woe to them that doeth the worke of the Lord negligentlie and slacklie Ierem. 48. vers 10. There hee meaneth Who slayeth not and wracketh not as the Lord commandeth to slay and wracke Therefore much more shall woe curse appertaine vnto them who keepeth not them faithfully whom the Lord hath concredited vnto them and commandeth them to keepe If woe was denounced against them who slewe not and wracked not at the commandement of the Lord a double woe shall appertaine vnto them who neglecteth them whom the Lord hath concredited to their charge Nowe I come to the seconde circumstance J haue kept them in they Name that is to say By thy vertue and power All the power that the Sonne hath hee hath it giuen him of the Father and all the power that the Sonne hath is the power of the Father and therefore he acknowledgeth the keeping of these Disciples to be by the power of the Father and so he glorifieth his Father in Heauen The Sonne in any thing that he doth he euer glorifieth the Father Who is he in this world who is able to keepe a soule by his owne power Who hath power in his own hand to keepe a body or a Child or
knowledge of the SONNE I haue knowne thee And then hee commeth forwarde They haue knowne that thou hast sent mee And then I haue manifested thy Name vnto them What is the ground of our knowledge in this life The knowledge of Iesus Christ the Sonne of God which he hath of the Father What if hee had not knowne the Father Wee would neuer haue gotten a sight of God For why All the knowledge that wee haue is by the reuelation of the Sonne of God hee is not borne on the face of the Earth that hath or euer shall gette the sight of God but by the reuelation of the Sonne So manie as the Sonne reuealed him vnto gotte the sight of the Father But on the contrarie whome to the Sonne reuealed not the Father hee gotte neuer nor neuer shall gette a sight of him First the Sonne knoweth and then the Sonne reuealed that knowledge vnto vs in some measure What is the knowledge that the Sonne hath reuealed vnto vs Reuealeth hee vnto vs the Father immediatelie No no The first thing that the Sonne reuealeth to vs is his own person the first sight that thou must see is the Sonne and therefore when hee speaketh of their knowledge hee sayeth They haue knowne that thou hast sent mee And then hee commeth to the other knowledge the knowledge of the Father J haue made manifest thy Name vnto them The first thing that the Sonne of God reuealeth is the knowledge of himselfe That hee is that Ambassadour and that Mediatour And when hee hath reuealed himselfe then hee reuealeth the Father And all the sight that we haue of the Father is in the person of the Sonne for hee is the splendor of his glorie and the expresse forme of his Father and hee by his holie Spirite illuminateth the soules of men and women to gette a sight of that Majestie So the ground of our knowledge is the knowledge that the Sonne hath of the Father Therefore as euer thou wouldest haue the sight of that knowledge addresse thy selfe to Iesus Christ and in him thou shalt see the Father and his glorious face and thou shalt see that glauncing and shining of mercie in him Now he is not content to set down that knowledge which they haue already but he promiseth that they shall haue it farther Yee see then the Disciples got not the knowledge of the Father in a moment and at once but the Disciples of Iesus Christ euen the Apostles whom the Lord appointed to bee instruments of grace to vs whose works we haue and who were the light of the world grew in knowledge and faith piece and piece and had not all reâ—ealed at once but by his word and Spirit piece and piece GOD reuealed all to them The knowledge of God is not gotten in an instant in this worlde and the Lord himselfe who is the giuer of that knowledge he giueth it to no man nor woman in an instant but piece and piece the man or the woman groweth in knowledge so long as wee are clogged with this mortalitie so long the knowledge of God shall neuer bee perfect Therefore let euerie man if hee haue a pleasure to seeke God trie that grouth that hee hath in knowledge That is a vaine soule and a miserable soule which will stand vp and say I haue knowledge enough I will goe no farther Knowledge must haue a grouth in this worlde Woe is that man that will saye I will set downe my staffe as though hee would haue no more knowledge Thou wist neuer what joye was in the knowledge of God who wilt saye thus if thou hadst a loue of it thine heart would seeke to gette the full knowledge of God for that heart will not bee content of a meane measure of knowledge but goeth forwarde from knowledge to knowledge Seeing it is Life as the Lord sayeth This is Life eternall to knowe thee and whome thou hast sent IESVS CHRIST If once thou tastedst of that knowledge of God in Iesus Christ thou wouldest neuer saye I will set downe my staffe Let aye a continuall strife bee to knowe more and more till this fayth bee turned into sight when wee shall meete with our Lord Iesus Christ then wee shall gette that sweete and joyfull sight to see him face to face therefore let vs not rest till wee gette that full illumination Another thing is to bee marked heere Whome once the Lord hath begunne to instruct man or woman hee leaueth not off If Christ beginne to teach thee by his Spirite hee teacheth not as men will teach who will teach this yeere and leaue off the next yeere But if hee take a man or a woman in hande continuallie hee teacheth them And if this bee true that continuallie hee reuealeth and teacheth that is also true there is no man nor woman who hath begunne to gette knowledge by his teaching but that man or woman must growe and cannot goe backe It is a vaine thing to saye A man or a woman who hath gotten true fayth in some measure although it were no greater than a graine of Mustard-seede that hee can lose the fayth which hee hath once gotten As Iesus Christ cannot rest in thy soule but aye goe forwarde till fayth bee turned into sight so I saye thus to refute those who say that they who haue gotten true fayth can lose it hee that hath gotten the holie Spirite can neuer lose him When hee hath sette downe before the Father first his knowledge of the Father and secondlie the knowledge that the Disciples had of the Father partlie that which they had presentlie and partlie that which was to come nowe hee commeth to the ende and sayeth All this is to the ende That thy loue may bee in them and I in them All this knowledge of God and all this fayth in Iesus Christ looke to the ende of it all tendeth to this ende That God may loue vs and wee may feele in our heartes this loue of God Therefore Brethren marke it well Count not of knowledge euen of the knowledge of God except that thou feelest the loue of God following vpon it looke that all thy knowledge of God bee with a sense and feeling of this loue that God loueth thee Whereto serueth the knowledge of God vnto thee if thou haue no sense and no feeling of the loue of God Some men and vvomen will glorie that they knowe this and that and thus farre of God and in the meane time they take no heede to that sense of the loue of God in the heart I had rather haue a little knowledge with the sense of that loue wherewith hee loueth mee than all the knowledge vnder the Sunne if mine heart bee voyde of that sweete loue Count neuer of the knowledge of God although thou hadst all the Scripture perâ—uiere if thou findest not this loue flowing from that knowledge and a sweetnesse and joye in thine heart arising of this loue And aye the more wee know the greater should
after hee saieth It is good I depart for otherwayes ye shall not get the Comforter So I say the Spirit hath greater force now than he had then because the Lord is in his full glory in the Heauen Brethren all this consolation we haue by the holy Spirit now shall be nothing in comparison of that that we shall get when we shall bee drawne neare hand him Then those beames of grace those glances of glory that shall strike from him vvhen wee shall get a sight of his glorious Majesty that ioye that shall shine from him shall surpasse a thousand times all the ioy we shall get in this world Lord how great a thing it is to be beside Christ glorified nowe in the Heauen The Lord vvill transforme the creature in that same glory as Paul speaketh 2. Cor. 3.18 So this is our joy to awaite on the fulfilling of that same ioye and it ministreth ioye vnto vs to vvaite for that perfection of glory and blessed is hee that hath this exspectation I vvarne you to looke for his comming and blessed is hee vvho looketh for his comming in glory Wee haue to note in the Text vvho it is that shall giue this Comforter Hee saith The Father shall giue another Comforter It is said in the next Chap. vers 26. The Sonne giueth the Comforter Howe is it then saide The Father shall giue him There is no contradiction for both these stand vvell together The holy Spirit commeth from the Father and from the Sonne but this is the difference the holy Spirit commeth from the Father as from the Fountaine for the Father is the Fountaine of the Godhead Next the holy Spirite commeth from the Sonne as the seconde person both the Father and the Sonne are at the giuiâ—◠〈…〉 Spirite but they differ in order and therefore the Lord himselfe saith That hee vvill send his Comforter from his Father It is to be marked heere The Lord attributeth to the Father the sending of the holy Spirit Yea I say farder Ye shall see in the vvhole Gospel the Lord speaking of the Redemption of man to ascribe it to the Father as to the Fountaine All the graces that proceede from him hee ascribeth them to the Father That is to learne the world All our Redemption and all our grace is from the Father Wee must vnderstand that all grace commeth from the Father as from the Fountaine that wee shoulde giue the glorie of all to him for hee vvho is the beginner of all grace hee must bee the ender The Apostle considering this hee sayeth Of him and thorow him and for him are all thinges to him be glorie and praise and honour for euer Rom. 11.36 The Lord Iesus goeth before and giueth the glory to the Father and biddeth vs giue the glorie of our Redemption to the Father but not forgetting the Sonne for the Father and the Sonne and the holy Spirite haue their owne glory in all their workes The Father as the Fountaine the Sonne as the Mediator the Holy Spirit as the Comforter Nowe let vs see howe the Spirit is giuen and howe hee is gotten Hee is gotten by the meanes of the Lord Iesus when hee was in the worlde hee was euer praying for grace and mercy to the world And in the seuenteenth Chap. ye shall see his prayer to the Father and that prayer shall remaine to the end of the world and it shall neuer goe out of the minde of the Father This grace of the Holy Spirite is gotten first by the death of Iesus Christ and next by the earnest prayer and intercession of IESVS Ere euer man or woman gotte that Spirite it behooued the Lord IESVS to buye him vvith his precious bloode And if God had not died the vvorlde had not gotten the Spirite What dow a man and hee vvere a King and hee gette not that Spirite The LORD meriteth that Spirite by his death Ere euer we gette that Spirite hee hath merited it yea and CHRIST must rise againe and must passe vp to Heauen and bee glorified and there hee must bee an Aduocate and there sitte at the right hande of the Father and make intercession to his Father to giue this Spirite to his owne Chosen before they can gette him So yee see howe harde a thing it is to gette the Spirite of GOD the vvorlde thinketh it none harde thing to gette that Spirite The Spirite of GOD vvill not come vpon a man sleeping No before that Spirite enter into the soule there must bee a seeking morning and euening to gette him So sayeth the LORD Blessed bee they who hunger and thirst for righteousnesse for they shall bee filled Matth. 5.6 Nowe to goe forwarde Hee commaundeth his Spirite to abide with them for euer As hee woulde saye Hee shall bee vvith you not for a daye or a weeke or a yeere onely but in all your temptations and in all your afflictions this Spirite shall bee vvith you hee shall neuer leaue you All the thinges in the vvorlde shall not separate thee from CHRIST and if thou haue this Spirite Howe shalt thou finde this None shall take your joye from you Iohn Chapter 16. Vers 22. If thou findest joye in thy calamitie that is a token of the presence of the Spirite There is no death can separate thee from CHRIST but the greater oppression thou lyest vnder and the greater the paine bee the more sure shalt thou bee of the Spirite the more shall hee comfort thee the greater shall thy joye bee The Martyres vvho haue beene burned in the fire haue felt this This is a false Doctrine that the Spirite of Christ can departe cleane awaye from them who haue once gotten him for as it is vnpossible that the death and intercession of Christ can bee of none effect so as vnpossible is it that the Spirite of God can bee taken awaye from them that haue once receiued him And as Iesus Christ vvho is that foundation vvherevpon all grace is builded for in him all the promises of God are Yea and Amen 2. Cor. Chap. 1 vers 20. cannot bee ouer-throwne no more can these graces that are builded vpon him be taken away The Spirit when he is angered and grieued in any person hee will hide and with-drawe himselfe for a while but neuer fully nor finally for thereafter by repentance he will vtter himselfe againe As wee may see in the person of Dauid Psal 51. This then is our comfort that the Spirit will neuer leaue vs And therefore let vs seeke to be in Iesus that thorow him wee may haue this Comforter to abide vvith vs for euer Nowe in the next vvordes the Lord sheweth to them who is this Conforter whome they shoulde haue in his absence and hee pointeth him out in his proper name and hee calleth him the Spirit of Trueth The Spirite of God is called the Spirite of Trueth because as wee haue heereafter hee instructeth men and women in all trueth And in the 16. Chap. vers 13. Hee
leadeth vs in the way of trueth and verity We are all out of the way till he leade vs in the way of saluation There is neuer man nor woman who is not naturally full of vanity and his heart full of lies no trueth chiefly in the way that leadeth to life and saluation The spirit of errour occupieth naturally the heartes of men and women vntill this blessed Spirite enter into their heartes The name is to bee marked First hee is called the Comforter Secondlie the Spirit of trueth The one of these is the cause of the other And the Spirite of GOD is the Comforter and ministreth comfort to the soules of men and vvomen because hee is the Spirite of veritie For Brethren this knowledge of God is the grounde of all comfort and vvithout the knowledge of our saluation there is no comfort in this life When the Spirite of God entereth into the soule of a man or woman he first beginneth to let the creature see the sinfulnesse that lieth in nature the miserie death and damnation that followeth on sinne The first knowledge we can haue is to knowe vvhat we are by nature So the first worke of the Spirit of Veritie is when he letteth a man or woman see that hee is but sinfull and dead vnder sinne The second point of knowledge that the Spirite vvill leade thee vntill hee vvill let thee see mercy in thy deliuerance from sinne and death The best sight that euer a miserable creature sawe and the ioyfullest this sight vvill bee accompanied vvith such a ioy as the heart of man cannot expresse As the sight of sinne was heauy so this sight of grace mercy in Iesus Christ is sweet yea the ioyfullest sight that euer the creature got The third point of knowledge he vvill leade thee vnto is hee vvill let thee see the vvay howe thou shouldest meete that mercifull God and vvhat shoulde bee thy duety for such a mercifull deliuerance If any man or vvoman haue this Spirit of Verity he must see these three things and if they see not these three they vvist neuer what vvas the Spirite of Verity Looke vvhat followeth on these three sights all the ioye in the vvorlde the heart vvist neuer vvhat ioye vvas vvhile then If one had all the riches in the vvorlde all the pleasures in the vvorlde if they vvant the Spirite they vvant that true ioye in death in life hee that vvanteth that Spirit can haue no ioy vvhen death commeth to him and the vvorld leaueth him how can he reioyce no he cannot So vvouldest thou haue ioye and chiefely in the houre of death and that is a sad houre when the vvorlde is leauing thee and thou leauing it for thou must leaue it Get this blessed sight and this Spirite of Verity and hee shall vvorke comfort in thy soule both in thy life and in the houre of death Now againe the second time he aggreageth this benefite for the benefite of the soule cannot bee aggreaged enough before he aggreageth it in that it should abide vvith them for euer Now he aggreageth it from the condition of the vvorld and hee sayth Hee is such a Spirit that the worlde cannot receiue The aggreaging of this benefite to the soule is by opposition to the vvorlde The vvorld sayth the Lord receiued not this Spirit of Verity vvhom yee shall receiue It hath a great force the Spirite of GOD vvhen hee vvoulde amplifie the grace that the Chosen gette in the vvorlde vseth to sette downe a grace opposite to the worlde vvho getteth not this grace but in place of it getteth miserie So in the threescore Chapter of Esay and the twelfth Verse hee sayeth The Lord shall rise vp and make the beames of his mercie to shine vpon his owne Hee setteth not downe this simplie but to let them see the greatnesse of the benefite hee subjoyneth an opposition And darknesse sayeth hee shall couer the Earth and grosse darknesse the people but the Lord shall rise vp to shine vpon thee with the beames of that his mercy and his glory shall bee seene vpon thee This is done that the godly should see the greatnesse of the mercy of God towards them One contrary will make another the better to be knowne Brethren wee see this all the aduersaries vse this argument against vs Your Kirke is contracted in little boundes and your Profession is but narrow and fewe imbrace it where yee finde one who professeth as yee professe ye will find an hundreth who contemne your Doctrine So say they because the multitude imbraceth it not it is not the true Light But these wordes condemne them The Lord sayeth The vvorlde cannot receiue the Spirite of Veritie They say The vvorlde must receiue the Spirite of Veritie or else it is not the Spirite of Veritie So to ende this Wee must bee so farre from that to count the lesse of this blessed Light and of these whome the Lord vsed as instrumentes after hee had taken them out of the darke Kingdome of the Antichrist to make this Light shine like the Sunne that euen by the contrary wee must count the more of it And it is an argument that it is the Trueth because the Lord will not communicate it with the multitude And woe is the soule that neuer saw this Light Precious thinges are but rare The more pecious a grace bee euermore since the beginning of the worlde it is the rarer No man getteth this Light communicated to them but those secret ones whom the Lord hath chosen And we one day shall blesse this Light that euer we saw it The worde is to bee marked The worlde cannot receiue him This worde importeth that the fault wherefore the worlde receiueth not this Spirite is not in the Spirite but the fault is in the vvorlde it selfe vvho vvanteth the hand and so neither will nor can receiue such a grace The Lord in his worde offereth to all men indifferentlie this Spirite and as it were by his vvorde knocketh at the heartes of men and women to receiue such a guest There is none of vs who heareth this glorious Euangel but the Lord knocketh at the doore of his soule to take in this Holy Spirit to dwell with him But looke howe hee is answered All receiueth not this Spirit and all hearts are not opened to take him in yea very fewe there bee who take in this Spirite in their heart when they heare this Euangel Take heed there is no grace nor welfare without this Spirit and howe can the heart bee glad without him Yet they are few who get him To speak the trueth There is no man nor woman who is naturally borne to receiue this Spirit of God The naturall man sayth Paul is not capable of the thinges that are of God 1. Cor. 2.14 So by nature all men and women are alike Then who maketh the difference sayth Paul to the Corinthians What hast thou that thou hast not receiued 1. Cor. 4.7 Then if there bee a
difference of men it is not by nature for by nature all men refuse this Spirite The Lord of Heauen who offereth this Spirite to the worlde in some hee will make him to worke effectually with ioy in others when he offereth the Spirit he maketh the heart hard and vvhen the worde beateth at it it will resist and fight with both the handes to holde backe the worde So Steuen Act. 7. vers 51. saith of the Iewes Yee resist euer the holy Spirit The multitude euer striueth to holde out the Spirite out of their heartes and the more the Spirit bee offered the harder is their heartes Well it lieth in no mans hand to giue this Spirite or to take it There is no free will in the heart but it is of the free will of God So when wee heare the worde our whole endeuour shoulde bee to looke to him from whom the Spirit commeth and say Lord it lieth not in my power of my selfe to receiue this Spirit but Lord open thou mine heart as thou openedst the heart of Lydia to receiue this Spirit Now to goe forwarde Hee setteth downe the cause wherefore the world was not able to receiue this Spirit Hee sayth The world cannot receiue him because it seeth him not not knoweth him not When wee know a thing perfectly it is good for vs the knowledge will waken a desire in our heartes to haue it and to brooke it Againe by the contrary And it were neuer so good a thing and neuer so meete for vs and we haue no knowledge of it wee will not haue a desire of it yea and it were Heauen it selfe for the common saying is true Ignoti nulla cupido The Lord sayth to the Samaritane woman Iohn 4.10 And thou knewest that gift of God that is offered to thee this day and thou knewest him who asketh thee drinke thou wouldest seeke of him the water of life The Lord meaned shee asked not the water of life because shee knew it not but when she knew the sweetnesse of that water and tasted of it that Well of Iaakob which shee thought so precious before she left it behind her and ran into the Towne and proclaimed that grace But to come to the particular And a man knew how great a grace the Spirit were he would giue all the things in the worlde for a gripe of him and for a taste of his sweetnesse But a man who knoweth not the Spirit of Christ for the worlde knoweth not what grace is in that Spirite of Christ so the misknowledge of the Spirit maketh the contempt of the Spirit that man hath no desire of him Woe to that soule that cannot saye Lord indue mee with thine holy Spirit for it is a sure thing that those who want this Spirite they haue not Christ for Christ is possessed by his Spirite and when hee is out of the heart there Christ is away Euer seeke knowledge of God and of Iesus Christ and of the holy Spirit as yee would bee saued hereafter And euer when yee heare any speaking of this blessed Trinitie bee busie to vnderstand what is spoken Knowledge worketh a thirst of grace and sayeth the Lord Matth. 5.6 Blessed is hee who hungereth and thirsteth for righteousnesse for he shall be filled What would a man seeke but his fill In this life they shall get a taste of that water of life and heereafter they shall get a satietie For as Dauid sayth Psal 16.11 In thy face is fulnesse of joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for euermore So striue to get a knowledge for it worketh a desire and knowledge growe not desire cannot grow When hee hath laide downe the grounde wherefore they were not able to receiue the Spirit of God the Disciples who looked to the estate of the worlde might haue saide This estate of the world is miserable What Lord is our estate Lie we in blindnesse and ignorance as the worlde doeth The Lord meeteth this and sayeth Yee knowe him and the worlde knoweth him not And hee addeth the reason He bideth with you And he then maketh a promise to them of a farder acquaintance of the Spirit of God with them he sayeth Hee shall bee in you And then in the verse following to confirme vs hee repeateth it and sayth J shall not leaue you comfortlesse That is I shall come againe to you in my Spirit The first thing wee haue to marke When the Disciples haue heard of the miserable estate of the worlde they are carefull to vnderstand their estate whether they bee like to the worlde or not and as they are carefull to vnderstand so the Lord is carefull to make them vnderstand it This vvorld is miserable now the multitude is hardened lying without the sheepe-folde of the Lord So when we heare of the darknesse of the worlde as of the Iewes the Turkes and Pagans yea euen to amplifie and extende this to the kingdome of Antichrist and of the Papistes also for they are but miserable I say and I proclaime in the Name of the great God of Heauen and in the ende they shall see it glory in their knowledge as they will they shall be casten out in darknesse When wee heare of this I say should we heare of it securely as if it belonged not to vs Or should wee set our eyes only vpon the worlde No wee should set our eyes vpon our selues and trie our owne estate and saye Lord what am I Haue I sought grace Shall I get Heauen This should be our care to see that we be not like the world And if we be carefull as the Disciples were to search our estate and to trie our knowledge of the holy Spirit the Lord will be ready to answere as he answered them he will speake to thee by thy conscience Thou art not like to the worlde Blessed art thou thou hast the knowledge of the holy Spirit When we heare of the world all is but misery multitudes lying in blindnesse and ignorance when we heare of this wee should not rejoyce of this but wee should bee carefull of our selues and say Lord let me not bee like the world but let mee haue a knowledge of the Lord. No wee should not rejoyce in the misery of the multitude but lament for it The second thing I marke is the waye to come to the knowledge of the Spirit of Christ Wee know all this Brethren when a man is acquainted with another man and haunteth with him the man will knowe his familiar and knowe his power and let them speake they will know other So acquaintance will make knowledge Well wouldest thou know the Spirit of Iesus Christ be acquainted with him for there is no knowledge without familiaritie and hee must dwell with thee night and day ere thou knowe him Barrest thou him out thou wilt neuer know him So the way to know him is onely dwelling with thee hee must dwell in thine heart and then he will let thee see such a power
Let not the Minister leaue off to preach and let not the people leaue off to heare but let euer the sâ—ede bee sowne and let euer the heart receiue the seede and holde euer vp the eare and in despite of thine heart when thine heart would loathe it euer heare and striue to holde vp thine eares and abide in patience till the Lord send better Peter in his first Epist chap. 1. vers 23. he calleth the seed of the word an immortall seed It will neuer die it may be choaked holden down It can no more die saith Peter than God can die So of necessity in the ende when it shall please God to waken that word by his holy Spirit in the heart then it shall afford solide joy and consolation till vs these sentences shal be called to our remembrance which wee heard before without fruit and edification We haue found this in experience wheÌ„ man or woman hath most adoe in affliction this same very Comforter will come to the heart and renew the remembrance and will cause them to haue a joy in that word which they heard before with deafe eares And this is true that at the last hee shall comfort his owne with that worde which they hearde with deafe eares for the worde cannot passe awaye without some effect Hee sayeth The holy Spirite shall teach them all things We know he who teacheth is called a Teacher yet when he sayth The holy Spirit shall teach he calleth him not a Teacher but a Comforter because al his doctrine tendeth to consolation There is no comfortable doctrine but that doctrine of the holy Spirit inwardly working in the soule We will say Men will teach comfortable doctrine but all the comfortable doctrine we heare proceedeth of this that the holy Spirit accompanieth their doctrine and worketh comfort inwardly If thou hast anie consolation inwardlie by teaching thou mayest rejoyce and bee assured that thou hast a glorious Doctour euen the third person of the Trinitie in thine heart There is no consolation in the outwarde Teacher without him whome the Father shall sende in my Name The Father sendeth the holie Spirite in the Name of the Sonne and sendeth that Spirit by his Sonne as Mediator The Spirite and all his graces floweth till vs from the Father but mediatelie thorowe the Sonne as a mediate person There commeth not a grace till vs but thorow the Sonne All power is giuen to him and thorow him immediately all joye is conuoyed to the creature The Iewes and Paganes passe ouer this and thinke to climbe vp to God the Father without the Messias but they shall neuer see him for the God of Heauen hath placed in him as in a store-house all grace vvhich he shall bestow vpon the vvorld as Iustice Mercy Sanctification Ioye Peace and tranquility of Conscience and hee hath bought them by no lesse price than by his Blood they are all bought by the blood of the immaculate Lambe of God Thou vvho hast gotten a sponke of that grace thou hast gotten a greater grace than if thou hadst gotten all the Kingdomes of the vvorlde But what shall he teach you All things Not all the fantasies of men not the inuentions of the Pope but all things J haue tolde you The Lord be mercifull to this worlde vvhich wandereth after the inuentions of men And blessed art thou who restest vpon that vvord which the Spirit hath told Marke hath the vvorde preached none effect but by the Spirit conuoying it Not Euen so on the other part the Spirit will teach nothing but that which hath come out of the mouth of Iesus Christ Bee not deceiued What call I the word of Christ That is the word of Christ that â—he Prophets spake of olde as Peter testifieth for the Prophets spake by the Spirit of Christ Next I call the word of Christ that which he spake himselfe in the worlde Thirdly that which the Apostles spake Last I call the worde of God the Scriptures of the Olde and New Testament vvhich the Lord hath registrated in his mercie And take it awaye miserable darknesse shall come vpon the vvorlde Let it stand giue it the owne power it shall shine like light vnto the worlde They will saye it hath not all that Christ spake and that the Apostles spake I answere The Lord Iesus spake nothing nor his Apostles spake nothing but all in effect is contained in this written word There is not a word that the Spirit of Iesus shall speake vnto thy soule but onely that which is registrated in the Olde and New Testament That Trueth shall stand inspite of the world This place therefore confuteth all them that are enemies to the Scriptures Mahomet began said the Scripture was imperfect The Pope brought in mens Traditions to supply the wants of the Scriptures Others as the Anabaptistes awaite on that reuelation of the Spirit besides that reuelation of Iesus Christ in his worde But inspite of them they shall get none other reuelation nor the Spirit shall accompany no word but that which Iesus hath spoken left in register Now Lord if we with whome hee hath let his light remaine shoulde praise him The Lord accompany his worde with the presence of his Spirite that Comforter in our soules inwardly till his comming in the Cloudes and we see him face to face To whom bee praise honour and glory for euer and euer Amen THE EIGHT LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xiiii VERS 27.28.29.30.31 27 Peace J leaue with you my peace I giue vnto you not as the world giueth giue I vnto you Let not your heart bee troubled nor feare 28 Yee haue heard howe I saide vnto you I goe away and will come vnto you Jf yee loued mee yee would verily reioyce because J saide I goe vnto the Father for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I haue spoken vnto you before it come that when it is come to passe yee might belieue 30 Heereafter will J not speake manie thinges vnto you for the prince of this world commeth and hath nought in mee 31 But it is that the worlde may knowe that I loue my Father and as the Father hath commanded mee so I doe Arise let vs goe hence IN the beginning of this Chapter Brethren Christ began to comfort his Disciples against the time hee was to with-drawe his bodily presence from them and he continued a while in comforting them and then after he beginneth to exhort them First to belieue in him and next to obedience to keepe his Commaundementes and hee insisted chiefely in this That they should keepe the worde hee spake vnto them in his absence Now in the beginning of these wordes wee haue read the Lord returneth againe to that consolation that he began with to wit That they should not bee troubled in his absence The arguâ—ent is taken from that peace hee leaueth with them Seeing I leaue peace with you what need yee to bee troubled
that that denunciation perteined not to them because they were liuely members they were cleane through the worde which hee had spoken to them Our lesson is When thou hearest a denunciation of judgemeÌ„t or promise of mercy make euer application to thy selfe and say Lord perteineth this judgement to me and O Lord perteineth this mercy to mee Without this application there is no generall doctrine can do good or edifie thee So when we heare of this that some are liuing branches some dead we shold enter in triall with our selues whether we are to abide with Christ or to be cut off and casten into the fire It is true we haue not Christ to speak with vs and to resolue vs of such doubts yet the Lord hath neuer left anie faithful man or woman so destitute but he gets a certification assurance that he is a liuely member The Lord if he be in any man or woman he shall make that person know that he liueth in them The most sensible thing in the worlde is the life of Christ as sensibly wâ—l the creature feele the life of Christ in their harts as they wil feel this natural life Besides this if the sap of Christ be in a ma the fruit wil burst out if thou wouldst know a man look to his life good works let his life testify whether he be a liuely meÌ„ber or not if their life testify otherways I testify to thee in the Name of God they are no liuely meÌ„bers Certainly Christ caÌ„not dwel within one but he must vtter himself in the hand tong Now hereafter he subjoynes the reason wherfore they are clean how they are made cleane By the words saith he that J haue spoken ye are made cleane wherefore spake I so much to you but to make liuelie members of you who were drie branches The way to make a man a liuely branch is the worde of Iesus it cleanseth the soule which is foule My word is Spirit and Life John 6. vers 63. It is the force of the Spirit to purge the soule The worde sayeth Peter is that immortall seede of regeneration 1. Epist Chap. 1. vers 23. Our seede is mortall and so if wee haue not another seede of God wee are but dead It is no maruell that the word of God purgeth because it is Life and Spirit Looke but to that experience that godlie men haue in hearing the worde of Iesus Christ and that joye that riseth in the heart What meaneth this Will the vvordes of anie man worke this joye in the heart No but when men heare these promises of life and of grace and consolation O what consolation what peace what rest what joye will the sinner get And this testifieth that the worde is powerfull to worke in the soule that life of God The houre shall come sayeth the Lord that the dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God and they that shall heare shall liue John 5. vers 25. 1 Pet. 1. vers 22. Our soules are purged by the hearing of the worde If this bee the meane the Lord hath ordained to get life let vs take pleasure to heare the worde And I saye that man that hath not a pleasure in some mâ—asure to heare the word but coÌ„temneth it is no meÌ„ber of Christ and hath neuer beene truely ingraffed in Christ nor got neuer of that sappe which is in Christ and neuer wist what Iesus Christ was As thou therefore wouldest liue and as thou wouldest bee sanctified in this life glorified with the Lord in the HeaueÌ„s take pleasure to heare this word if thou would taste any sweetnes of Christ grow in holinesse and chiefely seeing thou must leaue this world begin to liue this life which neuer shall haue an end Now in the next words after he hath laide down the grounds he commeth to the first exhortation Abide in mee and I in you The meaning of the exhortation is this Ye haue begun to be joyned with me in Spirit and in fayth as yee haue begun so continue in that vnion to the ende He sayth not Abide still with me and I with you but abide in mee These wordes haue a greater signification than the other they signifie a straiter vnion with Christ for Brethren yee must marke the members of Iesus Christ not onelie abide with him here and dwell with him but euery one of them abideth in him and dwelleth in him as yee sâ—e the branches of the tree they are not sayde so much to abide with the tree as to abide in the tree so are we in him And on the other part the Lord Iesus is not said only to abide with his Kirke on the earth but howbeit hee bee in the Heauens to dwell in his Kirke and in euery member who belieueth in him yea in all their hearts euen as yee see the tree abideth in her branches so the Lord Iesus the Vine tree abideth in his branches This place requireth that wee speake somewhat of this vnion the members haue with Christ and hee with them This conjunction betwixt Christ and his members who are faythfull ye must not imaginate to be a bodily and naturall conjunction as ye see is betwixt creatures as the head with the body it is not so grosse a conjunction there is no conjunction bodily so neare so strait as that conjunction of Iesus Christ nowe in the Heauens with his members the heade is not so surely joyned with the body by nearnes as the Lord Iesus our Head is joyned with euery member who belieueth in him vpon this earth The body and the head may bee seuered but the members of Iesus Christ once truely ingraffed in him by his Spirit and by fayth shall neuer be cut off all the powers of Heauen and Hell shall not separate them What shall separate vs from the loue of Iesus Christ shall hunger and sworde c. yea in these wee are more than victorious Rom. 1.35.37 So yee see this conjunction is not to bee imagined to bee a grosse conjunction as the Papistes imagine but I leaue them But this conjunction is spirituall and mysticall I call that a spirituall vnion and conjunction that we haue with him because it is wrought after an heauenly and spirituall manner and is made not with bodily bandes as ligamentes and sinewes but with spirituall and heauenly bandes the one of them is called the Spirit of Iesus Christ the other is called Fayth To make that coniunction betwixt vs and him hee sendeth out of the Heauens his holy Spirit into our hearts and wee getting that Spirit sende vp to the Heauens againe to him our fayth Then yee see two bands to make this conjunction this conjunction must be mutuall so that as hee sendeth downe his Spirite to vs so wee must sende vp our fayth to him The order of the working of these two bandes would bee considered Wee neuer begin first no man beginneth first to gripe Christ but
he must gripe vs first all thinges begin at him and his affection is to vs first ere we loue him hee loueth vs and because he imbraceth vs so friendly with his loue therefore wee loue him and the sense of the loue of God in Iesus Christ were not in vs first wrought wee would neuer loue him Euen so is it in that conjunction if he neuer conjoyned himselfe with vs first we would neuer gripe him Paul to the Philippians Chap. 3. Vers 12. he striueth to get a gripe of him by whom he was first griped And this should bee our strife To striue euer to gripe Christ and if this bee not thy strife miserable shall bee thine ende as it is in that conjunction so it is in the perseuerance No man can perseuer in that loue and in that fayth except it please the Lord to abide with vs by his Spirit In one worde all grace beginneth at Christ and if we haue any grace all floweth from him Our Lesson is When we heare the Lord exhorting vs after this manner Abide in mee and I in you answere Abide in mee Lord and I shall abide in thee Lord except thou abide in me I will fall and such like when the Lord sayeth Belieue in me say Lord take a gripe of mee by thy Spirit first So when it is said Loue mee answere Lord loue thou mee first for the loue I haue to thee floweth from the loue thou hast to me Now wee come to the reasons the Lord vseth to moue his Disciples to abide in that vnion with him The first argument hee vseth is from good works and a sanctified life and this is the argument Except yee abide in that vnion with me there cannot bee such a thing that any of you can bring foorth fruit Therefore as thou wouldest liue an holy life abide in me and sticke fast by me He declareth this b◠a comparison Except the branch abide in the Vine tree it can bring foorth no fruit So except yee be ingraffed in me and abide in me the true Vine tree no more can yee produce good works Marke it this reason craueth a consideration of an higher ground the ground is this There is a necessitie laide vpon euerie man and woman in the worlde to liue an holie life as euer they would see the face of God Nowe this necessitie being laide come to the reason But so it is No man can liue an holie life except he abide in Christ Therfore as euer any man wold taste of life let him striue to bee in Christ and neuer let Christ depart from him not a foot breade Ye see in this reason the way to strait any man to belieue in Iesus Christ first thou who wouldest belieue in Christ hast a necessity laid on thee that thou leade an holy life thou must be changed thou must haue a new life otherwayes take thee thy doome thou shalt neuer see the face of God I pronoūce in the Name of the great God that if thou liue not an holy life in some measure thou shalt neuer see the face of God The Lord saith to Nicodemus Ioh. 3. Except a man be borne againe he cannot see the Kingdome of God The next ground Without Christ Iesus there is no power to doe good without him thou canst not think a good thought without him thou art but a drie sticke without anie sappe Then I aske how can the Papistes who affirme that we haue free-will naturallie to doe good how can they I say perswade a man to belieue in Christ They deceiue the worlde Can this bee a good doctrine No I pronounce in the Name of the great God of Heauen Except a man denude himselfe of nature except hee stand vp naked and say Lord there is no power in me to anie good whatsoeuer hee shall neuer get Christ Except wee bee perswaded that without Christ we can doe nothing and that wee are but drie stickes the soule shall neuer cleaue till him But when the soule shall heare and knowe this then it shall runne with griedinesse to gripe him This for the first argument The next argument taken from good workes is in these words in the next verse I am the Vine tree and yee are the branches And if ye abide in mee yee will bring out much fruite They might aske Is it not possible to bring foorth fruite without thee Hee answereth Without mee yee can doe nothing The argument If ye abide in mee yee shall bring out much fruite Not onelie fruit but much fruite The longer a man bee in Christ the holier hee is Take vp another ground of fayth and an alluring argument to drawe the heart to Iesus Christ this is the ground That if a man would belieue in him they should not onelie be holie and leade an holie life but growe in holinesse This ground differeth from the other the former straiteth the soule as for this it is not a binding argument but a secret alluring argumēt If thou shalt belieue in Christ thou shalt abound in holinesse Whom moueth this Only those who see themselues withered and faine would haue that sappe of life in Iesus Christ Tell the soule who seeth the owne misery that and if it bee in Christ it shall liue and will get the sappe of life it will rejoyce it will not moue them who delite in a filthie and polluted life Marke our nature for the Lord knoweth it well and according to it he setteth down arguments in order there is not one but ere they come to Christ they must be straited and necessitie laid vpon their backe otherwayes we wil neuer seek to Christ because we are stubborn by nature That necessitie that was laid vpon Nicodemus must be told to vs all there is neuer one of vs but wee are straited with the same straite and when wee are straited this way except wee bee obstinate wee will run to Christ Next it is not enough to boast a man if there bee but boasting onelie there will bee no beliefe The Lord knewe this well and therefore hee subjoyneth to this a faire alluring argument Wee must not begin with faire words but we must strait men as they would liue to belieue in Christ and then come on with sweete promises If the Lord moue vs not with faire promises wee will bee obstinate for euer Surelie when a man seeth hee must doe such a thing and if hee doe it hee will get such a rewarde that hee shall bee filled with sappe to bring foorth an holie life well will hee say I see not onlie a necesitie to belieue but I see also that if I doe it I shall b◠made a fruitfull branch whereas I was but a rotten sticke to be casten into the fire and then he wil say to his soule My soule belieue in Christ and sticke vpon him and thou shalt see a blessed end Now another thing I gather I see heere hee counteth much of good works which he calleth fruits
he moueth them to belieue from this argumeÌ„t of good works The end of faith is a sanctified life and the end of that vnion with Christ is good works As the grace of God in Christ is to make a regenerate man and of a dead sticke to make a liuelie branch and Christ came into the worlde to repare that lost image of God in man the ende of election is to liue an holy life Ephes Chap. 14. The ende of our vocation of our justification is to liue an holie life To Titus Chap. 2. vers 11.12 The grace of GOD that bringeth saluation to all men hath appeared and teacheth vs that vvee shoulde denie vngodlinesse and vvorldlie lustes and that vvee shoulde liue soberlie righteouslie and godlily in this present world There is the whole end of the grace of God and of the Gospel So if a man haue not good works in some measure he felt neuer the grace of Christ the grace of God may shine in their faces but not in their hearts Now followeth the third argument Except a man abide in me first hee shall bee taken and casten out out of the Vineyarde and next as it were an vnfruiâ—full branch hee shall wither then when it is withered wherefore serueth it Shall it be imped againe No but it shall bee casten into the fire The fire of Hell is for them who will not come to Christ A man goeth not to Hell at once but by degrees Hee who hath not adoe with Christ hee is casten out of the Kirke that is the societie of the Lords Elect that is the true and inuisible Kirke howbeit for a season they remaine in the visible Kirke outwardly Another degree Being out of that societie hee withereth and the last degree he is casten into the fire If faire offers will not moue a man to belieue in Christ Iesus then let the fire of Hell moue him If thou wilt not belieue for faire promises thou shalt see nothing but horrible judgement and as the Apostle speaketh to the Hebrewes an vnquenchable fire Tell a man nowe of beliefe in Christ and of a sanctified life if they will belieue in him it will not moue them because their delite is in murther filthinesse and adulterie Then I tell thee in the Name of the great God thou who art not moued with these promises the fire of Hell abideth thee tell them this Indeede it is true the godliest man that liueth hath euer need to be holden in Christ by a flame of fire we are so inclined to infidelitie Knowing sayth the Apostle of himselfe 2. Corinth Chap. 5. the terriblenesse of the Lord wee bring men to Christ that is to say Wee doe our duetie in our calling And if hee had neede to bee holden in awe much more had wee The godlie who haue a wakened conscience will finde this as soone as they beginne to fall away a flame of fire striketh vpon them for without Christ there is nothing but fire and the wrath of God seaseth vpon the necke of the sinner and neuer leaueth him till it bring him to destruction and shoote him into the fire of Hell Indeede men and women will bee out of Christ where there is one who belieueth there are ten who belieue not and it is a rare thing truelie to belieue in Christ Some there bee who denie Christ altogether and some who are prophane hypocrites and yet the very infidels will finde rest into this worlde and who will bee so wanton as they the greatest infidels the wantonnest But thinke not howbeit they bee at rest that the wrath of God leaueth them No the wrath of God is most vpon them when they are least sensible of it and perceiue it least for the wrath of God striketh first the heart with a deafnes stupidity and next followes the bitterest dririest wakening that euer was When the wicked cries peace then that judgement comes on suddenly as the pains on a woman trauelling in birth and then driery sorowfull shall that wakening be Now to end take vp here the way to Hell and that step by step The first step of all misery is infidelity when a man is without Christ and hath no part with him So when one departeth from Christ either to the one hand or to the other he is in a step to Hell The second fra he fall away from Christ he is taken and flung ouer the Dike as hauing no society with the members of Christ I vnderstand the number of his secret ones if the Lord in the Heauen excommunicate him The third degree Once casten ouer the Dike then they begin to wither and drie vp and all grace goeth away There is no grace no mercy no life but to them who are in that blessed society Last wherefore serue they when they are rotten and drie In that great day they are gathered together and casten into the fire of Hell If any man would eschew the last degree to Hell thinke not Hell a Bogill for it is the sorest burning in the world beware of the first degree beware thou neuer swerue from Iesus Christ in any step but striue to bind thy selfe in that vnion When thou risest in the morning looke that hee be with thee and thou with him and so when thou liest downe at euen looke euer thou bee in Christ and if thou finde the heart sweruing from him and coldnesse to grow in it and thee to growe slacke striue euer to claime till him againe and say Lord holde mine heart still that I decline not an ihtch from thee Therefore striue euer to holde thee with Christ and let not thy heart be blyth except thou feele him againe in thy soule and euer grow in holinesse be exercising thee this way and thou shalt find in stead of feare an infinit joy in Christ And I promise to you if ye will belieue in Christ the joyfullest end that euer was Only belieue and seeing it standeth in no mans handes to belieue say to the Lord in your hearts Lord worke thou that fayth in vs for Christes sake To whom with the Father and the Spirit of Trueth be all praise honour and glory for euermore AMEN THE TENTH LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. XV. VERS 7.8.9.10.11.12.13.14 7 If yee abide in mee and my wordes abide in you aske what yee will and it shall bee done to you 8 Heerein is my Father glorified that yee beare much fruite and bee made my Disciples 9 As the Father hath loued mee so haue J loued you continue in that my loue 10 If yee shall keepe my Commaundementes yee shall abide in my loue as I haue kept my Fathers Commaundementes and abide in his loue 11 These thinges haue J spoken vnto you that my joye might remaine in you and that your joye might bee full 12 This is my Commaundement That yee loue one another as I haue loued you 13 Greater loue than this hath no man when anie man bestoweth
you also if they haue kept my word they will also keepe yours 21 But all these thinges will they doe vnto you for my Names sake because they haue not knowne him that sent mee 22 If I had not come and spoken vnto them they should not haue had sinne but now haue they no cloake for their sinne 23 Hee that hateth mee hateth my Father also 24 Jf J had not done workes among them which none other man did they had not had sinne but now haue they both seene and haue hated both mee and my Father 25 But it is that the worde might bee fulfilled that is written in their Law They hated mee without a cause 26 But when that Comforter shall come whome I will sende vnto you from my Father euen the Spirit of trueth which proceedeth of the Father hee shall testifie of mee 27 And yee shall witnesse also because yee haue beene with mee from the beginning AFter the Lord Iesus beloued in him hath giuen sundry exhortations to his Disciples at last in the 16. vers he giueth a direction to them that after his ascension to Heauen they should passe out into the world and teach all Nations baptize them The words here are that they should go bring out fâ—uit that is win soules to the kingdome of Heauen Secondly he sets down the ground of his ordinance he sets downe what right he hath to giue it I haue chosen you ye haue not chosen me saith he I preuented you when there was no such thing in your mind therfore I haue just right to giue you this ordinance After he hath giuen this ordinance he begins to furnish them inarme theÌ„ against the time they shold passe out the first piece of armour was prayer they shold pray to the Father But how In his Name Look they heart in prayer be grouÌ„ded by faith in Iesus Christ The next piece of their armour is loue chiefly that loue which euery one should beare to another they ought not only loue him whom they teach but the fellow labourers should loue mutually when the fellow-labourers agree among themselues then the work of the Lord goes forward pleasantly The third piece of armour is patience that they should suffer patiently all the hatred of the world Now he insisteth vpon this place and vseth sundry arguments The first he had was from his owne example hee saieth Haue they not hated mee before you then why should yee take it heauily that the worlde hate you for the seruant is not greater than his Master I goe forward In the beginning of this Text we haue the second argument whereby the Lord moueth his Disciples to beare patiently the hatred of the world If yee were of the world the world would loue his owne saith he but because ye are not of the worlde but I haue chosen you out of the worlde therefore the worlde hateth you The meaning is this in effect If the world hate you it is a good token that I haue chosen you out of the vvorlde and relieued you from that damnation which ye were subject to Ye see in this argument when the world loueth any man certainlie it is a token that there is little good in that man for the wicked worlde ordained for damnation will loue no man without a cause except it find a conformitie with it And as Paul saieth Rom. 12. vers 2. except it find a likenesse in humour and affection it will not loue a man It is true wicked men will loue a good man but neuer for any good neuer for Gods cause but for some particular respect as kinred alliance blood or some policie But for a good cause wicked men will neuer loue a good man By the contrarie when the worlde hateth a man it is a token there is some good in that man Ere euer the worlde beginne to hate a man God loueth him Ere euer the worlde beginne to shoote that man out of the worlde the Lord hath exempted him out of the worlde It is true indeede the worlde will hate a wicked man as a man who doeth great and horrible murders committeth adulterie and incest c. but the worlde will neuer hate wickednesse for wickednesse cause because it is an offence to God but for some priuate hurt and dammage as because he is noysome to the Common-wealth and troublesome to the peace of the Countrey and such like This same which I speake of men may bee well drawne to Religion That Religion which the multitude of the worlde runneth after is not most to be approued No the Lord saue me from it Neither that Religion which the world detesteth is to be rejected No the hatred of the Deuill and of the world is a good to ken When the world hateth godly men there is matter of patience and of joye and it is a sure token the hatred of the worlde shall not so soone touch the heart but as soone the Lord shall meet it with his loue and the greater the hatred bee the greater shall the loue of God be Rom. 5. vers 3. Faith worketh patience patience experience to wit of the fauour and loue of God which hee saith afterward is shed abroad by his holy Spirit into our hearts I goe forward The third argument Remember saieth the Lord the word that I saide to you The seruant is not greater than his Master Looke what they did to me they will doe the same to you As hee would say It may suffice you to be in that estate that I was in before you for why yee are but seruantes and I am the Lord and therefore it may suffice you well to bee in that estate that I haue bene in before you He calleth them to remembrance of that word which he spake before in the 13. Chap. and 16. vers when he exhorted them to humilitie Would any man or woman after the example of Christ be humbled lowly and obedient and patient let them euer holde their eyes vpon Iesus Christ and vpon that highnesse and Lordship wherein hee sitteth at the right hand of the Father and then when thou seest howe high hee is looke downe to thy selfe and thou shalt see the fardest that thou canst claime to is this To be but his seruant though thou werest a King and woe be to thee if thou be not a seruant of Christs Then looking vp to Christ and downe to thy selfe reason thus Hath my Lord who is aboue me suffered many things patiently shall not I who am a seruant suffer something patiently And then the soule shall say Suffer patiently for him and I shall count it honour to be partaker of his suffering for of all the honours of the world it is the greatest to suffer for Christ Were not the Apostles blythe while they suffered for Christ Reade Act. 5. vers 41. there it is said They departed from the Councill reioycing that they were counted worthie to suffer rebuke for his Name Paul Phillip
him knewe not the Father Howe can these two stand They stand both well for first of all there is a certaine knowledge of God by the which the most wicked in the worlde knoweth God but then the canker of the heart expelleth this knowledge and on this commeth ignorance and on ignorance commeth hatred Marke by what degrees sinne riseth vp and euery one of vs may finde this in some measure there is no sinner who doeth a great sinne but first they haue a knowledge of God of good and of euill Paul Rom. 1. vers 21. speaking of the Gentiles saieth they knew God There is such a bitternesse and maliciousnesse in the heart that that maliciousnesse blotteth out the knowledge in the heart A wicked man will stoppe both his fingers in his eyes that he should not see The Apostle afterward says They not taking pleasure to intertain the knowledge of God they put out knowledge knowledge departed blacke ignorance coÌ„meth in by the judgement of God then farewell conscience then they lose all feeling and being blind and past sense they run headlonges to all mischiefe And that is it the Apostle speaketh Ephes 4.19 So yee see that all this mischiefe that men committeth in the world falleth out immediatly of blindnes ere euer one go to doe wickednes ignorance coÌ„meth in first then commeth in a want of conscience Durst a man goe out so boldly before God to doe wickednesse if hee had a conscience And thinke yee that wicked men in this Countrey who take pastime in murder in filthinesse c. and aboue all those men who haue committed such hainous things against God against Religion against their owne natiue Countreye and the Crowne thinke yee they woulde haue such a boldnesse if they stopped not their fingers in their eyes and blunted the conscience I pronounce in the Name of God they are bound in the chaines of darnesse loose them who will if they repent not The last thing I mark what is the thing that maketh all sinne inexcusable Knowledge closeth the mouth of the sinner knowledge taketh away all excuses it taketh awaye ignorance and ignorance shall excuse no man in the daye of the Lord and the greater the knowledge bee the lesse excuse is there for sinne I saye more Knowledge not onely maketh sinne inexcusable but knowledge doubleth sinne Murder is sinne but murder with knowledge is double sinne and the greater the knowledge is the greater the sinne shall bee in the daye of Iudgement And if thou hadst but the knowledge of the elements thou shalt be inexcusable And if the Lord speake out of Heauen to thee thy sinne shall bee tripled and well were it with thee who nowe sinnest vnder the light of the Gospel without repentance that thou hadst bene one of Sodome in that great day and thou thy selfe shalt wish in that daye that so it had beene There is no tongue can tell the judgement that shall fall vpon that man who heareth this worde and abideth in sinne Yet the worlde will not bee wakened Crie on them they are not the better Thus much for the second argument In the verse following lest it shoulde bee thought or objected that the obstinate Iewes should haue done this in despite of God the Lord meeteth this saith All this is done that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their Lawe They hated mee without a cause The place is in the 35. Psalme vers 19. It is called the Lawe because all Prophecie is a pendicle to Moyses Lawe and all the Prophets were vnder the Law This is a complaint of Dauid of his enemies who hated him without a cause There was a great cause of loue in Christ and not of hatred Then this yee will see commonly that when the Spirit in the Scripture maketh mention of crosses troubles and persecution of Christ which are euill things he speaketh so warily of them that nothing bee derogate to Gods glorie hee saith The Lord ordained them from all eternitie And there is not a thing yea not the moste vnworthie thing that is done to the faythfull of Christ this daye but it commeth by that eternall Decree it was preordained and if it had not beene so the godly had cause to sorrowe and the God of Heauen woulde bee disgraced And marke this that the ordinance of God shall not excuse thee who is the instrument when thou doest anie thing against his reuealed will The Murderer may saye What haue I done but the will of God O murderer say I thou art not to bee excused thou hast not done the will of God reuealed and so say I to the Adulterer and to all others that commit sinnes which God hath forbidden After that he hath aggreaged this hatred of the Iewes against his Disciples he leaueth it and returneth to his Disciples to comfort them The last thing hee comforteth them with Hee shall sende them that Comforter from the Father for hee commeth first from the Father and the Father sendeth him by the Sonne he calleth him the Spirit of trueth and He shall testifie into your heart of mee As if hee would saye The testimony these Iewes got it was but outwardly but to you I shall sende my Spirit an inward witnesse The Lesson is Wee see heere two sortes of witnesses the one outwarde the other inwarde to wit the Spirit The first is his word his miracles and it is good to heare the worde but and if the Spirite bee not present it were better for thee neuer to haue heard the worde And supposing wee had CHRIST with vs euen in the middest of vs as hee was amongst the Iewes if it pleased him not to sende his Spirite into our heartes it woulde doe vs no good And therefore thinke it not enough to saye And if wee had CHRIST as the Iewes had him wee woulde belieue and wee woulde bee well No no If thou hadst not the Spirite all woulde not auaile thee Bee not content to bee hearers onelie for all that will serue but to daâ—nation except thou feelest that Comforter to worke in thine heart to reforme thine heart and to worke fayth into thee And therefore let this bee thy prayer in hearing that worde LORD let thy Spirit worke into mine heart And if hee bee into thine heart hee will let thee feele such a comfort and such a peace and such a rest into thine heart that the worlde cannot tell what it meaneth This is to be considered that he saith he will send the Comforter to them from the Father for it importeth That the Spirit floweth first from the Father then from himselfe So he said in the Chapter preceeding thaâ— the Father should sende the Spirit in his Name for the Father sendeth the Spirit by the Sonne ere the Sonne sende him from the Father Seeing then he proceedeth from them both he must beare witnesse both of the Father and of the Sonne but of the Father by the Sonne in whom the Father
any other felicity and therefore they were woe at such speaches for they were more carnall than spirituall and tooke more heede to that carnall than spirituall ioy So this is our nature that if we can get in the world such aboundance of riches pleasure honour and such companie as we would we would neuer desire to goe out of this world but ay to remaine And when wee heare tell that wee must slit out of this worlde the rememberance of death will sting vs to the heart the Disciples were sad because the Lord was to goe from them It is the hardest thing in the worlde to gette the soule disseuered from the world and to get the eye set vpon Heauen and to get an hope of that Life Woe to that soule that getteth not hope to reach aboue this worlde that soule is in an euill estate And the Lord knowing this hee will take awaye from vs that companie that will drawe vs from him and piece and piece hee will take vs vnto himselfe for no man getteth the desire of Heauen in a moment but a man piece and piece stealeth out of the worlde and goeth to Heauen Thinke not thou therefore them happie who haue the worlde at their will No no it is well for that creature whom the Lord draweth out of the worlde by taking from them the thinges of the worlde For miserable are wee if ou◠hope bee not extended beyonde all earthlie yea spirituall comfortes that euen can befall vs in this life as Paul saieth Of all men wee are moste miserable if in this life onely wee haue hope in Christ 1. Cor. 1. vers 19. I goe forward As before hee gently reprooued them so in the next vers hee comforteth them Jt is expedient for you that J goe away for it J goe not away the Comforter shall not come to you but if J goe away I will sende him to you Heereby wee see that the holie Spirit commeth by the Resurrection and Glorification of IESVS CHRIST and therefore it is saide The holie Spirite was not giuen because Iesus was not as yet glorified Chap. 7. vers 39. And whatsoeuer grace was of the holie Spirite into the worlde was by vertue of that Resurrection of Christ to come and all this consolation wee haue floweth out of his Resurrection Glorification for out of his fulnesse we receiue a part he is full of glorie his soule is repleat and passeth all the Angels in glorie and so out of his fulnesse all grace floweth vnto vs and euerie one of the members of Christ hath a measure of that Spirit as hee thinketh meete and therefore Paul saieth Hee ascended on high and gaue giftes to men Ephes 4. vers ◠And so wouldest thou haue joy cast vp thine eye to heauē and fasten thy faith on Iesus Christ thou shalt find a portion of that Spirit Wee see two sortes of the presence of Christ One bodilie as the Disciples saw another spirituall Howbeit hee bee distant from vs in the Heauen yet he sendeth down his holie Spirit by that Spirit he worketh a feeling in the hearts of his owne and they will heare his voyce and will see him with the eyes of their soule And they will haue this sense with such a joye that the tongue of him who findeth that joye is not able to expresse the thousand part of it Both these presences are very good and they who saw him had a great benefit Many Kings longed to see him but they saw him not as Dauid and Abraham The men who saw him when hee was an Infant thought they gotte a greater grace than if all the worlde had beene giuen them But for all this the other presence is better for hee saieth Jt is good that I goe away from you It had beene good for the Iewes that they had neuer had his bodily presence because they had not the spirituall presence of the Lord in their hearts But as for that spiritual presence in all respectes it is to bee preferred to his bodily presence in the dayes of his humiliation because by vertue of that presence albeit so farre distant from vs wee receiue the holy Spirite and all his graces Looke to Heauen and see him glorified that presence is the chiefe presence and as soone as wee see that glory in that day the beames of his glory shall transforme vs and catch vs vp in the clouds So great is the glory of the Lord that it will not remaine within the Heauens with our Head but of necessity it must flowe to his members vpon earth Nowe when thou findest grace and joye and pleasure into thine heart And thinke not thou hast joy enough howbeit thou hadst all the pleasures in the world except thou haue that joye of Christ then assure thy selfe that Iesus Christ thine Head is glorified in the Heauens And if wee finde such a pleasure that wee will bee rauished aboue the worlde being now so farre distant from Christ what shall bee that joy and pleasure wee shall conceiue in our heart when wee shall see him face to face The tongue cannot tell it but the heart that hath felt it can best testifie it The Lord grant that while as wee are in the earth wee may walke as Citizens in the Heauens euer waiting that these vile bodies may bee transformed and made conformable to that glorious body of Iesus Christ Now to goe forward After he hath fore-warned his Disciples of the afflictions which after his departure they shold suffer That they should bee excommunicate and also slaine And after hee hath set downe the ende wherefore hee fore-warned them to wit that they should not be offended but confirmed And after he hath reproued them gently that they rejoyced not when he tolde them that he was to depart And after he hath begun to comfort them by letting the◠see that is was for their weale that hee was to depart from them For thorow his blessed Ascension they should bee partakers of the holy Spirit and his graces which if hee did not ascend to his Father they would not get In the words following he falleth out vpon another head of doctrine instructeth them concerning the office of the Spirite which hee was to discharge in the worlde during the time of his absence and this office is in respect of the world and chiefely of the obstinate Iewes who would not belieue in Christ when hee was present with them When hee shall come that is when that Spirite of trueth shall come after that I am gone away he shall rebuke the world that is the faythlesse and obstinate in the worlde hee shall conuict them But yee may saye No man heareth the voyce of the Spirite speaking with his owne mouth howe shall the Spirite then rebuke the worlde The meaning is The Disciples whome that Spirite shall comfort shall by their Ministerie rebuke the worlde Wee haue then two effectes of the Spirite heere The first is in respect
world but him who had the greatest power in the world And so in judging him the holy Spirit conuicteth the worlde That hee was the Iudge of the worlde Colloss 2. vers 15. it is saide When hee hung vpon the Crosse he sate most gloriously in a Chariot There was neuer an Emperour who was carried in such a glorious Chariot as the Lord howbeit hee was abject in the sight of the worlde In that Chariot hee taketh the Deuils and taketh all their power and leadeth them in triumph and maketh an open showe of them So there is his victory which hee gotte ouer the Deuill the prince of this world Indeede I grant that the Deuill as yet hath a great power in this worlde Ephes Chap. 2. vers 2. And hee runneth about like a roaring Lion yet he is ouercome and chained in darknesse Iud. 6. That is Hee is in chaines of terrible horrour and anguish howbeit hee will deceiue men women and make them to thinke that he is free to doe what he will be lies he is in a great horror Now the godly who find the mortification of that sinfull nature find that the Deuil is ouercome for except the Deuill were ouercome sinne would reigne in the worlde for the kingdome and tyranny of the Deuill and the kingdome of sinne and death are euer conjoyned So the godly who find that the old man is crucified finde that the Deuill is ouercome The vngodly also in whom the Deuill the prince of this world reigneth 2. Corint 4. vers 4. they are conuicted in their consciences That the Lord hath ouercome the Deuill The Murderers Blasphemers Adulterers c. are conuict by the light of the Gospel That Sathan whom they serue as as many slaues is but a slaue himselfe vanquished by Christ Iesus and bound with chains of darknesse albeit thorowe induration and malice of their heartes they prefer his bondage to the liberty of the Kingdome of Christ And I denounce In the Naâ—e of the Great GOD of Heauen If they continue their portion shall bee with the Deuill the Lord Iesus shall be auenged on them For albeit the Lord Iesus be in Heauen sitting at the right hand of that glorious Majesty yet hee leaueth not his poore members destitute of comfort As before hee said I will not leaue you comfortlesse as soone as he went to Heauen he sent downe his Spirit by whom hee reigneth in the worlde Nowe that Spirit is either conuerting the soules of men to Christ or else he is conuicting and condemming the obstinate And bee thou assured that if the holy Spirit conuert not thy soule by this worde hee shall conuict thee and stoppe thy mouth and keepe thee in chaines to that great Iudge the Lord Iesus and thou shalt bee so conuict in this world that thou shalt not haue a worde to saye in that great Day Paul speaketh of this 2. Cor. 10. vers 5. Those who will not bee conuerted but remaine disobedient I shall cause vengeance light vpon them and I shall bee the sauour of death vnto death to them So either shalt thou bee conuerted by the worde or else bee conuicted and condemned Now when he hath dipped into this doctrine hee cutteth off the speach and saieth J haue many moe things to speake to you but ye cannot beare them now That is ye are not capable of them now There were other causes no doubt that here vrged him to cut short his language as namely because the houre of his death was at hand as Chap. 14. vers 30. Another was because as hee saieth Chap. 15. vers 15. All thinges that I haue heard of my Father haue J made knowne vnto you and therefore now hee would not insist to repeate or expound theâ— heere but hee remitteth farder reuelation to the Spirite Foolishe therefore are the Papistes who grounde on this place their Traditions for all grace and power to vnderstand anie thing of Iesus Christ and of the saluation of man is of the Spirit The Lord knew well what power he hath giuen to euerie one to vnderstand the waye of saluation and according therevnto hee measureth his instruction hee submitteth himselfe to their rudenesse and capacitie If thou be an Infant hee will not giue thee solide and strong foode but Milke So hee willeth a Minister to measure the doctrine conforme to the grouth and power of the hearers The Ministers in euerie Congregation should know who are Infants and who are not and accordinglie vse discretion This worde is to bee marked I haue manie thinges to tell you and yet I will not tell you them now The Minister should instruct the soberest in meanest thinges and yet he should subjoyne this There is an higher mysterie if thou werest capable thereof that they may desire to growe in knowledge Some foolishe men will saye If I had the Creede and Pater noster and the Commandementes I care not for more knowledge that will not serue thee no no as thou gettest a sight of Christ so shouldest thou haue a great desire to receiue farder grouth and in-sight and striue to get a perfection for albeit wee appeare to our selues sometimes to haue cunning and knowledge enough yet it is but little which the best of vs hath in respect of that which wee should haue for heere wee see but in a part wee knowe but in a part Reade 1. Corinth 13. vers 9. We should therefore neuer be content of the knowledge we haue but should aye striue to get more and with all these Preachinges striue to get Iesus Christ and to see his face more and more as it were in a glasse till once our fayth bee turned into sight and then wee shall get sacietie of knowledge Howe dangerous a thing it is to a man who hath gotten but little knowledge there to bide the Apostle to the Hebrewes Chap. 6. vers 4. declareth for there he denounceth an heauie judgement against those who haue gotten a piece af knowledge and stand there yea and fall away from it hee saieth there is no place of repentance for them And indeed it is not possible but if a man gette once a solide taste and sight of those heauenlie thinges but hee will striue most earnestlie to haue a farder knowledge sight and fore-tasting of them night and daye euen till hee get full sacietie of joye and glorie 1. Petr. 2 vers 2. Therefore I beseech you neuer to rest till yee get a sight of Christ by and aboue all knowledge that in him yee may haue all perfection To whome with the Father and the holie Spirit bee all praise honour and glory worlde without ende So bee it THE XIV LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvi VERS 13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20.21.22 13 Howbeit when hee is come which is the Spirite of trueth hee will leade you into all trueth for hee shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoeuer hee shall heare shall hee speake and hee will shew you the thinges to
but that thou art bought with the blood of Iesus Christ and when thou feelest that Spirite within thee thou shalt finde most sweete and comfortable motions yea motion vpon motion rising in thine heart As hee calleth him Father so hee calleth himselfe his Sonne hee sayeth not Father glorifie mee but Father glorifie thy Sonne Euen as the first stile conciliateth the loue of the Father to the Sonne so this stile reconciliateth the loue of the Sonne to the Father So Brethren let all the stiles wee vse in prayer to God sauour of the loue we haue to God whether wee name God or call him Father let that stile smell of that sonly loue we beare to God or whether wee stile our selues to God let that stile shew the loue wee beare to God and then when these two affections meete our affection going vp to him to the Heauens and his sweete affection comming downe to vs there is the tenderest and sweetest meeting that euer was and bee assured and if it were but a little affection that thou bearest towardes him hee will meete it with an infinite loue yea hee will sende downe out of the Heauens by his holie Spirite such loue to thy soule as the tongue of no creature can expresse Haue yee not experience of this that the loue that the LORD beareth to vs in JESVS CHRJST is the sweetest thing that euer was The LORD hath giuen vs leaue to bee homelie with him through CHRIST and they who want CHRJST dare not bee homelie The Pagans and the Iewes who denie the LORD JESVS haue not this familiaritie with GOD. Through JESVS CHRIST wee haue this wonderfull libertie to come to GOD and call him Father But to come to the matter Father sayeth hee glorifie thy Sonne Thâ—n what is it that he seeketh of the Father He seeketh glorie He hath bene humbled exceedingly and layde downe the tongue of man nor Angell cannot tell howe lowe the Lord was layde so being humbled at the pleasure of the Father nowe when hee hath neare finished the worke which hee should haue done hee seeketh againe his owne glory and good reason were he sayth Glorifie me Father with that glory which I had with thee from all eternitie The Sonne with the Father haâ— equall glorie Paul in the Epistle to the Philippians Chap. 2. vers 6.7.8.9 hath a notable place to this purpose and hee pointeth out three thinges of Christ in that place First hee letteth vs see the glorie which hee haâ— before hee came into the world Secondly he letteth vs see how hee humbled himselfe to the Father And thirdly hee letteth vs see how hee recouered againe that glory which hee haâ— from all eternity as comfortable a place of Iesus Christ as is in all the Scripture This then was his glory when as hee was in the forme of God hee thought it no robbery so to be equall with God for he was equall with his Father in glory in all respects Then hee telleth vs of his humiliation But he himselfe of his free will made himselfe of no reputation At the will of the Father the Sonne of God commeth downe from the Heauen and layeth downe that glory and taketh vpon him the vile habite of a seruant the habit of man that is the next degree and being in the habit of man he is made obedient to the death the vildest death that could bee an accursed death the death of the Crosse this was all done at the pleasure of the Father Last he commeth to the recouery of this glory God exalted him in a wonderfull sublimenes highnes he gaue him a name aboue all names that at the Name of IESVS all knees should bee bowed of all things in Heauen and in earth and vnder the earth and that all tongues should confesse that IESVS was the Lord to the glory of the Father In the first to the Ephes also hee speaketh of this his glory saying He raised him vp from the dead he placed him at his right hand in the Heauens farre aboue all empire principality and power and he subjected all things vnder his feet and hee made him head ouer all euen ouer the Kirke it selfe Whose heart is able to tell the glory that the Lord Iesus who was so farre humbled got after his humiliation I recommend often these places to you for if we loue our Sauior it should be our joy to reade of the glory and exaltation of him which he hath in our flesh for his glory is our glory and as he was exalted so shall we be What glory is this which he seeketh The Lord Iesus is very God verie man Now whether seekes he the glory of the Godhead which dwelt in him bodily as Paul saith Col. 2. vers 9. or the glory of the humane nature or the glorie of them both The answere is easie The Lord Iesus is that eternall high Priest and Mediatour betwixt God and man And as hee is Mediatour being both God and man no doubt he seeketh at the Father the glorifying of both the natures The glorifying of the Sonne of God as he was equall with the Father to be restored to him againe and the glorifying of the humane nature to be giuen him of new which hee had not afore but principally the glory of the Godhead Glorifie mee with that glorie saieth hee which J had with thee from all eternitie So chiefely hee seeketh the glory of the Sonne of God that glory he had from all eternity for why As yee heard Philipp 2.6 the Sonne of God had passed farre and layde downe that glory which hee had with the Father therefore Iesus sought the glory of the Godhead As for the glory of the manhood it is but the consequence of the other What is the glory of the manhood vnto the glory of the great God The glory of the nature of man in Christ is nothing but the beames of that glory which commeth from the Godhead The glory of the nature of man in Iesus Christ howbeit it passeth all the glory of Angels and man is nothing in respect of that glory of God which dwelleth in Iesus Christ To tell this more plainely wee see howe the glory of God vttered it selfe in Christ when that blessed body was in the graue and when hee was lying earthed closed in a Tombe then that glorious God beginneth to vtter himselfe for God left him neuer but kept him still in the graue that he corrupted not and the first thing hee doeth hee raiseth vp the dead bodie out of the graue and when hee raised that bodie hee carrieth it vp to the Heauens and setteth it at the right hand of the Father that glorious Godhead shal vtter it selfe in conuoying that bodie at the terrible day of judgement and shall set down that man Christ in the aire as a Iudge to judge both the quicke and the dead As in the first to the Romanes hee declared that he was the Sonne of God mightilie in that
Turkes c. that will say they will get a sight of the Father without the Sonne no no man shall see him without the Sonne For why neuer man sawe the Father at any time it is the onely begotten Sonne who is in the bosome of the Father who hath reuealed him Iohn 1. vers 18. Except we gette a sight of the Sonne who is the splendor of the Father and the ingrauen forme of his person wee shall neuer see that glorie Hebr. 1. vers 3. So except wee see the Sonne of God the seconde person of the glorious Trinitie there shall bee no life for man nor woman in this world And there is no sight of that glorious person of the Sonne who dwelleth in that light vnaccessable as hee is God hee is as incomprehensible as his Father hee is not seene I saye but vnder a cloude wee must see him thorowe this nature of ours There is no Angell in Heauen that dare abide to looke on the Son but thorow a vaile and this is the vaile of our fleshe if thou takest awaye that vaile the sight of that Majestie shall deuour thee No if thou gottest a sight of the Sonne of God without the sight of his manlie nature wherein hee died for our sinnes and rose for our justification thou wouldest bee destroyed and confounded thereby But by the contrary that is the pleasandest sight that euer thou sawest when thou seest that tabernacle of thy nature that glorious person cloathed with the nature of man The knowledge of Christ must be first as he is sent next as he is Iesus and last as he is Christ His sending is as hee is manifested in the flesh And hee is Iesus and Christ as hee is God and man So wee must looke thorowe that vaile of man and thorowe that tabernacle of our nature ere wee see that glorious Majestie And this is joye and life and our heauen into this earth Yee shall marke a notable lesson of this which I haue spoken See howe knowledge goeth vp thorowe to the Father and see by what degrees life commeth downe from the Father There are the degrees and order of our knowledge and howe it passeth vp thorowe First our eye striketh on the vaile of our nature wherein that glorious Majestie sitteth Then thorowe the vaile the soule pierceth in to that glorious Sonne of God and then when the soule hath gotten that sight of the Sonne it passeth forwarde to the glorious sight of the Father and then our knowledge resteth there for it is the Fountaine of life Faith neuer resteth till it come to the Father and then it resteth on him and there is the joye of it Nowe looke howe wee gette life As soone as our soule commeth to that Fountaine the Father that Fountaine breaketh out in liuing waters Looke the power of Fayth Fayth breaketh vp that Fountaine and then spirite and life beginneth to flow Life commeth first from the Father to the Sonne of GOD and then it commeth from the Sonne to our nature and thorowe our nature that Spirit and that life floweth into our soules There is the difference knowledge beginneth at the nature of man in Christ but life beginneth at the Father Againe knowledge passeth vp and life commeth downe from the Father Well then if life euerlasting stand in knowledge of GOD in Iesus Christ then it must follow first as a man or a woman groweth in knowledge and in fayth so they growe in life euerlasting and as they growe in life so they grow in fayth and in what measure thy knowledge is in that measure thy life is and in what measure thy life is in that measure thy fayth is And when that day shall come when we shall see the Lord Iesus face to face as our knowledge shall be perfected so shall our life and joye and in one word our Heauen shall be perfected The perfection of life euerlasting and knowledge standeth in the sight of the face of Iesus Christ And if our life euerlasting stand in knowledge then death euerlasting standeth in ignorance and where there is ignorance of God in Iesus Christ there death taketh place and their Hell is begunne here and that darknesse which is in thy soule shall bee turned into vtter darknesse and the more ignorant thou bee of God in Iesus Christ the greater shall thy damnation bee Paul to the Ephes Chap. 4. vers 18. joyneth these two together speaking of the Gentiles and their estate before Christ came into the worlde sayeth hee they had their mindes darkened with a cloude of ignorance and they were aliantes from the life of God Meaning that when as ignorance reigned amongst the Gentiles they were all casten out from the light of Heauen Where there is nothing but darknesse there is not a sponke of the life of Christ there Though thou werest a King and hast but a naturall life I count thee worse than a Dogge howbeit thou canst passe the time and hunt and haulke and eate thy meate c. thou art deader than a Carrion Seeing then life standeth in the sight of God through Iesus Christ and seeing death standeth in the ignorance of the soule this shoulde bee our care night and daye to warble thorowe that cloude of darknesse which hideth vs from that Sonne of God and â—o get away this foule vaile for if it be not put away it groweth aye till it come to an hard scroofe There is no standing for thee but thou shalt either grow in light or in darknesse This should be our care to put awaye darknesse and get light Wee should aye labour to cast off this vaile vnder the which wee lie till the Lord deliuer vs fully from that blindnesse of the minde which is a blacke and cloudy couering The way to bee fredde of this is to holde vp thine eye to gette a sight of the face of Iesus Christ In the face of Iesus thou seest the glory of the Father Knowest thou how thou shalt gette it in this life Seeke it in the worde All the sight that we haue here is but in a mirrour and by an aenigma as th'Apostle sayth or by a parable in respect of the sight which wee shall haue in the life to come And this mirrour is the glorious Gospel To end in a worde As thou wouldest see Iesus and bee quite of darknesse as thou wouldest haue life and be quite of death set thine heart to heare the Gospel of Iesus Christ that is the only way for thee to gette a sight of him in this life Striue to heare this worde preached Ye shall haue Christ crucified in the Gospel and Christ glorified in the Gospel And begin once to take pleasure in hearing and I shall promise thee in the Name of God Heauen and Earth and all shall goe together ere thou gettest not light and consequently Heauen in this life otherwayes I giue thee ouer Now seeing Christ is our light and our life the Lord giue vs grace to
followeth that whosoeuer findeth in their heartes that they haue glorified the Sonne in belieuing in him in confessing of him and in their life and conuersation that man or that woman may bee assured in their heart and saye The Father keepeth me and I am in his custodie I am assured that the Father hath a speciall care ouer mee because I finde my delite and pleasure to be set on Christ No no if the Father had not mee in his custodie I should not haue such a pleasure and delite to glorifie him The heart that findeth no delite nor pleasure to glorifie Christ Iesus in this life hath no warrand that it is in the keeping and custodie of the Father if thou findest no faith at no time and if thy life in some measure answere not to thy profession saye The care of the Father is not ouer me I am desolate I am not in Gods handes that is the most desolate creature in the worlde whome the Father hath not in his custodie yea though all the worlde should compasse him and guard him round about And by the contrarie whome the Father hath a care of they are better guarded than if all the Kings of the Earth were about them for Brethren yee may well know that the Father loueth that person well that loueth his welbeloued for he who loueth the Sonne the Lord Iesus he loueth the Father also and the Father loueth him and hee who honoureth the Sonne the Father shall honour him And by the contrary he who dishonoureth the Sonne the Father shall dishonour him and shame him in despite of all the worlde albeit all the world should honour him he will haue him shamed he shal set him vp to be an open shame to man and Angel he shall be Anathema yea and Anathema Maranatha that is cursed for euer who loueth not the Lord Iesus There is such a strait and narrow conjunction betwixt the Father and the Son that the honour of the Father is the honour of the Sonne and the honour of the Sonne is the honour of the Father and that the dishonour of the Sonne is the dishonour of the Father and the hatred of the Sonne is the hatred of the Father also Ye heard what Christ said Hee who honoureth me he honoureth him who sent me A Prince will thinke that his Ambassadour shoulde bee as well reuerenced as himselfe for all the honour that the Ambassadour receiueth commeth to the Prince who sent him Now the Sonne of God is more than an Ambassadour sent by the Father for he is not a simple Ambassador but also the Sonne of God equall with the Father who is more than all the Ambassadours in the world Will not then the Father thinke that the honour done to the Sonne whom hee hath sent is done to himselfe Yes certainlie But to leaue this Yet he continueth on and bringeth other arguments heapeth argument vpon argument to shew that great desire which he had that the Father should keepe and saue his Disciples who were in the world J am no more in the world I goe away and concerning my bodily presence I am no more with them they will abide still in the world therfore O Father keepe them in respect that I leaue them to thee and I am to goe out of the worlde and that shortlie therefore take thou the care of them Euen as a man dying leaueth them whom he loueth well to tender friendes Euen so the Lord Iesus leaueth his Disciples to his Father that he should take them in his custodie When I was with them saith hee I kept them but nowe I am going out of the worlde and I leaue them vnto thee therefore Father keepe them Brethren this absence of Christ in his bodie and our absence from him it is so farre from that to bee an argument that God hath left vs that by the contrarie this absence of Iesus Christ in his bodilie presence and the leauing of vs behinde him now in the Earth it is an argument to euerie one of vs that God is with vs and that the Father of Iesust Christ hath a speciall care of vs for looke the farder that Iesus Christ bee from vs in his bodilie presence the nearer is the Father vnto vs by his holie Spirite that Comforter So that yee woulde thinke it a wonderfull thing to consider the care that the Father hath of vs in the absence of Iesus Christ from vs. It is good for vs that Iesus Christ our Lord went to the Heauens in glorie And Christ sayeth himselfe If I goe not awaye that Comforter the Holie Spirite shall not come And this is sure the more desolate that anie bee in this Earth as the Fatherlesse Widdowes and Strangers c. if they bee Christes the greater is the care of God ouer them So yee will finde in the SCRIPTVRES hee will take into his hande and haue a speciall care of the Widdowes and Fatherlesse so that they bee Iesus Christes and once giuen to him If thou bee desolate looke that thou bee Iesus Christes and if thou wouldest not want the societie of Iesus Christ aboue all beware of Infidelitie which is nothing but the beginning of that euerlasting desolation Woulde wee haue joye or consolation in anie desolate estate in the worlde Woulde wee haue that presence of God and that consolation of the Holie Spirite No more but this See that thou bee Christes for Heauen and Earth shall goe together and all shall turne to nothing ere the Lorde bee not with thee to keepe thee and to guarde thy soule as the Apostle sayeth to the PHILIPPIANS with that peace with passeth all vnderstanding Hee will set that peace into thine heart when thou art in trouble and hee will set thine heart at rest and giue thee a greater peace than all the peace in the worlde Nowe when hee hath repeated these argumentes hee concludeth shortlie Holie Father keepe them in thy NAME them whome thou hast giuen mee that they maye bee one with vs as wee are one Marke Brethren these wordes which the LORD vttereth haue a great weight and also this petition which hee maketh to the Father it is full of affection and loue And it is full of affection first to the Father then to the Disciples for whom he prayeth It is full of affection to him whom to hee prayeth to them for whose cause he prayeth Looke when thou prayest that thy affectiō be to thy God to them also for whom thou prayest Hee sayeth Holie Father keepe them Will yee consider euerie worde and first these wordes Holie Father yee shall perceiue a great affection in the Sonne to the Father These wordes rise on two motiues the one is loue that is an affection which the Sonne bare to the Father When he calleth him Father he vttreth that wonderfull loue which he bare to the Father And then the other riseth on a great reuerence that Iesus Christ our Lord bare to his Father when
the world But this is it that I meane That men euen liuing in the society of this worlde yet they should not liue as the worlde doeth they should separate their life from the society of the world Paul to the Philippians Chap. 2. vers 16. desireth them to liue like as many Lights Where Not in a backside but in the middest of this naughty and wicked generation bearing before them the word of life Thus should we liue as he sayth Philipp Chap. 3. vers 20. that while we be liuing we be Citizens in Heauen and howbeit our bodies be here that yet in the meane time our conuersation be in the Heauen and that we liue an Heauenly life as if we were not liuing in the Earth but in the Heauen with the Angels and with our Mediatour Now to goe forward shortly Hauing vsed this argument from their separation from the world in the next Vers he insisteth in it and of it he taketh the occasion of a new petition He hath prayed the Father to keepe his Disciples now he prayeth the Father to sanctifie them that is that as once the Father had begun to separate them from the world so he would continually separate them from the worlde till hee tooke them out of the worlde It is not enough to begin to bee sanctified that is to bee separated out of the world it is not enough once to begin to be holy but continually night and day wee must warble out of the pollution and filthinesse of this world and grow in holinesse of life and sanctification But wherewith shall they bee sanctified With the trueth It is the trueth of God in Iesus Christ that maketh man or woman holie Not euerie trueth maketh man or woman holie but the trueth of God in Iesus Christ who is the Way the Trueth and the Life This trueth is the worde of God which separateth thee from the world Well then it is the word that sanctifieth and maketh men and women holie for as the worde is the immortall seede whereby wee are borne againe so it is that sweete and sincere Milke as Peter sayeth whereby wee growe in him It is the worde that begetteth vs in him and maketh vs to growe on till wee see our Sauiour Wouldest thou begin to bee holy heare the word thou shalt neuer bee sanctified till thou heare the word Wouldest thou grow on here still that is the onlie meane that God hath appointed in this worlde Heare aye and grow on and at last thy glorie shall be perfected in Iesus Christ Brethren to mark somwhat here He prayeth that they may bee sanctified that is that more and more they may bee seuered from the world Then we must aye grow on in holinesse as ye reade in the Reuelation of Iohn Chap. 22. vers 11. Hee who is just let him bee just still and hee who is holie let him bee holie still c. Well it is a good thing to beginne to bee holie for he who beginneth truely to be holy he groweth on still Now the meane whereby we grow in holinesse is Prayer Ye see here the Lord he prayeth that his Disciples who were begun to be holy should grow on in holinesse and should be separated from the world So the speciall meane is Prayer Pray continuallie It is our sluggishnesse in prayer that causeth vs to want an holy hart and growth of that sanctification Wouldest thou be aye holy Pray euer If thou prayest not but loathest prayer thine holinesse shall faile Wouldest thou grow in holinesse Continue in prayer Now the instrument that maketh thee holy and that God hath ordained to take away the filth of thy nature and that the holy Spirit taketh in his hand as it were to wash away the pollution of thy nature is the word of Trueth As he vseth the meane of Prayer so he vseth the word of Trueth When the word of God is preached lay to thine eare to heare and pray still and heare on still How shalt thou heare In hearing pray that is when thou hearest the word of Trueth pray him that by the word of trueth he would sanctifie thee that is that by his holy Spirit that word may be effectuall in thy soule Say this wayes Now Lord as this is the only instrument appointed to sanctifie may soule and scoure away the corruption of my dead nature so let thine holy Spirit take it in his hand and conuoy it into my soule to sanctifie my soule Pray ay and heare euer and craue that the word may take effect to make thee holy When he hath made his petition to his Father to sanctifie and to separate his Disciples from the world and from the pollution of the world to this purpose he vseth one or two arguments in the words following The first is in these words As thou hast sent mee into the worlde so haue I sent them Father I haue sent them into the world therefore Father sanctifie them He declareth this by a comparison from himselfe As thou hast sent mee so haue I sent them Ye heard he made them like to himselfe in holinesse so now he maketh them like to himselfe in vocation It is a blessed thing to be like to Christ in many things And so by this likenesse with himselfe he recommendeth them to the Father The Disciples of Christ whom ye call the Apostles they were like Christ in calling and vocation The Lord Iesus was the great Apostle of our profession Hebr. 13. vers 11. and they were also sent by the will of the Father So they were in a manner like vnto him in calling and vocation but here is the difference The Lord Iesus was an Apostle immediately sent by the Father the Father sent him to the world immediately but the Apostles were not sent immediately by the Father but they were sent immediately by the Sonne The Lord Iesus as he was sent of the Father immediately so he sent his Apostles immediately yet at the will of the Father Looke the Epistles of Paul he calleth himselfe the Apostle that is the Ambassadour of Iesus Christ But how By the will of the Father So it fareth with the Pastors and Teachers in the Kirke of God No commission they haue from Iesus Christ but at the will of the Father As this is true that the Pastor or Teacher in the Kirke is immediately sent by the Sonne So it is true in al grace that commeth from Heauen to the Kirke all commeth immediately from the Sonne and not from the Father Whatsoeuer grace it be as vocation justification sanctification and life euerlasting or whatsoeuer gift it be all commeth immediately from the Sonne as in the fourth Chap. to the Ephes vers 10.11 where he citeth the testimony of Dauid Hee passed vp on high meaning of Christ that is to the Heauens hee ledde captiuitie captiue and hee gaue giftes to men that is the Lord Iesus who was humbled being exalted to glory sendeth downe grace on his Kirke he
maketh it plaine I in them The glorie that the Sonne hath giuen vs is nothing but himselfe it standeth in this That the Sonne is in euerie one of the faythfull To make it more plaine In our Regeneration and newe birth the Sonne of God Iesus Christ communicateth to euerie one of the faythfull borne anewe againe his holie Spirit and so as Peter speaketh 2. Epist Chap. 1. vers 4. he maketh vs partakers of that diuine-nature There is not one of vs that hath gotten that holie Spirit of Iesus Christ but in a manner wee are made partakers of that diuine nature Yea in our Regeneration the Sonne of God giueth vnto vs himselfe This is a great prerogatiue to thy soule to get God to dwell in thee for where the holy Spirite is there is fayth for the Spirite breedeth fayth in the heart and where fayth is there is Iesus Christ Hast thou fayth thou hast Christ The saying of the Apostle PAVL to the Ephesians must bee true Christ dwelleth in the heart by fayth Hast thou fayth in Iesus Christ thou hast Iesus Christ the Sonne of God and if thou hast fayth thou hast the holie Spirite in thine heart and if thou haue the Sonne thou hast the Father and if thou haue the Father thou hast the glorious Trinitie in thee the Father the Sonne and the holie Spirite Well then Brethren consider this giuing of Christ wherein hee giueth himselfe vnto vs by this Regeneration the Lord is in euerie faythfull man and woman that is the meaning As the Father communicateth himselfe to the Sonne so the Sonne communicateth himselfe to euerie one of vs and as it were hee communicateth that diuine nature vnto vs in this life and much more in the life euerlasting But to come to the ende of the glorie that the Father giueth to the Sonne and that the Sonne giueth to the faythfull that is That they may bee one as wee are one The Father being in the Sonne the Father and the Sonne becommeth one in that glorious substance and nature and then the Sonne the Lord Iesus Christ being in vs there riseth not onelie a conjunction of vs and him together a conjunction of the bodie and the head but there riseth also another to wit a conjunction with the rest of the members of his bodie in the Earth For Brethren where the Spirite of Iesus is where Fayth is where Christ is in the heart of anie man or woman there of neede force loue must bee fayth and charitie are vnseparable Where that bande of perfection is as the Apostle PAVL calleth it in the third Chapter to the Colossians Vers 14. Where fayth in Christ is in thine heart thou must bee joyned with the Kirke of God and with thy neighbour And this is our perfection that euerie one of vs is joyned with another in this bande of loue There is no perfection of a member in this worlde when it is sundered from the rest of the members Cutte off a member from the bodie it doeth no good but perisheth Cut off the hand from the bodie whereto serueth it Or cut off the foote what perfection shall it haue Take the eye out of the head whereto serueth it So the perfection of euerie one of vs standeth in the conjunction of vs together in the bodie of Iesus Christ Wouldest thou bee perfect Bee thou an hande or a foote or some member yea if it were but a little Toâ— of the bodie of Iesus Christ that is of the Kirke or elsâ— thou art but a rotten member If hee were a King if hee bee separated from the Kirke of God hee is but a stinking vilde member and serueth for no vse and in ende shall bee casten into the fire The doctrine which wee see heere Brethren is That vertue which commeth from Iesus Christ For all grace and life floweth from him and commeth to vs by vertue of that conjunction betwixt him and vs the vertue is not to make a man perfect in himselfe and absolute with all sorte of graces that is not the vertue of IESVS CHRIST to make anie man so absolutelie perfect that hee shall not haue neede to begge anie thing at his neighbour But this is the vertue that commeth from IeSVS CHRIST our Head to make all one man and not to make one member the whole bodie but to make one an eye in the bodie and another an hande and another a foote c. And not to set vp anie one man no not the Emperour nor the King to make him the whole bodie Then Brethren this grace of IESVS CHRIST is to make a conjunction amongst the members and not to giue vnto him or her all grace Yea though it were the Emperour or the King the LORD will giue him but parte of grace And hee will giue that grace to the soberest Subject in the Lande which hee will not giue vnto the King And againe hee will giue vnto the King that which hee will not giue vnto the Subiect For hee will giue to one to doe the office of a Foote and to another to doe the office of an Eye and to some other to doe the office of the Hande c. Nowe the Foote cannot bee the Hande nor the Hande the Foote So it is with the members of IESVS CHRIST And wee see by experience yee shall neuer see that one man hath gotten all graces but hee who hath gotten one grace hee wanteth another and his neighbour hath gotten that which he wanteth This the Lord doth that there may be a conjunction of the members to make thee ioyne with thy neighbour because hee hath the grace that thou wantest for if euerie man had all graces euerie man would misknow another The man that will stand vp in a prowde conceit of himselfe and will mount aboue the Kirke and contemne anie member of that bodie howbeit it were the silliest member of Iesus Christ hee is nothing and hee shall haue no portion of grace If thou joynest not thy selfe with thy neighbours and with the members of Iesus Christ thou hast no grace Yet he insisteth in the commendation of this conjunction for it is a blessed conjunction to bee joyned with the Kirke of Iesus Christ in this world of all blessinges it is the greatest if thou be a true member in the Kirke if it were but the foote thou hast gotten a greater blessing than thou hadst gotten all the Kingdomes of the worlde As therefore thou wouldest bee partaker of that life to come looke that thou be a member of the bodie of Iesus Christ if thou bee not the eye thinke it a great thing to bee the foote or to bee a Toe of that glorious bodie Hee commendeth it from two endes the first is The worlde shall knowe that J am sent from thee as hee saide Vers 21. Wouldest thou know that Iesus Christ is the Messias bee conjoyned in that bodie of Iesus Christ Another is The worlde shall knowe that thou hast
through the Ministerie of the Apostles should bee liuing to the ende of the worlde That the Lord would blesse them and by his prouidence guarde them And so both the matter of the Sermone and Prayer is wonderous excellent and in them both wee may see not onelie Diuine knowledge foreseeing and fore-telling those thinges that were to come to passe which if hee had beene onelie man hee could neuer haue done but also a loue vnspeakable and more than wonderfull in that when the wrath of God was persuing him for the sinnes of the Elect when the bitter Cuppe of the Passion was to be propined vnto him when the terroures of Death were nowe before his eyes when Sathan and all the power of darknesse was nowe to assaile him when all rankes of men were to raile vpon him and all his owne were to bee offended at him when Peter should denie him Herode should mocke him Pontius Pilate should condemne him in a manner hee was forgetfull of all those thinges that should come to himselfe and mindfull alwayes to offer joye and consolation vnto his owne Nowe this matter so excellent haue manie learned and godlie men comfortablie and fruitfullie handeled and amongst the rest that famous and worthie Minister of Iesus Christ in the Kirke of EDINBVRGH M. ROBERT ROLLOK of happie memorie for his painfull and comfortable trauels therein and for his manifolde other graces deserueth to bee praysed with the first For hee was a man whom God beautified with manie rare gifts and graces and whome the Lord made manie wayes to bee steadable to his Kirke his vntimelie death when the Lord first called him did manie lament and when their teares were spent they entertained dolour and griefe in their heartes Yea euen nowe the faythfull seriouslie considering these dayes of decaye wherein that Antichristian rabble set themselues to smoare the Trueth and to bring in darknesse againe and wherein by some Religion is mocked and disdained and some are content with a bare showe and outward profession without power and vigour thereof and a life answering therevnto are compelled to sigh for the great wound and losse that the Kirke suffered as in the death of manie others so namelie in the death of that most faythfull man of GOD. Through his death this Citie lost a good Citizen the Flocke a good Pastor the Colledge a good Rector his Brethren a faythfull Fellow-labourer wandering sinners a wise guide and in a worde what sorte of people found not some losse and had not their interesse in his death Who was more carefull than hee to haue GOD glorified Who walked more carefullie with GOD Who was more crucified to the worlde Who was more seuered from all entangling worldlie pleasures and commodities Who more had their conuersation in Heauen Who more carefull to gaine soules to the Kingdome of GOD publicklie and priuatelie by voyce and by penne by worde and by writ at home and abroade aliue and dead And his conuersation was so answâ—rable to his profession and calling that the verie malicious Aduersaries and enemies themselues could not nor durst not charge him with anie imputation But wee neede not Syr to prayse him vnto you who knew him so well and who was so familiarlie conuersant with him and his wordes doe speake sufficientlie to others who knew him not Nowe Syr thâ—se his LECTVRES wee graunt are not so absolute as manie would require and wee our selues would wish for neither deliuered hee them of purpose that they should see the light neither sawe hee them euer after hee had deliuered them neither did his Schollers receiue them from his mouth on the purpose but onelie for the helping of their owne memories And yet wee trust that such as regarde more matter in edification than delicate language and plauâ—ible wordes shall finde no small comfort in perusing of them For not onelie for the duetie wee ought to the Author our louing Master but also for your cause and earnest request to whome wee are so much obliged haue wee taken some yea no small paines heerein as they who are accustomed with such cases may easilie consider that his owne matter might bee sette downe in his owne phrase and stile so neare as possiblie wee could that with the greater liking and approbation they might bee perused by such as seeke â—o bee edified And so much the more carefull were wee heerein because wee found that his other LECTVRES published by vs before as on the COLOSSIANS THESSELONIANS and other seuerall Textes of Scripture and narâ—lie the Lectures last published vpon the Passion and Resurrection euer receiued with great liking and contentment of manie who acknowledge themeselues to bee greatlie edified thereby Nowe Syr these last LECTVRES and our laboures therein wee present vnto you to bee published abroade vnder your protection because moste justlie in all respectes they belong vnto you For first fewe are ignorant howe louing and alwayes beneficiall you were to the Author himselfe from the first time yee knewe him euen to the houre of his death and thereafter to his Wife and nowe you continue the same kindnesse to his posthume Daughter Next as while hee liued hee acknowledged and professed himselfe to bee mâ—re oblieged to you than to anie so at the houre of his death in his latter Will hee ordained that whatsouer of his workes thereafter should see the light should come out in your Name that where his workes were read your deseruinges might bee knowne and that they who gotte fruite of them might also esteeme of you and giue you thankes therefore Thirdlie for the great Paines Exspences and Trauelles that yee haue bestowed in making them to come to the light For by you they were gathered in from the handes of SCHOLLERS that wrote them and by your exspenses they were written ouer and ouer againe without you they had neuer beene reuised and corrected without you they had not beene made meet for the PRESSE Fourthly because as the Lord hath blessed you with many worldly comforts with an honorable estaâ—e good account in the worlde so hath hee indued you with graces of his Spirit inwardlie with true Pietie and Religion in the soule and outwardlie with an answerable profession and practise thereof vttered in the true loue which yee carrie to all Gods Children and namelie to those who carrie the Message of reconciliation in helping and furthering them both priuatelie and publikelie according to your power And finallie wee dedicate our laboures heerein to you as a testimonie that wee acknowledge our selues to bee manie wayes debt-bound to you for your vndeserued kindnesse vttered so manie wayes towardes vs and continuing so long without alteration Nowe the Lord who is infinite in mercie whose loue is constant without alteration and endlesse who hath hitherto giuen you plentifullie and aboundantlie manifolde tokens of his loue both for the vse of the bodie and this transitorie life and also for the weale and comfort of your soule in this your
say it is a foolish question I will bee there as soone as any Minister of them all howbeit they contemne this worde and this presence of the Lord. This is like to prophane Esau who solde his part of Heauen for the filling of the belly of him vvhat doeth he in the meane time passeth ouer the time and thinketh he hath his Birth-right hee looketh for that blessing but vvhen it commeth to the blessing it is taken from him and it is giuen to Iaakob So men will not thinke that this contempt of the Spirit will close Heauen from them vntill that latter sentence Esau mourned and wept when the blessing was giuen to Iaakob but mourne as he would hee could not get that blessing but lay still with the curse on him So at that day sore shall the lamenting be and we shall heare them roaring howling and crying vvho contemne this worde But let them howle and they were kinges they shall neuer mend themselues or free themselues from that eternall fire So as wee would see Christ comming in that day to our joye let vs make much of this worde in the which Christ is present Or else I giue thee doome and thou do it not thou shalt neuer see him but to thy shame When hee hath set downe the estate of them who contemne him next hee layeth downe the estate of his Disciples who contemned him not But sayth he yee shall see mee Howbeit that this sight that now yee haue bee taken away yet shall yee get another sight more comfortable This sight is the sight of Iesus in his Spirit thorowe his worde The Spirit is not without the worde And there bee no word there is no Spirit Contemnest thou the word thou contemnest the meane that the Lord hath appointed to get that Spirit Then the word of the Gospel and the Spirit that followeth on the word letteth a man or woman see Christ Hast thou heard the worde preached and by the worde hast found consolation thou hast seene Christ thou hast felt and griped him The Spirit of Christ by the worde and Sacramentes entereth into the soule of man and woman and filleth the soule and bringeth Christ into the soule and filleth the whole senses with him The hands wil feele him the eyes will see him Get this Spirite thou shalt get himselfe and when thou hearest that worde out of the mouth of a weake instrument thou shalt heare his owne voyce and thine heart shall gripe him euen as sensibly as thine handes will gripe a sensible body and thou shalt haue more joy sweetnesse and peace than all the world can giue thee Haue ye euer heard him or tasted him then haue yee felt this joy Howbeit wee see him not yet as Peter sayth wee belieue and rejoyce with a joye that is vnspeakable So this fayth wee speake of and this Gospel is not vaine wordes that passe away not a superficiall thing but the moste effectuall thin◠〈◊〉 the world to our consolation The Christian Religion is the most solide and most joyfull thing of all thinges in the worlde all other Professions are but vanity they haue no solidity But to belieue in CHRIST both in life and death is most comfortable And once thou get that Spirite thou mayest feele that Spirite better than all the things in the world And we want this joy the fault is not in the Spirit but in vs who cannot apprehend him He subjoynes the reason why they should see him this is it There is nothing that can slay this sight but death and hee prooueth that death cannot staye it If death could staye it it must bee either your death or my death but so it is I liue and yee shall lâ—ue yee shall not die therefore death shall not staye it as for me I haue life eternally I haue the life of God aâ— for you yee shall liue by the life which is in mee The manner of speaking would be marked Ye shall liue because I liue He sayth not I shall liue but J liue This is a weighty speach the meaning is I liue from all eternity my life had neuer a beginning The forme of speaking importeth a life from all eternity a life by gone a life present and a life to come And the Lord liueth not as the creatures but he is life it selfe and the Fountaine of all life therefore he liueth by himselfe In the end of the eight Chapter hee speaketh such like Ere Abraham was I am that is I had my beginning from all eternity As in the Reuelation Chap. 1 vers 4. I am hee who is was and shall bee And there were no more to testifie that Christ is God and one with the Father this is an argument to tell vs that our Lord is God There is no creature man nor Angel can say I am it is proper to God Exod. 3.14 This phrase importeth a being by himselfe and by him we liue moue and are Act. 17.28 No creature can saye I liue onely the Lord can say it So this word importeth necessarily that the Lord is God of Heauen The thing I note on this argument is Wee may see the ground of sight is life and no man can see except hee bee liuing What can the eye of a dead body see The ground of the naturall sight is naturall life So they who would see heauenly thinges must haue life A dead man will neuer see Heauen This life what a life must it be Must it be a naturall life Noâ— And thou hadst ten thousand naturall liues thou wilt neuer see Christ without another life I say more This life naturall is so defiled with sinne that it hindereth vs from the sight of Heauen And the more powerfull the natural man be in his own sight the more are his eyes closed froÌ„ Heauen As Paul sayth The naturall man is not capable of Spirituall things for they are foolishnesse to him The naturall man will thinke the Crosse of Christ is but scorne It is an harde thing for a naturall witted man to receiue Christ because his head is full of naturall wit So ere a man get a sight of that life there must be a mortification of this corrupt nature and wisdome of the flesh And thou wouldest be heauenly wise be a foole to the world that thou mayest be wise 1. Cor. 3.18 Thou must learne to make this worldly wit a seruant to this Heauenly knowledge So this life which is the cause of sight must be the life of Christ there shall neuer one see Christ but he who hath this life into him in some measure A man who hath gotten a sponke of the life of Christ hee will see Christ for hee liueth not by himselfe as Paul sayeth but hee liueth by Christ Gal. 2.20 As yee would see Iesus Christ bee not content to haue a naturall life occupied in the things of the world but see thou find that life of Iesus be in thee Rest not night nor day as thou wouldest liue
for euer Wee shoulde enter into the way to get his presence Christian Religion standeth not so much in curiositie or in speaches as in the sense of the heart in a practising of that loue of the heart in the life and conuersation The Apostle Paul in the fourth Chap. to the Ephes vers 22.24 telleth vs what it is to learne Christ euen to put off the olde man and to put on the newe man This for the answere Yet hee insisteth in that that they should keepe his Commaundement No it cannot bee preached enough to keepe the Commandement of Christ because our nature is so backward And as before he pointed out the man who loued him so now he pointeth out the man who loueth him not and that is he who keepes not his Command and blessed word that he hath giuen for our weale Who is it then who loueth him not hee who keepeth not his Commandes Marke when yee see a man taking pleasure to displease God and leading a life directlie contrary to the will of God point out that man and saye This is a man who hateth God in his heart Iudge not of a man by his tongue and speaches for oftentimes hee vvho doeth vvorst speaketh best Aske at an hypocrite if hee bee a Christian or not hee will bee angrie with you because hee not seeing himselfe thinketh himselfe as good as any other It is an easie thing to the tongue to cloake the filth of the heart of the hypocrite And vvhat will his hand be doing then It will be vttering it selfe in a filthie life So take not vp the disposition of the heart of man or vvoman by the tongue but by the hand for the hand will saye to the tongue Tongue thou liest John 1. Epist Chap. 2. Vers 4. If any say I know God and keepe not his Command he is a lyar and the trueth is not in him And againe Chap. 4. Vers 20. If any man say I loue God and hateth his brother he is but a lyar Who is it that controlleth the tongue and testifieth before the world that the heart is but false It is the hande and the worke the tongue is but a cloake of falsenesse Marke a faythfull man by his hâ—nde and not by his tongue Our Lord sayeth in the seuenth Chap. of Matth. and the eighteenth vers It is vnpossible that an euill Tree can bring foorth good fruit Yet he insisteth in this matter for hee is very earnest to recommende this obedience to his Disciples and to vs all and hee furnisheth the last argument whereby they should be moued to keep his Commandement and he leadeth them vnto that Fountaine of all his wordes vvhich was that glorious Majestie of his Father The word sayth he vvhich yee heare is not mine but the Fathers vvhich sent mee Would yee haue the ground and fountaine of all fayth of all obedience of all well-doing and of all securitie in this life The ground of all is the onely mouth of the Father So that when a man vnderstandeth that word that hee should belieue into it is not the worde of man but that Verity that floweth from the mouth of the Majesty of God then the heart gripeth vnto it belieueth then the hand executeth it then there followeth obedience But when the heart is not perswaded that the word flowes from that mouth of God but from man then the heart will draw abacke it cannot belieue and the life will not follow it Then Christ learneth vs here If wee would haue the people belieuing and obeying his worde to drawe their eares to heare the Lord speaking and then the hearts of the faythfull will receiue it vvith joye and practise it Away with all the wordes of men of all creatures of all Angels they cannot bee a solide grounde to our fayth neither can the authoritv of the Kirke bee a ground to our fayth albeit the foolish Papists affirme that the cause wherefore vve belieue the Scripture is because the Kirke sayth it is the word of God for except the Scripture bare witnesse of the selfe that it vvere of God and the word of God truely the authoritie of the Kirke could neuer make vs belieue nor perswade vs the same For the ground of our fayth must bee the voyce and testimony of God himselfe speaking to vs. Onely this word of the Olde and Newe Testament vvherein God himselfe speaketh is able to establish our fayth The Lord when hee hath exhorted them perceiuing that his vvorde tooke not that effect in the heartes of his Disciples that it should haue done notwithstanding all his gracious speaking for he knew their hearts he meeteth this and he sayth J haue spoken these thinges being present with you And howbeit they bee not so effectuall in you for the present bee not discouraged for when I shall passe to the Heauen the Comforter which is the holy Ghost whome the Father will sende in my Name shall teach you all thinges and hee shall call these wordes to your remembrance which J haue tolde you We may learne here first the word hath none effect in the heart without the Spirit accompany it Let it bee the worde of God and flowe out of the mouth of God yet and hee concur not with the worde by his Spirit the word shall worke none effect in the heart There are two Doctors who teach vs one Doctor outwarde to the eare and another inwarde that is the Spirit vvho mollifieth the heart Let the outwarde Doctor sounde neuer so long in the eare if the inwarde concur not the worde shall doe no good And except that Spirite open the eye of the soule to see and open the heart as he opened the heart of Lydia Act. Chap. 16. vers 14. to receiue that seede of the worde the heart shall bee as a closed Booke and harder than it was of before Marke another thing The Spirit of the Lord Iesus will not accompany the worde at all times no not in the hearts of the faythfull themselues The Apostles were a proofe of this Howe much spake the Lord to them vvhen he was in the world and how little effect tooke it in them till he went to the Heauens In the 29. chap. of Esay vers 11. ye reade the word of the Lord is like a closed book to the vnfaithful Nowe this is true likewise the worde of God to the godly sometimes is like a closed booke and they will haue such a hardnesse at times that they will haue no sense of it not to indure them but to humble them And if euer there was maâ—ter of humiliation heere it is that when God speaketh thou wilt stande vp and not regarde him and receiue no fruite nor consolation of it Vpon this riseth the Lesson to vs all that the Lord Iesus gaue vnto his Disciples Howbeit at sometimes wee will finde an euill disposition of the soule a deafnesse a blindnesse and senselesnesse Take this consolation Be not discouraged altogether
his life for his friendes 14 Yee are my friendes if yee doe whatsoeuer J commaund you YEE heard the last day Beloued in the Lord Iesus the first exhortation of the Chapter was That his Disciples should abide in that vnion with him and he with them Wee haue sundry arguments of this purpose The first Except yee abide in mee and in that vnion with me yee can bring foorth no fruit nor doe no good in this world The second is That if yee abide in me and I in you ye shall bee full of good workes The third If a man abide not in mee and I in him hee shall bee casten out of the Kirke and once being casten out he shal wither for out of Christ there is no sap of life and then being dried vp hee shall bee gathered vp like a drie sticke and casten into the fire to burne So the argument in this Hee who cannot abide in Christ he shall bee casten into the fire of Hell these arguments wee haue heard Now in this Text the Lord goeth forwarde in the argumentes and first he giueth the fourth reason wherefore they should abide in him then he passeth to other exhortations Then the fourth and last argument is this If ye abide in me and my words in you then what euer ye aske or seeke ye shall haue it Note the wordes If yee abide in me and my words in you Before hee sayd If I abide in you But all is alike the Lord Iesus abideth in the heart by the worde and by fayth so all is alike But to come to the argument What euer shall be your desire aske and ye shall haue it that is If ye abide in me all your petitions shall be granted This argument is very alluring to tell a man what euer he desireth he shall haue Before hee threatned now he allureth Ye see how the Lord tempereth his arguments But Brethren marke this in respect of whom is this argument alluring and whom moueth it Not euery one tell this to a man or woman who hath no sense of their need they will answere when they heare this Wee haue no need to aske tell this to a senselesse sinner he will answere he hath no need what need hath the whole of the Phisicion but tell it to them who haue felt the weight of sinne and who haue felt their want and knowe they are depriued of the glory of God and strangers from the life of God as the Apostle sayth it shall be the joyfullest and sweetest hearing that euer they heard hee will be moued when he heareth this sweete promise Then when wee come to heare of the promises of grace in Christ let vs prepare our selues this way and say I am voyde of al grace therefore I will goe heare these faire promises of grace Now the thing I marke here Yee see how a sinner getteth grace and yee see by what degrees hee commeth to grace The first and immediate meane to get grace and mercy is to seeke aske and thou shalt haue Heauen is little worth and if it bee not worth the asking beg Heauen and thou shalt haue it But who is it can doe this Can all men doe it Looke what must goe before asking ere a man can aske grace there must bee a thirst and a desire looke that the heart bee hungry Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousnesse for they shall bee filled The worlde is full of want yet they haue not a sense of want or an heart to seeke Howe riseth the desire in the heart The desire riseth of a feeling in the heart of a wonderfull inlacke and misery when a sinner feeleth hee is voyde of all grace with this sense together with a sadnesse godly sorrow for it hath euer sadnesse for who wanteth these earthly things but they will bee sad So the want of these Heauenly things hath a sadnesse with it Paul sayth 2. Corinth 5. vers 4. Wee being burthened with sinne wee sigh for sadnesse Whosoâ—uer feeleth this burthen of sinne and mortality will sigh and sob But from whence commeth the feeling and dolour The sinner cannot haue it of himselfe for flesh and blood that is the corrupt nature will not feele this sense but it commeth of the Siprit of God Paul Rom. 8. â—ers 26. saith The Spirit of God intercedeth for vs with sighs vnspeakable And againe We who haue gotten the first fruits of the Spirit sigh So it is the Spirit who raiseth vp these sighes in the heart and without the Spirit thou canst not once giue a sigh Thou mayst sigh like a man but not like a Spirituall man And how gette wee the Spirit Belieue in Iesus Christ faith in Christ furnisheth vs the Spirit Ephes 1. vers 13. After yee haue belieued yee are sealed vp with the holy Spirit of promise for faith draweth out of Christ into the heart that Spirit The grace of all grace is to belieue in Iesus Christ and hauing him thou shalt get the Spirit I grant the Spirite must goe before and worke faith but it is true also that by faith wee gette a fuller measure of the Spirit So faith in the blood of Iesus is the fountaine of all grace for all grace floweth from that blood and the merit therof and by the power of the Spirit which accompanieth that blood grace is applied till vs. Then yee see that faith is the beginning of grace the holy Spirit followeth faith after the holy Spirite followeth a sense of our misery and want vpon this sense followeth an earnest desire vpon the desire followeth asking by asking grace is obtained So looke thou stand in Christ if thou wouldest haue grace Out of this place yee may aske this question Will a man get all that hee seeketh of Christ Hee answereth here If yee abide in mee and my wordes abide in you aske conforme to this worde and thou shalt obtaine it if thou aske any Spirituall grace thou shalt get it Vndoubtedly Heauen and Earth shall perish ere thou want it As for earthly thinges he will not aye giue them according to thy desire but as hee thinketh meet for his owne glory and thy weale And howe can they want who getteth the Kingdome of Heauen The Lord shall giue them so much as shall content them The Lord shall giue thee so much as is necessary to a Pilgrime Nowe wee goe to the seconâ—e exhortation which is to good workes The first was to stande in that vnion with Christ The second is to bring out good works Herein is my Father glorified that ye beare much fruit and in this ye shall be knowne to be my Disciples There are the two thinges hee sayeth not Bring out fruite but Bring out much fruite that is doe much A man should striue not to bring out fruite but much fruite and indeede if wee continue in that vnion with Christ wee shall grow in that regeneration and so wee growe in good workes The first argument hee
useth is taken from the glorie of the Father In this is my Father glorified that yee bring out much fruite Surelie a moouing argument at least it shoulde mooue all soules to doe well seeing God is glorified in my well doing for I am set in the worlde to glorifie God Take vp the grounde Whome will this argument mooue Not euerie man Tell to a man who hath no zeale to God nor no sight of the glorie of God Doe well and glorifie God hee will not care for it But to tell a man who loueth God alace whome can hee loue and if hee loue not God tell him if hee will doe manie good workes hee will glorifie God hee will doe all that lieth in his power yea hee will suffer that he may glorifie God as Moyses and Paul wished to renounce Heauen to get their God glorified And if Paul could gette God glorified he cared neither for life nor death Then when wee come to the hearing of the word where such exhortations are giuen vs we shold bring hearts filled with zeale to the glory of God and if thou bring such an heart when thou hearest such an argument it will bee verie sweete to thee Yee see here in these wordes a faire effect following on good workes when a man doeth well the fairest effect that euer was followeth to wit the glory of God thy Creator The Papists think there can folow no gooâ— of good works except a man merit and get life by his works as though the Prophet had said The just shall liue by his good works No he said not so but The iust shall liue by faith Habac. 2.4 May not this serue them that God is glorified in well doing Yee see the wordes that are heere are borrowed from the Vine tree Then let vs take vp the comparison to make the matter more cleare Wee see by experience that the branches of the Vine tree doe not liue vpon the fruite nor take no sappe from the Berries the Berries doe not furnishe life to the branches Therefore can they conclude heereof that the Berries auaile nothing because they giue no sap nor food to the vine tree Hath not the berrie none other vse Yes it hath a better vse for it serueth chiefely to refresh and make chearfull the heart of man It is euen so with our good workes the good workes are not causes of our justification or life they are but the fruites of justification A man doeth not good workes to bee justified but is â—ustified to bring out good workes they haue their owne vse they are not onelie comfortable to them who worke them to confirme their election calling justification and life but also those who stand by and looke to them the Apostle sayeth they are edified by their on-looking as yee may reade in the first Epistle of Peter and the first Chapted Yea more edified by one worke than by a thousand wordes And not onelie are men edified but thereby God is glorified Christ sayeth Matth. Chap. 5. vers 16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good workes and maye glorifie your Father which is in Heauen So by good workes the God of Heauen is glorified and men are holpen The second argument Ye shall bee my Disciples As hee would say God shall not onlie be glorified but ye shall get good your selues yee shall bee my Disciples It is the same in effect with that which he said Chap. 13. vers 35. By this a man or woman is knowne to be the Disciple of Christ by mutuall loue Then let vs see what doctrine is taught in the Schoole of Christ there is the summe of the doctrine Doe well bring out much good fruite bring out many good workes All the doctrine that is taught of fayth is to the ende that a man may do well The Apostle to Titus chap. 2. vers 11. telleth vs what is the end of the Gospel to wit that the grace of Iesus Christ hath shined in the worlde that wee may liue soberlie temperatelie and godlilie in this present world So the end of the Gospel is that men and women should liue an holy and sanctified life and he who liueth an holy life he is indeed a disciple of Christ not he who knowes most but he who doth most is the best scholler and he who doth euill and deliteth in mischiefe hath no more to doe with Christ than the Deuill hath Ephes 4.20 After that hee hath set downe the life of the Gentiles that they gaue themselues to wantonnes and to commit wickednes with all kinde of griedinesse he turneth to the Ephesians and he saith Ye haue not learned Christ so whosoeuer leadeth an euill life vnder the name of a Christian they haue neuer heard Christ speaking to them by his Spirite in their soule Thou hast not learned at Christ to bee a murderer an adulterer and drunkard Then if thou wouldest shewe to the worlde that thou hast learned at Christ striue to doe much and not to speake much In one worde As thou wouldest shew thy selfe to bee a Scholler in the Schoole of Christ doe euer many good workes Then when hee hath exhorted to good works he commeth to the grounds of good works the grounds are two the loue of God and the loue of thy neighbour the whole Commandements are grounded on these two Then hee exhorteth his Disciples to loue It is not enough to begin to loue Christ but to continue Hee giueth the argumentes J haue loued you wherefore then should ye not loue me The best thing we can doe is to meete him with loue in some measure who hath loued vs so wel so dearlie and tenderlie I haue loued you therefore loue ye me And that they should not thinke this a common loue hee saith As the Father hath loued me so loue I you I loue you not as men loue men but as the Father loueth mee Then wee see here that Iesus Christ is not onlie aye the first louer for if we loue him it is because hee loueth vs first loue aye beginneth on the part of Christ ere wee beginne to thinke to loue him hee loueth vs but also wee learne more heere What kinde of loue Christ beareth to vs. 1. John Chap. 3. vers 1. What a loue hath the Father borne to vs that hath called vs his sonnes So the loue of Christ to vs is a tender loue such as the loue of the Father is to him what tongue can expresse the loue of the Father to the Sonne So all the tendernesse of the worlde is nothing to that loue that Christ hath to vs it is passing in tendernesse and passing in measure Indeede the Apostle speaketh of a great sense of this loue to men Rom. 5. where he sayth This loue of God is powred out from the Heauens and powred out in the hearts of men women Who doeth it The holy Spirit sheddeth it abroade in our heartes and indeede a man will feele the loue of
1. vers 29. saith To you is giuen for Christ not onelie to belieue in him but also to suffer for his sake They who suffer for Christ may thinke they haue gotten a great gift Farder of this argument I marke this The hatred and loue of men is common to Iesus Christ with his members so that they who loue Iesus Christ they loue also his seruantes and they who are foes to Christ they are foes also to his seruantes But it is well to bee marked that this hatred and fauour of men beginneth euer at Christ ere euer one loue the seruant hee must loue the Master and hee that hateth the seruant hee hateth the Master first Hatest thou him who beareth the Message of Christ thou hatest Christ who sent him saye what thou wilt and thou who louest Christ thou wilt loue the silliest member of Christ Nowe I come to the fourth argument and it is from the cause which they had in hande Whatsoeuer the worlde should doe vnto them it shoulde bee for a good cause it shoulde bee for my Names sake and for my Fathers sake Hee letteth the Disciples see farder than the worlde sawe in their hatred to the Disciples for Christ in all his speaking chiefelie with the Scribes and Pharisees hee letteth them see with whome they had to doe they had to doe first with the Father of Heauen all their persecution was a misknowledging of the Father The malicious persecution of men striketh first vpon the GOD of Heauen first ere it bee on the Sonne it must strike on the Father As the Iewes then that woulde boast that they loued God and hated his Disciples had in their heartes first the hatred of the Father so nowe men will saye in the middest of the hatred of the seruantes of Iesus Christ that they loue Iesus Christ but the Spirite of Iesus Christ sayeth They lie and the ground of their hatred is the hatred of Christ Bee not deceiued I will laye downe this as a sure ground It is vnpossible for one to loue Christ or his Father and to raile vpon the seruantes of Christ This for the fourth argument wherein wee may see the first thing required in a Christian is patience Among all the argumentes to moue a man to patience this suffering for a good cause is principall for it bringeth with it great joy Whē a man suffereth as an euil doer as a thiefe an adulterer or murderer he will not suffer patiently joyfully The Lord will not let joy come of sin but if they haue joy that comes vpon the assurance their sinnes are forgiuen them which caused them to hold down their head Blessed is the man who suffereth for a good cause and the best cause is to suffer for Iesus Christ and if euer one found joy in suffering they found the greatest joy for as it is said 1. Pet. 4.14 of those who suffer for Christ the Spirit of glory of God resteth vpon them the Spirit of Christ sits downe in the soule resteth holdeth vp the soule with joy No words can teach this so wel as experience the Martyrs were witnesses herof who in most exquisit torments were patient rejoyced wonderfully what was the cause thereof Euen because that the Spirit of Christ filled their soules with joy and that joy ouercame ate vp all the pain Therfore if thou wouldest suffer look that it be for a good cause let it be for the cause of Iesus Christ that our suffering may be joyfull in laying down of this life we may be assured that we shal be transported to that blessed life Blessed saith Christ Matth. 5.10 are those who suffer for righteousnesse sake for theirs is the Kingdome of God Now lest the ignorance of the Father shold haue bene thought to haue bene a simple ignorance he saith Jf I had not come and spoken vnto them he meaneth of the Scribes Pharisees they should haue had no sinne that is If I had not reuealed the whole secret of the Father their ignorance had bene tollerable but now they haue no pretence to cloake their ignorance but their mouth shall bee closed vp Nowe yee see in these wordes howe hee bringeth this persecution of his Discilples to the head grounde First There is the hatred of the Disciples Secondly there is the hatred of the Sonne And thirdlie there is the misse-knowledge of the Father The ground of this is the bitternesse of the heart So it is called Act. 8. vers 23. when Peter speaketh to Simon Magus The ground then of ignorance was the roote of bitternesse in the heart resisting the holy Spirit From this maliciousnesse sloweth the ignorance of God the hatred of the Sonne and the hatred of the Disciples All persecution commeth of malice first and then of ignorance All the persecuters that euer were in the world were like as many blind men Indeed I grant that all persecution will not proceede in alike measure from malice and the gall of bitternesse albeit there is none ignorance but it is joyned with some malice of the heart but the malice is not alike great for in some hearts there is nothing but venome and a bag of gall and some there are who haue lesse and that persecution proceedeth of a blinde zeale more than of bitternesse Looke what Paul speaketh of himselfe 1. Timoth. 1. vers 13. hee had such a blind zeale that hee persecuted the Kirke and when he was going to Damascus he had a kinde of zeale but afterwarde when hee saw Christ hee called that zeale a madnesse and woodnesse So there is some persecution that commeth of a blind zeale some there is that commeth of maliciousnesse altogether And as these two differ in grounds so they differ in mercy also Paul 1. Timoth. 1. saith Before I was a blasphemer a persecuter and an oppressour but God had mercy on me for I did it ignorantly thorow vnbeliefe and therefore the Lord laid it not to my charge But as touching the other persecution that cōmeth of maliciousnesse against the holy Spirit woe to that persecuter for surely it is a rare thing for such a man to gette grace And hee who is obdured in maliciousnesse for it is the ground of sinne against the holy Ghost very hardly obtaineth saluation because with great difficultie is it rooted out of the soule Take heed there is none of vs but there is a piece of venome in vs and wee spoute out venome So wee knowing that God despiteth that venome wee should trauell to gette it away by prayer to God as we feele it for there is no power in Heauen nor in earth that can purge vs but that holy Spirit and he who hath this Spirite of Christ when hee feeleth this bitternesse in the heart will loathe at it and then he will haue his refuge to Christ Take vp in this last verse that Christ and his Gospel serueth to make the world inexcusable for their ignorance is wilfull
word is as Peter saith 1. Epist. Chap. 2. vers 1.2 This place letteth vs see that it was not onely a part of the trueth that was committed to the Ministerie they receiued not an imperfect doctrine but the whole Mysterie of saluation was reuealed and laid before them and that which they receiued they deliuered againe faithfully Paul saith Act. 20. vers 27. I haue not hid any thing from you but I haue showne you the whole counsell of God And whatsoeuer thinges the Apostles preached in the world with their mouth all in effect and substance they wrote with their hands to the weale of the Kirke and there is not one point which either concerneth Gods glory or mans saluation but in effect we haue it registrated in the Olde and New Testament Away with the vnwritten verities whatsoeuer was preached all is registrated to the weale of the people And If all the Apostles were this daye preaching they woulde not preach one worde in effect but that which wee haue already registrated I will affirme that before God the holy Spirite will not teach any thing to the heart but that which is written in the Old and Newe Testament Yea more true fayth will drinke in none other thing but that which is within this compasse of the worde and if thou drinkest in any other thing than this I affirme before God thou neuer hadst true fayth Let no Spirit bee pretended to this let no fayth be pretended to this Away with those Papists who commend so highly the vaine traditions of men and vnwritten verities they haue no true fayth It is only the Spirit who leadeth vs in all verity Then he giueth them the reason Because that Spirit shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoeuer hee shall heare that shall hee speake As if hee had said Yee will credite me and I assure you that Spirite will speake nothing but that which hee hath receiued of mee Whatsoeuer the Spirite of God teacheth the world while as hee is in the Heauen hee receiueth it out of the mouth of Iesus Christ And farder whatsoeuer thing the Lord spake during the time he was in the world hee receiued it out of the mouth of the Father Looke this harmonie of teaching among the glorious persons of the Trinitie He saith not one thing and he another as men doe The Father beginneth and hee speaketh then the Sonne speaketh the same and the holy Spirit speaketh nothing but that which the Father and the Sonne haue spoken Looke the worde and decreet of our saluation It is a conclusion giuen out by all the three persons of the Godhead If it bee so certainly the worde of the Gospel of Iesus Christ it must be a thing of great authoritie For that decree which is laide in the Kings Counsell hath a great authoritie among the Subiectes and the worde of the Counsell is greater than the word of the King only If this be among Kinges in the earth of what authority should this be that commeth from the decree of the glorious Counsell of that blessed Trinitie in respect whereof all the Kinges of the earth are but drosse Nowe would to God the heartes of men could see this great authority of this worde So this worde must craue a great fayth The King would be angry if his decree were not credited then what judgement shall abide vs wormes if wee belieue not the decree of the glorious Trinitie I saye this before God The contempt of the Gospel of Iesus Christ bringeth on with it the heauiest iudgement in the worlde And if such a contempt of the worde in this Land continue an heauy iudgement no question shall light vpon them who haue not credited such a decree Iohn 12. vers 44. Therefore seeing the word of the Gospel is of such authoritie let all men who would see Heauen striue to belieue it in their hearts or else if they belieue not an heauie judgement shall ouer-take them let them beware In the ende of the vers hee bringeth in more particularly what the Spirit shall teach Hee saieth Hee shall shew you the thinges to come that is The thinges which shall followe after my departure mine ascension and glorification the thinges which were acquired by his death and applied by his resurrection as remission of sinnes justification and life eternall hee shall teach you them inwardlie and hee shall seale them vp into your heartes For after the Lord had suffered in the earth then grace came downe then remission of sinnes came downe that free righteousnesse of Christ came downe and life euerlasting came downe as also extraordinarie gifts came downe as the gift of Prophesie the gift of healing of working of miracles of speaking sundry languages c. for why when the Lord Iesus was filled with glory of that fulnesse the members heere in the earth receiued their part and grace for grace came downe as it was prophesied Hee went vp on high and led captiuitie captiue and gaue giftes vnto men And all these things gaue he by the holy Spirit illuminating the mind and working powerfull in the heart for other wayes what auaileth it to haue remission of sinnes life glory and happinesse for euer effected Except the Spirit of Iesus Christ accompany the word illuminate and mollifie the heart all shall bee of none auaile Therefore againe I bid you as yee would liue striue to feele that Spirite working into you Now in the next vers hee taketh vp summarily the effect of all that the Spirit shall teach them He shall glorifie me What is it the Spirit is doing and what is it wee are doing and whereto is all this preaching All is to glorifie Christ If thou bee not an instrument to glorifie Christ Iesus thou shalt haue no part of glorie with him He giueth the reason wherefore the Spirit shall glorifie him Because the thing hee shall shew you hee shall haue it in commission from me If the speaches of an Ambassadour be not to the honour of his Prince hee is but a Traitor The Sonne was sent as an Ambassadour from the Father therefore hee glorified the Father as he speaketh Chap. 17. vers 7. So the holy Spirit is sent from the Sonne therefore hee speaketh all to the glory of the Sonne But this would be well vnderstood how the Spirit of Christ glorifieth Christ vpon the earth Who giueth the Spirite who seeth him or who heareth his voyce How then glorifieth the Spirit the Lord The Spirit glorifieth the Lord Iesus by the Ministerie of the Gospel and by the mouthes of simple men thinke of them as yee will except by the mouthes of men yee shall neuer finde the Spirit glorifying the Sonne seeke where yee will If wee speake anie thing wherein God is not glorified say wee are but liars and the Spirit of Christ is not into vs. If wee begin to speake of Purgatorie and of the merites of men of intercession of Sainctes saye wee are but lyars If wee drawe you from
Ascension had hope that they should receiue the holy Spirite and his graces and so they did in effect And if thou find that thou hast not gotten the Spirit in no measure no illumination no reformation of thy corrupt nature sore may thine heart be for in respect of thee in vaine is hee risen and glorified Therefore as thou wouldest bee partaker of his glory striue to gette his holie Spirite ere thou goest out of this worlde or else thou shalt neuer get light nor life in the world to come Farder hence wee may see the Lord leaueth neuer altogether his owne Kirke for if hee giue not his bodilie presence yet hee will giue his spirituall presence for without his presence his Kirke his Sainctes on earth cannot â—aue a being for by reason of his presence the Kirke hath her beginning for what I pray you is the Kirke else but a societie of men and women seuered from the rest of the worlde by the presence of that holie Spirit whereby they are sealed Thus farre hath he partlie fore-warned them of his departure partly comforted them It followeth in the Text Then saâ—d some of his Disciples amongst themselues What is this that hee sayeth vnto vs A little while and yee shall not see me c. They are mooued at these wordes and some of them begin to whisper amongst themselues at the wordes which the Lord spake Yee see here a marueilous ignorance of the Disciples of Christ hee hath beene speaking to them so long and yet they vtter a great ignorance It is a wonderfull thing to see how blinded and how hardened a man will be before hee haue receiued the holie Spirit at the preaching of the Gospel euen at such voyces as would pierce stocks and stones Yet a man hearing with reason sense will conceiue no more of things heauenly than the stockes and stones I tell you this that no wordes no preaching if there be no more but wordes and preaching can make any man to conceiue heauenly thinges yea no admonition no threatning no iudgement if there be no more shall make the hardned heart to be the better The blindest thing in the world is the heart of man So except the inward Teacher come out of the Heauens illuminate mollify the heart al the preaching of the world shall do the hart no good but rather euil so that thou mayst see this to be true that the naturall man is not capable of the things that are of the Spirit of God but wheÌ„ it pleases the Lord t' accoÌ„pany his word with his Spirit theÌ„ two words shall do more good than a whole preaching before th' Apostles of Christ after they got this Spirit profited more in one day than all their dayes before So albeit thou heare many preachings except thou haue that inward Doctor into thine heart all auails not Therfore carry that inward teacher into thine hart chaÌ„ge him neuer so if thou want him run to this preacher or that if thou wast hardned before thou shalt be so still A sound in the eare wil do no more good than a blast of wind without the Spirit It follows Now Iesus knew c. He perceiues them wel enough and of what thing they were debating He answereth them gentlie I know would he say what ye are thinking and inquiring and then hee teacheth them more gently Might not the Lord haue bene angry with them who vnderstood him not at the end of the Preaching But the Lord as it was prophesied of him Isay 42. hee quenched neuer the smoaking Flaxe nor brake the bruised Reede he was euer about to intertaine grace and not to put it out All Teachers may take their Lesson here they ought not to cast off people howbeit they get no fruit of Preachinges let euer that worde bee driuen into their eares and let aye that seede bee sowne for he hath the Spirit and he will giue him when hee pleaseth and let both the auditor and the Preacher pray to God to giue the Spirit It is true indeede the seede of the worde of God will lie long lurking into the heart but at last the Spirit will put to his hand to the worde as yee heard Iohn 14. vers 16. and will make the worde to fructifie and to bud out not onely to the illumination of the soule inwardly but also to good workes outwardly Bee thou euer sowing that blessed seede bee euer preaching and then commit the successe of all to God When hee hath made a preface to them yee see thereafter with what great lenitie hee instructeth them both concerning his departing and concerning his returning Hee instructeth them by the effects both of the one and the other and they are these The first is Yee shall weepe and lament The other is The worlde shall rejoyce These are the effects of his departing Then he declareth his returning by the effect But your mourning shall bee turned into ioye That is I shall come againe and then ye shall haue matter of joye Ye see here a very effectuall kinde of teaching Hee spake this of before but nowe hee speaketh the same thing more effectually To speake of things barely and to propone them simply it is not so effectuall to mooue the mindes of the hearers as to declare the same by the effectes following that taketh a greater roote and impression in the heart As for example When wee are fore-telling that by all appearances the Lord Iesus is to depart out of this Land for wee are not worthie of him albeit this mooue vs yet this mooueth vs more when it is said It shall come to passe that thou shalt mourne thy selfe thou shalt weepe nowe laugh on as thou wilt woâ—full shall be thine ende and shame and confusion shall light vpon thee I denounce this to thee in the Name of God And againe yee thinke it a light thing to saye The Lord Iesus shall come but to saye Thou who mournest shalt rejoyce when hee shall come that mooueth more But nowe to come to the matter Yee shall weepe and lament and the world shall rejoyce Some shall be weeping and some laughing this is the difference Yee see the departure of Iesus Christ is a sorrowfull thing to the godly when Christ is awaye the godly are in sorrowe the pleasure of the godly is aye in the presence of Iesus Christ and therefore when they see that they want his presence they see nothing but matter of sorrowe and giue them all the pleasures of the worlde if they misse the Lord awaye they will haue no joye And by the contrary place them in all the sorrowes in the worlde if they get a sight of Iesus Christ they gette joye enough But on the other side the wicked and the vngodly who neuer tasted how sweet the Lord was neuer rejoyce but when they want the Lord Iesus out of their sight they haue no pleasure in his presence they haue neuer pleasure to heare of Christ
What is the cause of this They neuer wist what Christ meaned they neuer wist what the Lord was and neuer felt of his sweetnesse and of the joye that is in his presence and therefore they haue no pleasure but when they want him And because they cannot gette their wicked will when Christ is present they hate him for where Christ is because he is the light of the world hee layeth open all wickednesse and maketh it manifest All the happinesse in the worlde is in the face of Christ therefore rest neuer till thou taste of him if thou wouldest be happy And againe miserable is that man who hath not tasted of that sweetnesse and of that grace that is in the Lord. Therefore as thou wouldest come to Heauen I warne thee yet againe rest neuer till thou gette that rest in Christ and that sweetnesse that is in him Let vs see the effect that followeth on his presence he saith Your sorrow shall be turned into joy He speaketh of that presence by his Spirit for after that Spirit is once entered into the soule hee worketh faith and openeth the eyes of the darke soule to see Christ as in a mirrour when the face of Christ is borne vp in the worde howbeit saith Pet. 1. Epist. Chap. 1. vers 8. we see him not yet belieuing we rejoyce with a ioye vnspeakeable and glorious So that darke sight of him worketh into the soule an exceeding joye when wee belieue I graunt indeede that as there is no joye in this life but it hath sorrowe with it so our joye in Christ hath heauinesse with it it is imperfect heere but it is better for thee to haue a meane portion of that joye than all the joyes in the worlde yea the very displeasure of the faythfull is so farre from that to hinder the joye that by the contrary it wakeneth vp the joye in the soule Looke the 2. Epist to the Cor. Chap. 5. when the soule is heauiest for sinne then it findeth such joye as they would not giue for all the joyes in the worlde and when this joye is wakened it swalloweth vp all sorrowes as in the 8. Chap. to the Rom. And in the end of the 15. Chap. of the 1. Epist to the Cor. saith the Apostle After this life mortalitie shall be swallowed vp of immortalitie and death shall be swallowed vp in victorie and all teares shall bee wiped away from their eyes Reuel 7. vers 17. And then they who haue sorrowe with joye heere shall haue joye without sorrowe for euer Looke about you looke within you or without you yee shall see nothing but matter of joye So yee see the effects of the departure of the Lord and of his returning againe Nowe heereafter hee maketh this doctrine of the sorrowe and joye of the godly more sensible by a familiare similitude and it is taken from a woman trauelling A woman when shee trauelleth sayth hee is in dolour because her houre is come but when shee is deliuered of the Childe shee remembereth no more her dolour for ioye that a man is borne into the worlde Then in the last vers hee applieth it Nowe yee are in heauinesse and yee are trauelling and that is because I am to depart from you The Disciples tooke heauilie with the away-going of CHRIST But I shall see you againe and yee shall see mee and get my presence by my Spirite and yee shall reioyce and it shall bee such a ioye that all the worlde shall not bee able to take it awaye The worlde maye take thy life from thee but neuer shall they take that joye from thee Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ Two thinges are heere to bee marked the nature of the dolour of the godlie into this worlde wandring from their Lorde as Pilgrimes and the nature of their ioye The nature of their displeasure is like the dolour which a woman hath in trauelling So the Apostle Rom. Chap. 8. vers 21. he compareth the languor of the dumbe creatures and elementes after the comming of the Lorde Iesus to a woman trauelling The dolour of a woman trauelling is verie painfull but yet it is profitable Why Because that paine bringeth out a birth So a woman in trauell hath hope not onelie to bee saued from that paine but also to haue a Childe So hope in paine will haue joye mixed with it To applye this It is euen so with the displeasure of the godlie into this their Pilgrimage awaiting for their life which CHRIST will bring downe to them at his comming 2. Corinth Chap. 5. Looke what dolour Paul vttereth hee sighed vnder a burden hee desired to slit away and to goe to dwell with the Lord Albeit it be but a paine yet it tendeth to a pleasure in the ende to a birth and in the middest of dolour they haue an hope and with the hope they haue joye So a godly man in sorrowe will haue the greatest joye in the worlde albeit the joye of the godly bee with heauinesse yet that joye is vnspeakeable The displeasure of the vngodly is not so indeede the Scripture as in the first Epistle to the Thessal Chap. 5. compareth it vnto a woman trauelling but this is an hopelesse paine What recke if that soule had hope that that paine should cease but they shall neuer looke for a birth well were it to that soule that that body could bee turned to nothing after so manie thousand yeeres The sorrow of the godly is with hope and joye but the sorrowe of the wicked is without hope Iest not with Hell it is an horrible thing to fall into the handes of a consuming fire Hee sayeth When shee hath borne her birth shee remembereth not her trauell because shee hath borne her birth Euen so when wee addresse our selues to Heauen thronging thorowe this worlde wee must prepare our selues to goe thorowe thornes and brieres thorow temptations outwarde and inwarde a man who would goe to Heauen he shall not put downe his foote without a thorne or some offence But when wee are come to the Heauens then wee shall get such a birth of joye that wee shall remember no more the temptations of the worlde and then wee shall finde that saying of Paul to bee true 2. Corinth 4. vers 17. The momentaniall light afflictions shall worke an infinite weight of glorie the soule shall bee so occupied with joye into the Heauens that wee shall count nothing of all afflictions by-past This is true howbeit wee cannot feele it now sensiblie but once wee shall finde it in a full measure if wee appertaine to Christ The Lord therefore in the meane time graunt vs a fore-tasting of it that wee may ouercome all temptations and difficulties till wee obtaine the full possession thereof in Iesus Christ To whome with the Father and the holie Spirit bee all honour praise and glorie for euermore AMEN THE XV. LECTVRE OF CHRISTES DOCTRINE BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvi VERS 22.23.24.25.26.27 22
And yee nowe therefore are in sorrowe but J will see you againe and your heartes shall reioyce and your ioye shall no man take from you 23 And in that daye shall yee aske mee nothing Verilie verilie I saye vnto you Whatsoeuer yee shall aske the Father in my Name hee will giue it you 24 Hitherto haue yee asked nothing in my Name aske and yee shall receiue that your ioye may bee full 25 These thinges haue I spoken vnto you in parables but the time will come when J shall no more speake to you in parables but I shall shewe you plainly of the Father 26 At that day shall yee aske in my Name and I saye not vnto you that I will pray vnto the Father for you 27 For the Father himselfe loueth you because yee haue loued mee and haue belieued that J came out from God FRom the thirteenth Chapter of this Gospel Brethren to the seuenteenth the Lord holdeth purpose only with his Disciples and Apostles for hee had now ended all his speaking and doing with the people of the Iewes Hee hath hitherto giuen sundrie exhortations vnto them and hee hath giuen them Cammandements and instructed them and giuen them sundrie argumentes of consolation because they were heauie for his departure and so prepared them against the time hee was to goe his way and to leaue them Nowe his conference and speach draweth to an ende for it endeth with this present Chapter In the ende of his speach and conference he recounteth to them particularlie part by part that felicitie and blessing that they shall haue after hee is gone away from them to his Father to be glorified in the Heauens by his comming again to them not in the bodie but in his Spirit He hath said immediately in the vers going before When ye shall see mee againe that is when I shall come againe to you in my Spirite after my glorious ascension to the Heauen then your heart shall reioyce and no man shall take your ioye from you all the world shall not bee able to twinne you and that joye which my Spirite shall furnish you So then Brethren there is the joy which they shall haue when the Lord shall come againe they shall haue ioye and ioye euerlastinglie and spirituall ioy and that for euermore This is the first part of their blessednesse the wordes are easie and I spake of them before onely this for the present Wee must not thinke that this ioye which Christ promised to his Disciples by his Spirite went awaye and died with the Apostles when they departed out of this worlde but it abideth in the Kirke of Iesus Christ to the ende of the world Euen as that holy Spirite whome the Lord sent downe to the world abideth in his Kirke till Christ come againe and supplieth as it were the bodily presence of Iesus Christ for the Spirite of Christ is the Vicare of Christ in the earth and not the Pope as the Papists say Euen so I say by that Spirit abideth here in the Kirke of God solide ioye to the ende of the world for wheresoeuer the Spirit is there is ioye and inward consolation and that soule in whom the Spirite of God dwelleth feeleth as sensibly as one feeleth with their hands the ioy peace of the holy Spirit for that Spirit is the Spirit of ioy peace and they who feele not the sense of this ioye alace they want this Spirit They who feele not spirituall ioy at anie time hath matter of sorrow and mourning for they haue not the Spirit of Iesus Christ and they who want his Spirite haue not adoe with Christ Rom. 8. vers 9. and consequently neuer shall taste of ioye but thou who hast felt this ioy hast cause to reioyce yea as Paul sayeth to reioyce euermore 1. Thes 5. vers 16. Paul recommendeth ioye vnto vs not for an houre or a day or a moneth or a yeere but perpetually meaning that there is great matter of continuall ioy offered by that Spirit who graciously lighteneth our soules assureth vs of saluation What should mooue thee to ioy Should not good tidings mooue thee to reioyce Yet we reioyce not this want of ioy declareth that we make resistance to the holy Spirit wee will not suffer the Spirit to come in when he cōmeth in we giue him sober intertainment but by our euill life we cause him to depart with sadnes Now to goe to that second part of that blessednesse which they shall haue when the Lord shall returne to them by his holie Spirit Jn that day yee shall aske mee nothing that is Yee shall not aye doubt for yee heard before when hee saide Yet a little while and yee shall not see mee and againe ye shall see mee there they doubted what he meaned Now would he say ye shall not doubt then but the holy Spirit shall teach you he shall inlighten the darknes of your soules make you to belieue To apply this to our selues Euē as I said before of the first part of the blessednes promised to the Apostles so I say of the second part of their blessednes for what recks vs what light or what knowledge the Apostles got if we get not a part of it which stands in the inward teaching of the holy Spirit by taking away the vaile from them opening vp of their blind eyes to see saluation This Spirit went not away out of the world with th' Apostles but he abideth stil in the world till Christ come again Euen as the Spirit abides so the inward teaching of the soul by the Spirit abides in the Kirke for as the Spirit is the Spirit of ioye so he is the Spirit of knowledge he opens the eye of the soule which is dark mollifies the hart that with such a sweetnes to receiue grace as the tong neither of man nor Angel can expresse And the godly no doubt at the preaching of the Gospel of Christ will feele that inward operatiō of the Spirit in their soule Study ay to feele this by experiēce for what auails Christ to vs if we feel him not they will feele a light shining in their soules as the shining of the Sunne they will feele their heart that was hardned before with a sweet consolation to be mollified as it is said of Lydia the Purple seller that by the preaching of the Gospel her hart was opened Act. 16. And on the contrary let the man or woman who wants this sense who seeth no light nor finds no opening of the soule blame thēselues and not the light for Christ offereth himselfe to all alike the inlacke thereof proceedeth of the contempt of the word of that light that shineth so brightlie without thy soule and goeth not in And surelie it is a fearefull thing to contemne this Light for if thou contemne this light I tell thee long shalt thou sit hearing and shalt not bee the better but shalt growe aye the
harder till thou bee so hardened and obdured that thou canst feele nothing at all Brethren yee may thinke it a wonderfull thing that a bodie who sitteth hearing continuallie and who hath so cleare a light glancing aye before him should get no light at all but should go out of the Kirke more blind than when he came in and yet indeed it is so for many come in to heare but because they come in with colde and euill disposed heartes hauing no delight to heare the worde of God they goe away more prophane and worse than when they came in And therefore for lacke of this the miserable worlde perisheth the multitude goeth wholly to destruction Therefore for Christes sake Brethren learne to haue a pleasure and ioye in hearing and take in that Spirit into your soules Wee haue hearde of the seconde part of the blessednesse which Christ promiseth to his Disciples after his glorious Ascension to the Heauen to wit the light and knowledge of the holy Spirit Nowe to come to the thirde benefite or the thirde part of their happinesse wherein all grace is promised to them who aske Hee beginneth very grauely Verily verily Amen Amen J saye to you that is It is a true saying and yee shall finde it true indeed essay it when yee will Whatsoeuer thing ye shall aske the Father in my Name hee will giue it you In one word this is the third part of their blessednesse All grace and mercy is to bee had for the asking not by buying for all grace is bought by the price of the blood of the Lambe onely seeing that is so precious a ransome no man hath neede to buy any thing at the handes of God we haue no neede to buy any grace of God by our merites for by that only merite and blood of Christ all grace is bought We haue need of asking and if wee aske not in his Name wee shall neuer get grace for there is not another Name vnder Heauen sayeth the Apostle by whome there is saluation but onely by the Name of Iesus Christ Act. 4. vers 12. So there is the third part of their blessednesse that is promised them Euen all grace shall bee giuen them for the asking To drawe this to our selues And the Lord giue vs grace to doe it As by the Spirite all joye all knowledge and light abideth in his Kirke on earth till the Lord IESVS come againe Euen so all grace all mercy abideth in this Kirke militant till the Lord come againe for if that Spirit of grace abide in this Kirke of necessity all grace must abide with that Spirite The faythfull in the Kirke who are Christians in heart and not in worde onely they will finde in experience that when they aske any grace as righteousnesse and sanctification life euerlasting and glorification they will not so soone open their mouth to aske it but they will get it And when they say Lord renewe mine affections the word will not so soone bee spoken but as soone they will finde the soule opened with ioye and when they saye Lord giue mee that life for Christes sake with the worde the life of Iesus will bee felt in the soule sensiblie Therefore preasse aye to finde by experience that the presence of Christ is no emptie winde By the contrarie if a man or woman finde in no measure no grace or no sense of grace in their soules let them blame themselues for they want grace for plaine fault of asking Alace that wee should lose such grace for fault of seeking Is hee not a foolish man that will lose life for a worde But it is not so light a thing to aske as so for euerie man and euerie woman hath not the gift of prayer Except thou bee the sonne of GOD thou shalt haue no power to open thy mouth to call GOD Father If thou bee a slaue thou shalt haue no power to praye to GOD for prayer is the proper note of the Childe of GOD and except the Spirite of Adoption testifie vnto thee that thou art the sonne of GOD thou shalt haue no power to praye but thy mouth shall bee closed But when the Spirite will testifie to thee that thou art the sonne of GOD then the heart will open and the tongue wil say sweetly O Father Therefore the ground of all grace is the grace to aske get once grace to praye and then thou hast all grace And therefore when the Lord sayth Knocke and it shall be opened aske and thou shalt haue c. say Lord giue mee grace to aske Take aye heed to the gift of prayer for wee lose all for fault of prayer and for fault of begging So I beseech you all Brethren to pray as euer ye would see Heauen or be partakers of life In the words following when hee hath set downe the thirde parte of their felicitie That they should praye vnto the Father for grace knowing the great necessitie they had to praye and their great sluggishnesse on the other part hee beginneth to allure them to pray and to stir them vp to aske at the handes of the Father And lest they should haue obiected We haue asked but we haue not beene answered hee answereth to this Hitherto ye haue sought nothing at the Father in my Name but in times comming aske boldly and looke for an answeee and yee shall get grace heaped vpon grace till your grace bee perfect and the greater grace thou askest the greater thou gettest and the more thou gettest the greater is thy ioye that thou hast when thou perceiuest that grace and thou who hast gotten it wouldest not giue it for all the worlde This is the meaning of the wordes Take vp heere what necessitie wee haue to praye for if wee had no neede the Lord would not haue stirred vp his Disciples to praye No no wee haue so great neede to praye that except wee praye wee gette nothing A Beggar who hath nothing but that which he beggeth if he leaue off his begging he shall die at dike side If thou leaue off thy spirituall begging yea though thou were a King and hadst all the worlde thou shalt die for euer For what is a King in this life but a Beggar And woe be to him if he be not a Beggar at the handes of Iesus Christ Then marke the sluggishnesse in euery man and woman and how vnable we are to beg A Beggar who hath nought ere hee die hee will crie and shout but a poore sinner who is the poorest man and the silliest creature in the world who wanteth all grace hath not a mouth to aske though he should die Now to stirre vs vp to pray the Lord sayeth Aske at the Father and essay if ye get a deniall Wee know all this yet wee lie sleeping in sinne and seeke no grace to be fred of it howbeit grace be so freely offered to vs by Iesus Christ It is a sore thing to bee a poore body and to lie still
vnto you that in mee yee might haue peace All tendeth to this ende that yee maye enjoye that peace and rest that gladnesse and joye thorowe the holie Spirite This joye bringeth with it a verie great ease and quietnesse Well there are manie eases in the worlde but neuer one wist what ease was in the soule but hee who findeth this ease that is thorowe a good conscience in CHRIST and that peace which commeth of the forgiuenesse of sinnes Woulde yee haue the true estate of a Christian man or vvoman There it is in one word That they are peaceable hearted and they are joyfull hearted The true Christian man hath the wonderfullest peace and joye in the soule that can be And this was the end of all the speaking of the Lord Iesus to his Disciples and this is the ende of the Gospel and of all our preaching to haue a good conscience and that peace and rest in the soule Nowe they neuer knew what rest and peace was but they who knowe what it is to haue a sore heart for sinne And O howe sore the conscience will bee tossed when it hath the taste of the judgement of God â— that body would giue a thousand worlds for a word of that peace for what is the peace in Iesus Christ It is the beginning of Heauen if thou beginnest not that peace heere thou shalt neuer see peace hereafter And this is the ende of all our sanctification and justification to get this peace in Christ And what is Heauen It is peace and rest with God that is our Heauen So that if thou haue no peace and rest in the soule and neuer findest that true peace in Iesus Christ and that Spirit of joye all this preaching is vaine to thee all is vaine to thee if thou gettest not that peace Take heed to it as yee would see this life in Christ and when thou hearest of this worde of peace looke thou preasse to goe home with a peaceable soule and if thou canst not get this peace bee sadde and mourne for it and thou shalt get it another time Bee this wayes exercised that thou mayest feele the fruites of this word Nowe lest they should thinke that this peace which hee promised them should want sorrow and that they should neuer be troubled he putteth this out of their mind and sayeth In the worlde yee shall haue affliction your peace shall be without peace The rest of a Christian is no rest your joye shall bee with sadnesse and your comfort with heauinesse inwardly yee shall haue joye but outwardly ye shall haue heauinesse This heauinesse which the godlie haue is so farre from that that it taketh away their pleasure that their joye riseth of tribulation and then they haue greatest joye when they are sorest vexed and in greatest tribulations Take heed to it came not the same to passe in the Disciples they had neuer such a joye as they had then when as soone after Christ departed and was glorified in the Heauens they were brought in before the Councill and scourged for the Name of Iesus Christ and commanded straitly that they should neuer speake in the Name of Iesus then they went out with joye that they were counted worthie to suffer for that Name They had not such ioye all the time that they were with Christ in the world Yet he giueth them a comfort against these tribulations Yet bâ—â— of good comfort all these afflâ—ctions shall haue an ende they shall ende with victory to you J haue ouercome the world If we looked not for an ende of these troubles howbeit wee had aye this peace with troubles yet it would be heauy to vs therefore the Lord comforteth them with this that in the end they shall haue a solide joy and all teares shall bee wiped away and they shall get the victory not in themselues but in him that hath gotten the victory The Lord Iesus is the only Conquerour and he it is that is only victorious and hath ouercome the worlde and the Deuil But as for vs his members 1. Epist Iohn Chap. 5. vers 4. this is the victory that hath ouercome this worlde euen our fayth Fasten thee on him who hath gotten the victory and then the Battell is perfected To speake it properly we haue not a battell with the Deuill to get the victory but to keepe Christ by fayth for the Deuill and all our enemies are ouercome and the battell is stricken and the fielde is wonne Christ sitting on the Crosse vanquished the Deuil and tooke him and ledde him captiue in a triumph all the Deuils are reserued in chaines to that great day So we haue not a battell for the victorie is wonne already but all our victory is to keepe fayth in him who hath ouercome our enemies and purchased the victory to vs and all the battels of the Deuill are to twin vs and Christ and all the battels wee haue with him are about fayth for if the Deuill be able to twin vs and this fayth we haue done with Christ and therefore al the exhortations of the Apostles are to stand in faith Looke the 6. Chap. to the Ephesians What then should I exhort you to or what shoulde bee our exhortations to them who are fighting And woe to them who are not fighting against these deadly enemies wee should all bee sweating in the battell Let euery one crie to another Sticke fast to Christ hold the gripe and let it not goe and hold on the way and striue on a little while and thou shalt brooke Iesus Christ and all his graces and thou shalt leaue ouer and repose and rest vpon him sweetly vntill that daye that he come and deliuer thee from all trouble then thou shalt be crowned with that Crowne of glory which hee hath purchased with his blood To him therefore with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise honour and glory for euermore AMEN THE XVII LECTVRE OF CHRISTS PRAYER BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvii VERS 1. THese thinges spake Iesus and lift vp his eyes to Heauen and saide Father that houre is come glorifie thy Sonne that thy Sonne also may glorifie thee WEE heard Welbeloued in the Lord Iesus Christ the large Sermon which the Lord hath to his Disciples from the beginning of the fourteenth Chapter of this Gospel to this present Chap. which is the seuenteenth Now in the seuenteenth Chap. he endeth his Sermon with an earnest Prayer to the Father For the better vnderstanding of this Prayer wee haue to know thus farre The Lord Iesus when he was in this world manifested in the fleshe abiding amongst the Iewes and conuersant with his Disciples he abode amongst them as an high Priest that eternall high Priest of whome all the high Priestes amongst the Iewes before his comming were onely but types and figures and when he came he put an end to all the types being the very bodie it selfe Nowe as it became the high Priest to make intercession
for the people so he being high Priest made intercession for his own people The intercession which the Lord made for his owne consisteth in two points to wit in prayer and in offering vp of a sacrifice Then as for the first part of this intercession when the Lord was in the world he prayed continually for the people hee neuer ceased night nor daye from prayer As for the other part of his intercession when he had bene in the world awhile at the last hee offereth vp that sweete Sacrifice of his owne body to the Father and so hee putteth an ende to all those sacrifices which were but types of him the true Sacrifice As for the Prayers whereby the Lord interceded betwixt God and man they were manie and made at sundry times But amongst all the rest it may bee easilie seene that this prayer in this Chapter was one of the moste excellent and so it hath pleased the holy Spirite to register this Prayer especially and to recommend it to the posteritie to the end of the worlde First this Prayer is no able in respect of the time in the which hee made it it was euen about that time when hee offered himselfe vp to the Father Next in respect of the vse it is notable because by this prayer he did consecrate and dedicate that blessed Sacrifice to the Father for sacrifices were dedicated to Goâ— by prayer Thirdly in respect of the subject and matter of it for as ye may see in the Chapter it selfe first the Lord prayeth for himselfe and for that eternall glory which he had with the Father from all eternity the fairest thing and the greatest matter that euer was was that which hee prayed for and this hee doeth in the first fiue Verses Then he commeth on and prayeth for his Disciples which he should leaue behinde him in the worlde that the Lord would take the custody of them after his Ascension vnto the Heauens and would preserue them from all perill and this hee doeth from the fifth Verse to the twenty And last hee prayeth for the whole Kirke for life euerlasting and justification and this he doeth to the ende of this Chapter So yee s ee it is a notable subiect Last of all will ye looke to the force of this Prayer yee shall see the excellencie of it The force was not for the present or for a time but the force of it abideth continually to the ende of the worlde And this same Prayer is a meane whereby all men and women who are safe and shall bee safe to the ende of the world obtaine saluation And so this Prayer may bee well called A ground wherevpon the Kirke standeth And as our saluation standeth on the Sacrifice of Iesus Christ so it standeth on that Prayer that was offered to his Father But to come to the Text When Jesus sayeth John the writer of the Gospel had spoken these thinges hee lifted vp his eyes to the Heauen and he said as followeth This is the entrie to the Prayer wherein Iohn first concludeth the Sermon which the Lord made to his Disciples When Iesus had spoken these thinges to his Disciples Then hee proponeth the Prayer that followeth Hee lifted vp his eyes to Heauen and said There is the proposition of the Prayer In the proposition he noteth narrowly the behauiour of Christ in his Prayer Hee lifted vp his eyes to Heauen So in the eleuenth Chapter of this Gospel he noteth this behauiour in praying when hee thanketh his Father that he heard him before he raise â— Lazarus from the dead he lifted vp his eyes to Heauen Nowe Brethren to speake of gesture in Prayer it needeth not much will ye reade the Scriptures yee shall reade these gestures to bee in prayer First Godly men haue humbled themselues before that Majesty It becommeth the best of vs all to bow vs before God They signified by the bowing of their knees the humbling of the heart Offer not if ye haue a proude heart to come before that Throne Then they were wont to haue their handes and their eyes lift vp to the Heauens that signified the lifting vp of the eye of the soule to God to looke to him and to see him thorowe all these cloudes and these visible heauens to come to that light that hath none accesse and this agreeth with the other There are many who shall see Heauen but with an humbled heart when the heart is humbled and brought lowe then it is conuoyed thorowe these heauens euen to that light of God It becommeth all Christians to bee humbled on their knees and to lift vp their eyes to Heauen but all standeth in the heart What recks of the outward disposition if the soule be not heauenly disposed If it haue a sense of Heauen then the outwarde gesture will followe then wee will bowe our knees and humble vs before that Maiesty An humbled heart will fall downe but a proude sinner who is not touched with a sense of his sinnes will hardly bow his knee Nowe wee come to the Prayer first hee maketh his petition for himselfe and why not the most precious thing in the worlde is the glory of Iesus Christ Hee sayeth Father glorifie thy Sonne There is his petition Marke the style it is a very warme and hearty stile that he giueth him speaking familiarly to God the heart of him warmeth sweetly with him and as a Sonne he calleth him Father The stile which he giueth him vttereth that he had a sense of that fatherly loue and affection towards him While as he nameth him Father hee vttereth that Sonly affection and loue that hee bare to him A Sonly loue craueth a Fatherly loue and conciliateth a Fatherly affection from Heauen Why should we not striue to be like the Lord Iesus and in Prayer chiefly Woulde any man or woman finde the Fatherly affection of God Would they haue that loue that Fathers beare to their Children Let them vtter in Prayer that affection that a Sonne or a Daughter shoulde haue to their Father If thou wouldest haue the Fatherly loue of God the sweetest thing in the worlde looke that the Names which thou gluest him testifie that thou louest him as a deare Childe loueth his Parentes and looke aye wee pray with that Spirite which is the Spirite of Adoption that testifieth to our soules that wee are adopted to bee the Sonnes and Daughters of God for it is that Spirite that giueth libertie to the heart and openeth the mouth and causeth thee as the Apostle sayeth to crie Abba Father And if thou haue not this holie Spirite of Adoption and if that Spirite open not thine heart and lowse thy tongue call him Father as thou wilt hee is nothing else to thee but a terrible Iudge to take vengeance on thee and thou art nothing els but a slaue to him and not a Sonne Looke aye therefore that thou haue that Spirite that shall testifie to thee that thou art not the childe of wrath
grorifie God fie on that fleshe that will not glorifie God but will ascribe any thing to himselfe and will stand vp and say I did this or that fie on thee that wilt say so and wilt not honour him who hath honoured thee Beware to speake any thing that may derogate to the glory of God and not only in deede but also in word glorifie him that they who heare you speake may glorifie God thorow your speach and by your example Now hauing spoken of the ground we come to the benefite of life euerlasting it selfe As before wee heard the glorifying of Iesus Christ serued to the glory of the Father so we haue now that the glory of Iesus serueth also to our glory So ye may see of what importance is the glory of Iesus Christ the fairest fruites that euer were follow on that glory thorow his glory glory commeth to the Father and life to the world The chiefe two things in the worlde are The glory of God and the saluation of the Kirke which both proceede from the glory of Iesus Christ Life euerlasting marke it well it commeth and it floweth of the glorious life of Iesus Christ when hee rose from the dead all our life is by the rising of Iesus Christ from death to life What is this life euerlasting or the Spirituall life which wee haue It is but a little sponke that floweth from that fulnesse of that glorious life which Iesus Christ liueth in the Heauens at the right hande of the Father And this quickening Spirit which euery one of vs receiueth in sober measure is nothing but a portion of that Spirit of life which is in Iesus Christ hat is in him in all superaboundance and aboue all measure Wee in the Kirke his members haue the Spirit of life flowing from him in some measure Paul in the 6. Chapter to the Romanes vers 5. hath a notable sentence concerning this matter If wee bee planted with him in the likenesse of his death wee shall bee planted with him in the likenesse of his life meaning that this mortification of the olde man commeth by the vertue of the death and Crosse of Iesus Christ and this newe life commeth by the vertue of his Resurrection and life And in the first Epistle to the Corinthians Chap. 15. vers 17. Jâ— Christ had not risen from the dead wee had yet lyen still in our sinnes So then wouldest thou haue one of the chiefe arguments to knowe whether Christ hath died for thee or not if thou knowest not this thou knowest nothing descende downe into thine heart and see if thou findest in any measure that foule and cankered nature slaine into thee that thou bee dead to sinne if thou finde it thou hast cause to bee blythe for thou hast a sure warrande that the Lord Iesus hath died for thee for if hee had not died for thee thou hadst not had anie mortification of sinne Then wouldest thou knowe if the Lord Iesus hath risen from the death as Paul speaketh for thy justification Looke if thou hast anie part or that spirituall life Woe is to that soule that feeleth no life no spirite no quickening c. for that soule hath no warrande that euer Christ rose to justifie or saue it Therefore as yee woulde knowe if Christ hath died or risen for you looke your warrande and if yee finde anie mortification or anie sense of the Spirite then bee sure yee haue a warrande But and if thou findest it not say not that Christ died for thee thou hast no warrande of the death and resurrection of Christ for thee What is this wee are doing Wee are seeking busilie Charters and Euidentes for Landes and Liuinges and earthlie possessions but seeke a warrande for Landes and all the worlde as thou wilt shame shall come vpon thee if thou wantest the warrande of life euerlasting Now in the next vers This is life euerlasting to know thee to be the only true God and whome thou hast sent Jesus Christ In this vers marke it hee letteth vs see the necessitie there is in glorifying of him if euer such a thing should be that one who is chosen should be glorified for hee reasoneth after this manner Father thou knowest what is life it is a knowledge of thee and of mee whom thou hast sent but except I bee glorified the worlde cannot know thee nor mee therefore Father except I bee glorified there is no life for the worlde So there is the necessitie of the glorifying of Christ to get life euerlasting because there cannot be knowledge of God without Christ and except he be glorified But to consider these wordes more norrowlie hee sayeth This is life to knowe thee to bee the onelie true God not onelie to knowe thee to bee God but to knowe thee to bee the onelie God that is to put a difference betwixt thee and the Idole gods of the Gentiles This excludeth not the Sonne and the holie Spirite but hee respecteth the time for before the comming of CHRIST the Gentiles were not called but the worlde was full of Idoles and men were blinded with errour and ignorance Nowe see what is life there are manie that will speake of life euerlasting and yet they knowe not what it meaneth Life euerlasting standeth in a sight and in a knowledge if thou be ignorant thou shalt neuer gette life It standeth in the light of the mind thou art full of darknesse and that darknesse must bee out and light must come in ere thou gettest life But it standeth not in the knowledge of euery thing many one seeketh knowledge but run where thou wilt to seeke knowledge if thou seest not him who is the Fountaine of life from whome all life floweth thou knowest nothing I meane not of a bare knowledge for if thou haue no more it shall not auaile thee but with the knowledge thou must haue faith in thine heart to drawe out life out of the Fountaine of life Who is the Fountaine of life It is the Father of Iesus Christ who is the Fountaine of all life the life which the Sonne himselfe hath commeth out of that Fountaine as Christ himselfe confesseth in the fifth Chapter of this Gospel The Father hath giuen to the Sonne to haue life in himselfe Then all the life of the Angels and all the life of the creatures and all our life spirituall or naturall floweth out of that Fountaine So except a man or woman get a sight of the Father and of the Lord Iesus they cannot gette life Lord if it bee not a great thing to gette a sight of him For as the Apostle sayth to Timothie Hee dwelleth in a light that hath none accesse That deepnesse of light which hee dwelleth in is wonderfull yea incomprehensible and there is no knowledge of the Father without the Sonne if thou seest not the Sonne thou shalt neuer see the Father and so thou shalt neuer see life Awaye with that dreame of the Iewes and
of man Looke to this and in the meane time gather howe much wee are beholden vnto him What King would haue humbled himselfe so No there is no King who would haue put on a Beggars weed for a slaues cause let bee to humble himselfe so far Now looke how we are indebted to him yea if it were a thousand liues it is too little to giue for him who hath so humbled himselfe for vs. Nowe last yee see in what sense and meaning the Sonne of God seeketh this glory Hee seeketh not a glory which hee had not the time that he sought it for he had iâ—â—â—wayes from all eternity He sought not also to bee quite of the nature of man for then hee should not haue bene our Sauiour Hee seeketh not to be quite of the first cloude but of the second He seeketh to be quite of death and hee seeketh that that Godhead should glorifie the Sonne of man that the beames of that Godhead should strike out and glorifie the nature of man And indeede howe soone that Godhead that dwelt in him began to vtter it selfe when his head was lying low in the graue then the man getteth vp and life commeth into our nature And next when the Godhead vttered it selfe in that nature then that man is lifted vp to the Heauens And last when the Godhead vttered it selfe the man Christ is placed at the right hand of the Father and that nature of man shineth in such sort that it passeth all the glory of the Angels This is very comfortable Thou wilt say What recks me of all this glory and what is that to mee Howbeit that that man be glorified yet I abide here in the earth a vile body what recks mee if the worlde were glorified if I got not a share of it Now wilt thou take but once holde of that nature of man and once fix thine eye vpon it that is Wilt thou belieue in Iesus Christ God and man set thine heart on him that he first died for thee and secondly that he rose for thee belieue that all this was once done for thee then certainly as sure as the nature of man in Iesus died and was glorified as sure thou shalt bee glorified and as soone as thou touchest him the glorie shall strike out and ouershaddow thee in this life when thou lookest into the mirrour of his Gospel for wee see him here but in a mirrour it shall ouer-shaddow thee I say but when faith shall be changed into sight and wee see him face to face and sit fore-anent him and looke to his glorious face those glaunces which shall proceede from him as it is saide to the Philippians CHAP. 3. VERS 21. shall transforme thy vile bodie and shall conforme it to his glorious bodie There is such an effectualnesse in his power whereby hee subdued all thinges that if thou shalt gette a sight of him hee shall chaunge thy bodie in a moment and hee shall make it to shine more brighter than the Sunne Onelie belieue so long as thou art heere A man who hath faith in him shall see this glorie If thou gettest not a sight of Christ by fayth in this worlde thou shalt neuer see him heereafter to life and glorie So let vs belieue and stirre vp euerie one of vs another with exhortations that as euer wee would see glorie wee belieue in Iesus Christ To whome 〈◊〉 the Father and holie Spirit bee all honour glorie and pray 〈◊〉 world without ende AMEN THE XX. LECTVRE OF CHRISTES PRAYER BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xvii VERS 6.7.8 6 I haue declared thy Name vnto the men which thou gauest mee out of the worlde thine they were and thou gauest them mee and they haue kept thy worde 7 Nowe they knowe that all thinges whatsoeuer thou hast giuen mee are of thee 8 For I haue giuen vnto them the wordes which thou gauest mee and they haue receiued them and haue knowne surelie that I came out from thee and haue belieued that thou hast sent mee HItherto Welbeloued in the Lord IESVS in this Prayer the Lord hath prayed for himselfe that the Father would glorifie him To this purpose hee vsed sundry argumentes First sayeth hee The houre is come that is The houre of my death is at hand therefore Father glorifie mee Then hee sayeth Father if thou wilt glorifie mee I will glorifie thee therefore glorifie mee Yet farder If thou wilt glorifie mee J wll giue life euerlasting to these whome thou hast giuen mee therefore Father glorifie mee Yet marke I haue glorified thee on the Earth and I haue ended that worke which thou gauest mee to doe What resteth then sayeth hee But that thou O Father shouldest glorifie mee Then hee concludeth Therefore Father glorifie mee with thy selfe not in the Earth but in the Heauens with that glorie which I had with thee before the worlde was Nowe in the next parte of his Prayer the Lord prayeth for his Apostles eleuen in number Hee prayeth not for Iudas because hee was a reprobate There are two thinges which hee seeketh at the Father for them The first â—s That when hee shoulde goe his waye to the Heauen the Father shoulde keepe them from all euill in the worlde The seconde is That the Father shoulde sanctifie them to that worke which they were appointed vnto There are sundrie argumentes and reasons of this first parte of this Petition for his Disciples That the Father woulde keepe them and saue them Hee heapeth in the beginning manie argumentes as namelie from their calling and vocation from their election from that they were the Fathers from that they were giuen to him from that that they belieued the Worde and from that that hee was going to the Father He heapeth together these arguments reasons in praying for them that the Father would keepe and saue them But let vs marke the words narrowly and goe thorow euery argument and obserue such doctrine as shall be to our edification as God shall giue the grace He begins sayth first J haue declared thy Name vnto the men which thou gauest me out of the world So the first reason wherewith he moueth the Father to keepe them is from that hee had manifested vnto them the Name of the Father That is to saye That hee had called them by the Preaching of the glorious Euangel of IESVS CHRIST So our vocation and calling standeth in the manifestation of GOD in IESVS CHRIST by the preaching and hearing of the Gospel Wee are called when God and his will is manifested to vs by the preaching of the Gospel of Iesus Christ Well then if the Lord Iesus vseth this as an argument and reason to moue his Father to keepe them and to saue them now certainly when any person findeth that GOD calleth on them by the preaching of the Gospel as he is calling on you this day Then certainly they haue an argument and token that that God who calleth on them wil keepe and saue them both in this
heareth of the Gospel the soule is the more illuminate and the bodie that will take heede will finde the glorifying of the soule in some measure and then when wee shall see him out of the bodie when we shall blinke on that glorious countenance then both bodie and soule shall bee glorified He draweth the glorie which the Father hath giuen him from the ground Because thou hast loued mee before the foundation of the worlde was laid The glory the Father giueth to the Sonne is of an infinite loue and vnspeakeable Would yee measure the glorie of the Sonne and the greatnesse of it and when it beganne Looke to the loue the Father bare to the Sonne in greatnesse it is infinite thine heart is not capable of the thousand part of that loue It is infinite Who can tell it How can my finite heart tell it If the loue be infinite then the glory is infinite He sayd his Father loued him from all eternitie that loue had neuer a beginning therfore the glory had neuer a beginning as hee sayth himselfe before in the 5. vers of this Chap. Wouldest thou know the end It hath none ende It is not like the loue of man the loue of the Father to the Sonne it is euerlasting and therfore the glory of Iesus Christ it shall neuer haue an end howbeit it was obscured for a time Farder ye may perceiue when he speaketh of his glory he draweth in the loue of the Father to himselfe This is an argument that in speaking of that glory he hath a sense of that infinite loue So the joye and the glory of the Sonne of God wherein standeth it His ioy and glory standeth in that he hath gotten it not with reafe or robbery but with the loue of the Father Wouldest thou possesse any benefit of God with pleasure wouldest thou haue ioy with it What if thou hadst all the world and hadst no pleasure nor ioy in it All gifts are from the Father of Heauen the Father of Iesus Christ Wouldest thou then haue pleasure in the gift Looke that the giuer loue thee striue to feele that hee giueth thee it in loue and then though the gift bee neuer so small yea if it were but a Dinner or a fill of Meat thou shalt haue more ioy in the participation of it if thou take it because he loueth thee than if he wold cast vnto thee a Kingdome if thou feelest not his loue Hee will throwe a Kingdome to a Loune to a wicked man c. as who would throw a bone to a Dogge But as for thee wheÌ„thou gettest any thing looke thou get it not in anger or els it shall neuer doe thee good if thou wouldest haue it to bee vnto thee an ernest-pennie of heauenly things looke that thou findest the loue of the giuer otherwayes esteeme nought of it thou mayest well haue it but it shall be for thy destruction but if thou gettest it of loue he will warne thee he will make the holy Spirit to powre into thine heart a greater sweetnesse of his loue than thou canst finde in the participation of the benefit it selfe Therefore in all benefites thou receiuest euer cast thee to feele that God loueth thee in Iesus Christ who hath died and risen for thee And if thou haue a sense of that loue that Spirit shall worke in thy soule an vnspeakeable ioye which shall bee the earnest-pennie of that eternall ioy which thou shalt get in the Heauens through Iesus Christ To whome with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour and prayse for euermore AMEN THE XXV LECTVRE OF CHRISTES PRAYER BEFORE HIS PASSION IOHN CHAP. xxvii VERS 25.26 25 O righteous Father the world also hath not knowne thee but I haue knowne thee and these haue knowne that thou hast sent mee 26 And J haue declared vnto them thy Name and will declare it that the loue wherewith thou hast loued mee may bee in them and J in them WEE haue heard Welbeloued in the LORD IESVS CHRIST that the LORD in the last parte of his Prayer which hee maketh to his Father prayeth not onelie for his Disciples but generallie for the whole faythfull to the ende of the worlde Now in this TEXT which wee haue read hee returneth againe to his Disciples and hee maketh a Prayer especiallie for them because they had most adoe in the worlde and were to bee sent out into the worlde to win others to the Kingdome of Heauen Therefore the Lord most of all remembereth them in his Prayer and most earnestlie recommendeth them to the Father for those whome the Lord hath ordained to win others of all men in the worlde they haue most neede of Prayer because if they bee not vpholden not only are they lost themselues but also in them standeth the losse of the whole worlde and of the whole Congregation of Iesus Christ to whome they are sent Therefore the Lord in all his Prayers and especiallie in this his last Prayer is moste earnest in recommending of them to the Father Now in the last wordes which were immediatelie before these wordes which we haue read the Lord speaketh of that loue which the Father bare to him ere euer the ground-stone or foundation of the worlde was layde And now in this petition that hee maketh for his Disciples hee beseecheth his Father to communicate with them that loue which hee bare vnto him For all graces and of all benâ—fites in the world the loue of God is the greatest and hee or shee that hath gotten the loue of God in their heart and feelâ—th that God loueth them haue the most precious Iewell that euer was Therefore the Lord beseecheth the Father in the ende of this Prayer that the louâ— that hee bare to him hee would communicate it to his Disciples whome he was to leaue behinde him in the worlde The argument that he vseth is taken from that ende both of the knowledge that the Sonne hath of his Father and of that whole obedience that the Sonne gaue to the Father as also of the knowledge that the Disciples had of him the ende of all this is That the Father should loue them And therefore seeing the ende of all was That the loue of the Father should bee in them the Lord beseecheth the Father to loue them in these wordes O righteous Father There is the stile which he giueth him O righteous Father the worlde hath not knowne thee but I have knowne thee and these haue knowne that thou hast sent mee and I haue manifested thy Name vnto them and shall manifest it farther and all to this ende That thy loue may bee in them and I in them There is the whole TEXT Hee stileth him Father a warme word and a louing stile Hee stileth him Righteous Father respecting the petition which hee had in hand It is a verie righteous and just thing which hee seeketh of the Father Therefore hee calleth him Righteous Father Thou wilt graunt that thing
There is neuer a soule that is condemned or goeth to Hell that can pretende ignorance because their ignorance is voluntary It is true that ere euer a man goe to Hell he is blinded and the eyes of him are taken away by his owne corruption But it is also true that ere euer a man die his mouth shall bee closed and hee shall not haue a worde to speake in the daye of judgement No damned soule shall haue a word to speake in that day when that voyce is pronounced against them they shall passe awaye with the greatest shout that euer was because they dare not pretende ignorance for his ignorance shall bee inexcusable Any man would thinke that if any were excused for ignorance that the Gentiles would be excused yet the Apostle saieth Rom. 1. vers 21. There is not a Gentile that died but their conscience shall make them inexcusable because of the light of nature that they had into them Looke then to the sharpnesse of the judgement of God And if thou hadst no more but the light of nature all these creatures shall stande vp against thee condemne thee though there were no more to condemne thee If that light of nature make men inexcusable in that great day let vs take heed how we heare the Scriptures for if the Gentiles were inexcusable what shall bee the estate of the people who haue not onely the light of nature but that spirituall light from Heauen reuealed by the mouth of Iesus Christ Shall that soule speake a word in that day Therefore I beseech you in the bowels of Iesus Christ to receiue knowledge or else it were better for vs that wee had neuer heard of Christ and better shall it be with the Gentiles and with Sodome and Gomorrha than with vs the greater light the greater condemnation Therefore as wee would see Heauen let this light shine in our heartes that wee may bee transformed from the course of the world and shine before Christ in newnesse of life Nowe in the next wordes hee giueth the seconde argument of that hatred and aggreageth it more They who hate mee hate the Father also And he is speaking of the obstinate Iewes who pretended a loue to God We heard heretofore that the hatred of the world against the Disciples of Christ was against Christ himselfe the hatred that extended to the one part extended also to the other Now we heare that the hatred of the world against Christ extendeth to the Father also and that hee who hateth Christ hateth God also And euen as the Iewes hated the Disciples because they sawe some grace of Christ in them and because they were indued with his Spirite for the worlde will neuer hate one that is his owne so for that same cause hateth the world Christs members yea the hatred of the world against Christ himselfe was for none other cause but because they saw God dwelling in him bodily they saw that glorious Godhead dwelling in the nature of man howbeit they cast vp his kinred to him yet they hated him not because of the fleshe but because God dwelt in him The thing that the men of this world hate most is the God of Heauen if they hate any creature of God it is for Gods cause It is a wonderfull thing that such a thought can be in the hart of the creature against the Creator Let vs then see the cause God is light saith Iohn 1. epist 1. vers 5. And whatsoeuer man in the world doth wickedly he hateth the light deadly yea if it were but the day light and the light of the Sun hee hateth it because it craueth a decent behauiour Rom. 13. vers 13. And the wicked soule craueth aye filthinesse and much more they hate the light of the worde of God because it pierceth into the consciences of men it stingeth them and then most of all they hate God himselfe who is the light when hee beginneth to shine vpon their consciences they find such an horror dread our that they would wishe him out of the worlde so vehementlie they hate him they can abide to see the Deuil or any creature but they cannot abide the sight of God Now looke our nature darknes light sight not so much heat cold fight not so much together as God and our nature and this battell shall neuer haue an ende no not when the miserable catiue is in Hell Whereon riseth Hell but vpon the dissention betwixt the Creator and the creature So this battell shall neuer take an ende except it please God of his grace who made light to shine out of darknesse to inlighten and to reforme the soule and to scatter this palpable darknesse wherein wee are wrapped I goe forwarde to the thirde argument If I had not wrought such works among them which none other man in this world did they wold not haue had sinne The argument then is taken from his workes They sawe Iesus Christ to bee such a man as there was neuer the like of him They sawe that diuinitie in him and this sight aggreageth their hatred By the workes I vnderstand all the prooues the Lord gaue of his Diuinitie to the worlde whether they were the miraculous workes in restoring the blinde to sight the lame to limmes the deafe to eares or it was his holy life in the worlde Neuer man liued so holily and heauenly as he for he saith Iohn 5. vers 36. My works testifie of â—e that I am not a man only And indeede not only those who were his friendes and his Disciples and seruantes tooke this vp Iohn saith We saw him full of grace and veritie and wee saw his glorie like the glorie of the onely begotten Sonne of God John 1. vers 14. but also his very enemies saw it when as the souldiours came to take him they said Neuer one spake as he speaketh John 7. vers 46. His words bound the mens hands and the Pharisees who were his enemies were compelled to say If he had beene a sinner he could not haue healed the blind John 9. vers 16. And so we who now liue howbeit we see him not bodily working wonders in the world thereby to perswade or to conuince vs yet by this worde of the Crosse preached which to his owne is the power and wisdome of God we are perswaded that Christ is the only Sonne of God there is such a Majesty in it And so if there were no more to testifie vnto vs but this word of the Gospel it conuinceth the consciences of all men that the Lord of whom it is spoken is not man only but God also Then hee saieth They haue both seene and haue hated both mee and my Father There is a maruell that they knowing God they hated God it would seeme tollerable if they knewe not God to hate him but to know him and hate him it is a thing not to bee comporteth with It was saide of before that the worlde who hated