the Temple God will be mercifull though we miscarry and just though sinners seem lawless Neither will he be any other then he is or measured by any rule but himself But what is this I see Satan himself with a Bible under his arm with a Text in his mouth It is written He shall give his Angels charge over thee How still in that Wicked one doth Subtlety strive with Presumption Who could not but over-wonder at this if he did not consider that since the Devil dares to touch the sacred Body of Christ with his hand he may well touch the Scriptures of God with his tongue Let no man henceforth marvel to hear Hereticks or Hypocrites quote Scriptures when Satan himself hath not spared to cite them What are they the worse for this more then that holy Body which is transported Some have been poisoned by their meats and drinks yet either these nourish us or nothing It is not the Letter of the Scripture that can carry it but the Sense if we divide these two we profane and abuse that Word we alledge And wherefore doth this foul Spirit urge a Text but for imitation for prevention and for success Christ had alledged a Scripture unto him he re-alledges Scripture unto Christ At leastwise he will counterfeit an imitation of the Son of God Neither is it in this alone what one act ever passed the hand of God which Satan did not apishly attempt to second If we follow Christ in the outward action with contrary intentions we follow Satan in following Christ Or perhaps Satan meant to make Christ hereby weary of this weapon As we see fashions when they are taken up of the unworthy are cast off by the Great It was doubtless one cause why Christ afterward forbad the Devil even to confess the Truth because his mouth was a Slander But chiefly doeth he this for a better colour of his Temptation He gilds over this false metal with Scripture that it may pass current Even now is Satan transformed into an Angel of light and will seem godly for a mischief If Hypocrites make a fair shew to deceive with a glorious lustre of holiness we see whence they borrowed it How many thousand souls are betrayed by the abuse of that Word whose use is sovereign and saving No Devil is so dangerous as the religious Devil If good meat turn to the nourishment not of nature but of the disease we may not forbear to feed but endeavour to purge the body of those evil humours which cause the stomack to work against it self O God thou that hast given us light give us clear and sound eyes that we may take comfort of that light thou hast given us Thy Word is holy make our Hearts so and then shall they find that Word not more true then cordial Let not this Divine Table of thine be made a snare to our souls What can be a better act then to speak Scripture It were a wonder if Satan should doe a good thing well He cites Scripture then but with mutilation and distortion it comes not out of his mouth but maimed and perverted one piece is left all misapplied Those that wrest or mangle Scripture for their own turn it is easie to see from what School they come Let us take the Word from the Authour not from the Usurper David would not doubt to eat that sheep which he pulled out of the mouth of the Bear or Lion He shall give his Angels charge over thee O comfortable assurance of our protection God's Children never goe unattended Like unto great Princes we walk ever in the midst of our Guard though invisible yet true carefull powerfull What creatures are so glorious as the Angels of heaven yet their Maker hath set them to serve us Our Adoption makes us at once great and safe We may be contemptible and ignominious in the eyes of the world but the Angels of God observe us the while and scorn not to wait upon us in our homeliest occasions The Sun or the Light may we keep out of our houses the Air we cannot much less these Spirits that are more simple and immaterial No walls no bolts can sever them from our sides they accompany us in dungeons they go with us into our exile How can we either fear danger or complain of solitariness whilst we have so unseparable so glorious Companions Is our Saviour distasted with Scripture because Satan mis-lays it in his dish Doth he not rather snatch this sword out of that impure hand and beat Satan with the weapon which he abuseth It is written Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God The Scripture is one as that God whose it is Where it carries an appearance of difficulty or inconvenience it needs no light to clear it but that which it hath in it self All doubts that may arise from it are fully answered by collation It is true that God hath taken this care and given this charge of his own He will have them kept not in their sins they may trust him they may not tempt him he meant to incourage their Faith not their Presumption To cast our selves upon any immediate Providence when means fail not is to disobey in stead of believing God We may challenge God on his word we may not strain him beyond it We may make account of what he promised we may not subject his promises to unjust examinations and where no need is make trial of his Power Justice Mercy by devices of our own All the Devils in Hell could not elude the force of this Divine answer and now Satan sees how vainly he tempteth Christ to tempt God Yet again for all this do I see him setting upon the Son of God Satan is not foiled when he is resisted Neither Diffidence nor Presumption can fasten upon Christ he shall be tried with Honour As some expert Fencer that challenges at all weapons so doth his great Enemy In vain shall we plead our skill in some if we fail in any It must be our wisedom to be prepared for all kind of Assaults As those that hold Towns and Forts do not onely defend themselves from Incursions but from the Cannon and the Pioneer Still doth that subtle Serpent traverse his ground for an advantage The Temple is not high enough for his next Temptation he therefore carries up Christ to the top of an exceeding high Mountain All enemies in pitcht fields strive for the benefit of the Hill or River or Wind or Sun That which his servant Balak did by his instigation himself doth now immediately change places in hope of prevailing If the obscure Country will not move us he tries what the Court can doe if not our Home the Tavern if not the Field our Closet As no place is left free by his malice so no place must be made prejudicial by our carelesness and as we should always watch over our selves so then most when the opportunity carries cause of suspicion Wherefore is
Fear as all Passions disquiets the heart and makes it for the time unfit to receive the messages of God Soon hath the Angel cleared these troublesome mists of Passions and sent out the beams of heavenly Consolation into the remotest corner of her Soul by the glad news of her Saviour How can Joy but enter into her heart out of whose womb shall come Salvation What room can Fear find in that breast that is assured of Favour Fear not Mary for thou hast found favour with God Let those fear who know they are in displeasure or know not they are gracious Thine happy estate calls for Confidence and that Confidence for Joy What should what can they fear who are favoured of him at whom the Devils tremble Not the Presence of the good Angels but the Temptations of the evill strike many terrours into our weakness we could not be dismaied with them if we did not forget our condition We have not received the spirit of bondage to fear again but the spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father If that Spirit O God witness with our spirits that we are thine how can we fear any of those spirituall wickednesses Give us assurance of thy Favour and let the powers of Hell doe their worst It was no ordinary favour that the Virgin found in Heaven No mortall Creature was ever thus graced that he should take part of her nature that was the God of Nature that he who made all things should make his humane Body of hers that her Womb should yield that Flesh which was personally united to the Godhead that she should bear him that upholds the World Loe thou shalt conceive and bear a Son and shalt call his name JESVS It is a question whether there be more wonder in the Conception or in the Fruit the Conception of the Virgin or Jesus conceived Both are marvellous but the former doth not more exceed all other Wonders then the latter exceedeth it For the child of a Virgin is the improvement of that power which created the world but that God should be incarnate of a Virgin was an abasement of his Majesty and an exaltation of the Creature beyond all example Well was that Child worthy to make the Mother blessed Here was a double Conception one in the womb of her Body the other of the Soul If that were more miraculous this was more beneficiall that was her Privilege this was her Happiness If that were singular to her this is common to all his chosen There is no renewed Heart wherein thou O Saviour art not formed again Blessed be thou that hast herein made us blessed For what womb can conceive thee and not partake of thee who can partake of thee and not be happy Doubtless the Virgin understood the Angel as he meant of a present Conception which made her so much more inquisitive into the manner and means of this event How shall this be since I know not a man That she should conceive a Son by the knowledge of Man after her Marriage consummate could have been no wonder But how then should that Son of hers be the Son of God This demand was higher How her present Virginity should be instantly fruitfull might be well worthy of admiration of inquiry Here was desire of information not doubts of infidelity yea rather this question argues Faith it takes for granted that which an unbelieving heart would have stuck at She says not Who and whence art thou what Kingdome is this where and when shall it be erected but smoothly supposing all those strange things would be done she insists onely in that which did necessarily require a farther intimation and doth not distrust but demand neither doth she say This cannot be nor How can this be but How shall this be So doth the Angel answer as one that knew he needed not to satisfie Curiosity but to inform Judgment and uphold Faith He doth not therefore tell her of the manner but of the Authour of this act The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most high shall over-shadow thee It is enough to know who is the Undertaker and what he will doe O God what do we seek a clear Light where thou wilt have a Shadow No Mother knows the manner of her naturall Conception what presumption shall it be for flesh and bloud to search how the Son of God took flesh and bloud of his Creature It is for none but the Almighty to know those works which he doeth immediately concerning himself those that concern us he hath revealed Secrets to God things revealed to us The Answer was not so full but that a thousand difficulties might arise out of the particularities of so strange a Message yet after the Angel's Solution we hear of no more Objections no more Interrogations The faithfull Heart when it once understands the good pleasure of God argues no more but sweetly rests it self in a quiet expectation Behold the Servant of the Lord be it to me according to thy Word There is not a more noble proof of our Faith then to captivate all the powers of our Understanding and Will to our Creatour and without all sciscitations to goe blindfold whither he will lead us All Disputations with God after his will known arise from Infidelity Great is the Mystery of Godliness and if we will give Nature leave to cavill we cannot be Christians O God thou art faithfull thou art powerfull It is enough that thou hast said it in the humility of our obedience we resign our selves over to thee Behold the Servants of the Lord be it unto us according to thy word How fit was her Womb to conceive the Flesh of the Son of God by the power of the Spirit of God whose Breast had so soon by the power of the same Spirit conceived an assent to the will of God And now of an Handmaid of God she is advanced to the Mother of God No sooner hath she said Be it done then it is done the Holy Ghost overshadows her and forms her Saviour in her own Body This very Angel that talks with the Blessed Virgin could scarce have been able to express the Joy of her heart in the sense of this Divine Burthen Never any mortal creature had so much cause of Exultation How could she that was full of God be other then full of Joy in that God Grief grows greater by concealing Joy by expression The Holy Virgin had understood by the Angel how her Cousin Elizabeth was no less of kin to her in condition the fruitfulness of whose Age did somewhat suit the fruitfulness of her Virginity Happiness communicated doubles it self Here is no straining of courtesie The Blessed Maid whom vigour of Age had more fitted for the way hastens her journey into the Hill-country to visit that gracious Matron whom God had made a sign of her miraculous Conception Onely the meeting of Saints in Heaven can parallel the meeting of these two Cousins
Principalities and Powers and Governours and Princes of the darkness of this World design other then several ranks of evil Angels There can be no being without some kind of order there can be no order in parity If we look up into Heaven there is the King of Gods the Lord of Lords higher then the highest If to the Earth there are Monarchs Kings Princes Peers People If we look down to Hell there is the Prince of Devils They labour for confusion that call for parity What should the Church doe with such a form as is not exemplified in Heaven in Earth in Hell One Devil according to their supposition may be used to cast out another How far the command of one spirit over another may extend it is a secret of infernal state too deep for the inquiry of men The thing it self is apparent upon compact and precontracted composition one gives way to other for the common advantage As we see in the Commonwealth of Cheaters and Cutpurses one doeth the fact another is feed to bring it out and to procure restitution both are of the trade both conspire to the fraud the actour falls not out with the revealer but divides with him that cunning spoil One malicious miscreant sets the Devil on work to the inflicting of disease or death another upon agreement for a farther spiritual gain takes him off There is a Devil in both And if there seem more bodily favour there is no less spiritual danger in the latter In the one Satan wins the agent the suitour in the other It will be no cause of discord in Hell that one Devil gives ease to the body which another tormented that both may triumph in the gain of a soul Oh God that any creature which bears thine Image should not abhor to be beholden to the powers of hell for aid for advice Is it not because there is not a God in Israel that men go to inquire of the God of Ekron Can men be so sottish to think that the vowed enemy of their souls can offer them a bait without an hook What evil is there in the City which the Lord hath not done what is there which he cannot as easily redress He wounds he heals again And if he will not it is the Lord let him doe what seems good in his eyes If he do not deliver us he will crown our faithfulness in a patient perseverance The wounds of God are better then are the salves of Satan Was it possible that the wit of Envy could devise so high a Slander Beelzebub was a God of the heathen therefore herein they accuse him for an Idolater Beelzebub was a Devil to the Jews therefore they accuse him for a Conjurer Beelzebub was the chief of Devils therefore they accuse him for an Arch-exorcist for the worst kind of Magician Some professours of this black Art though their work be devillish yet they pretend to doe it in the name of Jesus and will presumptuously seem to doe that by command which is secretly transacted by agreement The Scribes accuse Christ of a direct compact with the Devil and suppose both a league and familiarity which by the Law of Moses in the very hand of a Saul was no other then deadly Yea so deep doth this wound reach that our Saviour searching it to the bottom finds no less in it then the sin against the Holy Ghost inferring hereupon that dreadfull sentence of the irremissibleness of that sin unto death And if this horrible crimination were cast upon thee O Saviour in whom the Prince of this world found nothing what wonder is it if we thy sinfull Servants be branded on all sides with evil tongues Yea which is yet more how plain is it that these men forced their tongue to speak this slander against their own heart Else this Blasphemy had been onely against the Son of man not against the Holy Ghost but now that the Searcher of hearts finds it to be no less then against the Blessed Spirit of God the spight must needs be obstinate their malice doth wilfully cross their conscience Envy never regards how true but how mischievous So it may gall or kill it cares little whether with truth or falshood For us Blessed are we when men revile us and say all manner of evil of us for the name of Christ For them What reward shall be given to thee thou false tongue Even sharp arrows with hot burning coals yea those very coals of hell from which thou wert enkindled There was yet a third sort that went a mid way betwixt wonder and censure These were not so malicious as to impute the Miracle to a Satanical operation they confess it good but not enough and therefore urge Christ to a farther proof Though thou hast cast out this dumb Devil yet this is no sufficient argument of thy Divine power We have yet seen nothing from thee like those ancient Miracles of the times of our forefathers Joshua caused the Sun to stand still Elias brought fire down from heaven Samuel astonisht the people with thunder and rain in the midst of harvest If thou wouldst command our belief doe somewhat like to these The casting out of a Devil shews thee to have some power over Hell shew us now that thou hast no less power over Heaven There is a kind of unreasonableness of desire and insatiableness in Infidelity it never knows when it hath evidence enough This which the Jews over-looked was a more irrefragable demonstration of Divinity then that which they desired A Devil was more then a Meteor or a parcel of an element to cast out a Devil by command more then to command fire from heaven Infidelity ever loves to be her own carver No son can be more like a father then these Jews to their progenitors in the desart That there might be no fear of degenerating into good they also of old tempted God in the Wilderness First they are weary of the Egyptian bondage and are ready to fall out with God and Moses for their stay in those furnaces By ten miraculous Plagues they are freed and going out of those confines the Egyptians follow them the Sea is before them now they are more afflicted with their liberty then their servitude The Sea yields way the Egyptians are drowned and now that they are safe on the other shore they tempt the providence of God for water The Rock yields it them then no less for bread and meat God sends them Manna and Quails they cry out of the food of Angels Their present enemies in the way are vanquished they whine at the men of measures in the heart of Canaan Nothing from God but mercy nothing from them but temptations Their true brood both in nature and in sin had abundant proofs of the Messiah if curing the blind lame diseased deaf dumb ejecting Devils over-ruling the elements raising the dead could have been sufficient yet still they must have a sign from Heaven and shut up in
either of the presence of God or of the mention of his sins O fools if ye could run away from God it were somewhat but whilst ye move in him what doe ye whither go ye Ye may run from his Mercy ye cannot but run upon his Judgement Christ is left alone Alone in respect of these complainants not alone in respect of the multitude there yet stands the mournfull Adulteress She might have gone forth with them no body constrained her stay but that which sent them away stayed her Conscience She knew her guiltiness was publickly accused and durst not be by herself denied as one that was therefore fastened there by her own guilty heart she stirs not till she may receive a dismission Our Saviour was not so busie in writing but that he read the while the guilt and absence of those accusers he that knew what they had done knew no less what they did what they would doe Yet as if the matter had been strange to him he lifts up himself and says Woman where are thy accusers How well was this sinner to be left there Could she be in a safer place then before the Tribunall of a Saviour Might she have chosen her refuge whither should she rather have fled O happy we if when we are convinced in our selves of our sins we can set our selves before that Judge who is our Surety our Advocate our Redeemer our ransome our peace Doubtless she stood doubtfull betwixt hope and fear Hope in that she saw her accusers gone Fear in that she knew what she had deserved and now whilst she trembles in expectation of a sentence she hears Woman where are thy accusers Wherein our Saviour intends the satisfaction of all the hearers of all the beholders that they might apprehend the guiltiness and therefore the unfitness of the accusers and might well see there was no warrantable ground of his farther proceeding against her Two things are necessary for the execution of a Malefactour Evidence Sentence the one from Witnesses the other from the Judge Our Saviour asks for both The accusation and proof must draw on the sentence the sentence must proceed upon the evidence of the proof Where are thy accusers hath no man condemned thee Had sentence passed legally upon the Adulteress doubtless our Saviour would not have acquitted her For as he would not intrude upon others offices so he would not cross or violate the justice done by others But now finding the coast clear he says Neither do I condemn thee What Lord dost thou then shew favour to foul offenders Art thou rather pleased that gross sins should be blanched and sent away with a gentle connivency Far far be this from the perfection of thy Justice He that hence argues Adulteries not punishable by death let him argue the unlawfulness of dividing of inheritances because in the case of the two wrangling brethren thou saidst Who made me a divider of inheritances Thou declinedst the office thou didst not dislike the act either of parting lands or punishing offenders Neither was here any absolution of the woman from a sentence of death but a dismission of her from thy sentence which thou knewest not proper for thee to pronounce Herein hadst thou respect to thy calling and to the main purpose of thy coming into the world which was neither to be an arbiter of Civil Causes nor a judge of Criminal but a Saviour of mankind not to destroy the Body but to save the Soul And this was thy care in this miserable Offender Goe and sin no more How much more doth it concern us to keep within the bounds of our vocation and not to dare to trench upon the functions of others How can we ever enough magnifie thy Mercy who takest no pleasure in the death of a sinner who so camest to save that thou challengest us of unkindness for being miserable Why will ye die O house of Israel But O Son of God though thou wouldst not then be a Judge yet thou wilt once be Thou wouldst not in thy first coming judge the sins of men thou wilt come to judge them in thy second The time shall come when upon that just and glorious Tribunall thou shalt judge every man according to his works That we may not one day hear thee say Goe ye cursed let us now hear thee say Goe sin no more XXXIII The Thankfull Penitent ONE while I find Christ invited by a Publican now by a Pharisee Where-ever he went he made better chear then he found in an happy exchange of spirituall repast for bodily Who knows not the Pharisees to have been the proud enemies of Christ men over-conceited of themselves contemptuous of others severe in shew Hypocrites in deed strict Sectaries insolent Justiciaries Yet here one of them invites Christ and that in good earnest The man was not like his fellows captious not ceremonious had he been of their stamp the omission of washing the feet had been mortall No profession hath not yielded some good Nicodemus and Gamaliel were of the same strain Neither is it for nothing that the Evangelist having branded this Sect for despising the counsell of God against themselves presently subjoyns this history of Simon the Pharisee as an exempt man O Saviour thou canst find out good Pharisees good Publicans yea a good Thief upon the Cross and that thou maist find thou canst make them so At the best yet he was a Pharisee whose table thou here refusedst not So didst thou in wisedom and mercy attemper thy self as to become all things to all men that thou mightest win some Thy Harbenger was rough as in cloaths so in disposition professedly harsh and austere thy self wert milde and sociable So it was fit for both He was a preacher of Penance thou the authour of comfort and Salvation He made way for Grace thou gavest it Thou hast bidden us to follow thy self not thy Fore-runner That then which Politicks and time-servers doe for earthly advantages we will doe for spirituall frame our selves to all companies not in evil but in good yea in indifferent things What wonder is it that thou who camest down from Heaven to frame thy self to our nature shouldst whilst thou wert on earth frame thy self to the severall dispositions of men Catch not at this O ye licentious Hypocrites men of all hours that can eat with gluttons drink with drunkards sing with ribalds scoffe with profane scorners and yet talk holily with the religious as if ye had hence any colour for your changeable conformity to all fashions Our Saviour never sinn'd for any man's sake though for our sakes he was sociable that he might keep us from sinning Can ye so converse with leud good-fellows as that ye repress their sins redress their exorbitances win them to God now ye walk in the steps of him that stuck not to sit down in the Pharisee's house There sate the Saviour and Behold a woman in the City that was a sinner I marvell not
to us in our first birth our new birth acquits us from him and cuts off all his claim How miserable are they that have nothing but Nature Better had it been to have been unborn then not to be born again And if this poor soul from an infant were thus miserably handled having done none actual evil how just cause have we to fear the like Judgments who by many foul offences have deserved to draw this executioner upon us O my Soul thou hast not room enough for thankfulness to that good God who hath not delivered thee up to that malignant Spirit The distressed Father sits not still neglects not means I brought him to thy Disciples Doubtless the man came first to seek for Christ himself finding him absent he makes suit to the Disciples To whom should we have recourse in all our spiritual complaints but to the agents and messengers of God The noise of the like cures had surely brought this man with much confidence to crave their succour and now how cold was he at the heart when he found that his hopes were frustrate They could not cast him out No doubt the Disciples tried their best they laid their wonted charge upon this dumb spirit but all in vain They that could come with joy and triumph to their Master and say The Devils are subject to us find now themselves matched with a stubborn and refractory spirit Their way was hitherto smooth and fair they met with no rub till now And now surely the father of the Demoniack was not more troubled at this event then themselves How could they chuse but fear lest their Master had with himself with-drawn that spiritual power which they had formerly exercised Needs must their heart fail them with their success The man complained not of their impotence it were fondly injurious to accuse them for that which they could not doe had the want been in their will they had well deserved a querulous language it was no fault to want power Onely he complains of the stubbornness and laments the invincibleness of that evil spirit I should wrong you O ye blessed Followers of Christ if I should say that as Israel when Moses was gone up into the Mount lost their belief with their guide so that ye missing your Master who was now ascended up to his Tabor were to seek for your Faith Rather the Wisedom of God saw reason to check your over-assured forwardness and both to pull down your hearts by a just humiliation in the sense of your own weakness and to raise up your hearts to new acts of dependence upon that sovereign power from which your limited virtue was derived What was more familiar to the Disciples then ejecting of Devils In this onely it is denied them Our good God sometimes finds it requisite to hold us short in those abilities whereof we make least doubt that we may feel whence we had them God will be no less glorified in what we cannot doe then in what we can doe If his Graces were alwaies at our command and ever alike they would seem naturall and soon run into contempt now we are justly held in an awfull dependence upon that gracious hand which so gives as not to cloy us and so denies as not to discourage us Who could now but expect that our Saviour should have pitied and bemoaned the condition of this sad father and miserable son and have let fall some words of comfort upon them In stead whereof I hear him chiding and complaining O faithless and perverse generation how long shall I be with you how long shall I suffer you Complaining not of that wofull father and more wofull son it was not his fashion to adde affliction to the distressed to break such bruised reeds but of those Scribes who upon the failing of the success of this suit had insulted upon the disability of the Followers of Christ and depraved his power although perhaps this impatient father seduced by their suggestion might slip into some thoughts of distrust There could not be a greater crimination then faithless and perverse faithless in not believing perverse in being obstinately set in their unbelief Doubtless these men were not free from other notorious crimes all were drowned in their Infidelity Morall uncleannesses or violences may seem more hainous to men none are so odious to God as these Intellectuall wickednesses What an happy change is here in one breath of Christ How long shall I suffer you Bring him hither to me The one is a word of anger the other of favour His just indignation doth not exceed or impeach his Goodness What a sweet mixture there is in the perfect simplicity of the Divine Nature In the midst of judgment he remembers mercy yea he acts it His Sun shines in the midst of this storm Whether he frown or whether he smile it is all to one purpose that he may win the incredulous and disobedient Whither should the rigour of all our censures tend but to edification and not to destruction We are Physicians we are not executioners we give purges to cure and not poisons to kill It is for the just Judge to say one day to reprobate Souls Depart from me in the mean time it is for us to invite all that are spiritually possessed to the participation of mercy Bring him hither to me O Saviour distance was no hindrance to thy work why should the Demoniack be brought to thee Was it that this deliverance might be the better evicted and that the beholders might see it was not for nothing that the Disciples were opposed with so refractory a spirit or was it that the Scribes might be witnesses of that strong hostility that was betwixt thee and that foul spirit and be ashamed of their blasphemous slander or was it that the father of the Demoniack might be quickened in that Faith which now through the suggestion of the Scribes begun to droop when he should hear and see Christ so chearfully to undertake and perform that whereof they had bidden him despair The possessed is brought the Devil is rebuked and ejected That stiffe spirit which stood out boldly against the commands of the Disciples cannot but stoop to the voice of the Master that power which did at first cast him out of Heaven easily dispossesses him of an house of clay The Lord rebuke thee Satan and then thou canst not but flee The Disciples who were not used to these affronts cannot but be troubled at their mis-success Master why could not we cast him out Had they been conscious of any defect in themselves they had never ask'd the question Little did they think to hear of their Unbelief Had they not had great Faith they could not have cast out any Devils had they not had some want of Faith they had cast out this It is possible for us to be defective in some Graces and not to feel it Although not so much their weakness is guilty of this unprevailing as
attend thy rising O Saviour thou laiest down in weakness thou risest in power and glory thou laiest down like a man thou risest like a God What a lively image hast thou herein given me of the dreadfull majesty of the generall Resurrection and thy second appearance Then not the earth onely but the powers of Heaven shall be shaken not some few graves shall be open and some Saints appear but all the bars of death shall be broken and all that sleep in their graves shall awake and stand up from the dead before thee not some one Angel shall descend but thou the great Angel of the Covenant attended with thousand thousands of those mighty Spirits And if these stout Souldiers were so filled with terrour at the feeling of an Earthquake and the sight of an Angel that they had scarce breath left in them for the time to witness them alive where shall thine enemies appear O Lord in the day of thy terrible appearance when the earth shall reel and vanish and the elements shall be on a flame about their ears and the Heavens shall wrap up as a scroll O God thou mightest have removed this stone by the force of thine Earthquake as well as rive other rocks yet thou wouldst rather use the ministery of an Angel or thou that gavest thy self life and gavest being both to the stone and to the earth couldst more easily have removed the stone then moved the earth but it was thy pleasure to make use of an Angel's hand And now he that would ask why thou wouldst doe it rather by an Angel then by thy self may as well ask why thou didst not rather give thy Law by thine own immediate hand then by the ministration of Angels why by an Angel thou struckest the Israelites with plagues the Assyrians with the sword why an Angel appeared to comfort thee after thy Temptation and Agony when thou wert able to comfort thy self why thou usest the influences of Heaven to fruiten the earth why thou imployest Second causes in all events when thou couldst doe all things alone It is good reason thou shouldst serve thy self of thine own neither is there any ground to be required whether of their motion or rest besides thy will Thou didst raise thy self the Angels removed the stone They that could have no hand in thy Resurrection yet shall have an hand in removing outward impediments not because thou neededst but because thou wouldest like as thou alone didst raise Lazarus thou badest others let him loose Works of Omnipotency thou reservest to thine own immediate performance ordinary actions thou doest by subordinate means Although this act of the Angels was not merely with respect to thee but partly to those devout Women to ease them of their care to manifest unto them thy Resurrection So officious are those glorious Spirits not onely to thee their Maker but even to the meanest of thy servants especially in the furtherance of all their spirituall designs Let us bring our Odours they will be sure to roll away the stone Why do not we imitate them in our forwardness to promote each others Salvation We pray to doe thy will here as they doe in Heaven if we do not act our wishes we do but mock thee in our Devotions How glorious did this Angel of thine appear The terrified Souldiers saw his face like lightning both they and the Women saw his garments shining bright and white as snow such a presence became his errand It was fit that as in thy Passion the Sun was darkened and all creatures were clad with heaviness so in thy Resurrection the best of thy creatures should testifie their joy and exultation in the brightness of their habit that as we on Festivall-days put on our best cloaths so thine Angels should celebrate this blessed Festivity with a meet representation of Glory They could not but injoy our joy to see the work of man's Redemption thus fully finished and if there be mirth in Heaven at the conversion of one sinner how much more when a world of sinners is perfectly ransomed from death and restored to Salvation Certainly if but one or two appeared all rejoyced all triumphed Neither could they but be herein sensible of their own happy advantage who by thy mediation are confirmed in their glorious estate since thou by the bloud of thy Cross and power of thy Resurrection hast reconciled things not in earth onely but in Heaven But above all other the Love of thee their God and Saviour must needs heighten their joy and make thy Glory theirs It is their perpetuall work to praise thee how much more now when such an occasion was offered as never had been since the world began never could be after when thou the God of Spirits hadst vanquished all the spirituall powers of darkness when thou the Lord of Life hadst conquered death for thee and all thine so as they may now boldly insult over their last enemy O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory Certainly if Heaven can be capable of an increase of joy and felicity never had those Blessed Spirits so great a cause of triumph and gratulation as in this day of thy glorious Resurrection How much more O dear Jesu should we men whose flesh thou didst assume unite revive for whose sake and in whose stead thou didst vouchsafe to suffer and die whose arrerages thou payedst in death and acquittedst in thy Resurrection whose Souls are discharged whose Bodies shall be raised by the power of thy rising how much more should we think we have cause to be overjoyed with the happy memory of this great work of thy Divine Power and unconceivable Mercy Lo now how weak soever I am in my self yet in the confidence of this victorious Resurrection of my Saviour I dare boldly challenge and defie you O all ye adverse Powers Doe the worst ye can to my Soul in despite of you it shall be safe Is it Sin that threats me Behold this Resurrection of my Redeemer publishes my discharge My Surety was arrested and cast into the prison of his Grave had not the utmost farthing of mine arrerages been paid he could not have come forth He is come forth the Sum is fully satisfied What danger can there be of a discharged Debt Is it the Wrath of God Wherefore is that but for sin If my sin be defrayed that quarrell is at an end and if my Saviour suffered it for me how can I fear to suffer it in my self That infinite Justice hates to be twice paid He is risen therefore he hath satisfied Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen Is it Death it self Lo my Saviour that overcame death by dying hath triumph'd over him in his Resurrection How can I now fear a conquered enemy What harm is there in the Serpent but for his sting The sting of death is sin that is pulled out by my powerfull Redeemer it cannot now