nos fecit fideles I obtained mercy to be faithfull saâ—es the Apostle The Hebrew Doctors somewhat agree with Arminius and would have a man disposed to good before the spirit of prophecy light on him but the spirit found Saul nought and Balaam mingled with malice and covetousnesse Elisha was not composed in mind tho sanctified when to prophecy and cals for a Minstrell to dispell griefe for Elisha's death Aquinas affirmes dispositionem non requiri ne ad prophetiam whether God reveale himselfe by Vision Dream or the more noble way as he did to Christ by word Spiritus replet pastorum Armentarium Prophetam facit Yet when the spirit of prophecie lighted on one undisposed to good as Balaam or Saul especially if in a Vision or Dream they might be abstracted from these vices during the prohpecie and time of illumination the soule being in a trance oft and so most fixed on the object ordained or elected to life for then all would have been prayed for Iohn 17. v. 9. and all would beleeve for as many as were ordained to eternal life beleeved Acts 13.48 But we see few beleeve and persevere to the end yet all Christ's do and shall beleeve increase of them is dayly seen every lost groat shall be found nothing can hinder they when built are built upon a sure foundation Christ the Rock the gates of hell that is hells strength and policy shall not prevaile against them No weapon formed against them shall prosper Esa 54. ver ult Christ's the builder the Word and Spirit the meanes which cannot faile If God send his Word great shall be the company of them that Praise him even in this sense the building as it shall go forward so it will last since the foundation Christ cannot shrink Christ assures us his blood was shed not for all but for many for remission of sinnes those he loves those he will continue to love to the end according to the text whom he loves he loves unto the end In the former part of this chapt consider the love and lowlinesse of Christ his love in so willingly departing out of this world for us ver 1. his lowlinesse in washing his Disciples feet ver 5. that the Head and Master Christ should stoop to the feet of his servants and wash and wipe them is an unparalleld example of humility The first verse speaks him God and man God in that he knew his houre of departing out of this world for as God he knew all things though as man he was ignorant of many about the time of the sacrificing the Passeover Christ our Pasteover was sacrificed for us Man in that by death depart he must for the God-head could not suffer this one text evinceth what ever Jewes Mahometans Hereticks or heathens may falsely conceive of Christ Intimations and characters of his Divinity run as parallel with those of his Humanity almost throughout the Histories in the Gospel concerning him His birth spake him a man but to be borne of a Virgin and as some conceive without * The punishment in sorrow shalt thou bring forth was to the woman not the child So Christs being without sin ordinarily excuses not the Virgin Mary who had sin and a Redeemer or Saviour My soule has rejoyced in God my Saviour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athanas de sententiis Dionysii paine together with a strange Starre and quire of Angels proclaimed him God His swadling bands and the Manger spake him man one disrespected amongst men but the Shepheards and Wise men worshipping him expressed him God His Baptisme administred by Iohn declared him man but the voice from Heaven to be God Tempted in the Wildernesse man overcame as God Wept for Lazerus man raised him from the dead God stept on the seas man but after he was awaked stilled the waves God tempered the clay with spittle man but opened the eyes of one borne blind God Lastly by his death shewed himself man by his powerful and most to us comfortable resurrection God Each sentence shewes his lowlinesse in that he was made man and his love in that lowlinesse who being in the forme of God thought it no robbery to be equall with God but made himself of no reputation took upon him the form of a servant he humbled himself and became obedient even to death even the death of the Crosse Phil. 2. v. 6 7 8. Supplicii genus crudelissimum deterrimumque inquit Cicero The constancy of that love is expressed in the words he loves unto the end the earnestnesse and integrity of it is observable in the word there used to love importing in the original to love with the heart and mind by adhering to the thing loved with content and satisfaction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 magis est quam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut Amo apud Latinos magis est quamdiligo Me aut amabis aut quo contentus sim diliges Cicero As Christ thus loves his owne so ought they to love him Thou shalt love the same words the Lord thy God with all thy heart Matth. 22.37 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel ad finem vel ad seculum vel perfectionem significat The constancy and perpetuity of Christs love may be noted from the word in the Original signifying the end it may be rendred by perfection till we become perfect men in Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 4 13 He loves us he loves here to the end of dayes and for ever hereafter Hence observe these conclusions God through Christ loves his own Then or secondly he loves them for ever The truth of this conclusion will appeare in the ensuing discourse Why God loved lost man not the Angels being more excellent creatures man in whom was nothing but deformity no other reason can be rendred à priori but his own will and pleasure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 foreseeing the death of Christ as the meanes both of love and election though not the cause of either redemption being the effect of Gods love in the general he loves man now because redeemed by the death of Christ justified by his blood adopted to be conformable to his image sanctified in part by his Spirit because the member of Christ the temple of the holy Spirit the Spouse of Christ and subject of him the King of Saints Revel 15. v. 3. God loves his people first and gives Christ for them then love them because they are Christs and partakers of his graces 2. Conclusion God loves unchangably and everlastingly This is set down Jer. 31. v. 3. I have loved thee with an everlasting love God being love love as God must be everlasting which he extends to his people he loved his people in Christ by way of election defore the foundation of the world for to this effect Paul speaks Ephes 1 v. 4 and will continue to love them till the world shal be no more and after Solomon saies A friend loves at all
sinne for us and a sacrifice for sinne Esay 53 10. So that in the Saints in some sense there needs no conscience of sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex Hebr. 10.2 Christ being a most perfect Sacrifice for them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sacrificium peccatum Not but that Saints make conscience of sinning nay hate it what have I to do any more with Idols sayes Ephraim pardoned Hos 14.8 They live in a higher spheare then the men of the world No lesse then Angels food as 't is called because food even fit for Angels could they eate will serve their turne I meane the true meat from Heaven they contemn huskes sinne trash being come home by repentance to their Father But the soules of the Saints need not be grieved or consciences troubled in regard of hell for sin because of Christs Sacrifice Will Christ leave these finally for whom he has been a Sacrifice He will not nor can they him the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Scripture rendred to forsake as Math. 27.46 cant be applied in a strict sense because Christ never forsakes his nor did the father Christ on the Crosse only leaves for a while Sin then cant make Christ leave his people if that could why did it not when by sinne they had forfeited themselves in Adam and were by it deformed polluted ugly He that loved them then will continue to love them being most unchangeable I have a little turned aside already to see why man the bush not burnt though fired by sin I 'le go a little neerer and see this wonder and the love of Christ the cause The Apostle writing to the Ephesians chap. 3.19 Being in an holy admiration of Christs love affirmes it to passe knowledge That God who is the eternall being should love man when hee had scarce a being nor ever could have had but through him and when he had forfeited himselfe through disobedience and made himselfe perfectly miserable worse then nothing God should be enamoured with deformity For what is more deformed then sin It seemes such was and is Gods transcendent love that mans extream misery could not abate it the deplorednesse of mans condition did but heighten the holy flame of Christs love 't is as high as heaven who can reach it 't is as low as hell who can understand it Heaven through its glory could not containe him man being miserable nor hels torments make him refrain such was his perfect love That Christs love should extend to his enemies and should long after them that rebelled against him yea not only so but hugge them in his armes lodge them in his bosome is the highest improvement of love That those most excellent creatures the once glorious Angels should never be recovered never loosed from those everlasting chains and vile sinful dust man should be redeemed as t is the envy of those wretched spirits so the admiration of Saints and Angels That Christ should come from the eternall bosome of his father to a Region of sorrow and death that God should be manifested in the flesh the Creator made a creature behold the Gods come to us in the likenes of flesh Act. 14.11 And * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dwell with flesh Dan 2.11 that he that was cloathed with glory should be wrapped with rags of flesh he that filled heaven be cradled in a manger that the power of God should flye from weak man the God of Israel into Egypt that the God of the Law should be subject to the Law the God of Circumcision circumcised the God that made the heavens busie working as is supposed at the homely Trade of Joseph that he who commanded the divels to their chains should be tempted that he whose is the world and the fullnesse thereof should hunger and thirst that the God of strength should be weary the Judge of all flesh condemned the God of life put to death the deare Son of God strugling with his Fathers wrath that he that is one with his father should cry out of misery my Father my Father that he that had the keyes of hell and death should lye imprison'd in the Sepulcher of another having in his life time nowhere to lay his head nor after death to lay his body and all this for mans sake is beyond the thought of created natures If this goodly frame of Creation sayes the Bishop of Norwich should runne back to its first confusion or be reduced to its first nothing though a most strange change 'twere not so high a wonder as for God to become man the former being of things finite the latter of an infinite subject The glorious Angels could not but wonder to see their Creator humbled below themselves and humanity so advanced by Christs assuming it which Peter hints at 2 Pet. 1.12 Which the Angels desire to look into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 translatio sùmpta ab iis qui prono corpore oculos admovent at rem ownem propius acuratius cognosoant sayes Beza Yea so look into as to sound if it were possible the depth of this love To see that head before which the Angels cast down themselves and worshipped as I may say crowned with thornes Caput angelic is spiritibus tremendum densitate spinarum coronatum Bernard and those eyes purer then the Sun put out by the darknesse of death those eares which heare nothing to speak to capacity but Hallelujah's of Saints and Angels to heare the blasphemies of the multitude that face which was fairer then the sons of men for being born and conceived without sin he was free from the contagious effect of it deformity and was most perfectly beautiful to be spit on by those beastly wretched Jewes that mouth and tongue that spake as never man spake accused for false doctrine nay blasphemy let the Ministers of that Master take false accusations patiently For if they have called the Master of the house Baalzebub what shall they not say to his servants Those hands which freely swayed the Scepter of Heaven nayled to the crosse those feet like unto fine brasse which in the Prophet Zacharies sense ch ult v. 4. shall stand upon the mount of Olives or thereabout it being as some say the middle of the world and the place where Christ was condemned to judge the world nayled to the Crosse for mans sins each sense annoyed his feeling or touching with a spear and nayles his smell with stinking savour being crucified about Golgotha the place of sculs whereof some might be green his taste with Vinegar and Gall Anima est aeque ubi amat ac ubi animat his hearing with reproaches and sight with his mother and Disciples bemoaning him his soul seemingly comfortlesse and forsaken is able to strike amazement to those excellent creatures Calvine judiciously affirmes Gods love and care in providing all for man before he made him concluding he would not forget him now he was made but much more of Gods
Saint John Saint Peter and S. Paul say they grow Hence Ps 45. thou art fairer because of Christ the Father or the husbad whose glory is the Churches the word fairer that strong and in measure perfect according to the stature of Christ the Saints do as truly though imperfectly partake of the nature of Christ as he partook of the nature of man The nature of Christ is even communicated to them by their new birth as the child must partake of the the nature of his Father nonsolum ergo communicando gratiam sed participando essentiam To this effect see Mr Dell in Com. in Esay 54. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is of a double form to shew or double that is excellent comlinesse So having the same nature with Christ Let it O let it be spoken with feare humility and joy and acted by the same spirit that Christ was therefore according to grace acting in them and actuating them they performe the same duties of meeknesse patience humility Idem ibidem Christs glory was promised in the time of the Gospel to shine upon his people Esay 60. and again thou art a Crown and Diadem of glory chap. 62. v. 3. and Christ affirms John 17. v. 22. the glory God gave him he gave them by the spirit of the Lord sayes Paul Question May not a Saint rejoyce in the actions flowing from Chr. within No not in the act t is not the Saints but Christs but he may have joy flowing from and following the act we are changed to the same Image from glory to glory See the excellency and beauty of Christs children here below are they not highly advanced even in somewhat above Angels but you l say you cann't beleeve that Saints partake of Christs nature I answer the very same oyle which was poured on Aarons head descended to the skirts of his cloathing and the same graces poured on Christ our head of whom Aaron was a type come to us the members changing our nature from sons of Adam making us sonnes of God though here imperfectly The grapes which the Spies brought out of the land of Canaan to Moses were of the same nature and kind with those in the Land such is the money of the earnest and that of the full wages therefore whatever priviledge the Saints have in the true Land of Canaan heaven whatsoever son-ship divine nature glory they shall be partakers of there they shall have a taste of here the same spirit is the earnest here and joy hereafter Christ and his people are one as the Vine and the branches I am the Vine yee are the branches John 5. Now the branches tree root partake of the same juyce and fatnesse 't is even so between Christ and his people Christ and his are one as head and members the same soule enlivens the head and members from the head come spirits to quicken the body from Christ encrease of graces in his people Ephes 4.16 and while he 's alive the Saints must live John 1◠19 for while life is in the head death is not in the members Christ will not suffer his limbs to be lost and as unlikely 't is to have dead members he will love and cherish them being part of his mystical self Christ and his are one as husband and wife his honour is hers if he a King she a Queen his goods glory hers ubi tu Caius ego ibi Caia If Christ ours all ours whether Paul or Apollo life or death things present or to come his death merits resurrection all are ours because we Christs Spouse and he the heire of all Hence learn in a digression that if Christ be thy husband O Saint what ever thou owed'st before marriage or since Christ thy now husband must nay has payd all If Satan accuse thee for any debt say thou hast nothing to do in it bid him go to thy husband Christ No Divorce ever to be between them the Lord hates putting away Mal. 2.16 though for the hardnesse of the Jewes hearts he suffered it yet from the beginning it was not so Sin may for a time seemingly separate not Finally Christ and his are one as the chief corner stone the rest make one building the corner stone and the rest are somewhat of the same nature Stones are oft trod upon as Christ the living * Esay tels us chap. 54 ver 11.12 How God will have the spirituall building the Church of precious not common stone as those in the first Temple the living stones the Saints are Carbuncles Agates and Saphires So that in this sense the glory of the second Temple doth exceed the glory of the first stones must learn to endure stones in the building uphold one the other to teach us to bear one anothers burdens Stones in the building are knit together with morter to teach us how love yoakes knits cements Saints together To conclude this point with a general use Consider as Christ and his people are one these severall wayes so all love to perfection as Christ his The father loves the child and desires its life and prosperity the husband the wife and desires her continuance not divorce the head loves the members and desires not parting but perfection the chief corner stone and the rest desire to keep together to hold up the building the corner stone desires not to shrink from the rest but delights in a compleated edifice the Vine and branches mutually clip embrace and love each other she covets the cōpany of her branches desires not to have them lopt of or to live like a mother childernlesse Christ loves his for ever because sin which may seem to part him and them is slaine so it cannot provoke him to give them a bill of divorce and that three wayes judicially for 't is condemned to dye both by Christ and his people so 't is dead according to Law which is a comfort to a Christian that his greatest enemy sin nay and Satan is condemned to die and shall not for ever Rivall with him See death threatned that threatning a sentencing Hos 13. ver 14. O death I will be thy plagues O grave I will be thy destruction Now if death and the grave the effects of sin be destroyed then must sin that causes both as the Apostle quotes the sense of that place 1 Cor. 15.55 O death where is thy sting that is Sin Sentenced and more now though not fully put to death til her after Secondly sin is dead civilly because the power of it is much abated its dominion and tyranny overpowred thus Ephraim is said to be dead by the Prophet Hos 13. ver 1. When Ephraim that is the King of the Tribe of Ephraim spake trembling the people even trembled at his voice but when he offended in Baal by serving Baal he dyed in respect of obedience not yeilded to him as formerly thus those fel creatures which in innocency would tremblingly obey Adam or rather
lovingly when he disobeyed God they renounced obeysance to him or his Soveraignty and he civilly dyed even the same day he sinned thus sayes the Apostle account your selves dead to sinne Rom. 6.11 Thus every good Christian esteems sin dead not to be obeyed bâ—… yeilding to it or acknowledging it Christ has dealt with sin in part as thâ— Philistines did with Israel they had no Smith to make sword or speare only file for forkâ—s and mattocks he leaves sin no deadly weapon it can fray us not * Considerata Christi morte slay us Thirdly naturally sin is slaine Christ has given it its deathâ—s wound by his death resurrection it can't live long though it may linger a while in a Saint as a Tree that is cut at the root with a sore gash or two must dye within a yeer perhaps within a month or two though for the present it may have leaves and fruit it secretly dies and will suddainly shew it selfe withered Wouldst thou know whether sin dye in thee or no Doest thou when Summer comes I mean temptation bring forth fruit of sin or no If thou doest not thou art dead to sin sin is dying in thee Christ that for the future his people sin not to hinder his everlasting love gives them preventing grace heales their nature restraines them them whom he redeemed by his word from sin shewing them the deformity of it the reward of it perchance sometime propounding to them the glory of heaven and above all the * If there were neither a hell to punish nor a heaven to reward the Saints would love Christ Yet as in Moses and our Saviour the reward may be lookt at to sweeten sorrow Heb. 11. ver 26 12. v. 2. Non pleno sed semiple no anima love of Christ dehorts from sin by the voice of his spirit the voice behind that when they are about to sin sayes this is the way walk ye in it That we walke more in his feare enjoy more of his favour St. John sayes he that is born of God sins not unto death presumptuously and constantly In a choyce garden weedes may grow up without the consent of the gard'ner against his will Sin in a Saint borne of God is as those weedes not of his own sowing nor of his own growing willingly to whom he intends a day of weeding A Saint can't sin unto death because of the holy seed 1 Joh. 3. ver 9. In an Oake in winter we see seemingly at the least death but there is juyce to conserve it in the root Esa 6. ver ult though that text has another meaning so Christ our root by the juyce of his word grace the holy seed keeps us from sining to death then we have life like the Oak in the winter or more dangerous time of sinne when we seem even dead We may say of death the effect of sin and sin the cause of death as the sons of the Prophets death is in the pot Sin is in our nature put in flower wheat ground or Christ bruised for our sins and all is well the sons of the Prophets the Saints need not feare The Papists hold sin in a Saint Veniall but with judicious Calvin we affirm all deadly Omne peccatum mortale est quia adversus dei voluntatem rebellio est legis praevaricatio in quam edictum est sine exceptione dei judicium Sanctorum delicta venialia esse non ex suapte natura sed quia eâ—dâ—i misericordia veniam consequuntur Calvin Libroz cap. 8 sect ultima because t is rebellion against God but thus far Veniall because Christ has satisfied for the sins of all his of some even before their actuall committing so they since God is just be pardoned That there is a restraining grace in the Saints so that they sin not so eagerly as before nor so oft to remove if it were possible Christs love finally from them see Psal 103. ver 3. Which forgiveth all thy sin and healeth all thy diseases that that the wound burst not forth to a new sore So Hos 14. ver 2. Take away all iniquity and give grace vid. to restraine as some read it or as ver 4. I will heale their back-slidings God will love his people to the end for though they have sin Num. 23.21 yet he will not behold their sin as to condemn them for â—t neither indeed can he since Christ has safeguarded them satisfying for them though he may bring as is said a temporal punishment for every act of sin yet am not ignorant how many affirm since Christ has satisfied the Saints sufferings are only exercises of faith trials not punishments But Jeremy in behalf of the captive people whereof some sure Saints seeming to correct any private murmuring against Gods punishing hand proves the truth of the point Non solum non maliciam adversus Moabitas eorum regent in vob is non vidi Verum neque vestruÌ„ O Israel pee catum sed filium pro te peccatum factum videbo Neque maledictionem immittere decrevi naminferni Portae contravos non valere pâ—terint ex Lament 3.39 Why doth a living man complaine for the punishing of sin Gospel texts hold forth the same But to returne to the confession of the Sorcerer Balaam as the famous Dr. Hall cals him Numb 23. v. 21. he hath not beheld iniquity Jacobs sinne shall not be looked on by me but my Sons death to cause a curse on my people Non maledixit populo Deus non ergò peccatum in iis videret Parallel is that of Mica 7. v. 18. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by transgression not seeing it as Jer. 50.20 In those dayes they shall look for the sin of Judah but it shall no where be found for I will pardon whom I reserve their sins shall not prevail totally to ruine them or curse them I will not behold their sin but being sasatisfied in my Son will passe by it his death shall prevail to divert oft temporal judgments ever eternal curses See Jer. 31. v. 35 36. If the Sun and Moon can cease to be or the heaven and the earth be measured then my people typifying the Church shall cease to be a Nation for what they have done And what had they not done I say by way of repetition Christ loves his to the end knowing a full satisfaction to be paid for their offences so though their sins in themselves never so much mortified be deadly yet cannot damne because redeemed and must obtaine mercy the word of God is Salt and keeps his people from stinking in his nostrils the word is truth and sanctifies all his Christ is a Sun and that of righteousnesse now the Sun exhales corrupt vapours that the sea and waters corrupt not even so behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World both guilt and punishment healing our nature Christ was made