in three respects First carefully watching against Satans subtilties who most usually layeth his nets to catch us with these baits Hee well knoweth that in nothing we are more prone to unbridle our affections then in these liberties The Serpent lyeth in the greene grasse And this Serpent laid his temptation in the faire apple and Eves appetite And if once we moyle our selves in this birdlime of Satan we are as unable to mount upward in divine meditations as a Bird taken by the twigs which the more she strives the surer she is Satan catcheth more by lawfull liberties than by unlawfull Secondly we must carefully watch our owne corruptions who can easily oppresse our selves by surfetting and drunkennesse and that day come on us unawares and pervert good things to bad ends Now the right ends in the use of all our lawfull liberties are 1. To be matter of Gods praise for his bounty and mercies toward us 2. To set us forward in our Christian race and sit us to the duties of piety Take heed of all that eating drinking and playing which unfits thee for Gods service c. 3. To refresh us and sweeten our labour when body or mind is likely to be oppressed with study or labour But to pursue pastimes too eagerly is utterly unlawfull or when they that need least play most and instead of surfet of labour surfet of idlenesse eating drinking and pastime 4. To put us in minde of those lasting eternall and unconceiveable pleasures reserved at the right hand of God for us For if the pleasures of our prison bee so sweet what are those in our palace and if they be superexcellent wisdome will make us watchfull that we hinder not our selves from those by these Lastly we must watch carefully against evill companies drunkards and gamesters who are principall factors for the divell For being overtaken themselves they never cease to make others the children of hell like themselves and rejoyce in evill Take heed of drinkards a kinde of divellish poysoners who have skill to poyson both soule and body together It is Saint Ambrose his comparison Thou pretendest to reach forth wine but withall thou ming lest poyson greater is the force of wine then of poyson with poyson the body is wounded with wine the soule it selfe Avoyd therefore and abhorre them And chuse such companions as may by godly admonition restraine thee and lay a bridle on thy corruption not spurre or provoke thee be they never so neare or deare unto thee THE PHYSICIAN Of SOVLES LVK. 5. 31. The whole need not the Physician but those that are sicke CHrist is bidden to Levies house hee is ready to come where he is kindly invited The Pharises carpe at his person and his fact he eateth with sinners like to like say they were he not a sinner he could not sort and suit with sinners See the disposition of an hypocriticall enemy of Christ. Neither the Doctrine of Christ can please him vers 21. Who is this that blasphemeth can any forgive sinnes but God nor his life here And both are still quarrelled at in his servants and Ministers Yet dare they not come openly before Christs face whom they knew able to defend himselfe but whisper behinde his backe to his Disciples either because they suppose them not to be so ready to answer them or to bring them into suspition of Christ of whom they conceived reverently And thus do hypocrites spitefully at this day they dare not openly assault Christ and his servants for they know they can defend themselves but shoot arrowes in secret against their Doctrine and practices to wound them in their names estates or persons For all wicked men are led by one spirit against Christ. But marke they want no faire pretences What a man professing such strictnesse and holinesse to eat and drinke and be familiar with finnes may not a man by a mans company know who and what he is A plausible reason and true in the generall but maliciously and falsly applyed to this particular So wicked men have their pretences plausible enough Oh they stand for the Church for holinesse for Gods service and piety for order for charity when all that while they intend mischiefe against Christ and his Ordinances Marke againe If they cannot accuse him of evill they can for well-doing as here for exercising his calling sometimes for casting out divels sometimes for working miracles on the Sabbath day as a man without conscience of the Sabbath And indeed what are the most accusations of enemies against Gods servants but for the performance of their duty and exercise of their calling either generall or particular Lastly these men had learning gifts authority wealth the key of knowledge but all bent against Christ and his Gospell and Religion and grace So wicked men looke whatsoever meanes wealth authority or place they have all is bent against Christ and grace and religion must-looke for no helpe there but hinderance and resistance Now Christ in this verse answereth the challenge The question was not propounded to him but to his Disciples yet he takes on him to answer for them where he shewes his readinesse to take all our causes on himselfe Oh we serve a good Lord who is able and willing to stop the mouth of Satan hell the law and all Calumniators who call in question our righteousnesse and will in the last day much more acquit us of all accusations and make our innocency shine as at noon-day Feare not accusers it is God that iustifieth If the Disciples cannot answer for themselves Christ can and will In this answer 1. He blameth them of hypocrisie who thought themselves so just as that all other were sinners beside themselves the whole need not the Physician 2. He defends himselfe and his fact by a proverbiall speech The sicke need the Physician viz. I came not amongst sinners to boulster them up in their sins but to helpe them out and heale them It is my calling being the Physician of soules to be among sinners Where should the Physician bee but amongst his Patients Thus our Lord by his answer if he can doe them no good yet doth good to the truth confirmeth his Disciples justifieth himselfe convineeth his enemies Which by Gods over-ruling power is the end of all opposition of the truth which in the conclusion must be no loser but a gainer and conquerer The Text hath three parts 1 the Patients 2. the Physician 3. the Cure The Patients are propounded Negatively not the whole Affirmatively but the sicke Quest. Is any man whole Answ. 1. No man is whole by nature in Adam all are deadly sicke No man doth good no not one God hath concluded all dead in sinne Only some are healed by grace as Simeon Ioseph Hanna Zachary and the like 2. Some are whole in conceit onely and thinke themselves found just and
for the profession of Christ and his truth and for well-doing Called the suffering of a Christian 1 Pet. 4. 16. and Paul cals it the sufferings of Christ 2 Cor. 1. 5. and bearing of his reproach Heb. 13. 13. that is 1. From him his fanne to fift and purge us 2. For him endured for his cause and glory 3. His in his mysticall body not naturall 4. Not in respect of merit but of sympathy But why is it called the cross 1. Because of the union between Christ the Christian so it is a part of Christs own cross for as all the members suffered with Christ on the crosse as their head and surety so hee suffers with them as his members and after a sort hangs still on their crosse The head and members of this body are inseparable 2. That we should never think of the troubles for Christ but cast our eyes also upon the crosse of Christ where wee shall see him sanctifying sweetening and conquering all our sorrowes and behold him a companion partner and yoke-fellow bearing for us the heavie and ponderous end and the greatest part off us 3. That in all our sufferings for Christ wee should support our faith patience in beholding what was the end of Christs crosse and so expect the same happy end and issue of our crosses for Christ that as he passed from the crosse to the Crowne so will hee in the end admit us into the fellowship of his crowne and glory whom he hath vouchsafed as Simons and companions in the bearing of his own crosse which is an unspeakable helpe and support to our perseverance Next what is it to take up the crosse It is not to devise a voluntary affliction for a mans self as Baals Priests lanced themselves and Popish Priests and Proselytes at set times afflict and torture their bodies by whipping cheare to merit thereby Neither is it to run into affliction or pull the crosse upon our shoulders or thrust our selves into danger no not for Christ as Peter thrust himselfe into Caiaphas hall For first Christ did not carry his crosse till it was layd upon him Secondly our rule is to use all good meanes for the preservation of our bodies health wealth strength and comfort Christ himselfe did flye persecution till the time was come and commanded his Disciples if they were persecuted in one city to flye into another Thirdly every bearing of affliction must bee an obedience of faith and therefore must bee grounded upon a commandement of God No souldier must of his owne head raise war against his owne peace nor set fire upon his owne house this is not the part of a good souldier but of a mutinous and seditious fellow So no souldier of Christ must be superfluous in suffering but see hee be prest into the battell by the great Generall and Commander Fourthly we may not tempt God by running afore him but follow him going before us If without sin and with good conscience wee may escape danger and do not we run upon it and it becomes our own crosse and not Christs It is enough to suffer wrong wee must not offer wrong to our owne persons We are not bound to seek the crosse nor make it but to beare and take it up Nor to fill the cup for our selves but to drinke it when God reacheth it Our afflictions must not be a cup of our own brewing or a potion of our owne providing but the Father must give it us John 18. 11. Shall not I drinke of the cup which my Father hath given To take up the crosse therefore is When a crosse meets us in our way which wee cannot without sin and breach of conscience escape wee must now take knowledge of Gods will Gods hand Gods time and Gods voice calling us to suffer And as Christ when his crosse was layd upon him tooke it upon him and bare it willingly meekly and cheerfully so must wee by enduring the crosse declare our obedience to God our love to Jesus Christ and our zeale to his truth This is to take up the crosse Now God laying on the crosse wee must not pull away the shoulder nor hide our selves from the crosse under the covert of sinfull shifts nor avoid it by any unlawfull meanes but take it up and buckle to the burden And this saith Luke must be done daily that is 1. Every Christian must be in a daily expectation of the crosse 2. He must not prescribe unto God how long or how much to exercise him no though it were all the dayes of his life 3. That wee should renew our strength daily to the daily conflict seeing it is the tryall of soundnesse to abide with Christ in tentation and the fruit of it shall be to abide with him in his glory Two points may here bee noted 1. No Christian but hath his crosse it being the very badge and marke of a Disciple and Christ and his crosse are inseparable For first the word is passed All that will live godly in Jesus Christ must suffer persecution and if every one none certainly is excepted 2 Tim. 3. 12. Act. 14. 22. Heb. 12. 6. Rev. 3. 19. And what befals the whole the parts cannot avoid Isa. 54. 11. he saith of the whole Church O thou that art tossed with tempests c. Secondly there must be a conformity between Christ and the Christian as between the head and the member But it behoved Christ first to suffer and then to enter into his glory and our tenure is the same the Disciple is not above his Master if they call him Beelzebub what shall wee be called if they did so to the green tree they will never spare the dry if all his innocency and wisedome could not fence him no more will ours fence us if they persecuted mee they will persecute you also Thirdly if wee consider the causes of the crosse this truth will be better cleared One the rage of Sathan against Christ and his truth who incessantly tempteth buffetteth and terrefieth the godly Whom he cannot hinder of salvation he will of comfort so much as he can If there can be hope that hee will cease to bee malicious so may there be of the ceasing of our vexations The other the wicked of the world carried by the spirit that rules in the world will see the godly shall want no exercise For no Christian as a Christian can please the wicked world No communion can be expected between light and darknesse Nay there cannot but bee separation fight and persecution Ye shall be hated of all men for my Names sake Mat. 10. 22. And Prov. 29. 27. The just is an abomination to the wicked Hence are they proclaimed enemies as traitors hereticks and the off-scouring of the world even as Christ on the crosse was accounted the most â—lagitious fellon of all other and farre worse than Barrabas
stay thus seeking Gods Kingdom in the first place Quest. But how prove you that such may flye Ans. By the commandement practice of Christ himselfe Mat. 10. 23. If they persecute you in one city flie into another and so himselfe did Hee could by miracle have saved himselfe but for us he would rather humble himself by flying Matth. 12. 15. And he was now as strong in spirit as ready to dye as he was afterwards but Gods time was not yet come So did the Apostles Paul being persecuted at Damascus was let downe by a basket and sent to Tarsus Acts 9. The commandement Rev. 18. 4. flie out of her my people is of force hereunto He would rather have commanded to stand out the persecutions of Antichrist if it had been unlawfull to flye After Christ wee reade of Athanasius that great light of the world how being infinitely hated pursued by the Arrians he was forced to hide himselfe for sixe yeers in a deep pit where he saw no sun which he would not have endured but to have preserved the Church in himselfe waiting the time which God afterward gave him at Alexandria many yeers to bee the only hammer of Arrians The same of many faithfull men in Queene Maries daies flying beyond sea who were happily revoked to the great glory of God and use of the Church in the most happy daies of Queene Elizabeth Ob. But this is to deny Christ and not c 〈…〉 sse him before men Answ. 〈◊〉 to flye friends and countrie is an inferiour confession and suffring for Christ though in dying is a greater perfection and degree in suffering Ob. But we must not fear them that can kill the body therefore not flye Ans. That is not fear them more than God not feare so as to apostate or deny faith good conscience which is not the feare of them that flye for would they deny Christ or his faith they need not flye at all Object But we must preach counsell the greatest perfection Answ. Yes but in the severall rankes of beleevers God hath not set all his children in the same degree of grace some are babes some young some old men It is not greatest perfection for a childe to offer to run before hee can goe but boldnesse which costeth him many knockes and falls Neither for those of a lower stature in Christ to cast themselves into danger before or further than need shall require for when times come that GOD seeth fit for any by death to glorifie himselfe and edifie his Church his providence will find meanes without a mans owne presumption to call him thereto Now the point issuing out of the words thus expounded is this Whosoever undertaketh the profession of Christ must take his life in his hand if need be and give it for the Name of Christ Revel 2. 10. Bee thou faithfull unto death Luke 14. 26. If any man come to me and hate not all yea even his owne life he cannot be my Disciple by hatred hee meanes not that affection simply considered but in comparison namely if the love of God and our selves the love of Christ and our friends cannot stand together all naturall affection must give place Hebr. 12. 4. Yee have not yet resisted unto bloud as if hee had said Yee have resisted sinne unto reproach unto losse of substance unto bonds and other evils but yet it remaines to resist unto bloud as Christ did Revelat. 12. 11. they that overcame by the bloud of the Testimony and the bloud of the Lambe loved not their lives to the death that is doubted not to hazzard them for the truth and faith so as no torment could drive them from it Hebr. 11. 35. Wee have the cloud of witnesses before us in this duty they were racked and slaine and would not bee delivered but refused the offer of life and liberty upon condition of renouncing the Gospel The Ecclesiasticall History mentioneth one Phileas a Noble man and Martyr who going to execution seemed as one deafe at the perswasions and blinde at the teares of his friends moving him to spare himselfe As the waters use to breake themselves on a rocke so was hee altogether inflexible And when one Philoromus defending him said How can hee bee moved with teares on earth whose eyes behold the glory of heaven hee also was taken in and both presently beheaded Amongst our owne Martyrs when at the stake many of them had letters of pardon offered they would not looke at them nor would bee delivered on their conditions Others absolutely refused them One said shee came not thither to deny her Lord. Not one of them accepted them neither would buy deliverance so deare For first if wee looke at Christ hee is to be loved best of all and all things must bee accounted drosse and doung in comparison of him Phil. 3. 7. 8. My welbeloved is the chiefe of ten thousand Cant. 5. 10. And withall hee is such a Lord as hath absolute command and power of our life and death for wee are not our owne but his and if hee call and command us to seale our profession with our bloud wee must bee ready to magnifie Christ in our bodies by life or death Philip. 1. 20. not fearing those that can kill the body Againe if wee looke on his merit and desert hee loved not his life to death for us but readily offered it up on our behalfe Luke 12. 50. How then should wee hold our selves bound in way of thankfulnesse if wee had a thousand lives to give them up for him shall the Just for the unjust and not the unjust for the Just Secondly if wee looke to the truth and Gospel it is far more worthy than all wee can give in exchange for it it cost Christ deare hee thought it worthy of his life and bought it with his precious bloud which was the bloud of God Act. 20. 28. should wee thinke much to buy it with our last bloud Remember the precept Pro. 23. 23. Buy the truth and sell it not no not at any rate God hath magnified his truth above all things and so must wee Shall not Christ shrink from the truth to save his life and shall we being called to witness leave it in the plaine field Thirdly looke on our selves 1. We are souldiers under Christs colours A souldier in the field sels his life for a base pay is ready for his King Country to endure blowes gashes and death it selfe How much more ought the Christian souldier for the love of his Captain honour of his profession contemne fears perils and thinke his life well sold in so honourable a quarrel and cause as Christs is 2. This is indeed rightly to love our selves when wee can rightly hate our selves We must learn to love our selves by not loving our selves who indeed hate our selves by loving our selves too well And this is if wee beleeve our Lord to save