and Body of the same Nature Qualities Properties and Passions with others liable to the same things and standing in need of the same Support And in a word like to others in all things except Sin so that he may be justly and in strict propriety of Speech stiled the man Christ Iesus and well deserves that Epithet which is often given him in Scripture viz. the Son of man As also his Actions and Sufferings are to be considered as the Actions and Sufferings of a Man We must not with the Ancient Hereticks deny the Humanity of Jesus or Fancy that all his Actions and Sufferings were only in appearance and no wise real for he did partake of the Humane Nature as much as any of us and was of the like innocent Passions and Infirmities with our selves But then again least we think meanly of this man Christ Jesus least we reckon no more of him than of other ordinary Men we must remember all his Character and consider that he who was at this time found in the fashion as a Man was formerly in the form of God and thought it not Robbery to be equal with God This Son of Man was also the Son of God the God-head dwelt in him and both the Divine and Humane Nature were personally united in him and that too after such an intimate manner as we see Soul and Body for composing the Person of a Man Therefore as in respect of his God-head he is called the eternal Son of God the only begotten of God the Father over all God blessed for ever And as in respect of his Man-hood or Humane Nature he is called the Son of Man the Son of David the seed of Abraham and the seed of the Woman So because of the intimate Union and Conjunction of these two Natures into the one Person of Jesus Christ he is said to be God manifested in the flesh the word made flesh When the fulness of time was come saith our Apostle God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law Hence also it is that the Attributes and Works peculiar to the one true God are ascribed to Jesus thus he is said to have created the World to uphold all things by the Word of his Power to know the secret Thoughts c. And what was done by him is attributed to God tho' it was only proper to the Humane Nature Thus Act. XX. 28. St. Paul saith God purchased the Church with his own blood Upon this account all the Prophecies which went before pointed at both his Divinity and Humanity As for instance the very first calling him the seed of the woman shews his Humane Nature and his Divinity is declared by the other Clause which saith that he should bruise the serpents head Behold saith Isaiah a virgin shall conceive and bear a son that is a Man but it being added and shall call his name Immanuel which signifies God with us this imports that he was also to be God So his Humane Nature is set forth in these words Unto us a child is born unto us a Son is given But his God-head no less by what follows viz. His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor the mighty God the Everlasting Father the Prince of Peace For this cause also the Divine Oeconomy towards him after his appearance in the World was so ordered as to attest both his Humanity and Divinity He was conceived in the Womb of the Virgin but by the Power of the Holy Ghost that this Holy One which was Born might be called the Son of God After his Birth he was swadled and laid in a Manger to hold forth the quality of a Man but at the same time Angels were sent from Heaven to declare his Birth who sung Divine Hymns for it that thereby might be represented his quality as God In his Baptism like a Man he is dipt into Water by Iohn the Baptist but to bear Witness of his Divinity the Heavens open and a voice crieth This is my beloved Son When he is in the Desart as a Man he suffers Hunger and Thirst but as a God the Angels minister unto him And as his Death shewed him to be Man so the darkening of the Sun the rending of the Veil the trembling of the Earth the opening of the Graves the rising of the Dead and his bestowing Paradise upon the Thief who died with him were Signs that he was God Moreover the Truth of his Divine and Human Nature is declared and set forth by most of his Actions especially his Miracles as the Blessing the five Loaves and two Fishes and by that making them to multiply to the feeding of Five Thousand The bidding the Sick take up his Bed and walk the weeping over Lazarus's Grave and yet raising him after he had been Four Days in it the sleeping in a Tempest and Storm and the making it Calm when he was awakened By these and many other instances it is evident that the Person our Text speaks of Jesus Christ is both God and Man that in him both the God-head and Humane Nature were personally united Which as St. Paul saith is without Controversy a great Mystery 1 Tim. iii. that is a wonderful and an ineffable thing which passeth the understanding of Man either to explain or fully to comprehend We shall never be able to comprehend this fully till we come to the other World where all Mysteries will end in clear Visions and where we shall not see as it were through a Glass darkly as at present But yet if at present we take a view of this Mystery with a reference to the end to which it was adapted we shall discover convincing Instances of the admirable and unsearchable Wisdom of God The Design was to save lost Mankind by the means of a Mediator who was to make an Atonement for their Sins and so to make up the breach betwixt God and Man as that Man might be saved and yet neither the Honour Justice or Authority of God or his Laws impaired so that it might be thought there was any force or necessity upon God to be reconciled to Man as the Kings of the Earth are obliged to make Peace with their Rebellious Subjects It were a little too bold to say that God had no other way to compass the Salvation of Men But sure this way is admirably contrived both for the Glory of God and the good of Mankind Man could not desire or devise a better a more equal a more easie Method and it is every way honourable for God it is made Effectual for Man and not only the Mercy and Goodness of God do hereby abundantly appear but also his Wisdom Power and Justice and all those Attributes which may excite Fear and Reverence or procure Love or oblige to Obedience Who so proper to ransom Mankind as one of the Race who did participate of the Humane Nature and who was descended from the same Parents Who but Man could
I say what Humility would it be in such a Person for the good of his Subjects to divest himself of Majesty to lay aside the Pretensions to Royalty and Sovereignty and to put himself in the State of a Subject in which he should be obliged to obey the Laws and Orders which he had Right to give and which were in force only by Virtue of his own Authority How would men stand amazed at this And yet such and greater Humility has Christ shewed for us men for while he was Heir of all things he made himself empty and poor for us When he had a sovereign Authority over all in Heaven and Earth he became subject and obedient both to the Laws of God and men And it was for this very end that he became man therefore it is said of him Psal. 40. mine ears hast thou opened or bored alluding to that Custom of boring the Ears of those who resolved to be Servants for ever Which St. Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews Chap. X. 5. to render the thing clearer hath expressed thus a body hast thou prepared for me And in both it is added Lo I come in the volume of thy Book it is written of me to do thy will O God I take delight And as Obedience was the end why he became Man so from his Birth he payed a ready sincere and punctual Obedience to the Laws of Nature the Decrees of God the Acts of his Providence and the Statutes of Men. In his Infancy he was subject to his Parents when he was grown up he was obedient both to the Roman Governours and Jewish Magistrates he observed all the Law of Moses and was both in Civil and Religious Matters the greatest Example of a chearful and universal Obedience which ever the World saw He did all things without murmuring without Reluctancy he never disputed the Reasonableness of the divine Commands or the Justice of his Providence But knowing That God has an absolute Authority over Men and that he can command nothing that is not just therefore having put himself in the Condition of other Men that is in a State of Subjection to God he obeyed his absolute Authority without Reserve Nay rather than give Scandal or Occasion to any to refuse Obedience he would render it when it was not due and where it could not be without Rigour exacted nay when he could easily have avoided it Thus he would be baptized of Iohn the Baptist for fulfilling of all righteousness though Iohn refused it and that there was no need of it for him Therefore also after he had convinced Peter that he ought not to have payed Tribute notwithstanding said he to him lest we offend go thou to the sea and cast an hook and take up the fish that first cometh up and when thou hast opened its mouth thou shalt find a piece of Money that take and give unto them for me and thee Matth. xvii 27. It was his meat and drink to do the will of God Nor did he take Pleasure therein only when it was easie and about pleasant Matters but also when the Commands were severe heavy troublesome such as Nature struggled with and was averse to When his Soul was exceeding sorrowful even unto Death upon the sad Apprehensions of his Sufferings he went and prayed O my Father if it be possible let this Cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt And again O my Father if this Cup may not pass away from me unless I drink it thy will be done Sometimes free and independent Princes have subjected themselves to others but then it was for some noble Employment and general Command under them whereby they had a Prospect of getting to themselves Glory Praise and Renown in the Earth But behold Jesus submitted himself to the Condition of the meanest Servant to Misery Pain Shame Reproach Disgrace and all the evil vile and unjust Usage which the most barbarous and most wicked could invent and which an ingenuous and noble Soul would abhorr He yielded himself to be a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief to be smitten of God and afflicted by Men to be despised set at nought oppressed and killed And yet he never opened his Mouth he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before his shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth He was obedient to the death And that we may the more admire this Obedience of his the kind of Death to which he submitted is set before us even the death of the Cross. This was a Death well known in those times in which the Apostle lived and wrote this Epistle And it was known to be the very worst kind of Death that the Laws of Men could inflict on the greatest Malefactors It was a painful Death and the more painful because it was lingering It was so vile and shameful that by the Laws none could be put to it except Slaves not a free man or any of honest Birth whatever might be their Crime This was the Death to which Jesus surrendered himself and he yielded to this Death not only when there was no Mitigation of the usual Pain Shame and Bitterness but also when extraordinary Pain Shame Torment and Agony were superadded Let any take a View of our Lord his Death and Passion what went before and what accompanied his Cross what Treachery and Ingratitude he met with with what Malice and Cruelty he was pursued what base Calumnies he was loaded with what horrid Crimes of Blasphemy Sedition and Conspiracy against Church and State were falsly charged upon him how he was deserted by his Friends mocked by his Enemies and despitefully used by every Body it will be found that never any Sorrow was like unto his Sorrow nor any Cross so grievous as his He sustained the Wrath of God the Weight of Sin the Malice of Devils and the Spite of Men. His Death was both base and bitter sad and shameful beyond all Expression But withal it was voluntary Which leads me to the last thing proposed Which was to shew the End and Reason why Jesus who was the Son of God thus abased and humbled himself and became obedient unto Death even the Death of the Cross. In Prosecution of this it cannot be expected that either I can mention all or insist at large on any for the time allowed will not suffice for such a Task I shall propose briefly some few which may satisfie and leave the Prosecution of them to your private Meditations In general then all this was done for setting forth the Glory of God and for effectuating the Redemption of Mankind therefore it is called the Mystery of Redemption and the Gospel which declareth it is called the word of Salvation And for this cause that admirable Person of whom we have been speaking is called our Saviour and Redeemer Behold said the Angel to the Shepherds I bring to you tidings of great joy
which shall be to all People Unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord Luke ii But to be more particular This was done to declare and demonstrate the infinite Love and Mercy of God who rather than that Mankind should perish would suffer his own Son and his only Son to be thus abased and humbled God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son unto it that the world through him might not perish but that those who believe might have eternal life John iii. 16. and Rom. v. 8. It is said That God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Mankind is but one part of the Creation And though he make a considerable Figure in this lower World yet if we knew all the other parts of the Creation and their Inhabitants perhaps we should find him contemptible and inconsiderable he is certainly inferiour to the Angels what a Demonstration therefore is it of the Mercy of God to his Creatures that he would not suffer such inconsiderable ones to perish But to prevent their eternal Ruin was pleased to give his Son to do and suffer so many things for us And how doth it heighten his Love to us the Sons of Men that he has shewed more Kindness to us than to the Angels who by Nature are so much better than we He passed by the Angels and has had pity on us he has left them to perish in their Apostacy and Disobedience but has sent his Son to save us Secondly Hereby God hath declared his Justice his uncontroulable Authority the Vigour of his Laws and the Certainty of his Threatnings By this it appears that God is just and will not clear the guilty that he will not suffer his Authority to be contemned nor his Laws to be broken and that what he peremptorily threatens to the breakers of them shall come to pass Heaven and Earth may pass away but one Jot or Title of the Law shall not fall and rather than the Transgression of it escape unpunished he will make his own Son an Example Like that King who having threatned the Loss of both Eyes to such as should be guilty of Adultery And his Son having committed that Crime he to keep his Royal Word to maintain the Vigour of his Laws and to strike Terrour into his Subjects but withal to shew some Mercy to his Son pulled out one of his Son's Eyes and gave another of his own God would not remit the Punishment of Sin but to save Sinners he laid the Weight of the Punishment on his own Son Thirdly Hereby is declared the heinous Nature of Sin how odious it is in the Sight of God how impossible it is to be reconciled to him or to expect his Favour unless it be expiated Let Fools now make a mock of Sin if they dare Let Men consider what the Son of God hath done and suffered to take away the Sins of the World let them call to mind what Obedience what Agony what Shame and Pain the Holy and Innocent Jesus hath been put to what it hath cost him to take away the Guilt of it and to free Men from the Punishment of it And when they have seriously considered all this let them say if they can whether Sin be to be sported with whether it may be safely cherished and indulged Fourthly This setteth forth the Dignity of the Humane Nature How highly is that to be esteemed which God has thought worthy of so strict an Alliance with himself and to save which the Eternal Son of God the Second Person of the blessed Trinity he who thought it not Robbery to be equal with God even he was pleased to make himself of no Reputation to take upon him the Form of a Servant to humble himself and to become obedient unto Death This is Immortal Honour unto Mankind which the Devils envy and which the highest Angels admire and therefore it is said that even they desire to look into it This is the Glory of Man and that which sets him farthest above all his Fellow Creatures in this World The Bodies of other Animals are not much inferiour to ours for they are all of almost the same Nature Composition and curious Contrivance and whatever be the inward Principle of their Life and Actions whatever it be that guides them their Actions are more regular than ours and certainly the Effects of greater Reason Knowledge and Wisdom than what we can by Speculation Study or Experience arrive at But neither Cherubim nor Seraphim nor any of the Celestial Order of Intelligent Beings can boast a Privilege above or even equal to what Man hath by the Incarnation of the Son of God and what followed upon it He took not on him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham God has espoused our Nature and thereby made us more honourable than other Creatures and as we have by this the highest Honour so all the Happiness that can be desired For what greater Happiness What can we desire more than what the Love and Friendship and Favour of God can bestow Fifthly As this shews the Dignity of the humane Nature so wherein the Perfection of it consists even in a perfect Obedience unto God such as we shewed that Jesus Christ did pay unto him Adam ruined the humane Nature by his Disobedience Jesus Christ has repaired it by being entirely obedient even unto Death and no Man can arrive at Perfection but by the Imitation of Jesus in a perfect Subjection to the Will of God To make Provision for the Flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof is never to aim higher than Beasts and inferiour Animals to walk by Sense will stifle our Reason to follow the Imaginations and Devices of our own Hearts or only what our own Reason suggests we shall never surmount a natural imperfect State nor have any other Perfection than what cometh from our selves But if we give our selves up to the Conduct of God if we will follow his Will and Providence and never dispute or cavil at his Pleasure we shall far out-grow our natural State our minds shall receive the Light of Divine Illumination our Spirits shall be fortified by the Almighty Spirit of God and we shall at last become Partakers of the Divine Nature which is as high as any can aspire Sixthly I will only give one Instance more which is that the Incarnation of Jesus Christ his Obedience and Sufferings were appointed to the end that he might merit the Glory Honour and sovereign Power which God had design'd for him before the Foundation of the World Wherefore as it follows our Text God hath highly exalted him and given him a Name which is above every Name that at the Name of Iesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Iesus
was set apart to be the Sacrifice for Sin he bears the Iniquity of Men and that is from the beginning wherefore he is called the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World that is appointed to be slain And therefore our sins come in among the rest and consequently we have all Reason to deplore his Death and to bewail our own Wretchedness and Sin which was in part the Cause of it O ye Children of Men ye of the sinful Race of Adam come and behold the wretched and deplorable State of your Nature look upon the Cross and let thine Eyes see Jesus bleeding and dying on it and then consider that Blood was shed to wash away thy natural Filthiness and his Life taken to redeem thee from Death O how unreasonable How insolent a thing is Pride in Man Art thou Proud who hast an evil Disease cleaving to thee and inherent to all thy race which cannot be cleansed but by the precious Blood of the Eternal Son of God Art thou vain who art born such a slave that nothing could have ransomed thee except the Death and Sufferings of the Lord of Life and Glory Pride Arrogance and Boasting are no wise suitable to Persons of our Condition but Mourning and Weeping are very proper especially considering the guilt we have contracted since our coming to the World the heinousness of which the Cross of Christ will also shew us for that heavy Cross was laid on him to take away the guilt of those Sins which we daily commit The Son of God was humbled and Crowned with Thorns to make atonement for our Pride and Ambition he was stript naked because of our Covetousness he was unmercifully treated that he might bear the Punishment of our Revenge and Cruelty towards our Brethren The inward agony of his Soul was occasioned by our wanton Mirth and Lasciviousness and that he might be a Propitiation for our Excess and Riot there was nothing left him but Vinegar and Gall to drink His Bowels his Hands and Feet were pierced upon the account of our Oaths and Blasphemies In a word he was mocked had no pity shewed him was Scourged and put to Death contrary to Law Justice and Equity because we are false and treacherous and have no respect to the Commands of God Ye Fools who make a mock of Sin and who think it but a Sport to commit Iniquity come hither be instructed and learn to be Wise. Is the Shame and the Pain Is the Agony and Grief Is the Death and are the unspeakable Sufferings of Jesus the Son of God only a Sport Are these things only matter of Laughter Has any the Impudence either to say it or to think it No sure But then if these be bitter Sport what shall we think of our Sins which produce it for the Sufferings of our Lord are only the Effects of our Sins Doth it not trouble every honest and thinking Man when he is so unfortunate as to be the occasion of any Evil and Mischief to another Casual Murther or Manslaughter by an accidental Rencounter the throwing of a Stone the shooting of a Bow or Gun or the like do not infer guilt the Actors are innocent when they have no design of that Nature in their head and yet no Man who hath not lost Humanity but will be affected when any such Misfortune falls in his hands and his Grief will be so much the greater as the Person whose Death is occasioned is worthy and deserving What cause of Grief then have we who not accidentally but wittingly and willingly by our deliberate Sins and Transgressions have drawn Death on the Innocent and Righteous Jesus and that too the worst of Deaths the most shameful the most painful and the most bitter Death of the Cross Have we not reason to weep for our selves Can we ever bewail enough either our misfortune or wretchedness by Nature or our guilt through our actual Transgressions Certainly we should lament our condition on all occasions should set apart times for it and especially at occasions of this Nature when our guilt and the sad Effects of it is represented to us we should mourn and weep This is the only way to clear our selves to lessen our guilt and to keep innocent Blood from being charged upon us Blessed are they that thus mourn for they shall be comforted They who sow in tears shall reap in joy Jesus shall bear the Iniquities of those who regret his Death and their own guilt which caused it and made it necessary his Blood shall wash away their guilt and his Death shall prevent their Eternal Death for he who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God through him 2 Cor. v. But as the Death and Sufferings of Jesus Christ procureth Mercy to the humble and Penitent so his Blood calleth for vengeance upon the hardned and impenitent Which leadeth me to the last thing in the Text for upon this account he added and weep for your Children for behold the days are coming c. by this intimating that the Imprecations of the People were ready to light upon them for as they cried out and wished his blood be upon us and our Children so to revenge it sore and heavy Calamities were impending over the City and the whole Nation Jesus spoke not these words from any Spirit of desire of Revenge nor out of any complacency at those sad Evils which were to befall them for the Injuries done to himself It is a fault which too many are guilty of when they think themselves wronged and cannot at present either revenge or remedy it they delight and please themselves with the thoughts of God's revenging their quarrel But Jesus was far from this temper for we find in the 19th of this Gospel That when he beheld the City he wept over it out of Compassion of those Evils which he saw would come upon it And they who have the same Mind in them which was in him will neither desire the destruction of their Enemies nor rejoice at it but will both pray against it and fear and tremble when they see it unavoidable But our Lord uttered these words to testifie his Divinity and Godhead and his Love and good Will even to those sinful Men his Divinity in that he knew what was to come for none knoweth future things but God alone his Love and good Will in that he forewarned them of their Danger that being forewarned they might if possible either prevent it or obtain a delay and suspension of it When he bids them weep for their Children he doth not mean the Children of these Women only or particularly but the whole Generation of the Iews for he speaks to those Women in the Name of the whole Inhabitants of Ierusalem or rather of all the People of Iudaea therefore they are called Daughters of Ierusalem which is as much as to say Israelites for Ierusalem was the Chief or Mother-city and to
Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure The absolute necessity of Holiness will I suppose be acknowledged by all but I fear many mistake what it is and wherein it consists Some think that it lies in varnishing a little the outside the putting on a form of Godliness like the Pharisees whom our Saviour resembled to whited Sepulchers which covered rottenness and filth Some think they are holy enough if their Opinions be sound and that they are in Communion with an Orthodox Party and a Zeal to promote that Party which they think so is all the Sanctity which others aim at I heard of one who said of a certain Person That she was a Saint indeed because she had the Vocabula Artis What he meant thereby I do not well know except it was That she spake the Dialect and used the Phrases peculiar to some People Indeed he that is Holy will take heed to his words but I know no kind of Language sufficient to sanctifie one and if there were then there needed not great violence in taking the Kingdom of Heaven But not to pursue these manifold sad Mistakes of Men true Holiness regardeth God our neighbours and our selves As it regards God it consists in loving him sincerely above all things being ready to part with any thing rather than offend him In being zealously concerned for his Glory and Interest according to Knowledge and Equity For evil must not be done that good may come who doth so saith St. Paul their damnation is just to drive on things per fas nefas is so far from honouring God that it occasions him to be Blasphemed Finally he truly loves God and is holy towards him who makes Conscience of keeping his Commandments O that my ways were directed to keep thy Statutes Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect to all thy Commandments Psal. cxix 5 6. But Secondly He that is holy towards God will be holy also in all manner of Conversation towards Men these two God hath joined together by his Word and Men must not put them asunder Now Holiness towards Men is to honour all men and to love the brotherhood to deal with others as we would be dealt with to be unjust to none but to render all their due according to their several Places and Relations And if I have not quite mistaken the Moral of the Christian Religion it takes in Subjection and Obedience to our Superiours and lawful Governours in things lawful Moreover Holiness towards our Neighbour comprehends Mercy and Charity We ought to have Compassion upon him to relieve his Wants according to our Ability to forgive his Faults and to cover his Infirmities as much as possible A holy Man will not be hard-hearted and severe towards his Neighbour in his Transactions with him nor will he Treat him with the utmost Rigour especially when it cannot be done without his ruin And St. Iames tells us He shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy James ii 13. Lastly To compleat our Holiness we must look well to our selves and carefully preserve our selves unspotted from this World we must walk honestly as in the day not in chambering and wantonness not in gluttony and drunkenness not in strife and envy nor making provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof Frequent or habitual Excess and Rioting Whoredom and Uncleanness Lascivious Looks and Speeches not only spoil the Beauty of Holiness but quite deface it As to our selves Holiness is Chastity and Purity Modesty and Humility Temperance and Sobriety the taking care to suppress the Corruption of our Nature and to improve our selves in the exercise of every Grace Thus I have given you a true Scheme of that Holiness to which Eternal Life is promised And having such a Promise let us therefore Cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. vii 1. By these things we must study to qualifie our selves for that other better life otherwise we do in vain expect it Whether it be fit and proper to imploy Wicked and Unhallowed hands in rearing up the Temple of God in this World I shall not now determine but sure I am such shall never inherit the Kingdom of God in the other Let Men be never so active and zealous for Christ's Kingdom upon Earth tho' they Prophesie in his Name and in his Name cast out Devils and do many wondrous Works yet if they be workers of Iniquity he will say unto them Depart from me I never knew you As the certainty of an after happy state is clearly demonstrated in Scripture so there is nothing more plain and evident than that holiness thorough Iesus Christ is the only way that leads to it What a strange thing then is it and how unaccountable that those who profess a Desire and Hope of this Life do not walk in this Way thereto We have at present a great deal of talk about Religion but there was never less of the Practice thereof There was never more Profession nor was there ever so little of the fruit of Godliness to be seen Religion and Truth are in every Bodies Mouth but very few endeavour a conformity to them Some are altogether careless of Holiness as if they knew some By-path or nearer or easier Way to Heaven Others as if they had no hope but in this Life are only concerned for a present Temporal Interest as if Christ's Kingdom were only in this World they only lay themselves out for advancing and establishing the external Policy of the Church And this too Quovis modo by any means whatsoever they will do ill that good may come and do think that the end will hallow the means tho' never so unlawful But my Friends be not deceived suffer not your selves to be cheated and deluded out of the hope of Heaven and Eternal Life And that you may not fall short hereof and lose this comfortable Expectation let me intreat you to talk less and do more be less anxious about the outward Forms of Godliness and be more careful to shew the power thereof in your Life and Actions trust God a little more with the Care of his Church and Truth and be somewhat more concerned to set up the Kingdom of Christ within you without which you shall both forfeit your part in that glorious Kingdom above and also the honour and privilege of his Kingdom here on Earth Therefore say I unto you the Kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruits thereof This Judgment we have deserved and we have great cause to fear it Nothing will prevent it but our timely and unfeigned Repentance a serious turning to the Lord and bringing forth the fruits of Holiness and Righteousness If we do this God will yet have mercy upon our Nation settle the State preserve the Church and render her illustrious in
which is above upon those who do not obey him so none but those who keep his Commandments are capable of them The Dignities and Enjoyments of this present World may be possessed by any Both good and bad we see can be invested with them but as for the Heavenly Glory none can enjoy it but such as are worthy thereof As the Eye is required to Seeing and the Ear to Hearing and the Palate to Tasting so the previous Dispositions of Holiness and Righteousness are requisite and absolutely necessary to the Enjoyment of Heaven and Eternal Life Without holiness saith the Apostle no man can see God Seeing it is certain that we keep in the other World the same Temper and Inclinations which we have in this therefore he who is not prepared and disposed before-hand by the Exercise of Vertue and the leading a Life according to the Commandments of God is no more capable of Heaven and the Pleasures thereof than a Beast is of the intellectual and rational Enjoyments of Men. Heaven is not to be considered so much under the Notion of some glorious Place as of a State which brings us near to God and makes us Partakers of his Divine Nature It is a Life of perfect Holiness and Purity Wherefore they who seek for Heaven without the Desires and Endeavours to be truly holy are wholly ignorant of and do quite mistake the thing and do not know what they would be at Let any Object or Enjoyment be in it self never so good or excellent yet if it be not agreeable to the Faculties and suitable to the Inclinations of him who hath it it affords no Satisfaction or Delight And if he hath any Aversion thereunto it disgusts and procures Trouble and Pain The covetous Worlding the lascivious and intemperate Person relish no Pleasure in the Church in the Exercises of Devotion and in the Company of pious and devout Souls who are wholly mortified to the World and the things thereof these are irksome painful and wearisome things unto them And we may be sure Heaven would be yet far more troublesome because it would be a greater Violence to their Inclinations Therefore could we suppose a wicked Man translated into Heaven he yet would find no Heaven of it I mean he would not look upon himself as happy there because he would find nothing agreeable to his mind or grateful to his Inclinations he would taste as little Pleasure in all that that place could afford him as a Swine would do to be wrapped in Odours and fine Linen and decked with all manner of precious Ornaments As that Beast would still count the Mire and Puddle more delicious so a wicked and ungodly Person would esteem the lowest the most brutish and sensual Pleasures here to be preferable to the Joys of Heaven it self Heaven certainly is as much the natural Consequence of a holy and good Life as it is the Reward obtained for our Obedience And Hell is no more the determined Punishment of Sin than it is the necessary result and effect of it As a Weight naturally presseth towards the Earth so Sin sinketh a Man necessarily into Hell that is the outmost Misery Whereas true Goodness and Righteousness put him without the Reach of it in that they elevate and raise him towards God who is the Fountain of all Happiness Holiness therefore and Obedience to Christ is the true and only way to Heaven he that treads not this Path shall never come there Thus we have considered the Text as it seems the Proposal of a Question or interrogatory asking the Reason and Cause why those who own and acknowledge Christ to be their Lord and Master do not sincerely obey Him and keep his Commandments From which Occasion hath been taken to shew the unreasonableness and Absurdity of disjoining these which should be conjoined together I mean the Profession and Practice of Christianity seeing that which moveth and exciteth to the one doth also call for the other Now before I leave this Point allow me to ask you a few Questions and to reason the matter a little with you What is it that perswadeth you to call Christ Lord Is it that you may please God by receiving him whom he hath so highly exalted If this be the reason do you not see that by the same reason you are obliged to serve and obey him For this also is the Will of God Is it Love to Christ which makes you adhere to him You see Love and Obedience are inseparable and that Love cannot be ingenuously professed if Obedience be denied Finally do you embrace Christ on the account of that rich Reward which he hath promised But do you not see that this cannot be expected without keeping his Commandments and performing that Work which he requireth and hath intrusted to you What Reason can be given for refusing an entire Subjection to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ. Is there any Motive or Inducement to believe which doth not equally perswade to obey It is evident then that if the matter be laid home to Men they can answer nothing but must stand speechless Out of thine own Mouth thou shalt be condemned O wicked and slothful Servant for thou oughtest to have obeyed him whom thou knowest and believest to be thy Lord Shouldest thou not study to please him whom thou professest so much to Love And oughtest thou not to have done thy Work if thou wouldest have had thy Wages What a shameful and unworthy a thing is it for Men to act so unlike Men To shew so little Reason nay to walk so contrary to all Reason in these matters of the greatest Moment and Concernment The Practice of Heathens and Infidels is not so absurd as this comes to they do not obey Christ because they do not believe in him or they will not profess him because they have no mind to obey him So one tells us of the Men of Congo That at first they were easily perswaded by the Portugueze to embrace Christianity and were baptized in great abundance But afterwards when they found it did require some Strictness which they had no mind to bear that they must leave their Heathen Practices particularly their Multitude of Women they came back to the Church renounc'd what they had done and return'd back to their indulgent Heathenism For they knew not how to reconcile the Christian Vow with living in the open Breach of it being too honest for such Practices And certainly it is far more reasonable to declare that we do not believe in Christ nor yet own him than to profess both and in the mean time continue disobedient to him if we lay aside our Obedience let us lay aside our Faith and Profession too for that but makes us the more guilty and liable to a greater Condemnation And thus we are brought from considering the Text Question-wise to consider it as an Expostulation or sharp Reproof made to all empty and barren Professors and such as rest
all his Promises Yea and Amen Why art thou perplext Why art thou cast down O my Soul Wouldst thou be reading thy Destiny in the hidden Books of Fate Wouldst thou fain know what these secret Decrees say of thee O foolish Soul Why so curious to know things too high for thee which are hid from thee and therefore hid because the Knowledge of them is of no Use to thee nor would it give thee any Satisfaction Whatever be the secret Decrees they do not they cannot contradict those Eternal and Immutable Purposes which are revealed viz. That they who repent and believe and obey the Gospel shall be saved this Sentence cannot be reversed Believest thou this if you believe do accordingly and there is no Cause of Fear whatever come of others you are surely predestinated to Eternal Life If thou canst believe all things are possible Blessed are they who believe for there shall be a performance of those things which are told them of the Lord. Some are not contented with this Assurance That God has certainly declared his infallible Purpose of accepting returning Sinners but they would be infallibly assured that they themselves are actually accepted and justified which I confess would be a great Comfort neither do I doubt but some Men have this Infallible Assurance but it is an unreasonable and preposterous thing for any to expect it at their first Approaches to God or in the beginnings of their Conversion This were to ask Fruit before the due time as if one should seek Fruit on the Tree he hath but newly planted This Assurance never goes before our Reconciliation to God though sometimes of his extraordinary Mercy it may follow after and therefore we cannot expect it let us desire it never so much until we have really performed the Conditions here required If thy Assurance be built on another Foundation 't is not to be trusted to and if thou knowest that this Foundation is laid if thou canst say that in all Sincerity thou hast done what was sought of thee what makes thee not to have a rational and comfortable Assurance All Doubts of our Salvation should only arise from our Doubts of performing our part And if upon a strict and impartial Examination of our selves we find that we have performed our part then we ought to have such a comfortable Degree of Assurance as may quiet our Consciences and support us against our natural Fears because God cannot but perform his most gracious Promises But that particular infallible sort of Assurance which some Men cannot be satisfied unless they have is an extraordinary Gift which God is pleased sometimes to give tho' he is not bound to give it He hath sometimes refreshed the Souls of Martyrs and Confessors with it to support them in the midst of their Torments but it is not of ordinary Dispensation and therefore not to be expected because it is a miraculous Gift which is not to be asked but with great Submission to the Will of God who knows when it is fit for the Support and Consolation of a pious Soul But to proceed The Third Qualification here is that we have our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience which with what follows is the inseparable Effect of the two former they cannot be first and the other cannot be without them we must have true and believing Hearts before we can be sprinkled from an evil conscience or have our bodies washen but once having this the other will follow for Light and Heat may be as well disjoined from the Sun as Purity of Heart and Holiness of Life from true Faith and a sincere Mind to God Many pretend Faith but the tree is known by its fruit hereby may it be known whether thy Faith be good if so be thy heart be sprinkled from an evil conscience In this Speech the Apostle alludes to the Rites and Ceremonies under the Law 't was the Custom then to sprinkle both the Priests and the People in their Solemn Approaches to the Lord sometimes with Blood sometimes with Water Oyl or Ashes But now these legal Ceremonies are laid aside yet the thing signified by them is still required viz. What the Apostle makes mention of here that our hearts be sprinkled from an evil conscience By the heart is meant the Soul or inner Man by the evil conscience those things which pollute the Soul which keep one from having a good conscience void of offence towards God and Man such as brutish Lusts inordinate desires unworthy Passions evil Thoughts and sinful Inclinations whether born with us or contracted afterwards All these must be mortified and purged out before we can be throughly reconciled to God for as Iehu said to Ioram when he ask'd Is there Peace what peace so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Iezabel and her witchcrafts are so many So I say to those who draw near to God how can they look for Peace from him while their Pride Vain-Glory Malice Wrath Covetousness and other filthy and ungodly Lusts live and reign in them God is willing to be reconciled to our Persons but not to our Sins we must part with them or if our Sins and we cannot be separated we must give up Fellowship with God Truly God is good to Israel but 't is to such only as are clean in heart He cannot love foul polluted Souls he cannot chuse but loath and hate them for he is not a God that hath Pleasure in Wickedness neither shall evil dwell with him As therefore when we entertain great Persons we use to remove all things nasty and unhandsome and whatsoever may readily offend them or shame our selves and are careful to have all things about us decent and fashionable so being to approach the holy Presence of God let us lay aside every thing offensive and unsuitable viz. the Love and Inclination to every Sin for he is of purer eyes than that he can behold iniquity he naturally abhorrs it and let us give all Diligence to adorn our Souls with holy Thoughts and heavenly Dispositions for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness his countenance doth behold the upright But if this be wanting we can have no Acceptance If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me saith David Psal. lxvi 18. Even David shall be rejected if he regard Iniquity Some will say if the Case be thus none can have Hopes or who can say their Heart is clean 'T is true in our present State our Hearts cannot be so clean as to have no Blemish there will be ever some Remainders of Sin in us and now and then perhaps some sinful Motions will arise in the best but this will not be imputed to us neither hinder our Reconciliation with God unless we regard them with Love and Delight cherish and follow them If we look on these Irruptions of our corrupt Nature with Sorrow and Regret if we take care to prevent and suppress them and are filled with Grief when they
which touch them but are not so soon sensible of the Cause and Occasion which make them groan longer under the Distemper Ephraim perceived his Sickness Iudah felt his Wound their Senses taught them both these but they had not Understanding enough to discover whence these things came they had no Sense of their Sins and Transgressions and were slow in considering that the Reason they were so pinched and infested was because they sinned and would not frame their Doings to turn unto their God And it is just so with the Generality of the World at this time Men have sense enough to perceive the outward Evils that are upon them but scarce any to discover the Hand which inflicts them or the Cause which procures it Touch a Man in his Body in his Fortune or in any thing dear unto him he will be quickly sensible of it and ready enough to complain But there be few so wise as to acknowledge that the Root of the Matter is in themselves People ordinarily throw all the Blame of their Trouble from off themselves upon other external things he that is sick finds fault with his Diet or his riding and travelling unseasonably and in unwholsome Weather he that is wronged and oppressed chargeth and accuseth such and such Persons as perhaps are the immediate Instruments thereof in times of publick Calamity and Disasters all the Talk is how they began and after what manner they proceeded if the Plague enter a Place the Inhabitants curiously enquire about the first Person who brought it in if Fire take hold of a City the Discourse is about the small Occasion of its beginning and the Unwariness of the Servant who kindled it Statesmen and Politicians resolve Wars civil Broils and Factions Oppressions and other things of the like Nature into Political Causes Philosophical Heads exercise their Wits in finding out natural Reasons of Famine Pestilence immoderate Drought excessive Rains and other such Judgments according to the uncertain Hypothesis of some vain System they have imbib'd And thus Mens Thoughts are carried off from the serious Consideration of the true that is the moral and meritorious Cause of all the Evils that are upon them They reflect not upon their own Sins nor the Sins of the Land they live in They say not with David Thine arrows stick fast in me and thy hand presseth me sore there is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin For mine iniquities are gone over mine head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me It 's long before People come to lay to Heart that the Evils which are upon them are because the Lord hath a controversie with the Inhabitants of the land because there is no truth nor mercy nor knowledge of God in the land that it is by reason of swearing and lying and killing and stealing and committing adultery and other abominations that the land is made to mourn To take only Notice of the immediate Instruments of our Trouble without enquiring into this chief Cause thereof is just but to act like Children and to do what the common Rabble do at publick Executions who only consider how the condemned Person is led to the Scaffold and after what manner the Executioner proceeds to put him to Death never reflecting upon the Sentence of the Judge nor the Transgression of the Law which yet ought chiefly to be considered Hear ye therefore the Rod and him who hath appointed it as ye feel the Evils which are laid upon you so call to mind from whom they come and for what Cause they are sent otherways Ease and Relief is not to be expected It 's necessary in order to the removing of bodily Distempers that there be first a Knowledge of the Nature and Cause of the Disease without this there can be no Cure all Applications are ineffectual even so the first step to remove the Wrath of God and the sad Effects of it is to find out those Sins and Transgressions which have occasioned it till this be done it 's in vain to struggle and to use Endeavours for the saving our selves it is but as the common Proverb is a striving against a stream which is too strong for us And thus I am brought to a third Observation and it is this That when God is visiting with his Iudgments people are seldom so wise as to address themselves first to God but they ordinarily in the first Place have recourse to second Causes and humane Endeavours which tends but to their greater ruine and mischief Ephraim and Iudah here instead of making Application to God sent to the King of Assyria and addressed to King Iareb So when Sickness comes upon Men the Physician is sent for and he is required to use his Skill and to apply his Remedies and with the Woman in the Gospel who had the bloody Issue they seek not out for Christ till they have spent much upon the Physicians to no purpose and that their Art and Skill hath been quite baffled When Men are opprest and born down all their Thoughts are how to get an Interest in some great Personage and ingage him to espouse their Cause and thereby counter-balance the Power of the Person that oppresses them In a word every one considers the nearest and likeliest Method and Means of procuring to themselves Ease and Relief and when they have discovered the same they are wholly bent on it and the Eagerness of Men to be saved by those means which their own Prudence has suggested keeps them from exercising that Trust and Dependance on God which is necessary Men have not Faith enough ordinarily to commit their cause entirely to God and they walk so much by Sight that they can put little Trust where they see no visible Means and because ordinarily God works by rational means and has established in the World a settled Order and a Series of Causes for producing certain Effects they too much imagine that these things work necessarily and that they cannot be disappointed of the Effects while they make use of the Means and Causes which ordinarily produce them Whereas all things depend upon the Blessing of God and only work and take effect as he is pleased to give the Word unto them I do not say that prudent Means and Methods should be neglected or that Men should expect Deliverances miraculously when these other may take Place But that in seeking to save our selves from any Danger or Judgment we ought to apply our selves to God and as we ought never to use any means for our safety but what is lawful so in the Use of the most lawful and most proper means we ought to depend entirely upon God for the Success else we may expect these Means to be blasted or what is worse to turn to our Hurt and greater Damage As we see here befel the Israelites for the King of Assyria whom they sent to
hid from us till the event declare them and then we are forced to approve and applaud what before we were ready to condemn As Fines Imprisonments and other Punishments are necessary to a Common-Wealth so Calamities Troubles and Afflictions are now necessary to the World By them God keeps up his Authority defends his Laws curbs Sin prevents some from going astray and reclaims others who have already erred from the ways of his Commandments Hereby he exercises his Peoples Virtue Integrity Faith Patience and other Graces and makes them to acquire the Growth Stature Vigour and Understanding of perfect Men which they would not do if softness and ease and plenty were always indulged them As Winds serve to purifie the Air and Frost and Snow and Rain to moisten and fatten the Earth that it may be fruitful so God sendeth Calamities and Afflictions that they who are barren may be made to bear fruit and that others may bring forth more fruit If an ignorant and unskilful Person saw a Gardiner pruning his Trees and lopping off the Branches with Axes and Knives he would perhaps suspect him of madness or think he intended the destruction of the Garden Whereas he thereby prevents their overgrowing and undoing one another and renders his Garden both more comely and more profitable So God by Afflictions prunes his People he keeps down those Corruptions and Disorders which otherwise would break out amongst them and disposeth them to bear proper fruit in their season It is good for me that I was afflicted said David The Psalmist was once tempted to think that God was unkind to his Church and People because he afflicted them But on second thoughts he checks himself and concludes that truly God is good to Israel even to such as are of a clean heart That is such dealing with his People do not prove that he has no kindness for them For he is still good to them and their Afflictions testifie it and such as are of a clean heart shall certainly find it so Now seeing these things are so let us not complain of the present Providence of God let us not murmur against nor bear impatiently those Evils which are upon us For we have truly sinned against God and he doth justly punish us whatever may be said of many of the Instruments of our Trouble and Calamity I must not flatter you certainly our Princes our Nobles and Great Ones the Pastors and People and all Ranks amongst us have corrupted themselves and done wickedly and therefore God hath justly brought Evil upon our Land And they who have smarted by this Revolution have suffered justly at the hands of God Let us therefore humble our selves before him acknowledge our Offence and the Justice and Righteousness of his Judgments and then he will be ready to plead our Cause I beseech you in the words of Hosea O Israel return unto the Lord thy God for thou hast faln by thine iniquity take with you words and turn to the Lord say unto him take away all iniquity and receive us graciously so will we render the Calves of our Lips and then we shall hear him saying I will heal your backsliding I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from him And as he saith in another place Come and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will bind us up And as this is the only proper Advice for our selves so I would advise those to whom the present times seem a little more favourable I mean our Brethren of the Presbyterian Party whom I call Brethren though their usage and treatment of us have shewed them Enemies seeing they have overthrown the Church and treated her Bishops and Priests with Contumely and Reproach I say I would advise them not to be over vain and confident for they know not what a day may bring forth To rejoice at our Affliction and to insult over our Misery doth not favour much of Religion to which they make so high pretences And unless they could chain their present State by irreversible Decrees there is as little Prudence as Religion in despising us thus and trampling so much upon us For it may come to pass that they may yet be forced to seek shelter under the Shadow of our Vine They know it is not long since another Party I mean those of the Roman Communion boasted and bragged and aimed too at more than was fit or meet or what Discretion would have required which brought on their Ruine and which has occasioned their Loss of that Peace which otherwise they might and would have enjoyed Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall I believe that thou shalt arise O Lord and have mercy upon Zion when the time to favour her when the set time is come Though our Case were more desperate in the Eyes of the World yet I would not despair tho' we were at a lower pass and had fewer Friends I yet would not let go my Hope for God is able to do for us above what we can ask or think It is true we have provoked the Lord and tho' he leave us we cannot complain But we know also that our God is merciful and with him is plenteous Redemption He will not cast off for ever Therefore they who are his people should still hope in him And we are his People as much for any thing I know as any other Christians in the World can pretend to be for the Church of Scotland is a sound Member of the Holy Catholick Church professing the same Faith that the Churches in the most ancient and purest Ages did and hath the same Ministry and Government even that very Ministry and Government which in those times were thought necessary to the being of a Church and in and under that Ministry we also have the holy Sacraments purely administred by which we are bound to God by a Covenant which is more solemn and sacred than any of Man's inventing can be If therefore we return to the Lord and acknowledge our Offences he will have Mercy upon us and surely visit us with his Salvation For we are his Zion a part of his Catholick Church or peculiar People and he will not always be angry with us We may take up this Hope both by our own Experience and the Experience of others Have we not fallen heretofore And have we not risen again Have we not seen the Church invaded her Essential Order and Subordination demolished her Pastors exiled her Temples profaned her Beauty defac'd And have we not seen all these repair'd and restor'd again Is there any thing impossible unto God Can he not suddenly alter the securest State and put a stop to the most violent Career ANNO 58 and 59 neither King nor Royal Family durst be owned and then it was a capital Crime to pray for them And yet you all know that within a Year or
fighting the good fight and endeavouring to do all things commanded us through Christ that strengtheneth us More Reasons might be given but these are sufficient not only to clear the Divine Wisdom and Goodness of all Imputation but also to make them appear eminently in such Dispensations towards his best and most beloved Servants When I first entred on this Discourse I intended to have taken in the two following Verses not thinking that this one would have furnished matter enough for a Discourse but you see how far the handling of it hath carried us and how without digressing from the Purpose of the Text or doing Violence to the Words thereof several material and important Observations have been drawn From which we may see as St. Chrysostom observes the fullness of the Scripture and that an inexhaustible Treasure of Wisdom and Knowledge is contained in it when one single Verse and so barren at the first Appearance can afford so many and so useful Instructions If one Verse can do such what may the whole do Surely It is able to make us wise unto Salvation and beyond all Question is profitable for Doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works God grant that this Word of his may dwell in all Christians richly in all Wisdom but especially in the Ministers of the Gospel whose Office it is to instruct others therein Amen FINIS Snake in the Grass A General Call to all Persons Joh. 5. 40. Isai. 55. 1. Rev. 22. 17. Why all Men are said to Labour and to be heavy Laden I. Because of Afflictions II. The Emptiness and Vanity of Life Ezek. 24. 〈◊〉 2. Isa. 29. 8. Eccl. 1. 5. 9. 2. 17. 4. 2 3. III. The fear of Death IV. Sin Psal. 38. 2. Prov. 18. 14. How Christ giveth rest I. From Sin Matt. 9. II. From the fear of Death Rev. 3. 7. III. Under the Vanity of this Life IV. From Troubles and Afflictions The necessary Qualification to the rest Promised I. Coming to Christ is 1st To follow his Counsel 2d To believe in him Heb. 11. 6. 2 Cor. 4. 3. Heb. 3. 12. 3d. What Faith is 1 John 5. 9. Chap. 2. 22 23. II. Taking the Yoke Gal. 5. 1. Gal. 5. 13. 1 Pet. 2. 16. III. Learning of Christ. John 13. 15. Phil. 2. I. The Scope and Coherence of the Text. II. The Truths contain'd in the Text. III. The perverse disingenuity of the Socinians in their Explication of this Text. 2 Pet. 2. 1. Hydra Socinianismi Tom. 2. Praef. * Naked Gospel IV. Of Iesus Christ his Pre-existence and Deity V. Of his humane Nature and Humiliation VI. Inferences from the Nature and Quality of Iesus Christ. 1st Admiration 2d Love III. Comfort against Tentations and Afflictions I. Of Iesus Christ his Person Nature and Quality Gal. 4. 4. Isa. 7. 14. 9. 6. II. His Actions and Sufferings They were voluntary Joh. 10. 17 18. What his Humiliation referrs to His great Obedience His Death III. Why Iesus abased and humbled himself For the Glory of God and Man's Redemption To demonstrate God's Love and Mercy His Iustice and Authority The heinous Nature of Sin The Dignity of Humane Nature The Perfection of it The Exaltation of Iesus Christ. Eccles. 7. 2 3 4. I. The Womens Behaviour A Comfort to Women An Example in dangerous times The Greatness of the Womens Sorrow The Cause of it Lam. 1. 12. II. Our Lord's Check to the Womens Sorrow The Prohibition not absolute The glorious Effects of Christ's Death III. Why Iesus Christ requireth us to mourn rather for our selves than him Is. 5. 3 4 5. IV. The dreadful Effects of the death of Iesus Christ upon the Impenitent Iesus may be Crucified again V. The Application I. The Author of our Happiness God Jam. 1. 16 17. God and the Father * Qui 〈◊〉 udam Dei Majestatem extra Christum mente concipiunt Idolum habent Dei loco sicut Iudaei Turcae proinde quisquis verum Deum verè cognoscere cupit hoc patris Christi titulo ipsum vestiat nisi enim quoties mens nostrae Deum quaerit Christus occurrat vaga confusa errabit donec prorsus deficiat Calvinus in locum II. The Motive which induced God His abundant Mercy * Posset Apostolus saith Fulgentius vasa misericordiae potius vasa justitiae nuncupare Sed si vasa justitiae vocarentur forsitan ex seipsis habere justitiam putarent Nunc autem cum vasa misericordiae dicit proculdubio quid ipsi fuerint non tacuit quare quid eis à Deo collatum sit evidenter ostendit Lib. de Praedest p. 58. III. The Benefits conferred Begotten again A lively Hope An Inheritance Incorruptible Undefiled It fadeth not away In the Heavens IV. The ground of Assurance Iesus his Resurrection I. Iesus Christ is the Son of God Philip. 2. 9. 10 11. II. What is meant by Having the Son True Faith described Matth. 7. 22. Cor. 10. 5. Gal. 2. 20. Heb. 11. Rom. 10. 17. 2 Cor. 4. 3. III. Life explained 1 Tim. 4. 8. 1 Cor. 15. 19. Why Heaven and the future State of the righteous is called Life 1. Cor. 15. 31. Mad. Antonia Borignian and some others 1 Cor. 2. 9. Revel 21. 23. 22. 5. Rev. 7. 16. 1 Cor. 15. Philip 3. 21. 1 Cor. 13. 12. Luke 19. 36. Iesus Christ the Discoverer of this Life 2 Tim. 1. 10. John 1. 7. And the Author of it Rev. 3. 7. Rev. 2. 10. IV. Faith gives a right and title to Life Joh. 5. 24. 3. 18. Joh. 6. 56. John 17. V. Practical Inferences 1. 2. Heb. 12. 2. Rom. 8. 18. 3. Rev. 2. 10. 4. I. Misery and Trouble not peculiar to a state of Christianity Job 18. 20. Isai. 57. 20. II. They are Common to the state of Mankind in this World Eccl. 4. 23. III. Christians and Good men more liable to be miserable in this Life than others And the Reason why it is so Mat. 10. 37. Luke 14. 26 27. 2 Tim. 3. 12. 1 Thes. 3. 3. 1 Tim. 4. 8. Psal. 37. 16. IV. The Force of St. Paul's Argument for the Proof of another Life V. Inferences First Second Third 1 Cor. 4. 16. Rev. 7. 16 17. Fourth Joh. 3. 36. I. All Christians are concerned in this Advertisement II. Of Hearing It s Necessity The manner of doing it Whom we should hear III. Of Overcoming Christianity is a Warfare The Nature of the Christian Warfare What Christian Victory is No Victory so honourable Prov. 16. 32. IV. Of the hidden Manna It is an Allusion to the Custom of entertaining Conquerours and to what the Iews fed upon in the Wilderness The Nature and Quality of the Entertainment appointed for Christian Conquerours Joh. 4. 13. Iesus Christ is the hidden Manna V. Of the white Stone Ovid Metam Lib. xv Psal. 32. 1. Rom. 8. 1. VI. Of the New Name VII How these words No man knoweth but he