in me Duties say It is not in us Ordinances say We cannot give it Why It must come only from Jesus Christ Therefore the spirit of God usually letteth souls see an utter impossibility of salvation by any other than by Christ Fifthly It supposeth after all this a due apprehension 5. It supposeth pardon in and through Christ of a probability of obtaining pardon and grace in and through Christ And this setteth the soul a moving towards him and is an inducement as to the humble soul Lament 3. 29. To lay its mouth in the dust if so be there may be hope As to those Mourners in Joel Joel 2. 14. Who knoweth if God will return and repent and leave a blessing behind him Here is indeavour arising from probability So the Ninevites in the prophesie of Jonah Jonah 3. 9. Who can tell if God will turn and repent of his fierce wrath that we perish not Faith putteth it to the venture and putteth it selfe upon the free grace of God in Christ for Four grounds of probability to obtain pardon mercy as having a probability founded upon these four grounds of obtaining pardon First Upon the abundant goodnesse of God of which you 1. The aboundant goodness of God read Psal 130. 7. Let Israel hope in the Lord Why for with the Lord is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption There is abundant mercy and plenteous redemption with God therefore Israel may hope This appeareth to be the mercy of an Infinite God therefore he can pardon and take away the sins of a finite Creature here is one ground Secondly Probability of successe It is founded upon the 2. The powerfull Mediation of Jesus Christ powerfull Mediation of Jesus Christ Hebr. 7. 25. He is able to save to the uttermost those that come to God by Him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them His blood like a mighty Ocean is able to overflow as it were the mighty Rocks as well as the lowest Sand. The Sun of Righteousnesse is able to scatter the thickest Clouds as well as the slenderest mists Thirdly Upon the free and gratious breathings of the 3. The free breatheings of the holy Ghost Holy Ghost Joh. 3. 8. The wind bloweth where it listeth thou hearest the sound thereof and knowest not whence it cometh nor whither it goeth So it is with the Spirit It hath breathed in others and may breathe in thee when it pleaseth him And therefore the soul resolveth hopefully to wait on God till the Spirit shall be pleased to breathe upon him and to that end it seeketh him in all the means wherein he is wont to breathe because the soul knoweth it is just that the Spirit of God should not breathe in any if he be not sought in all If they neglect some one means the influence of Grace may be with-held If any one of the Pipes be cut the water cometh not home to the Cistern And God is wont to convey grace to us by so many Ordinances as by so many Pipes if one Ordinance be neglected it is just with God to withdraw his grace If a soul will hear but not pray if he neglecteth any one Ordinance God may refuse to breathe Therefore the soul groundeth probability upon the free breathings of the Spirit Fourthly Upon the example of many that have been 4. Upon the example of many converted before converted before It seeth the example of the perishing of a multitude of sinners in the story of the Ninivites and of a multitude of sins in the story of Mary Magdalen and knoweth the story of mercy Such were some of you but ye are washed and cleansed and sanctified by the Lord Jesus Christ in the Spirit of God These are the apprehensions which our Saviour Christ supposeth All these more or lesse in an ordinary course taken with limitation Secondly There are certain acts of the Will which the 2. It supposeth severall Acts of the Will receiving of grace includeth which are specially these two First a present chusing of Christ upon Conjugall tearms Secondly a trusting on him for ever after First Receiving of Christ includeth in it a present chusing 1. Receiving Christ includeth our chusing him for our Husband of Christ for our Husband upon Conjugall tearms I take that Metaphor as most easie to expresse it by because he is received under many notions and under this amongst others As a Wife receiveth the Man in marriage so the Soul receiveth Christ It is a Choice and present Choice and a present Choice upon Conjugall tearms This is an act of the Will Chusing belongeth to the Will When the Will is enabled by the Spirit of Christ to choose him for his All in all and to make a present choice of him they are tearms not of the Future but of the Present Tense that make a Marriage It is not I promise to make thee my Wife in time to come that maketh a Contract but I do take thee to my Wife this is to make a Marriage It is not to take Christ when I am rich or older but it must be a present chusing of him that maketh the Match And it must be upon honourable tearms such as a woman taketh the husband upon so as to forsake father and mother and cleave to the husband Christ did so for us and we must do so for Christ Christ forsook his Father in some sense and came and emptied himself forsook Heaven and came down to us The Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us that so he might be wedded to his Church upon earth There is something like that we have to do for Christ the Soul must forsake all for Christ As it is said of the Spouse Psal 45. 10. Hearken O daughter and consider and encline thine ear forget also thine own people and thy father's house So shall the King desire thy beauty There must be a forsaking of our former lusts and former waies and former carelesnesse a leaving of all to cleave to Christ That you may understand it better allude to that of Hos 14. 3. Ashur shall not save us we will not ride upon horses neither will we say any more to the works of our hands Ye are our gods For in thee the fatherlesse findeth mercy Ephraim shall say What have I to do any more with Idolls So when the Soul cometh to close with Jesus Christ The Law shall not save us we will not rest upon our own Duties our services shall not be our Saviours the means of grace shall not be our Mediators What have we to do any more with Idells and the lusts of our former ignorance and intemperancy and wantonnesse c Here a choosing of Christ supposeth a separation from all things else and a cleaving to him Being joyned to the Lord we are one spirit as the Apostle's phrase is cleaving to him so as to be subject to him that is on conjugall tearms on which Christ is to
in some wants but here is their comfort they have an inheritance laid up for them and that is a rich one They are now in their nonage when they come to heaven they shall have enough In all dangers let it be considered what care their Father taketh for them because they are his children Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation An heir of a great family what shall he need to fear so long as he is conversing among his fathers servants All the creatures are such to God and thou being a child thou art amongst thy Father's servants and therefore needest to fear no danger from them Fourthly In case of spirituall faintings and fears and 4. In case of spirituall faintings fears and desertion desertions The soul of a believer sometimes fainteth away for fear David saith My heart and flesh fail me Here is now a swounding child consider what fathers are wont to do in such cases how they send out for help presently all the house is little enough to look after a child in such a condition God himself pittieth his swounding children and sendeth his Ministers yea his own Spirit to speak comfort to such and to administer some Aquavitae to them some water of life that he may fetch them again out of their faintings Sometimes fear possesseth a child of God perhaps of falling into desertion as it is possible such may befall the dearest of God's Saints as with Heman who thought himself free amongst the dead God sometimes doth this but sal 88. 5. still as a Father As a father that seeth his child ready to run into a river or into the mire he will take the child and make him believe he will throw him in but it is to make him fearfull of being thrown in So God makes his children believe that he will throw them into hell it self but it is for this very end and purpose that they may never come there for this fear will keep them from the waies of hell Yea sometimes God is pleased to desert his own children Sion saith My God hath forgotten me as it is in Isaiah but then it is no more but as when a father goeth behind a door and suffereth his child to cry after him and hideth himself on purpose to try the affections of the child to make him the more eager in the pursuit of his father which done then he discovereth himself Just so it is with God He withdraweth the light of his countenance not on purpose to keep it so for ever but to make it more endeared to his children As the Prophet speaketh In a little while I hid Isa 54. 8. my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy God and thy Redeemer Lastly Here is comfort in case of approaching death a 5. In case of approaching death time when men stand much in need of comfort when they are to leave all their outward comforts in this world therefore they had need of better Now if a man can say in assurance of faith as Christ did Father I commend my spirit Luk. 23. 46. into thy hands Here is an everlasting consolation a Fort that all the devills in hell cannot batter A man that in his life-time hath got acquaintance with God may with confidence commend his soul to God as to a Father when he dieth Other people may leave an estate behind them and men may look after that A man may commend his estate to his friend and his body to the grave and some may have so much charity as to interr that But whom shall he commend his soul to It is not for every man to think to commend his spirit to God with confidence Upon what acquaintance will God say can you do this Will we trust our Jewels to any but our best friends will we put them into the hands of those that we never saw in our lives No. But a man that hath known God for his Father he will with confidence say Father into thy hands I commend my spirit I do not onely lay my Jewell at thy feet but put it into thy hands that so it may be safe in thy custody I commend it into thy hands out of which all the devills in hell shall never be able to pull it With this confidence Paul believed Happy is that soul that is able to say as our Saviour did before his Ascension to his Disciples I go to my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God When a man is able to look his friends in the face though with a dying look and shall say Be of good comfort I shall be no loser I go to my Father and your Father Blessed are the people that are in Joh. 20. 17. such a case Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. Blessed are the people that have received Jesus Christ aright and so are become sons of Adoption I have now done with that Point and shall go on Vers 13. Which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God This verse containeth a further description of them that received Christ They were described in the 12 Verse by their faith And in this 13 Verse they are described by their birth To them that believe in his Name which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Their birth concerning which we are here told First what is not the efficient Cause of it Secondly what is First what is not the efficient Cause of it Three things are here removed 1. Blood 2. The will of the flesh 3. The will of man Secondly what is God and God onely I shall take the Clauses as they lye in order First I shall shew That Believers as such are not born of blood Secondly That they are born not of the will of the flesh Thirdly not of the will of man But Fourthly they are born of God First Believers as such They are not born of blood 1. Believers are not born of blood what is that Ye know in our ordinary manner of speech we are used to make mention of base blood Noble blood blood Royall and accordingly they are said to be born of blood to intimate that they have not grace from their Ancestors It doth not come to them by descent We say of many diseases that such and such come of a blood because they are derived from parents They are not born of blood to shew that the work of grace is not derived from one's Ancestors Therefore the word in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are not born of bloods We may think it on purpose to be put in to meet with that mistake of the bragging of the Jewes who still boast to be the sons of Abraham Joh.
we lost in the first Adam we shall have restored in the Second there is no other way to come by it but this The Mint in which Knowledge Holinesse and Joy are coyned it goeth in Heaven and no where else Christ is the Master of that Mint That you may be encouraged to seek to Christ for this set me tell you Beloved That if the Lord Jesus Christ be 1. Sweeter Knowledge by Christ then that we lost in Adam pleased to renew this Image in you and restore you to this state of light you shall have a sweeter Knowledge ye shall have a surer Holinesse and a more lasting Joy than Adam himself had in Paradise The light that the second Adam giveth is better in some respect than the light which the first Adam lost Ye shall know that which Adam never knew the heighth and depth and breadth and length of the love of God in Christ That which did not come within the compasse of Adam's knowledge to know what belonged to a Redeemer but that is made known to the Saints in whom the Image of God is renewed Ephes 3. 17 18 19. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that ye being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and heighth and to know the love of God which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fulnesse of God Adam knew much of the love of God as a Creator but now we know the love of God as a Redeemer This must needs be a sweeter knowledge because this second is a greater love The misery of the person to whom love is shewed heightneth the love That which God in Christ Pitty in misery heightneth love sheweth to man fallen is love in mercy love joyned with mercy is greater love therefore the knowledge of this is sweeter knowledge And as ye shall have sweeter Knowledge so surer Holinesse 2. Surer Holinesse I do not say a purer Holinesse Adam was more pure in the state of Innocency than any man on this side Heaven he had no corruptions stirring in him But surer Holinesse That Holinesse which Adam had he was capable of losing it and did lose it That which Christ restoreth to them in whom this Image is renewed it is not left to their own keeping He himself keepeth it for them and no man shall take them out of his hand Joh. 10. 28. They shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand As it fareth sometimes with a man that hath broke his leg or arm if he light upon a good Chirurgion that setteth it well again the arm or leg is stronger than before the breaking of it and we say He fell into the hands of a good Chirurgion So we were broken in Adam but we have by Christ a stronger Holinesse than we had at first And so you shall have a more lasting Joy than you could 3. More lasting Joy have in the first Adam It was a joyfull state as ye have heard but how long endured it The Psalmist saith Sorrow endureth for a night but joy commeth in the morning Here joy endured for the morning and sorrow came at evening Some think Adam did not stand in his integrity a whole night sure he did not stand long but lost his joy presently That joy which is given to whom this Image is renewed is such as no man or devill can take from them Joh. 16. 22. You all shall rejoyce and your joy shall no man tâ—â—e from you Bernard saith Gaudium â—â—it in fine sed Gaudium sine fine It shall be joy in the end but it shall be a joy without end which Adam's was not This is the Generall Use There is another more Particular that is to such as are Particular Use restored to this Image of God and a new state of life from which Adam sell that they might walk as children of the light How is that The Exhortation ye have Ephes 5. 8. Ye were sometimes darknesse but now are ye light in the Lord Walk as children of the light That is Walk knowingly walk piously walk cheerfully for light includeth all these three Hath Christ restored you to what ye fell from First then Walk knowingly have a care to see your way 1. Walk Knowingly before you whatsoever ye do it upon warrantable and good grounds take up no Opinion upon trust follow no Principles without a warrant from the Scripture He that walketh in darknesse faith Christ Joh 12. 35. knoweth not whither he goeth And so Prov. 4. 19. The way of the wicked is as darknesse they know not at what they stumble So long as a man is in the dark he knoweth not whither he goeth nor at what he stumbleth he reeleth sometimes this way and sometimes that way runneth his head against a post or falleth into a ditch into this error or that He stumbleth now upon a mad Principle and then upon a bad Principle because he knoweth not whither he goeth In the dark there is no discerning of colours all things are alike fair So it is with men in the state of unregeneracy there is no difference between civility and grace between formality and truth between faith and fancy He that will walk as a child of light must discern of things that differ for It is light that maketh manifest Secondly As he must walk knowingly so Piously Put on saith the Apostle the armour of light and let us walk 2. Walk Piously honestly as in the day Rom. 13. 13. Would you know how Cast your eyes upon Ephes 5. 8 9 10. Walk as children of light For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodnesse and righteousnesse and truth proving what is acceptable to the Lord. This place sheweth you that the light of holinesse which is in the souls of the Saints it is a Prolificall Light which bringeth sorth fruit Walk as children of the light For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodnesse and righteousnesse and truth It is the light of the Sun that begeteth creatures which the light of a Candle doth not Many Creatures have no other father but the Light as Philosophers say Putredo mater Sol pater Putridity is the mother and the heat of the Sun that is the father of them So it is with all inferiour Lights they are like the light of a Candle the naturall light of Reason and the utmost improvement of naturall abilities this light make the best of it till it come to be supernaturall and to have infusion from Christ it hath no quickning power in it it will not reform a man's life it begets no work truly good Whereas the light of Holinesse like the light of the Sun it ingenders and bringeth forth good works The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodnesse Then there will be a proving of what is acceptable to the will of God Men will not
the world If one 1. Of the world's unthankfulnesse should build an house for a man then furnish it and afterwards put the poor man that was harbourlesse before into it and put a stock into his hands to trade withall and keep his house in repair for him and require no other Rent but some small acknowledgment Would not all the world cry shame of this man if he should not be thankfull It is our case God hath made a world for man and furnished it before he brought man into it Jesus Christ he hath been in the world ever since the Creation upholding all things by the word of his power And yet such is the unthankfulnesse of men that they know not Christ He was in the world the world was made by him and the world knew him not therefore did not acknowledge him as their Creator and Preserver Such is the madnesse of men that they are over-apt to bestow divine honour upon those it belongeth not to and to deny it to Christ to whom it appertaineth When Paul and Barnabas had cured the Creeple Act. 14. 11. they had much ado to stave off the people from making gods of them Now when the people saw what Paul had done they lifted up their voices saying in the speech of Lycaonia The gods are come down to us in the likenesse of men And they called Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercurius The Priests of Jupiter offered sacrifice to them Christ doth a great deal more than this commeth to and yet men own him not Do ye thus requite the Lord as Moses said O foolish people and unwise Secondly It helpeth to clear God and to magnifie the 2. Of the patience of Christ patience of Christ He made the world the world knowes him not and yet he letteth the world stand for all this He hath let the world continue almost six thousand years notwithstanding all this ingratitude of the world We may well upon this occasion call to mind that which the Prophet Hosea recordeth Hos 11. 8 9. How shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Israel how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim My heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim For I am God and not man the holy One in the midst of thee and I will not enter into the City For I am God and not man Here is a great evidence that Christ is God and not man otherwise the world had been made as Admah and Zeboim long ere this Suppose Moses himself the meekest man upon earth to be indowed with that power that Christ had in his hands from the beginning of the world and suppose him to have hated sin as Christ doth It would have been impossible even for Moses to have held his hands He that cryed out at the Rock Ye rebells shall I bring water out of this Rock to you would certainly have cryed out Ye rebells I will send down fire Exod. 17. 2. upon you from heaven to consume you What an high provocation is this when Christ hath done so much to have all sleighted Men take it ill when there is any competency of worth in them to be neglected Not to speak of the worth of Christ as Redeemer look to his works of Creation see what glorious Attributes shine in them do but compare them with the works of men If a workman doth many things surely they are not great for one great thing will take up a great deal of time If he produceth a great piece he doth not make many such if many and great commonly they are but great Torrasses things of no worth or both botchingly and bunglingly done Now here in the work of Creation is both Mercy and Greatnesse here is Comelinesse and Usefulnesse kissing each other And yet all this sleighted by the sons of men and that for so many years together and yet the earth standeth Oh! the Patience of God notwithstanding all this provocation Thirdly Ye may see the happiness of Christians Though the 3. See the happinesse of Christians world knoweth not God there is a certain sort of Men in the world that do 1 Tim. 3. 16. God manifested in the Flesh justified of the Spirit seen of Angels preached to the Gentiles believed on in the world Believed on in the world This is the great priviledge of us Christians The poor Gentiles knew there was a God and might come to the knowledge of some of his Attributes but when their consciences flew in their faces they were then at a great stand They had learned that God was and was mercifull and that he would pardon sin but they had not the knowledge of a Mediator nor how to make a friend to God This God hath made known to them that live under the means of grace and hold the Ministry of the Gospell He hath let them see what wayes they have to make to God The Lord Jesus Christ hath held forth the wayes of Truth and Life Truth and life by Jesus Christ No man goeth to the Father but by Him Therefore if that Philosopher of whom we read thought he had so much cause to blesse God that had made him not a Barbarian but a Grecian and amongst Grecians an Athenian amongst Athenians a Philosopher Certainly we have cause to magnifie the grace of God that we are born not Pagans but Christians in regard of an outward Covenant and not Papists but Protestants and amongst Protestants English men Because this Island of ours hath by the grace of God been the Goshen wherein this light of the Gospell hath shined more than in any Kingdome of Christendome I have done with that verse and proceed to the Eleventh which concerneth the Jewes especially Vers 11. He came to his owne and his owne received The Jewes refuse to receive Christ him not He came two wayes There are many sorts of Christ's coming which will be needlesse to repeat to you He came First In his Ordinances Secondly In the Flesh First Christ is said to come amongst a people whom 1. Christ cometh to a people in his Ordinances He blesseth with his Ordinances according to that Exodus 20. 24. In all places where I record my Name I will come to thee and blesse thee The Gospell never cometh to a place but Christ cometh with it Secondly He came in the flesh This is a faithfull saying 2. Christ came in the flesh and worthy of all men to be received saith Paul 1 Tim. 1. 15. That Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners Thus he came He came to his owne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word is and may be rendred thus He came to his owne home So the word is rendred Acts 21. 6. When we had taken leave of one another we took ship and they returned home again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
word Power for it rather signifieth as the Margents of your great Bibles have it Right or Priviledge or as the Geneva hath it The Prerogative What is this to the Point of the Power against Free-will Read it so and the colour for their pretence is taken off and so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 often signifieth Right and Priviledge as in that 1 Cor. 9. 5 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Have we not power to eat and to drink and to lead about a sister a wife as well as other Apostles and have not we power to forbear working that is right and priviledge as well as the rest Thirdly Suppose we should read it Power to become the 3. Power and Priviledg signifie one and the same thing sons of God as our Translation hath it yet this Power will imply no more than the word Priviledge doth As if a man should say That the Pope had a speciall eye to those Bishops that wrought for him in the Councell of Trent and gave them all power to become Cardinalls that is he gave them this priviledge to be so What is this to Free-will Lastly read it Power and suppose it to imply some liberty 4. This Power is given to Believers not to them in the state of Nature of will yet it serveth not their turn neither For the power here spoken of is a power received by those that formerly believed in Christ What is this then to the power of of them that are yet in the state of nature To as many as believed in him to them gave he power It is not Free-will if not set free by Christ But to avoid all ambiguity we shall take it for a Right or Priviledge or Prerogative which indeed is the better reading And so I ground this Observation from hence That for the sons of men to become the sons of God is a very high priviledge To as many as received Observ him to them gave he this priviledge this right this prerogative to become the sons of God When God would set forth his favour towards David to the heighth in that goodwill which he would bear to his son Solomon mark 2 Sam. 7. 14. I will be his father and he shall be my son he could not promise him a greater prerogative than this When Saul would encourage some of his Army to undertake the Duell with great Goliah that defied the Host of the living God What is the motive I will give him my daughter to wife and he shall be the King's son in law When God will encourage men to fight it out against the world and to separate from the sins thereof he useth this motive I will make them sons and daughters if they do so and so He holdeth that forth as the great prerogative 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. Come out from amongst them and seperate your selves saith the Lord touch no impure thing then will I receive you and I will be unto you instead of a Father and ye shall be to me instead of sons and daughters saith the Lord that is Almighty This will appear to be a very high prerogative If we consider first The estate from which we are raised to become sons secondly The state to which we are raised by becoming sons First this Sonship will appear to be a great priviledge 1. The high priviledge of being the sons of God if we consider from what estate we are raised That we may become sons from a state of bondage and death misery and slavery from being sons of perdition Children of wrath as the Apostle calleth it Ephes 2 3. We are by nature the children of wrath even as others For God to take children of wrath and make them children of love Heirs of perdition and make them heirs of Heaven what a rise is here It was a great matter for Pharoah's daughter to cast an eye upon poor Moses when he lay in the Bull-rushes ready to be drowned in the water and to adopt him for her owne son The Scripture speaketh of it as a great priviledge and therefore raiseth the commendations of Moses By faith Moses refused to be called the son of Pharoah's Hebr. 11. 24. daughter yet this Adoption of hers would not have made him heir to the Kingdome Here is an higher priviledge men are taken not out of the water but out of Hell-fire that is our portion by nature and deputed to be heirs to the King of Heaven and so as that they are made heirs to a Crown of Glory for all deputed children are heirs of the Kingdome Matth. 13. 38. The good seed are the children of the Kingdome If sons then heirs heirs of God joynt-heirs with Christ Rom. 8. 2. It will appear to be a high priviledge if ye consider that estate to which we are raised by being sons It is a wealthy and honourable and free and sweet and safe estate All this raiseth the price of it in our esteem First It is a wealthy state God doth not adopt us to a 1. Our estate by Christ is a wealthy estate poor Inheritance but to a rich as the Apostle speaks Ephes 1. 18. That you may know what is the hope of his Calling and what the riches of the glory of his Inheritance in the Saints Here is riches in this Inheritance So many times riches when there is no honour Ignoble spirits scrape a great deal of Wealth together in which they place their happinesse 2. Here is honour but here is not onely wealth but Glory to and he Glory of a Kingdome There is not such an honourable incorporation in the World as this to have God the Father for his Father and Jesus Christ for his Head and Governour and all the Saints for his Members a body politique that â—ath the eternall spirit of God for the soul of it The society of Saints is an honorable Society Here is both wealth and honour which may sometimes be where there is no liberty It is but Splendida serviâ—us a glittering slavery for men to be rich and honourable and yet in slavery But here ye read of a glorious liberty of the Sons of God 3. Here is liberty not onely riches and honour but a glorious liberty Joh. 8. 31. If the Son hath made us free we shall then be free indeed from the service of sin and bondage of Satan free from Temporall afflictions and free from the danger of eternall wrath There may riches and honour and freedome meet in some one person who yet cannot have content nor doth he live a Comfortable life for all that Therefore this in the fourth place is a Sweet state as well as wealthy 4. Here iâ— a sweet estate and honourable and free There lieth a great deal of sweetnesse in the name of a Father when the soul can say howsoever things go in the World I can look up to Heaven and say doubtlesse Thou art our Father there is so much sweetnesse to be
would have their voices to resound will make choice of Rocky places which send forth the best Eccho This Rock the Lord Jesus Christ is he that maketh our prayers to return with a blessing into our own bosoms You shall have many men that go to devotion and leave Christ behind them What a poor devotion is here The spirit of prayer is alwaies accompanied with Evangelicall humility with a mourning that floweth from our looking to Christ I know there is a great deal of legall sorrow in formall professors Men may go blubbering to hell without true repentance But here is a mourning that floweth from a looking up to Christ Where there is a spirit of Adoption men will speak from feeling which floweth from the apprehension of Christ and the certainty of God's grace in him Now this spirit of Adoption argueth Sonship But then commeth in the poor weak Believer and saith Object I am undone The other plead for themselves without a cause and he pleadeth as much against himself without a cause I cannot find such enlargement in prayer Surely the Spirit of Adoption is not in me if it were I should cry Abba Father with more importunity All Believers are not alike gifted there may be a gift of Answ prayer where there is not a spirit of prayer and a spirit of prayer where there are but poor gifts Haply thou canst onely chatter with Hezekiah like a Crane and Swallow yet consider whilst thou canst not speak there are two Spokes-men for thee the consideration whereof may render A Believer hath two Spokesmen to stand for him thee confident of success even in thy devotions how weak soever they be The lispings and stammerings of a child God liketh better then all the Oratory in the world The Spirit of God is in thee and the Blood of Christ is for thee The Spirit and We know not what to pray for as we ought but the Spirit maketh intercession in us And God knoweth the meaning of the Spirit and heareth the least whispers of his own Spirit in the soul of a poor Believer And then The Blood of Christ that speaketh better things than the blood of Abel the Blood of of Christ As Christ saith of himself it may be said of this Blood Father I know thou hearest me alwaies But I pass now from matter of Triall and I come now to matter of Exhortation All Dignity ye Use 2 know calleth for Duty Such as are partakers of this Priviledge To exhort to Duties of being the children of God they are obliged to certain Duties that flow from hence First Obedience The sons of Jonadab they were obedient 1. To Obedience to the commandment of their father Jer. 35. I set before the sons of the family of the Rechabites pots ful of wine and cups and I said unto them Drink wine But they said We must drink no wine for Jonadab the son of Rechab our father hath forbid us saying Drink no wine you nor your sons for ever Neither build houses nor sow seed nor plant ye vineyards but dwell in tents all your daies that ye may live all your daies upon the face of the earth where ye are inhabitants So we have hearkned to the voyce of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he commanded us So we drank no wine all our daies we nor our wives nor our sons nor our daughters When God hath said Drink not of the world's cup taste not of the world's dainties lest you surfeit on them it becommeth an obedint child to say My Father hath commanded me I dare not drink when he is tempted to the enjoyment of any unlawfull pleasures Mal. 3. 17. Ye read there of a son that serveth Indeed the best service God hath done him is by his sons all other services are little worth in comparison I will spare him as a man spareth his own son that serveth him The son goeth naturally and ingenuously about his father's work he doth it kindly much more kindly than a servant will that doth it onely for his wages Therefore of old they were wont to set their children to the work The chief work lay in husbandry We read of Rachel's keeping her father's sheep Gen 29. 6. and so of Jacob keeping his father in law's sheep Would we approve our selves children of God we must do the works of God Our Saviour beateth off the Pharisees from their plea upon this ground We are the children of Abraham say they If ye were saith Christ then would you do the works of Abraham Abraham believed in me No man can ever approve himself the child of God that doth not abound in the work of the Lord. The second Lesson is for Imitation Ephes 5. 1. Be ye 2. For Imitation followers of God as dear children It is naturall to children to imitate their parents look what the father doth the child is apt to learn the same If we be dear children we must be followers of God and walk in love as Christ hath loved us Blessed are the mercifull they shall be called the children of God Why Because that maketh it appear they follow God And so Be ye holy saith Peter 1 Pet. 1. 15 16. As he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation Because it is written Be ye holy for I am holy Thirdly We should learn from hence this Lesson that is 3. Learn Dependency upon God of Dependency Children hang upon their parents so should we upon God if we will carry our selves as becommeth sons This Argument Christ useth Matth. 6. 22. Take no thought saying What shall we eat and drink and be cloathed with for your heavenly Father knoweth you have need of all these things Leave the care of all these to your Father If ye were Orphans and had no father or if your father were not willing or not able to supply your wants then ye might be carefull but seeing you have an heavenly Father that knoweth all these things cast all your care upon him for He careth for you Doth not he tell us That he that provideth not for his owne family is the worst of Infidells Ye are of Gods family therefore be sure He will provide for you if ye trust Him Fourthly It teacheth us a lesson of Patience Hebr. 12. 4. It teacheth us to be patient 5. Forget not the exhortation which speaketh to you as Children My son despise not thou the Chastisements of the Lord For whom the Lord loveth He chastiseth Faint not under the correction of a Father and because it is from a Father that will lay on no more no longer than the Child standeth in need of it Herein that of our Saviour should be often in our thoughts Joh. 18. 11. The Cup which my Father hath given me shall I not drink it Why every affliction that befalleth me is a Cup out of my Fathers hand and from Him I should
is there is a farther thing then restraining grace there is holinesse of life Ephes 4. 24. That ye put on that new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Now holinesse goeth farther than to the abstaining from some evill and doing of some good Holinesse reacheth to the mortification of lust where there is a new man created after holinesse lust will be pursued not onely to imprisonment but to death The Woolf is not onely tied up but turned into a Lamb the Sow is not onely put into a pasture but changed into a Sheep A woolf tyed up doth not so much mischief as before a Sow in a pasture is not so swinish and filthy as when it walloweth in the mire but their natures still remain So it is in restraining grace their natures are the same if not some change in their conversation Where the new-birth is there is a change of the heart and a new nature wrought therefore men do duties with delight and constantly Men look at lusts now not as David did at Absolom but as Joab did at Absolom that I may use that comparison Asolom he rebelled ye know David and Joab they both set themselves against him but so as David though he could not but be displeased with Absolom's rebellion yet he carrieth affection towards him and desireth that the young man may be dealt gently withall On the other side Joab when he getteth an opportunity throweth dart upon dart and never 2 Sam. 18. 14. leaveth till he hath slain him So ye have many a man that hath some work of grace upon his heart that yet hath a months mind and longing after sin he would have his sin supprest as David would have Absolom but yet Absolom must live though a rebellious son Many would have sin supprest that it may not expose them to hell and damnation but all this while their sins must live But the new creature is carried out with hatred against sin therefore it is not content without its destruction Mortifie your earthly members saith the Apostle Such a sin saith the regenerate soul will have my death therefore I will have its death I will not be content till it be crucified with the lusts and affections thereof I shall now proceed to the 14 Verse Vers 14. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld the glory thereof as the glory of the onely begotten Son of the Father full of Grace and Truth Heretofore the Evangelist having proved the Divinity of Christ's manifestation in the flesh and the glory of his Person in both Natures Jesus Christ he commeth now to tell us of his manifestation in the flesh and of the glory of his Person consisting of both Natures So as this Verse calleth to us for attention because it holdeth forth the Object of our faith the Person of Christ in both his Natures And certainly every soul that is married to Christ will be affected with his Person and therefore desirous to hear of that The difference between a wife and a harlot is The wife desires and loveth the husband's person therefore careth not for his tokens unlesse his person be enjoyed The harlot loveth the token and careth not for the person It is the property of the Spouse not to be content with the Love-tokens of Christ but with the Person of Christ And concerning him ye have four things laid down here First The Incarnation of Jesus Christ The Word was made flesh Secondly His Conversation on earth And dwelt amongst us Thirdly Here is a speciall manifestation of his glory And we behold his glory as the glory of the onely begotten of the Father Fourthly The singular Qualifications of his Person Full of grace and truth First I shall begin with the Incarnation of Christ in these words And the Word was made flesh A Clause out of which Bees may suck hony and Spiders may gather poison These words have been a stumbling-block to many Hereticks and on the other side a sure and strong hold to many Saints Some think that when the children of Israel were in the land of Goshen and had some Egyptians mixed with them at the same time the Scriptures are light to Saints darknesse to unbelievers Hebrewes drew wholesome waters out of the fountains and the Egyptians bloody water at the same springs and that it was dark to the Egyptians in the same house and light to the Hebrewes If so me-thinks It affordeth that which may lead us into the Consideration of this and the like places of Scripture Hereticks have darknesse and Believers light The one draweth bloody waters and the other wholesome waters out of the same Text of Scripture as ye shall hear in the application what use may be made of this Clause Apollinarius saith That because the Word was made flesh Therefore Christ took upon his flesh the body but not the soul of a man Three things are here to be declared to you First Who is meant by the Word Secondly What is meant by the Flesh Thirdly In what sense the word was made Flesh First The divine nature of Christ is in the Word Secondly The human nature of Christ The Flesh Thirdly The personall union The Word made Flesh These are mysteries by some more spoken of and lesse understood Things that we cannot be ignorant of without danger nor discourse of without all Reverence Things that no Eloquence of man can reach no soul of man apprehend in the full latitude of them Yet some thing we shall speak hereof by God's assistance First Who is here meant by the Word I answer the 1. By the Word is meant the second Person in the Trinity second person in the Trinity so called in that known place There are three that bear witnesse in Heaven the Father and the Word and the Spirit and these three are one 1 Joh. 5. 8. The same person that is called the word in the beginning of this Chapter is said to be with God I shall not speak of that because heretofore I have been large in it but come to the second Secondly What is here meant by Flesh Flesh signifieth 2. By Flesh is meant the whole man the whole man in diverse places of Scripture Man ye know consisteth of two parts which are sometimes called flesh and spirit and sometimes called soul and body Now by a Synecdoche either of these parts may be put for the whole sometimes the soul is put for the whole man As when it is said there were so many souls in the Act. 27. 37. Gen. 46. 27. ship with Paul And seventy souls went down into Egypt with Jacob sometimes flesh or body is put for the whole man Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you brethren by the Mercies of God offer up your bodies a living sacrifice That is offer up your selves And sometimes flesh which is the word in the Text Rom. 3. 20. Therefore by the deeds of the Law shall
John knew neither Jewes nor Gentiles would indure the tearm of the Son of God They could not indure to hear of a sonship in the Deity and Godhead but with this tearm Word applied to the Godhead they were well acquainted both Jewes and Gentiles But John had often met with it in the Old Testament in this sense for the second person in the Trinity I shall shew you a place or two Psal 33. 6. By the Word of the Lord were the Heavens made and all the hosts of them by the breath of his Mouth Here is JEHOVAH the Lord and the Word of the Lord for the Second Person and the Spirit of his Mouth for the Third The Creation is ascribed to the whole Trinity So here is Word In the same sense ye shall find Jesus Christ is called the Word 2 Sam. 7. 21. in that speech of David For thy VVord's sake and according to thine own Heart hast thou done all these great things What is that For thy VVord's sake 1 Chron. 17. 19. Compare these two places O Lord for thy Servant's sake and according to thine own Heart hast Thou done all these things Thou hast done them for thy VVord's sake saith Samuel Thou hast done them for thy Servants sake in the Chronicles And who is that Servant but Christ My servant whom I have Chosen and in whom I delight c. There is a place in Haggai that calleth Christ the VVord Haggai 2. 4 5. Yea now be strong Oh Zerobbabel saith the Lord and be strong Oh Joshua son of Josedeck the High Priest and be strong all ye people of the Land-saith the Lord and work for I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts according to the VVord that I Covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt so my Spirit remaineth amongst you fear ye not Here is JEHOVAH and VVord and Spirit according to ye may see by the Character is not in the Originall it is in another Letter in our Translation of it Therefore thus according to the Originall or more neerly I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts with that VVord in whom I covenanted with you In quo vobiscum pepegi I am with you together with that VVord in whom I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt So that God promiseth the Church deliverance in the Name of God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost Well then the Jewes you see were well acquainted with this tearm of VVord applied to the second Person in the Trinity They had it in the beginning and in the Chaldee Paraphrase which is applied to JEHOVAH it is rendred the VVord of God What JEHOVAH is said to do they translate it The Word of God did it applying the Word of God to Christ Yea the very Heathens whom John would likewise take and therefore baiteth his hook accordingly the Heathens had a strong notion of the Word They said There was an eternall Mind from which proceeded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Word which was the Creator of all things Ye have it in Plato Trismegistus and divers of the Philosophers yea the very Oracle Pheuros the King of Egypt sendeth to the Oracle to know Who should be the greatest in the World hoping the Oracle would have named him But he received this answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 expressing the whole Trinity clearly and expresly First God saith the Oracle then the Word and together with them the Spirit So then this tearm Word being known and applied to God both by Jewes and Heathens and St. John knowing that Ebion and Cerinthus were better versed in this Philosophy than in the Scriptures of God he to win them baits his hook with this expression of the Word whereas the expression of the Son of God would have angred them In this sense John practiseth what St. Paul confesseth to become all things to all men He setteth forth Christ under the term of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word which they would better receive Whence the third Quaerie doth arise which is the main How doth it appear that Christ is fitly called by this Quaerie 3 term The Word We must distinguish There is a two-fold Word There Respons is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A word conceived in the mind I pray you set you selves to understand it As when ye read The fool hath said in his heart There is no God Here is what the fool thought He said that is within himself When the mind speaketh to a man's self that is a word conceived Secondly there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a word delivered that is two-fold either verbum quod or verbum quo The word delivered is either that word which is one's mind expressed that is the thing which he hath spoken Then it is said he keepeth his word when he hath done the thing uttered And then there is the verbum quo that is that thing by which a man's mind is expressed Yet more plainly take it thus There is a three-fold word Verbum mentale A word conceived Verbum reale A word uttered Verbum orale A word uttering The word conceived verbum mentale is the Apprehension that a man hath in himself which we call a Notion or a Conception The word uttered verbum reale is the thing that is spoken In the Originall see Luk. 1. 37. With God nothing can be impossible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with God no word shall be impossible So in the Originall There is nothing that God hath spoken but it shall come to passe Ye have a very clear place for that Matth. 4. 4. Man doth not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God As I take it the most proper meaning of that place is By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God we understand every creature which God hath ordained for food And ye will be of that mind too if you see Deuter. 8. 3. He humbled thee and suffered thee to hunger and fed thee with Manna which thou knewest not nor thy fathers before thee that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Whatsoever the word of God maketh food whatsoever God appointeth to be instrumentall as he did Manna here There is verbum reale Then verbum orale the word uttering is the expression by which that thing is delivered That is the end why God hath given us speech If we were to deal onely with God we should need no tongue or speech because God knoweth the thoughts of our hearts If we were to deal onely with our selves we should need no speech for every man knoweth Why the use of Speech is given to man what himself thinketh But because we are to deal one with another therefore God giveth us the use of speech that there might be a word uttering and declaring to one another what one another thinks Psal 139. 4. There
lusts before the embracing of and yielding obedience to our blessed Saviour We are ready to defie the Jewes for crying Not him but Barabbas and yet our actions cry as loud Not Him but the world not Him but the flesh Rather imitate good Tremelius who was himself a Jew born and after when he turned Christian in reference to what his Country-men the Jews had once said Not him but Barabbas he made this his Motto Non Barabbam sed Christum Not Barabbas Tremelius his Motto after his Conversion but Christ to intimate his having renounced all for the Lord Jesus Christ Let it be thine Not the world but Christ not the creature but Christ not the flesh but Christ He was before all and shall be before all in my esteem Whom have I in heaven but thee Psal 73. 25. That is one Duty we are to learn from hence Secondly Seeing Christ is Eternall trust him for Eternall things expect such from him that is an everlasting Father Isa 9. 6. Do you think an everlasting Father will lay up none but temporall blessings for his children He that was from the beginning hath provided something that shall be after the end for everlasting for you if ye will seek after him Remember what the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 4. ult While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporall but the things which are not seen are eternall Oh! look at those eternall things trust in an eternall Saviour who hath purchased them first and since provided them for you He is gone before to provide heavenly things for you Grace is a thing which hath something of eternity in it The way of holinesse the Scripture calleth it the everlasting way Psal 139. ult Lead me in the way everlasting Seek to Christ for that For your everlasting Saviour will give you that which Grace begets Glory hath an influence into eternity so Grace hath It is an immortall seed that begets its glory and that is everlasting too Ye have a Promise Isa 45. 17. Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation He that was before the world hath happinesse world without end for all that believe in him So much for the first Proposition namely In the beginning was the word The second is that that concerneth the Personall Coexistency Propositi ∣ on 2d of the Word with the Father and it lyeth in these words The word was with God By the Word we still understand the same Person Jesus Christ By God in this Proposition ye are to understand the Father For you must know this tearm God is taken two manner of waies in this Verse Sometimes the term God is taken essentially and so it is appliable to all the Persons in the Trinity as when it is said God is a Spirit God there is taken so as to signifie the Nature of God and the Essence of God which is common to all the three Persons And so it is taken in the last clause of this Verse The word was God But otherwhile it is taken Personally and so it signifieth not the whole Essence but some one Person in the Trinity As when it is said God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself The Father in the Son When it is said Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son Here is God loving the world and giving Christ So in the second Proposition The word was with God that is with God the first Person This implyeth at once a Nearnesse and a Distinction A Nearnesse to God The word was God and yet a Distinction from him for it was but with him Now that which is with another doth imply a person distinct We do not say a man is with himself but Peter is with Paul or Paul with Peter So here The word was with God Take two or three places to help you to understand this Joh. 1. 18. No man hath seen God at any time the onely begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father c. Here is the Son in the bosom of the Father that is the Word with God Here is a nearnesse and yet a Personall Christ near to and yet distinct from the Father distinction Nearnesse for it is in the bosom and yet a Personall distinction it is the Son in the Father's bosom One more clear that is fully parallel with the Text that is 1 Joh. 1. 2. The life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witnesse and shew to you that eternall life which was with the Father Eternall life is a Person here By Eternall life ye must understand the very self-same Person who is called the word of life in the first verse Eternall life is something that was seen and born witnesse to namely the Lord Jesus Christ of whom saith he vers 1. they have seen him and lookt upon him and have handled the word of life So that it is no new thing for John to call Christ the Eternall life He saith This is the true God and eternall life What doth he say of this Eternal life Why that we have seen it and bear witnesse That is of that Eternall life which is with the Father Take another which is parallel to the Text Prov. 8. 29 30. where by Wisdom is understood Christ which saith of it self Then I was by him as one brought up with him and was daily his delight Rejoycing alwaies before him rejoycing in the habitable part of his earth and my delights were with the sons of men Where Christ is spoken of as a son in the presence of the Father He is said to be with him as here in the Text. Take notice of two Praepositions there used in reference to Christ In and With 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is said Joh. 14. 10. Believest thou not saith Christ to Philip He that hath seen me hath seen the Father And then he saith I am in the Father and he in me Here Christ is said to be in the Father and in my Text with the Father with this difference in that noteth Unity with that importeth Distinction in that falls upon the Essence with that falleth upon the Person So as in plain tearms Christ is in the Father in regard of the Unity of the Essence which is the same with that of the Father Christ is with the Father in regard of the Distinction of his Person So as between the Son and the Father there is alius alius but not aliud aliud as Divines say That is The Son is another Person from the Father but not another thing from the Father The Father and the Son are Unum but not Unus the Father and the Son are one Thing but not one Person Ye may truly say The Son is with the Father as my Text hath it but ye cannot say The Son is
the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Who is it that shall appear at the last Day in the Clouds but Christ who is called the great God and our Saviour God blessed for ever saith Paul to the Romans The great God saith Paul to Titus And lest any Heretick should hope to shift it off as they are as full of shifts as the Serpent is of turnings and windings and should say Why Angels are called gods and Magistrates are called gods To stop their mouths St. John telleth you He is the true God I and God properly so called The true God You know what they use to object against this as if the Object Father were onely called the true God And the place seemeth to have some colour in it Joh. 17. 13. This is life eternall that they know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ seemeth to be made a different Person from the true God I answer There is no necessity of limiting this phrase Answ The onely true God to the Person of the Father the First Person in the Trinity It is true indeed that the word Thee in the third Verse referreth to the word Father in the first Verse These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said Father glorifie thy Son c. And this is eternall life that we know thee the onely true God Ye must know the word Father is taken two manner of waies in Scripture First Sometimes it is taken for the First-Person in the Trinity And Father is taken for the Divine Essence or rather for an Attribute that is common to all the Persons in the Trinity Every one is Father in this sense So Christ is Father as well as the First Person He is called The everlasting Father and The Prince of peace Isa 9. 6. Father in that sense is no more than God in his Essence Mal. 2. 10. Have we not all one Father hath not one God created us There is a concurrence of all the Persons in this great work of Creation and so in this Relation of Father That Jam. 1. 27. True religion and undefiled before God and the Father Father here belongeth to all the Persons 1 Pet. 1. 17. We know that all judgement is committed to Christ So that Father is taken here essentially and belongeth to all the Trinity If ye understand it so here then the Objection is of no force But Christ is conceived here as Mediator and as Man praying to the whole Trinity under the name of Father and saying This is eternall life to know thee onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent So that 1 Tim. 2. 5. is parallel There is one God and one Mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus Nothing is so familiar in Scripture as to distinguish Christ as Mediator from God taking the word essentially for all the Persons in the Trinity Secondly Suppose the word Father Joh. 17. be taken Personally for the First Person in the Trinity yet the word Onely is not here to be limited to the First Person I pray you observe that This is eternall life that they know thee the onely true God It is not Thee onely the true God as if the Father onely were the true God Indeed the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not to be tyed to the saying Thee onely but Thee God is to be tyed to the word Onely To know thee the onely true God So as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word Onely is not exclusive from the other two Persons the Son and God distinguished from Creatures and Idols not from the other Persons the holy Ghost but onely exclusive from the Creatures who are improperly called gods as sometimes Angels and sometimes Magistrates are called so and Idols so called falsly The onely true God excluding Idolls but not the Son and the holy Ghost You may as well argue from that place 1 Cor. 8. 5 6. that God the Father is not Lord as argue from this that Christ is not the true God for it is said there Though there be that are called gods both in heaven and in earth as there be gods many and lords many But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him But one Lord Jesus Christ May men from hence argue and say The Father is not the Lord Jesus Christ But many argue and say That Christ is not God because he saith There is but one God the Father of whom are all things I will not hold you long upon this because I hope there are not many here that need solution in this point though the errour be spreading Consider that place Matth. 11. 27. All things are delivered to me of my Father saith Christ And None knoweth the Son but the Father neither knoweth any the Father save the Son and he to whom the Son will reveal him None knoweth the Son but the Father Why doth not the Son know himself doth not the holy Ghost know the Son Yes It is said The Spirit searcheth the deep things of God Neither knoweth any the Father save the Son Doth not the Father know himself and the holy Ghost both the Persons Yes But this none excludeth Creatures from the other Persons So the true God is distinguished from Creatures and Idolls not from the other Persons in the Trinity I will make Use of this to meet with such Hereticks as Vse 1 deny this Would to God I could say there were none in this City but mine ears have heard a man stifly to deny the Divinity of Christ and dispute against it and blaspheme that great truth without which I think a man may safely say there is no possibility of salvation I wonder that of all the old Errors swept down into this latter Age as into a sink of time this of the Socinians and Arians Beware of Heresies should be held forth amongst the rest Let us beware of their doctrines shun their meetings and persons that come to us with the denyall of the Divinity of Christ in their mouths This was John's doctrine and his practise Irenaeus tells us that after he was returned from his Banishment and came to Ephesus he came to bathe himself and in the Bath he found Cerinthus that said Christ had no beeing till he received it from the Virgin Mary Upon the sight of whom John skipped out of the Bath and called his companions from thence saying Let us go from this place lest the Bath should fall down upon us because Cerinthus is in it that is so great an enemy to God Ye see his Doctrine see his words too 2 Joh. 10 11. If any come to you having not this doctrine receive him not into your house neither bid him God-speed for he that biddeth him God-speed is partaker of his evill deed What the Doctrine was ye may see
in consideration of this it may be of Use to us diverse waies as First Take it to pieces again In him was life as in the 1. In Christ is Life as in the Subject therefore fear and tremble before him Subject This should serve as a Canon to fear which we find called for in Daniel in this respect Dan. 6 26. I make a decree saith Darius that in every dominion of my kingdome men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel for he is the living God Let all fear and tremble before Christ for in him is life he is the living God What saith Paul Heb. 10. 31. It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God O therefore tremble before him There are hands of God into which it is a comfortable thing to fall There are mercifull hands of Christ which he stretcheth forth to poor sinners to invite them and call them in to himself but if we refuse the Call which he now maketh to us if all the benefits which those bountifull hands of his spread out amongst us scattered in our Congregations and in our Houses if all these allure us not then remember what followeth It is a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God one will follow upon the other If this mercifull hand cannot win us this destroying hand will be sure to reach us This maketh it fearfull because His is the living God Every death is the more fearfull by how much the more terrible the immediate Executioner of it is For a man to be drowned is more gentle than to be burnt Why Because Water is not so operative and active and quick as Fire Fire is a more raging element The wrath of God is the immediate Executioner of damned souls And what so terrible as that is If God live such souls must die And because God liveth for ever such souls must die for ever as fall into his revengefull hands Fear and tremble to offend Christ because such as fall into the hands of the living God must be miserable as long as he is happy and die as long as he liveth Secondly The consideration of this truth That in Christ is life as in a Fountain from whence all sorts of life are He is Life as in the Fountain therefore trust him seek him and depend upon him derived to the creatures according to their severall kinds may serve as a ground of faith First to put us upon trusting in Christ and seeking to him and depending upon him for all kinds of life Psal 36. 7th and 9th verses compared together The children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings vers 7. and the reason is rendred vers 9. For with thee is the fountain of life Therefore our trust should be in him because life is in him as in the Fountain Whither should he that wanteth water go but to the Fountain Carry Faith as the Bucket and then according to the bignesse of thy bucket shall be the proportion of thy water thou drawest from thence Life commeth in as Faith draweth from Christ Trust him for temporall life when we are sick and in dangers though means may be used and ought to be used there is no relying upon Physick Our utmost confidence must be in him from whom all life commeth Deut. 32. 39. I even I am he and there is no god with me I kill and I make alive I wound and I heal there is none that can deliver out of my hand And so for spirituall life when the pulse of Grace beateth slowly and unevenly Who shall we then depend upon for life but upon him that is the fountain of it the second Adam whom God hath made a quickning Spirit Secondly as it may be a ground of Faith at all times so 2. Therefore a ground of Martyrdom a ground of Martyrdom at any time when a man is called to seal the truth of his profession with his blood Now this being considered that life is in Christ as in the Fountain and derived from him to us this is a speciall ground to prevail with the soul to suffer it self even to be laid down for Christ Now he calleth for that life which he himself first gave we had it from him and now we are called to restore it to him the best husbandry that can be But to be provident of our lives in this case and to be over-thrifty is the way never to thrive as Christ saith Mar. 8. 35. Whosoever will save his life shall lose it Whosoever will lose his life for my sake and the Gospel's the same shall save it It is no such great matter Life is as common to brute beasts as to men and therefore when Christ calleth for it there is reason to part from it because he gave it It must be given up as a tribute to Nature What is it to part with it a little sooner as a sacrifice to Christ as a seal of our profession and as a pledge of our thankfulnesse It is not so much parting with it as restoring it to the Owner Thirdly it may serve as a ground of Encouragement Life 3. Therefore a ground of Encouragement is in Christ as in the Fountain therefore let all that wait upon Christ be encourag'd to expect life in abundance A great deal of complaining there is of dead hearts and dull spirits no life in the soul in duty or service Exercise Faith go to the Fountain for all and you shall have life and have it in abundance Christ doth not use to give niggardly when he is sued to It is said of Araunah All thâ—se things Araâ—nah gave as a King Christ giveth as a Saviour in this very particular Joh. 10. 10. I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly He giveth so as to give it in abundance It will not be amisse to spend some time in clearing of that that Christians may go away with encouragement Whether we speak of the severall sorts of life of Spirituall life for I will not speak of Naturall or to the severall blessings that accompany every sort of spirituall life which is all derived from one fountain I take them together that I may speak the more briefly of them There are five sorts of Spirituall life which are proper to Saints besides a Naturall life which is common to all Five sorts of Spiritual life men First There is a life of Reconciliation which standeth in 1. A life of Reconciliation opposition to the wrath of God The wrath of God that killeth but in the favour of God there is life saith the Psalmist Psal 30. 5. Thy anger endureth but for a moment but in thy favour is life This life is from Christ because it is he in whom he is well-pleased and through whom he is well pleased with us God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself If any Reconciliation it is in
go blind-fold to work but will prove what is acceptable The word in the Originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a Metaphor taken from Goldsmiths that prove their Mettle by the Touchstone not by the colour onely or tinnitu by the jingling of the Mettle onely but bring it to the Test if it will not bear that they disallow it Many things have a fair colour to the eye that seem good and beautifull fit to be practised by a Christian and some things that sound well to the ear as of good report in the world but here is not enough bring them to the Test believe neither colour nor sound if they will not bear the touchstone of the Word A man that walketh holily will endure the proof it Thirdly He that walketh as a child of light must walk Cheerfully for there is a light of Joy too Such a phrase ye 3. Walk Cheerfully have in the Psalms Blessed is the man that heareth the joyfull sound they shall walk in the light of thy countenance Here is now one walking as a child of light that walketh in the light of God's countenance cheerfully and joyfully Serve the Lord with gladness and come into his presence with singing Psal 100. 2. This is acceptable to God and creditable to Religion God liketh it well that his servants should walk in the light of his countenance joyfully The Apostle telleth you this is acceptable to God Rom. 14. 17 18. The kingdom of God standeth not in meat and drink but in righteousnesse and peace and joy in the holy Ghost He that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men This is one of the things wherein we must serve Christ joyfully in the holy Ghost Christ doth not like to be served uncheerfully They that make conscience of serving Christ in righteousnesse and of serving Christ in peace dare not be the Authors of division Why do not people make conscience of serving Christ in joy too He that in these things namely in righteousnesse and peace and joy serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men The Saints of God like it well when they see men go chearfully on in the way to heaven otherwise they bring a bad report upon the good Land and make men to suspect that the service of Christ is not so acceptable when men walk so droopingly that stand in relation to him You know what Jezabel said to Ahab who had a mind to Naboth's Vineyard and because he could not compasse it he walked droopingly She came to him and said Why is thy spirit so sad Dost thou now govern the 1 King 21. 6. Kingdom of Israel and be so sad Implying how ill it became a King that hath the world at will to walk droopingly and uncheerfully Every one in whom this Image is renewed is made a King Christ hath made him a King to God and his Father What! a King and droop One that hath such a nearnesse and so near a relation to God and yet so full of discontent Let me yet say to every child of God as the Apostle Phil. 5. 4. Rejoyce in the Lord alwaies and again I say Rejoyce So I have now done with that Verse In him was life and the life was the light of men Vers 5. And the light shined in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not Ye have heard in what estate man was created it was in a state of Light and the next news ye hear is of Darknesse The light shined in darknesse and the darknesse comprehended it not First here we find man fallen and Christ's demeanour towards him in that estate Secondly his inability to receive that light which Christ shed abroad Thirdly Here is a supposition of the Fall intimated by that word Darkness Fourthly Here is a declaration what Christ did to man thus fallen He still sendeth forth light The light shined in darknesse And fifthly Here is a manifestation of man's carriage towards Christ in reference to this communication of his And the darknesse comprehended it not The first thing to be observed from hence is That Man Observ 1 by his fall from the state of light became dark yea darkness it self The second Observation is That light from Christ hath Observ 2 continued to shine ever since the Fall The light shineth in darkness It is something emphatically uttered for it is not in the Praeter perfect Tense as before it is not The light shined in darknesse or hath shined but it is The light shineth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shew that the light continueth to shine There is no time since the Fall wherein it could be said The light shined not This was alwaies an approved Proposition ever since man became darke The light shineth in darknesse Thirdly We must imagine That it is naturall to man Observ 3 since the Fall not to comprehend the light of Christ The light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehendeth it not Here ye have a supposall of Man's Fall and a declaration both of man's carriage towards him and of his carriage towards Christ since the Fall I shall but touch upon the first which is this First That Man fell from a state of light and became dark yea darknesse it self Light was the life of men by Creation and since the light shineth in darknesse By darkness understand the persons of unregenerate men all the world before the Lord Jesus Christ enlightneth them savingly with the light of life come under this notion of darknesse Therefore Satan who is elswhere called The prince of the world is said to be the ruler of the darkness of this world that is of unregenerate men Ephes 6. 12. Ephes 5. 6. Ye were sometimes dark but now are ye light in the Lord therefore ye were sometimes unregenerate but now ye are sanctified Ye were sometimes dark That which predominateth useth to give the denomination that is the reason why the naturall man is called darkness in the abstract because darknesse hath a predominancy in their minds As when a man is extreamly vitious we call such a man Vice Non est invidiosus sed invidia He is not envious but envy and malice it self Non est vitiosus sed vitium He is not vitious but vice it self The Papists call the Pope of Holy His Holiness in the abstract because they would have the world to believe him to be exceeding holy Dark in the abstract is exceeding darkness in regard of the dominion of a threefold darknesse the darknesse of Ignorance opposed to the light of Knowledge the darknesse of Sinfulness opposed to the light of Holiness the darknesse of Misery opposed to the light of Joy This three-fold darknesse accompanieth the state of nature even in all men as long as they continue in it First therefore that of Ignorance Ephes 4. 18. Having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of 1. A darkness of Ignorance God through the ignorance
that is in them because of the blindness of their hearts Some naturall men may have a deep reach in the things of the world but there is a darknesse upon the face of the deep a spirituall darknesse upon the deepest wits of naturall men something they know but nothing as they ought to know as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 8. 2. If any man thinketh he knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know They may perhaps know that God is a Spirit but as long as they do not worship him in spirit they know him not as they ought to know him Secondly A darknesse of Sinfulness lyeth upon them 2. A darkness of Sinfulnesse 1 Joh. 1. 6. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness that is in sin we lie and do not the truth He that hateth his brother is in darkness which is an expression in that Epistle How easily are men cheated in the dark having bad wares put into their hands They vent falsities instead of truths they vent formalities instead of holinesse they put off any thing to men in the dark So the deceitfulnesse of sin comes to rule over them because they are in a state of darknesse Thirdly Darknesse of Misery ye shall find that called 3. A darkness of Misery darknesse in Lament 3. 1 2. I am the man that have seen affliction by the rod of his wrath he hath put me into darknesse but not into light Darknesse there is misry Such is the condition of all naturall men though all be not alike sensible of it Adam no doubt was exceeding apprehensive after his Foelicem fuisse meminisse miserum est fall of the change of his condition but his posterity are not so It is in this case as it fareth with a Nobleman punished with banishment into a forrain country and there forced to live in a mean condition he himself will be exceeding sensible Simile of his alteration from the Court in which he lived before to the Cottage in which he liveth now But his children that were born in that condition would not be sensible of the misery they were in Adam found what it was to enjoy communion with God in Paradise and what it was to be in a state of life therefore his fall went to his heart But we that are born in a state of misery are not sensible of it because we know no better Enough hath been said to cause every one to make haste out of the state of Nature because it is a state of darkness How formidable is darknesse It is said of Abraham there fell upon him the horrour of a great darknesse Gen. 15. 12. Lo a horrour of great darkness fell upon him Darknesse useth to be accompanied with horrour And so it is with Nature and yet this darknesse of nature is not formidable How miserable would men be if they knew their condition how much more miserable because they do not know it That in Egypt was palpable darknesse which might be felt here is that which aggravateth this darknesse it keepeth it self from being felt men feel not their ignorance and sinfulness and misery Ye know the story of Jeremiah when he was in the dark dungeon and his feet stuck fast in the mire Ebedmeleck letteth down cords to draw him up Jer. 38. 11 12. What a mad-man had he been if he would not have fastned the cords under his arm-holes and suffered himself to be drawn up Yet so are the most in the world the Ministers of the Gospell find them dark and filthy in a darknesse of ignorance and mire of lust Now God by the Ministry of his Word letteth down cords of love to draw them up so senslesse are men as to refuse these offers and there to lie and die before they will come to Christ that they might be saved This being supposed I passe that and go to the second thing The Light shineth in Darkness Shineth in the Present Tense because there was no moment Observ 2 of time wherein this was not true The light shineth The Point then is this That light from Christ hath continued to shine in all ages since the Fall Look as there are for the body two great Luminaries which God hath made The Sun to rule by day and the Moon to rule by night so are these two Luminaries for the soul the Sun and the Moon the Works of God and the Word of God Christ by the light of these hath shined in all Ages since the fall of Adam First He shineth in the works of Creation and Providence 1. Christ shineth in the works of Creation and Providence and therefore these works are said to witnesse for God Act. 14. 17. Notwithstanding he left not himself without witness in that he did good and gave us rain from heaven and fruitfull seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness The heavens have declared the glory of God ever since they were made and the firmaments have shewed his handy-works The beauty and bignesse of those vast Bodies shew to the world that none but the hand of a God could make them Every creature is a kind of Professor that readeth man a Lecture concerning God of his Wisdom and Power and Goodnesse Man is the Master of all the creatures and yet man is become a Scholar to all the creatures the Serpent may Matth. 10. 16. teach him wisdom and the Dove innocency and the Ant industry Go to the Ant thou sluggard Prov. 6. There is a light besides this that shineth from Christ in 2. Christ shineth in his Word the Word that is called his Testimonie as the former is called his Witness 1 Cor 2. 1. I brethren when I came to you came not with excellency of speech and wisdom declaring to you the Testimonie of God that is the Word of God because that testifieth what God is and what he hath done and what he requireth It is true there was not alwaies a written Word since the Fall but a Word there was God revealed his Will by Visions and Dreams and other Intimations in a way of Revelation to Adam and so to Noah and to Abraham and to the rest of the Patriarks It was a Word unwritten till Moses his time And then as at The Word not written till Moses his time the Creation Light was the first thing that was made and yet ye read of no Sun till the third day But all the light which was scattered throughout all the great frame of the Universe upon the third day was gathered together and united in the body of the Sun So here Truths were scattered before now a little and then a little by Dreams and Revelations and Visions but in Moses his time all the Truths that had formerly been revealed this way God gathered together and united them in a written Word then began the Scripture and from that time forward it hath been enlarged After Moses
we might not sit in darknesse but wait for him as they that wait for the morning Men that have most businesse to do and cannot do it without light How do they watch for the morning Ho! the morning ho they cry out Phosphore redde diem Jesus Christ is that morning Star and yet gave himself therefore wait upon him for him It is observable that Rev. 22. 16. he calleth himself the morning-Star I Jesus have sent mine Angel to testifie these things to the Churches I am the root and off-spring of David and the bright morning-Star And Rev. 2. 26 28. He promiseth to give the Christ is the Morning-Star morning-Star He that over commeth and keepeth my word to the end I will give him the morning-Star What is that I will bestow my self upon him Other Commanders they give their souldiers some little pay other masters they give their servants some little wages But he that overcometh and keepeth my word I will give him My self I will give him the morning-Star That was the true Light that lighteth every man that commeth into the World Some difficulty is in this Clause therefore for the fuller explication of it there are two Conclusions to be cleared and two Queries to be resolved First two Conclusions to be cleared The first is this That whatsoever any man receiveth he Conclus 1 hath it from Christ That was the true light that lighteth Whatsoever man receiveth it is from Christ every man Indeed in this sense many take it as if one should say Such a Schoolmaster he teacheth every boy in the town This were true though every boy in the town did not go to school The meaning is this That every one that is taught is taught by such a Master And so though every man and every mothers son should not be enlightned yet it may truly be said that Christ enlightneth every man that commeth into the world because every man that is enlightned hath his light from him There is truth in that but that is not all the truth Thus far it is undeniable that whatsoever light any man hath he hath it from the Lord Jesus Christ who is therefore called The Sun of righteousnesse The Sun that is the well-head of light whatsoever light is in the Moon or Stars or inferiour Orbs it is derived from the Sun So all light whatsoever it is it is derived from Christ Conclus 2 The second Conclusion is this That every man and Every man and woman in the world some way or other is enlightned by Christ woman that is born into the world is enlightned by Christ some way or other Not onely every one that hath light hath light from him but Every one hath some light from him I say every one that commeth into the world is some way or other enlightned by Christ But that is the importance of the expression in the end of the Text Every man that is born into the world therefore every man cannot be restrained because born into the world is too large an expression Every man that commeth into the wrrld Ye may say What meaneth coming into the world Joh. 18. 37. To this end I was born and for this cause came I into the world Born and coming into the world is all one And so dying and going out of the world is all one Naked came I in and naked shall I go out We brought nothing into this world namely Job 1. 21. when we were born and we shall carry nothing out namely when we die So that man's coming into the world is Every man and woman that cometh by naturall generation into this world is born into it Come we now to resolve two Quaeries of more importance First Whether the same measure of light be communicated Quaerie 1 from Christ to all men yea or no To that the Answer must be Negative He doth enlighten every man that commeth into the world but not every Respons man alike To that end ye must know there is two sorts of light a Naturall and a Supernaturall Light and each of these comprehend three severall things under it The Naturall light that comprehendeth the light of the Sun the light of Reason the light of Conscience Naturall Light 1. Of the Sun First The light of the Sun that makes all other things visible Psal 74. 26. Thou hast prepared the light and the Sun Secondly The light of Reason a naturall light In him 2. Of Reason was light and the light was the life of men Joh. 1. 4. where the meaning is That the light of Reason commeth from Christ to every man Thirdly The light of Conscience which is to be found even in every man by nature by which he is prompted to 3. Of Conscience good and taken off from evill and able to discern between right and wrong more or lesse And thus I understand that of Prov. 20. 27. The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly The spirit it is often put for conscience The things of a man knoweth no man but the spirit of man which is in him Now this is called the Candle of the Lord because it lighteth and directeth all men We all by our Fall in Adam lost not onely our Supernaturalls but forfeited even our Naturalls All the light we had was blown out by that Fall therefore what we have now we owe to Christ The Naturall light we have it is the Candle of the Lord. Supernaturall light that comprehendeth three things Supernaturall Light The light of the Word The light of Grace The light of glory The light of the Word Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet 1. Of the Word and a light to my paths Psal 119. 105. The light of Grace Ephes 1. 18. The eyes of your understanding 2. Of Grace being enlightned that ye may know what is the hope of his calling the riches of his glory The light of Glory Col. 1. 12. He hath made us partakers 3. Of Glory of the inheritance of the Saints in light One of these maketh way for the other the light of the Word for the light of Grace and the light of Grace prepareth way for the light of Glory The light of Grace that is the fruit of the Word ingraffed and the light of Glory that is the crown and reward of Grace In all there are six sorts of Light three Naturall and three Supernaturall The First and Last of these cannot be understood in the Text the light of the Sun is the first and the last is the light of Glory which is not understood here Though it may be affirmed that the world continueth for Christ's sake That cannot be understood here because the Evangelist speaketh of a Sun proper to man whereas that is common to all the world to brute beasts as well as men It enlightneth every man The last of these the light of Glory cannot be
Adopted cannot enjoy the Adopter and the Inheritance both at once enjoy his father and the inheritance both at once till the adopting father be dead what is left him by the Adoptor doth not come into his hands But now herein lyeth another excellency of this Spirituall Adoption Every believer may at once enjoy both the Inheritance and the Father because he that adopteth him liveth for ever yea because his Father is his Inheritance So the truth standeth He that adopteth us to an Inheritance Himself is that Inheritance which he adopteth us to for we are adopted to the fruition of our God Psal 16. 5. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance So that here is Father and Inheritance joyned both together because the Father is the Inheritance Lastly In Civill Adoption it is but some petty Inheritances 5. They are poor petty things that we are here adopted to which men are adopted to by their adopting fathers some poor things it may be a Farm or Lordship or Mannor What if it be a Kingdom It is in comparison but a poor thing to that Inheritance which Christ hath adopted us to which we shall find described to the life 1 Pet. 1. 4. To an inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you Here are the super-excellent properties of that Inheritance the consideration of which will exceedingly inhaunce this priviledge of Adoption First It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an incorruptible inheritance 1. An incorruptible Inheritance Whatsoever Inheritances we have here below they are liable to corruption If a man's estate lie in Mony that may rust or the thieves may break through and steal it If in Cattle they may die if in Houses they may be burnt if in Lands an enemy may invade them But here is an Inheritance that cannot be corrupted because it lyeth in God For the Father is our Inheritance and the immortall God is not lyable to any corruption Secondly It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Inheritance undefiled 2. An Inheritance undefiled There are few inheritances here below but some defilement sticketh to them they are either ill got or ill kept An Inheritance may be got by oppression or if not so yet there may be defilement in the keeping of it He that commeth to inherit it may behave himself oppressively If when riches encrease the heart commeth to be set upon them there will be defilement with the inheritance But here is an Inheritance undefiled No unclean thing shall enter into heaven not so much as a Serpent to tempt in that Paradise that is above Mahomet telleth his followers of a defiled inheritance wherein there shall be a great deal of filthiness But Christ hath provided another kind of Inheritance for his which is without sin undefiled Thirdly It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Inheritance that 3. An Inheritance that fadeth not away fadeth not away a Metaphor taken from flowers The beauty of a flower and the sweetnesse of it is quickly gone withereth in a moment and fit for nothing then but to be cast away So it is with all other temporall Inheritances they lose their glory after a while they cease to minister that content which a man hoped to have found in them which may be had at the first possessing of them yea all the glory of the world is like the flower of the field that fadeth away But herein lyeth the excellency of this Inheritance it fadeth not away It is a flower that never withereth their joyes are alwaies flourishing a continuall spring of flourishing consolations ariseth from the enjoyment of God and every day sweeter and sweeter Fourthly It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an inheritance 4. An Inheritance reserved reserved We cannot say so of temporall inheritances they may be gone A trick at Law may put a man out of his estate he may be wrangled out of it by some device or other an enemy may come and spoile him of it he can have no assurance Though men purchase houses and lands for themselves and their heirs for ever alas how soon are some men dead and gone and it may be the next generation knoweth no such houses or lands nor no such men But here is an inheritance reserved All the Devills in hell shall never wrangle a man out of This Possession reserved Lastly It is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an inheritancc reserved 5. An Inheritance reserved in Heaven in heaven which is still a farther addition Whatsoever is in Heaven is excellent Many fading things are on earth The least thing in heaven is above the best things in the world And it is a consideration that addeth much to the sweetnesse of the Inheritance to consider where it lyeth As Who would not rather desire to have a small competency of land in England amongst his own friends where he was born than to have much in the Indies amongst strangers It is an Inheritance reserved in heaven which is our Country the Believer's home Every man is born from above 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his kindred live in Heaven his Father is there and his Mother there We are strangers upon earth therefore our inheritance is in heaven which is much more worth than our inheritance below So excellent is this Inheritance Therefore how great is this love of Christ in giving us this priviledge to become the sons of God Secondly Let us learn from hence to judge of our How to know whether we be the sons of God estates how things stand between God and us whether we be sons and daughters yea or no nothing concerneth us more Therefore time spent in this scrutiny will be profitable Our Sonship is evidenced two waies By way of Testimony and By way of Inference First By way of Testimony So we come to know our 1. By the witnesse of the Spirit selves to be sons and daughters by the witnesse of the Spirit which ye read of Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit it self beareth witnesse to our spirits that we are the children of God This Spirit it is that keepeth the Records of Heaven The holy Ghost is conscious to all the secrets of God knoweth what names are written in the book of life therefore he is able to make them known to us None but the Son of God can Redeem and none but the Spirit of God can Assure so as to make your Evidences clear and infallible and above all doubt and fear But this doth not now lie so clear in my way Secondly It is therefore evidenced by way of Inference Vers 8 9. Our Sonship dependeth upon our receiving 2. By way of Inference Christ It may be inferred from hence As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God Therefore every son of God hath received him and every one that hath received him may know himself to be the Son of God This I shall insist upon hoping you will excuse me
though I be a little large in it To help you in your search I shall endeavour to shew what it is to receive Jesus Christ aright because your sonship hangeth upon the having or not having Jesus Christ Give me leave therefore to tell you First What it Supposeth Secondly What it Includeth Thirdly What it Produceth That by laying all together ye may come to some estimate of your own condition First It Supposeth certain Acts of the Understanding Secondly It Includeth certain Acts of the Will Thirdly It produceth certain Effects to bear witnesse to the truth of the former Acts. First Receiving Christ supposeth certain Acts of men's 1. To receive Christ supposeth certain Acts of the Understanding understanding their Graces Father sanctifie them through thy truth thy Word is truth I say certain acts of the understanding namely certain due apprehensions concerning diverse particulars I shall name to you which in an ordinary course we come to have the knowledge of before we come to receive Christ I speak not what the work of God hath in the souls of Infants when he conveyeth Christ to them but in an ordinary course when men and women come to years there are certain precedent apprehensions of the understanding First Concerning the Person and Office of Jesus Christ 1. The Person and Office of Christ is to be understood No man receiveth he knoweth not what We receive not Christ till we desire him Ignoti nulla cupido and we desire him not till we know him The soul first cometh by the Spirit of Christ to have some apprehensions wrought concerning the Person of Christ to know him as God-Man the Word made flesh The Man-God onely Suffering as Man Satisfying as God There lyeth much in this in the right apprehension of Christ's Person which is the object of our faith as it justifyeth As they say of marriage-contracts If there be a mistake of the person the Contract is not valid as if by some way of deceit when the Contract cometh to be made up another woman be brought in the habit and room of that party to whom the man intendeth to contract himselfe here is an errour of person As it was with Laban that gave to Jacob Leah under colour of Rachell and that made void the marriage How can a soul be married to Christ and mistake the person and not know what Christ is nor acknowledge his Godhead Here is an errour of the person Christ is another kind of person than they take him for As there must be knowledge of the person of Christ so of his office too We must know him as the great Priest our sacrifice No other sacrifice would have served our turn and none could have offered that sacrifice but himselfe The Eternall spirit offered himselfe without spot to God The Priest sacrificing and The Priest interceding These are the two great parts of his Priestly office And so know him as our Prophet guiding us by the Word This is my beloved Son hear him guiding us by his spirit We shall be all taught of God And as King ruling us and subduing our Enemies under his feet Secondly It supposeth due apprehensions about the nature 2. It supposeth due apprehensions about the nature and danger of sin and danger of sin For till men have some consideration about this they do not use to look out for a Saviour Therefore the first thing the spirit of God doth when he cometh to convert is to convince He shall convince the World of sin because they believed not on me To let men see sin as for its nature extreamly odious That there are two great evils in it Aversion fron God and Conversion to Sin defined the Creature Jer. 2. 13. Ye have committed two great evils by forsaking Me the fountain of living waters and hewing to your selves Cisterns yea broken Cisterns that will hold no water And for the danger of it It is such as exposeth men to eternall death And till this be seen there will be no 3. It supposeth due apprehensions about rhe necessity of a Saviour looking out for Remedy where Justice is wages must be paid Now God is just therefore sin is dangerous Thirdly It supposeth due apprehensions about the necessity of a Saviour which followeth upon the sight of sin Acts 16. 30. The convinced Gaoler cryed out Sirs what shall I do to be saved Till men come to be sensible of their spirituall drought they never look out for the waters of life It is not every cut-finger that causeth a man to send to the Chirurgion nor every head-ache that maketh him to go to the Physitian but when he is wounded when he is sick to death then send for the Chirurgion for the Physitian when sin lieth heavy upon the soul then they make out for Christ Those that scoffed at Noah all the while he was building the Ark when the Deluge was come indeed when they saw no other shift then they cried out A World for an Ark. When we are ready to be turned over the Ladder pardon then is pardon indeed Fourthly It supposeth some due apprehensions about 4. It supposeth no salvation by any thing or person but by Christ the utter impossibility of obtaining salvation by any thing or by any person but by Christ alone That which Peter taught Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other for there is no other Name under Heaven given amongst men by which we must be saved If there were another way open for salvation then there were no such necessity of receiving Christ but seeing this is not onely a way but the onely way of Gods appointment seeing as Naomi once said to her daughters in Law when they would needs follow her Why saith she Ruth 1. 11. Have I any more sons in my Womb that they may be your Husbands So Hath God any more sons in the Womb of his Eternall decree but Christ alone that they may be Mediators for us Seeing there is no Saviour but He therefore there is an utter impossibility of obtaining salvation by any other person or thing besides When the soul cometh to see this it maketh way for the receiving of Christ As for all the Creatures David saith No man can by any means redeem the soul of his brother from death he must let that alone for ever There is no man or means or ordinances but all say of salvation as Job bringeth them in speaking of wisdome Job 28. 13 14 15. Where shall wisdome be found where is the place of understanding Men know not the price thereof nor is it found in the Land of the living The deep saith It is not in me and the sea saith It is not with me It cannot be got for Gold neither shall Silver be weighed for the price thereof So may I say of Salvation Who knoweth the price thereof where shall salvation be found where is the place of happinesse The Law saith It is not
that thing is So Christ is the principall object of a Christians love and the more of Christ is in any person the more lovely Christ the principall object of a Christian's love that person is in a Christian's eyes The object that standeth most in the light is most seen and the Saint that hath most of Christ in him is most beloved by every one that is new-born when they come to discern that amiablenesse in him 3. The third thing that accompanieth this new-birth is 3. Victory over spirituall enemies Victory over spirituall enemies which doth exceedingly raise the priviledge of being born of God Victory over the world and victory over the devill ye have them both 1 Joh. 5. 4. Whatsoever is born of God overcommeth the world It is true Regenerate persons may get many a blow and knock from the world and many times be foiled too and from the frowns and flatteries of the world a Saint may be worsted As it is when a thief setteth upon a man in the high-way and aimeth at his purse he may stand in his own defence and haply receive some wounds or blowes but yet the thief is not able to take his purse from him Here a man commeth off a conquerour though not without blows So Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world because in the issue Grace getteth the upper-hand Though he that is born of God may be conquered yet That which is born of God cannot be conquered It is not Whosoever is born of God but Whatsoever is born of God There is an Emphasis in that As a victory over the world attendeth this new-birth so a victory over the devill too 1 Joh. 5. 18. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not But he that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not He sinneth not so as to be touched by that wicked one Take them together that is He sinneth not against the holy Ghost sinneth not so as to be devillified He that is once a child of God never becomes a child of the devill That is the meaning of that That wicked one toucheth him not Not but that That wicked one the devill may annoy a Saint and foil him many times but not with that which the Schools call Tactus qualificativus such a touch as altereth the nature of a thing As for example Men that speak of the Philosopher's Stone they suppose it to have such a property in it as when it toucheth the metal it turneth it into Gold Such a property the Spirit of God hath upon the soul of man when it toucheth the soul it putteth a divine nature into it Now saith the Apostle The wicked one toucheth him not so as to alter him and to turn him into his own nature and make him as very a devill as himself which they that have sinned against the holy Ghost do Because even as very a devill as Satan is he that is once made partaker of the divine Nature cannot be touched so as to be made partaker of the diabolicall nature Secondly This may serve in the next place To undeceive 2. To undeceive carnall Professors carnall Professors that stand so much upon their faith and have no new birth to shew that say They have believed ever since they were born when as indeed no man can believe till he be born again There is an inseparable connexion between these two Faith and the New-creature the Evangelist John putteth them together To those that believe in his name who are born of God Wheresoever Christ is received by faith there he doth renew the soul as well as save it He bringeth with him plaisters that do not onely hide sin but heal it not onely cover it but cure it He bringeth with him not onely pardoning mercy but purging mercy and renewing grace And therefore it is in vain for men to call themselves believers if they be not new-born The Pleas of carnall Professors 1. They are baptized Some pleas indeed they have which I will briefly answer First They are baptized and therefore born again their baptism is the Laver of Regeneration That is all some have to shew Whether that place Tit. 3. 5. According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of the new-birth and the renewing of the holy Ghost be meant primitively of Baptism yea or no may be disputed But I wave that Secondly Those that ascribe most efficacy to Baptism they say That Infants Elect and onely they do in baptism 2. They onely that are Elected receive Regeneration in Baptism receive a Regeneration But what kind of Regeneration whether Potential Habitual or Initial they know not not such as will serve their turn when they grow up to years for then they must have an Actuall and farther Regeneration before they can be saved Peter telleth us expresly that the outward washing with water saveth none there must go a farther work to that 1 Pet. 3. 21. Wherefore the baptism that now is answering that figure which is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but a confident Demanding which a good conscience maketh to God saveth us also by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ That no man can have that is not new born There cannot be a good conscience till there be a sprinkling of the blood of Christ For we are sprinkled from an evill conscience Heb. 12. 24. Now a man that is new-born when Satan putteth in a Plea against him he can put in his Answer against Satan's Bill he is able to plead Sincerity when he is accused of Hypocrisie and to make an apology for himself against the accusations of the Law If this satisfie not consider one or two places more to shew the vanity of this plea Gal. 6. 15. In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature Baptism is what Circumcision was Baptism availeth not but a new Baptism availeth not without a new-birth creature Baptism without new-birth can bring no man to salvation One may be a kind of baptized Turk as there were circumcised Ellemits in Jerusalem that is Men circumcised in the flesh and yet Heathens in their dispositions Ezek. 18. 31. Cast away from you all your transgressions wherein ye have transgressed and make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will ye die O house of Israel They must die unlesse there were a new spirit and a new heart within them Nothing but death without the new creature though an Israelite When men are beaten from this they fall to a second 2d Plea of carnall Professors plea and pretend to a New-birth Why Because they are not so bad as they have been some duties they neglected before but now perform them some errours they committed before but now abstain from them Therefore surely they are born of God To make Answer to this Plea we must know wheresoever Their Plea answered this new-birth
Hebr. 2. 17. He was made like unto his brethren in all things that he might be a mercifull high Priest Christ is therefore a mercifull high Priest because he was made like us in our infirmities It is a great invitation to mercy to see one in the same condition that we our selves have been in As she said Haud ignara mali miseris succurrere disco she Dido Lib. 3. Aenaeid had learned to pity others because she had born the like miseries her selfe As a woman that hath had a Child can more pity women that are in Travaile because she hath suffered the like pains than other women can that never have brought forth any Children at all So the Lord Jesus hath felt the like infirmities the penall not the sinfull therefore he is likely to pitty us when we lie under them Exod. 23. 9. Thou shalt not oppresse a stranger for ye know They that have suffered can best pitty them that are under sufferings the heart of a stranger seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt Christ knoweth the heart of a man under his infirmities when they are onely painfull and not sinfull because he himselfe did undergoe such in the dayes of his flesh Therefore this may comfort a man as in generall so in diverse particular Cases when we wrestle with infirmities suppose sorrow of heart it was Christ's owne case Time was when he cried out Matth. 26. 38. My soul is exceeding sorrowfull even to death The consideration of his sorrow may help to sweeten thine when thou art afflicted in body and pinched It was Christ's case He himselfe hungred in the wildernesse and was a thirst at Jacob's well He was buffetted and scourged yea Crucified in the end He felt the nails and spear Therefore saith Luther I am ashamed that men should count my sufferings any thing when I think of what Christ indured So be our sufferings never so great we are thereby made conformable to him who suffered the like things for us And so for poverty 2 Cor. 8. 9. Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who though he were rich yet for your sakes he became poor that you through his poverty might be made rich The like may be said in many other Instances whatsoever infirmity it is we may expect Christ will relieve us against it But the soul saith Still you except sin I would have that taken away If Christ take not that away I am undone Object This doth not so much lie in my Text now yet I shall speak a word to it I told you Christ took our painfull infirmities and not Answ our sinfull And yet I must tell you he took our sinfull infirmities As Christ took our painfull infirmities by inherency so our sinfull infirmities by imputation too in another sense not in the same way as he took the other He took our painfull infirmities in a way of Inherency and our sinfull ones too in a way of Iniputation Quicquid sustulit tollit whatsoever Christ took away he took He took away our sins therefore he took our sins in one sense or other He could not take our sins as our sorrowes It was impossible that sin should be inherent in Christ His Divinity was a protection against all sins yet He took them away by imputation Therefore It is said by the Apostle God hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin He knew no sin and yet is made sin How Not made sin by committing sin for Christ was not in a Capacity of sinning but made sin by bearing the Imputation of sin and so took upon him the guilt of sin and not the Inherency of sin There be two things in guilt a worthinesse of being punished and a destination to punishment The Demerit and the Destination It is false to say That Christ took the guilt upon him in a way of Demerit as if Christ himselfe had been worthy of being punished For all Demerit implieth sin either naturall or personall Now in Christ was neither originall Corruption nor actuall Rebellion But the other thing in guilt which is Poenae obligatio an obligation and destination to punishment In this sense Christ took guilt not because of any naturall Demerit but because of his Communion in that nature of which the Demerit was found He voluntarily became our Surety and took our Nature that in that nature He might suffer for our sins And in this capacity God doth destinate him to punishment in this sense He took our sinfull infirmities And thus ye see what matter of comfort this truth affordeth It affordeth us likewise matter of duty Lessons of piety and Lessons of thankfullnesse First Lessons of piety Oh If Christ the second Person 1 Lessons of piety in the Triuity did put on man how carefull should men be to put on Christ Put ye on the Lord Jesus saith the Apostle not making provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof Rom. 13. 14. If Christ assumed our human nature how should we wrestle with God to be made partakers of the Divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and pretious Promises that by these you might be partakers of the Divine nature having escaped the corruptions that are in the World through lusts If Christ became thus one flesh with us how zealous should we be to become one spirit with Christ 1 Cor. 6. 17. Even as man and wife is one flesh so he that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit So she is married to Christ and God looketh upon such a soul as his owne daughter now it is married to his Son therefore dealeth with it as Caleb did to Achsah He giveth her not onely the upper Land and nether springs not onely outward blessings and accommodations but comforts and refreshments with them not onely the nether springs of Ordinances but the upper springs of Comforts and Refreshments in and by those Ordinances Secondly Here are Lessons of thankfullnesse too Was the Word made flesh Did Christ take our nature yea 2 Lessons of thankfullness did he take our nature at the worst after the Fall What exceeding great cause have we to blesse his Name for ever for this Condescension of his Should all the Princes in the World have come from their severall Thrones and have gone a begging from door to door it was not so much as for Christ to become man for our sakes And he took our nature not in the integrity of it as in Adam before his fall but in the infirmities of it which came to it by the fall As for a man that can live of himselfe to wear a Noble man's Livery while this Noble man is in great favour in the Court and hath the King's eare this is no such great matter But when this Noble man is proclaimed a Traitor and is cast out of his Prince's favour then for this man to wear his Cloath and owne him this is
Faith and Love and Zeal The former are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the latter Charites the former gifts the latter graces in a strict sense Thirdly There is grace bestowed upon the whole Person that is Acceptation Ye may call the first Gracefulnesse 3. Upon the whole Person in the body the second Grace in the soul and the third Gracefulnesse in the person As when we say Such a one is gratious at the Court when he partaketh of the grace and favour of the King Now Christ was full of grace in all these senses First If ye speak of active grace giving grace there 1. A fulness of active grace in Christ was a fulnesse of that in Christ a fulnesse of good-will out of which flowed so many accommodations to the sons of men both for soul and body Therefore at his birth the Angels sung Good-will towards men Whether ye look to his words or to his deeds ye shall find him full of grace in this sense If to his words ye know what the Evangelist saith Luk. 4. 42. They all bare witnesse and wondred at the gratious words which proceeded out of his mouth Gratious words It is prophecied of him and accordingly he made it good that he should not cry nor his voice be heard in the streets His cry should not be like that of Jonah in Niniveh Jon. 3. 4. a voice of destruction or of terrour but if he did cry it should be of mercy If any man thirst let him come and Isa 55. 1. drink If his voice be heard it is a voice of grace inviting sinners to come to him Ye that be heavy laden c. Grace Matth. 11. 24. in all his words And so grace in all his Actions He went about as the Scripture telleth us Act. 10. doing good And so ye know the Evangelicall History I do not think ye can give me an instance of any man that Christ sent away in the daies of his flesh that came to him for mercy without mercy He healed them all Luk. 9. 11. And the people when they knew it followed him and he received them and spake unto them of the kingdom of God and healed them that had need of healing So here is active grace in Christ Secondly If ye look to Passive grace to grace given 2. Fulnesse of Passive grace in Christ upon his Body first there was grace given that fell upon his body which certainly was of excellent frame full of beauty Therefore it is said Thou art fairer than the sons of men grace is poured upon thy lips Psal 45. 2. This is not spoken of the Divinity of Christ for in that respect he was fairer than the Angels but of his Humanity and so he was fairer than the children of men There was indeed a time wherein no beauty was to be seen in him but he speaketh of him then as upon the Crosse when the ploughers made long furrowes upon his back and digged deep holes in his sides as he was besmeared with blood so no beauty in him And secondly upon his Soul Secondly Passive grace upon his soul grace given to that Whatsoever Indowment was requisite to fit him for a Mediator that he had some understand by Grace all the perfections of the Will and by Truth all the perfections of the Understanding Surely nothing was wanting either in will or understandingâ— or affectionâ— that might render the soul of Christ fully gratious It is prophecied in Isaiah 11. 2. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him He spake before of a rod of Jesse and a branch growing out of his root So now What grace was upon his soul Why The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him and the spirit of Wisdome and Understanding and of Counsell and Might and of Knowledge and of the Fear of the Lord. Thirdly Grace given such as filleth up the whole person 3. Grace given filleth up the whole person grace of Acceptation In that sense it is said Luk. 2. 40. speaking of Christ The Child grew and waxed strong in spirit filled with wisdome and the grace of God was upon him that is the favour of God So he interpreteth it in the last verse of that Chapter Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and favour with God and men We needs must grant it to be so because Quod efficit tale magis est tale That which maketh another so is much more so it selfe Christ is he that procureth acceptation both of our persons and our services and therefore he himselfe is much more acceptable with God Our persons have no acceptation but through him We are said to be accepted through the beloved Ephes 1. 6. Our services have no acceptation but through him In that place of Peter we are a spirituall priest-hood 1 Pet. 2. 5 6. Offer up spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ So as He himselfe is much more accepted Thus you see how he is full of grace Let us see now how Christ is likewise full of Truth Christ in the truth and the truth in Him The truth is said to be in Jesus and Jesus is said to be in the truth Truth is said to be in him Ephes 4. 21. If so be ye have heard him and been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus He is said to be The truth John 14. 6. I am the way the Truth and the Life More distinctly Take truth in what notion you will it will appear Christ was full of truth Truth is sometimes opposed to Hypocrisie sometimes to Error sometimes to Lying sometimes to Shadowes Christ was full of truth in all these senses First If ye take Truth as opposed to Hypocrisie and as 1. Christ is full of Truth as opposed to Hypocrisie equipollent with sincerity not with the levened bread of malice but with the unlevened bread of sincerity and truth saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 5. So Christ was full of Truth sincere in all When he lifted up his eyes he lifted up his heart to God When he bowed his knee he bowed his soul When he opened his mouth he opened his heart to his hearers Therefore he is said to be girt about the loins with faithfulnesse and truth Righteousnesse and truth shall be the girdle of his loins and faithfulnesse the girdle of his reins As the girdle girts a man in so sincerity and truth girt in all the actions and speeches of Jesus Christ Secondly If ye take Truth as it standeth in opposition 2. As opposed to Error to Error thus Christ was full of truth because all Treasures both of wisdome and knowledge being hid in him it was impossible for him to have any misapprehension He conceived rightly of all things and spake truly of all even his enemies being witnesses Hear what they say Matth. 20. 16. They sent out to him their Disciples with the Hâ—rodians saying Master we know thou art true and teachest the way of God in
there is no seeing of the face of God unlesse we bring Christ along with us in the arms of our faith There is a story Act. 12. of the men of Tyre when Herod was displeased with them how they made use of Blastus the King's Chamberlain vers 20. And Herod was in displeasure with them of Tyre and Sâ—don but they came with one accord to him and having made Blastus the King's Chamberlain their friend desired peace because their country was nourished by the King's country This is our case God is highly displeased with us for our sins as Herod was with the men of Tyre and Sidon we have our dependency upon God as they had upon Herod's country Their country was nourished by the King's country We are undone if God relieve us not Now they are undone the best way is to make Blastus their friend that so Herod being appeased they may have peace We are to go to God by Christ Jesus that we may have acceptation with God He is full of grace and they shall partake of his grace and favour even as Joseph when he was got in with Pharaoh he made way for all his brethren the Text saith Gen. 47. 2. He took some of his brethren and presented them to Pharaoh Just so doth Christ take us and presents us to God The Apostle Peter hath a phrase somewhat like it where he saith 2 Pet. 3. 18. Christ also hath once suffered for sin the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he might take us by the hand and lead us to God Now these men being presented by Joseph to Pharaoh see how Pharaoh entertaineth them See the land is before thee in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell If Christ hath once brought us to God not onely all the good things of the world but all the promises of the Word are before a Saint when he is brought to God by grace and so ingratiated with him Fifthly Seeing Christ is full of truth as it standeth in 5. Learn to be like Christ opposition to hypocrisie learn we to be like him it is good being of Christ's fashion The girdle of his loins is Truth as ye heard before out of verse 11. Let it be the girdle of ours Having your loins girt about with truth Be sincere in all we speak and do otherwise all our performances be they never so glorious they are but like a fair pair of gilded Organs that want wind or bellowes to blow them so are all our performances if there be no sincerity to enliven them All outward services they are but the carcases of Devotion if there want sincerity Ephes 4. 24. It is called The new man created in righteousnesse and in the holiness of the truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so it is in the Originall it is a holinesse of truth Otherwise no holinesse at all if truth be not there Again If Christ be thus full of truth as it standeth in 2. To go to him for direction in matters of Opinion opposition to errour then we may see from hence whom to go to for guidance in all matters of opinion to Him that is full of truth that cannot erre Doceat me Deus qui me fecit non qui seipsum ignorat Let him teach me that made me let not him teach me that knoweth not himself Every man is a lover of his own opinion and apt to miscary but it is Christ that is ful of truth who hath promised to guide us by his spirit and to lead us into all truth Joh. 16. 13. Again If Christ be full of truth as it standeth in opposition 3. Matter of comfort to the people of God to lying Let us learn from hence to gather matter of comfort to all the people of God He that is full of truth and cannot lie hath said to every poor soul Come to me ye that are heavy laden and I will give you rest If any man come to me I will in no wise cast him off So is it matter of and of terrour to the ungodly terrour to all ungodly impenitent sinners He that believeth not is damned already He that believeth shall be saved he that believeth not is damned the wrath of God abideth upon him And so matter of Imitation for all If our Saviour whom we professe our selves to depend upon and to Matter of Imitation for all be Disciples of be full of truth let us be like him Therein standeth the true Religion in imitating him whom we worship saith Lactantius If people be given to lying they are more like the devill than Christ For it is said of such Ye are of your father the devill He is a liar and the father of it Mark he speaks of his own when he speaks a lie Now there will be a time when every soul shall be ransackt Take heed lest the devill find something of his own reigning in you It is said he came to Christ The Prince of this world commeth Joh. 14. 13. and hath nothing in me that is nothing of his own in me He came and searched Christ but found nothing of his there Take heed lest when he comes to you he find a lying spirit there that is his own As when Laban came to search Jacob's tent to try if he could find any of his own goods there if he had it would have gone ill with Jacob As when searchers come to a ship and find any prohibited goods there the owner forfeits all the lading If the devill come and find any thing of his own he takes that soul to hell Without are dogs and every one that loves and makes a lie Rev. 22. 15. Lastly Seeing Christ is full of truth as it stands in opposition to shadowes Let us learn to embrace him that so we may find the substance That is the phrase of the holy Ghost Prov. 8. 21. where Wisdom speaks thus That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance and I will fill them with treasures Christ is not onely the substance of all Leviticall shadowes they are vanished we have now nothing to do with them but there is another sort of shadowes that men doat upon more than the Jewes upon their ceremoniall carnall things delights of the world riches pleasures and profits there are some men that busie themselves in these What saith the holy Ghost of them Psal 83. 17. Let them be confounded and troubled for ever yea let them be put to shame and perish All are but shadowes in comparison no reality Oh then he is a substantiall man that inherits he that leaveth to follow after shadowes to inherit Christ otherwise all men that busie themselves in things below and neglect Christ they are but like a man that goes into an Orchard and instead of pulling the fruit he catcheth at the shadow of the fruit that are scattered in the hedge he hurts himself
this Tomb for nothing And so indeed the creature hath no satisfaction in it A man comes and thinks to find much and he hath there nothing but a sad lesson for himself to carry away with him Wherefore let us no longer play the Prodigall seeing there is bread in our Father's house let us not go to feed upon husks the creatures are no better All is vanity and worse they are not onely vanity but vexation of spirit which ariseth from the disappointment of a man's hopes when a man is vexed when he is frustrated looks for much and finds a little That is his case here a man looks for contentment and findeth trouble As our Saviour in the daies of his flesh it is said He went to the fig-tree expecting Mar. 11. 13. fruit and found none therefore he was provoked and cursed the tree Many a one leaves the creature with a curse which he sought after with expectation of satisfaction from it Oh! it is a cursed preferment and pleasure saith he even of that very thing which he thought would have fully satisfied his soul when he first enjoyed it But now this fulness of Christ is such as there is no vanity in it no vexation from it nay so far is it from vexation that it giveth satisfaction which nothing else can give Psal 36. 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house and thou shalt make them to drink of the rivers of thy pleasure For vexation in the one here is satisfaction in the other and for those drops of pleasure which men find in the creature here is rivers of pleasure such are those everlasting joyes that are in Christ For the pleasures of the creature here are Rivers every man may have his fill If it were a Cistern an Army might come and empty that But here is enough therefore I need not to envy another's satisfaction there is enough for all that come to Christ I have now done with the first Observation of the first part of my Text. The Second hath diverse Branches The first that offers it self is the Partakers hereof and those are a great many We all saith the Apostle here We all have received even grace for grace A short Observation is to be taken from thence namely Observ That all the members of Christ are partakers of some spirituall endowments We all have received of his fulnesse Not one but Christ imparts something to in his measure Therefore it is clearly said by the Apostle Ephes 4. 7. Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ Here is grace and grace to every one and grace from Christ to every one yet to every one in his measure not alike measure to all but some measure to each One star saith the Apostle differs from another in glory Not a Star but receiveth light from the Sun the 1 Cor. 15. 41. one receiveth more light than the other Therefore there is a different glory in the Stars The Lord Jesus shineth upon every believing soul but not upon every one in a like lustre You know there was a time when Esau question'd his father's store strongly Hast thou but one blessing my father Gen. 27 38 but no man needeth to question the store of this everlasting Father he hath more blessings than one he hath some blessings Christ hath blessings for every Member for every Member of his We have all received Therefore it is said Mal. 2. 15. And did not he make one yet had he the residue of the spirit Some read Abundance and some read Residue of spirit both well God hath given endowments of spirit to an hundred and he hath a residue of spirit for a thousand more and when he hath endowed a thousand thousands he hath a residue of spirit for ten thousand millions more Ephes 2. 5. Which is the head Even when we were dead in sins hath he quickned us together with Christ by grace ye are saved Here is one head but many members The Head is Christ the Believers are the members All the members of the body they are compact together saith this place The whole body is joyned together by the bones that meet in the joynts and let into one another Compact by that which every joynt supplieth So the souls of believers as they are all knit to Christ their Head so they are let into one another by a spirit of love And something every joynt supplieth therefore every joynt hath its particular work As there is a vegetative power in the soul that putteth forth it selfe to every member One member to the proportion of an arm another of an hand another of a finger So there is a working of the spirit of grace in the whole body of Christ that brings every member to its proportion one to this degree another to that which God hath predestin'd him to Therefore it is that the growth of every member upon the increase of the body helps to the edifying of it selfe in love Look then that as in the body every member shares with the soul that bringeth it to the perfection due to that member So doth every believer share with the spirit of Christ in some spirituall indowment fit for his station It may be of great use to us First It may serve as an Antidote against scornfulnesse and contempt Secondly As a spurre to improve First The consideration of this truth That all the members of Christ partake of some spirituall indowment We 1. Spirituall indowments are as Antidotes to keep us from scorning and contemning one another all have received serveth as an Antidote against scornfulnesse and contempt of one another If every man hath received his part Who art thou that despisest thy brother Prov. 17. 5. Who so mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker And he that is glad at Calamity shall not be unpunished It pleaseth God to make him so therefore to mock him is to reproach God so to contemn the poor Saint for want of those parts to expresse himselfe by that thou hast thy reproach is to the Spirit of God God hath purposely dispenced his gifts and graces so that there is no believer but hath some and none that hath all indowments in an eminent way None hath all that he may not think to stand alone And none but hath some that every one may have use of another that the highest should not contemn the meanest The head should not say to the foot I have no need of thee As it is in Countries Non omnes fert omnia Tell us one Country produceth Wines another Sugars another Spices God hath purposely so done this that one Kingdome might have interest one with another In the like manner God hath ordered things in his mysticall body and given to all his members severall indowments that they might not contemn one another As it is in a materiall building where there is a sort of stones laid