mankind are 1. The unruliness and want of government of the sensual appetite on Lusts hence grows intemperance and excess in eating and drinking unlawful and exorbitant lusts and these exhaust the Estate waste and consume the Health embase and impoverish the Mind destroy the Reputation and render men unfit for Industry and Business 2. The exorbitancy and unruliness and irregularity of the Passions as excessive love of things that are either not lovely or not deserving so much love excess of anger which oftentimes degenerate into malice and revenge excess of joy in light trivial inconsiderable matters excess of fear where either no cause of fear or not cause of so much fear is And these exorbitances of Passions betray the succours of Reason break out into very foolish vain imprudent actions and fill the World with much of that folly and disorder that is every where observable 3. These diseases and distempers of the Mind as pride vain-glory ambition of honour and place and power insolency arrogancy envy covetousness and the like these I say are so many Sicknesses and Cankers and rotten Ulcers in the Mind and as they like the Furies that were let loose out of Pandora's Box do raise most of those storms and tempests that are abroad in the World so they disease and disorder and beset the Mind wherein they are and make their lives a torment to themselves and put them upon very foolish vain and frentique actions and deportments and render men perfect fools mad men and without understanding and their folly is so much the greater and the more uncurable that like some kind of frentique men they think very goodly of themselves think themselves passing wise men and applaud themselves though it is most apparent to any indifferent by-stander that there are not a sort of vainer foolish persons under Heaven Now as we are truly told that the first degree and step of wisdom is to put off folly Sapientia prima est Stultitia caruisse so it is the method of the fear of God the beginning of all true wisdom to disburthen a man of these originals and foundations of folly It gives a law to the Sensitive appetite brings it in subjection keeps it within the limits and bounds of Reason and of those instructions and directions that the wise God hath prescribed it keeps it under discipline and rule It directs the Passions to their proper objects and keeps them within their due measures and with in the due lines and limits of moderation and as becomes a man that lives in the sight and observation of the God of glory majesty and holiness It cures those diseases and distempers of the Mind by the presence of this great preservative and cathartick the Fear of God If Pride or Vain-glory begins to bud in the Soul he considers that the God he fears resists the proud this fear puts a man in remembrance of the glorious Majesty of the most glorious God and what is a poor Worm that he should be proud or vain-glorious in the presence and sight of that mighty God If Ambition or Covetousness begin to appear this fear of God presently remembers a man that the mighty God hath prohibited them that he hath presented unto us things of greater moment for our desires than worldly wealth or honour that we are all of his houshold and must content our selves with that portion he allots us without pressing beyond the measure of sobriety or dependence upon or submission unto him If Revenge stir in our Hearts this fear of God checks it tells a man that he usurps God's prerogative who hath reserved vengeance â—o himself as part of his own Sovereignty â—f that vermin Envy begins to live and crawl in our Hearts this fear of God crusheth â—t by remembring us that the Mighty God prohibits it that he is the Sovereign Lord and dispenser of all things if he hath given me little I ought to be contented if he hath given another more yet why should my Eye be evil because his Eye is good Thus the fear of the Lord walks through the Soul and pulls up those weeds and roots of bitterness and folly that infect disquiet disorder and befool it 6. Another great cause of folly in the World is Inadvertence Inconsiderateness Precipitancy and over-hastiness in speeches or actions If men had but the patience many times to pause but so long in actions and speeches of moment as might serve to repeat but the Creed or Lord's Prayer many follies in the World would be avoided that do very much mischief both to the parties themselves and others And therefore inadvertence and precipitancy in things of great moment and that require much deliberation must needs be a very great folly because the consequence of miscarriage in them is of greater moment Now the fear of the Lord of Heaven and Earth being actually present upon the Soul and exerting it self is the greatest motive and obligation in the World to consideration and attention touching things to be done or said When a man is to do any thing or speak in the presence of a great earthly Prince the very awe and fear of that Prince will give any man very much consideration touching what he saith or doth especially to see that it be conformable to those Laws and Edicts that this Prince hath made Now the great God of Heaven and Earth hath in his Holy Word given us Laws and Rules touching our words and actions and what we are to say or do is to be said and done in no less a presence than the presence of the ever-glorious God who strictly eyes and observes every man in the World with the very same advertence as if there were nothing else for him to observe And certainly there cannot be imagined a greater engagement to advertence and attention and consideration than this And therefore if the action or speech be of any moment a man that fears God will consider 1. Is this lawful to be done or not if it be not how shall I do this great evil and sin against God 2. But if it be lawful yet is it fit is it convenient is it seasonable if not then I will not do it for it becomes not that Presence before whom I live 3. Again â—f the thing be lawful and fit yet I will â—onsider how it is to be done what are the most suitable circumstances to the honour and good pleasure of that great God before whom I stand And this advertence and consideration doth not only qualifie my actions and words with wisdom and prudence in contemplation of the duty I owe to God but it gives an excellent opportunity very many times by giving pause and deliberation in reference to my duty to God to discover many humane ingredients of wisdom and prudence requisite to the choice of actions and words and the manner of doing them So that besides that greater advantage of consideration and advertence in relation to Almighty God it doth
weight of Glory If therefore thou wouldst be soundly armed against afflictions and prepared with ease and comfort to bear them this one thing necessary is sufficient to render thee such and to fit thee also with all those advantageous helps before mentioned which will necessarily follow upon this attainment 2. Secondly I come to the second general namely How Afflictions incumbent upon us are to be received entertained and improved and this will be in a great measure supplied by what hath been before said touching our preparation of heart before they come for a mind so prepared and habituated will be sufficiently qualified to receive and entertain them as becomes a good man and a good Christian Nevertheless some things I shall subjoyn in order to the bearing and improving of afflictions while they are incumbent upon us and they are these 1. It becomes a man under afflictions in the first place to have a very diligent frequent attentive and right consideration concerning Almighty God that he is a God of infinite wisdom power justice mercy and goodness That he hates not any thing that he hath made but hath a great love and benificence to all his Creatures that he designs their good and benefit even in those dispensations that seem most sharp and severe that if he had not a good will to his Creatures he would never have done so much for them as he hath done that whiles he exerciseth discipline to the children of men it is evident they are under his care that oftentimes there is a greater severity of the Divine displeasure in his leaving mankind to themselves than in exercising them with afflictions and that he equally discovers the love and care of a Father in his corrections as well as in his more pleasing administrations 2. And farther that afflictions rise not out of the dust but are sent and managed by the wise disposition and regiment of Almighty God it is his Providence that sends them that measures out their kind weight continuance and that they are always as commissionated by him so under the conduct of his power wisdom and goodness and never exceed the line and limits of his power wisdom and goodness if he bids them go they go if he bids them return they return if he commands the most tumultuous and tempestuous storms of afflictions peace be still there will be a calm as mankind is never out of the reach of his power to afflict and correct so it is never out of the reach of his power to relieve and recover 3. That as no man hath an exemption from afflictions so it is most evident that even the best of men are visited with them and it is but need they should for where one man is the worse by afflictions a thousand are the worse for want of them and as many the better by them and the wise and gracious God that knows our frame better than we our selves doth for the most part in very faithfulness afflict us The egresses of the Divine Counsels have ever in them a complication of excellent ends even in afflictions themselves they are acts of Justice oftentimes to punish and of Mercy to prevent distempers and to heal them and this is that lot which our Blessed Lord bequeathed unto his own People In the world ye shall have tribulation Joh. 16.33 so that a good man may have as great cause to suspect his own integrity in the absence of them as in the suffering under them 4. That all the Divine dispensations of comforts or crosses are so far beneficial or hurtful as they are received and used comforts if they make us thankful sober faithful they become blessings if they make us proud insolent secure forgetful they become judgments afflictions if they are received with humility patience repentance and returning to God they are blessings if they are received with murmuring impatience imcorrigibleness they become judgments and a forerunner of greater severity 5. The consequences of all these Considerations do evidently lead us unto these Dutics when-ever we are under the pressure of Affliction 1. To receive it with all Humility as reached out unto us from the hand or permission at least of Almighty God There were a sort of Philosophers that thought it a virtue to put on a resolved contempt of all crosses and afflictions not to be moved at all with them but to bear them with a stout apathy this is not that temper that becomes a Christian it is all one as if a Child should resolve to receive the correction of his Father with a stubborn resolution not to care for them or to be affected with them such a stubbornness under affliction renders it unuseful to its end and commonly provokes the great Lord and Father of Spirits totally to reject such a mind or to master it with sharper and severer and multiplied afflictions till it yield and till that uncircumcised Heart be humbled and accept of the punishment of its iniquity Levit. 26.41 2. To receive it with Patience and subjection of mind and without either contesting with Almighty God charging his Providence with errour or injustice or swelling and storming against the affliction or the Divine dispensation that sends it This hath two singular benesits first it renders the affliction it self more easie and tollerable secondly it is one of the readiest ways to shorten or abate it For as yielding and humble submission to the hand of God so patience and submission of will to the Divine dispensation are two of the great ends and business of affliction which when attained by it it hath performed a great part of its errand for which it was sent 3. To return unto God that afflicteth or permitteth it Affliction misseth its end and use when it drives a man from his God either to evil or unlawful means or to shift and hide himself or keep at a distance from him and as it loseth its end so it is contrary to its natural effect at least where it meets with a nature of any understanding or ingenuity In their affliction they will seek me early God Almighty sends afflictions like messengers to call home wandring Souls and if a man will shist away get farther off and estrange himself more from him that strikes him he will either send more importunate messengers afflictions of a greater magnitude to call and fetch him as want and famine did the young Prodigal in the Gospel or which is far worse let him go without farther seeking him Whereas the man that by affliction as it were at the first call comes home to God or gets nearer to him for the most part prevents severer monitors and renders his suffering more short or at least more easie by drawing near to God the fountain of peace and deliverance And if the affliction befalls such a man that hath not estranged himself from Almighty God nor departed from him in any greater offences or backslidings yet affliction is not without its end
motions and tendencies of our Sensual Appetite This sensual appetite is in it self good placed in us by the God of Nature for excellent ends viz. for the preservation of the individual nature as eating and drinking and those invitations of sense subservient thereunto or for the preservation of the species as the desires of sexes But they then become a sinful part of this inferior world 1. when they become inordinate 2. or excessive 3. or unseasonable or generally 4. when they are not subordinate in their actings to the government of reason enlightened by moral or religious light A Christian hath no such enemies without him as unruly and undisciplined lusts and passions within him and it is a vain thing to think of overcoming the world without us until this world within us be brought into subjection for without the corruptions and lusts within the world and the evil men of the world and the evil one of the world could not hurt us Non vulnus adactis Debetur gladiis percussum est pectore ferrum The wedge of gold was an innocent thing but Achan's covetous heart within gave it strength to do harm We come into the world as into a great shop full of all variety of wares accommodate to our senses lusts and affections and were it not for these those wares would lye long enough upon the hands of the prince of this world before they could get within us or corrupt us 2. The world without us is of three kinds 1. The Natural world which is the work of Almighty God most certainly in it self good and is not evil but accidentally by man's abuse of himself or it It doth contain a general supply of objects answerable to the desires of our vegetable and sensible nature and the exigences and conveniences of it is a great shop full of all sorts of wares answerable .... there is wealth and places and delights for the senses and it becomes an enemy to us by reason only of the disorder and irregularity of those lusts and passions that are within us and by reason of the over-value that we are apt to put upon them they are indeed temptations but they are only passive as the wedge of gold did passively tempt Achan but it was his own lust and covetousness that did him the harm the rock doth not strike the ship but the ship strikes the rock and breaks it self This world as it is not evil in it self so most certainly it is full of goodness and benevolence to us it supplies our wants is accommodate to the exigences and conveniences of our nature furnisheth us with various objects and instances of the divine goodness liberality bounty of his power and majesty and glory of his wisdom providence and government which are so many instructions to teach us to know and admire and magnifie him to walk thankfully dutifully and obediently unto him to teach us resignation contentedness submission and dependence upon him A good heart will be made better by it and if there be evil in it it is such as our own corrupt natures occasions or brings upon it or upon our selves by it and it is a great part of our Christian warfare and discipline to teach us to use it as it ought to be used and to subdue those lusts and corruptions that abuse it and our selves by it Again secondly there is another world without us the malignant and evil world the world of evil Angels and of evil Men Mundus in maligno positus and the great mischiefs of this world are of two kinds viz. 1. Incentives and temptations from it that are apt to bring the rest of mankind into the evil of sin and offence againft God such as are evil examples evil commands evil counsels evil perswasions and sollicitations 2. The troubles and injuries and vexations and persecutions and oppressions and calumnies and reproaches and disgraces that are inflicted by them And the evil that ariseth from these are of two kinds viz. such as they immediately cause which is great uneasiness and griefs and sorrow and again such as consequentially arise from these namely the evil of sin as impatience discontent unquietness of mind murmurings against the Divine Providence doubtings of letting go our confidence in God disturst unbelief and putting forth our hands to iniquity to deliver our selves from these inconveniences either by unlawful or forbidden means by sinful compliances with the sinful world by falling in with them to deliver our selves from their oppressions persecutions or wrongs by raising commotions engaging in parties and infinite more unhappy consequences And thirdly there is a third kind of world which is in a great measure without us namely the accidental or more truly the providential world in relation to man and his condition in this world and is commonly of two kinds viz. prosperous or adverse External or worldly Prosperity consists in an accommodate condition of man in this world as health of body comfort of friends and relations affluence or at least competency of wealth power honour applause good report and the like The dangers that steal upon mankind in this condition are pride haughtiness of mind arrogance vain-glory insolence oppression security contempt of others love of the world fear of death and desires of diversion from the thoughts of it luxury intemperance ambition covetousness neglect and forgetfulness and a low esteem of God the life to come and our duty 2. Adversity as sicknesses and diseases poverty loss of friends and estate publick or private disturbances or calamities and the like And though oftentimes these are occasioned by the evil or malignant world yet many times they seem to come accidentally and are apt to breed impatience discontent unquietness of mind distrust of Providence murmuring envy at the external felicity of others and that common discomposure which we ordinarily find in our selves and others upon like occasions IV. The fourth considerable is what is this Faith which thus overcometh the world which is nothing else but a deep real full sound perswasion of and assent unto those great truths revealed in the Scriptures of God upon the account that they are truly the word and will of the Eternal God who is truth it self and can neither deceive nor be deceived and herein these two matters are considerable 1. What are those divine truths which being really and soundly believed doth enable the victory over the world or the special objects of that victorious faith 2. What is that act of faith or belief of these excellent objects which thus overcometh the world 1. For the former of these although the whole body of divine truths is the adequate object of faith yet there seem to be certain special heads or parts of divine truths that have the greatest influence into this victory over the world I shall mention some of them namely 1. That there is one most Powerfyl Wise Gracious Bountiful Just and All-seeing God the Author of all being that is present in
the best rule of wisdom prescribed it to man his best of visible creatures whom we have just reason to believe he would not deceive with a false or desicient rule of wisdom since as wisdom is the beauty and glory of man so wisdom in man sets forth the glory and excellency and goodness of God And consonant to this David a wise King and Solomon the wisest of men affirm the same truth Psal 111 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom a good understanding have they that do his commandments Prov. 1.7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction and 9.10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy is understanding And when the wise man had run all his long travel of Experiments to attain that which might be that good for the children of men in the end of his tedious chace and pursuit he closeth up all with this very same conclusion Eccles 12.13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole duty of man and he gives a short but effectual Reason of it For God shall bring every work into judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil And hence it is that this wise man who had the greatest measure of wisdom of any meer man since the creation of Adam that had as great experience and knowledge of all things and persons that made it his business to search and to enquire not only into wisdom but into madness and folly that had the greatest opportunity of wealth and power to make the exactest enquiry therein This wise and inquisitive and experienced man in all his Writings stiles the man fearing God and obeying him the only wise man and the person that neglects this duty the only fool and mad man And yet it is strange to see how little this is thought of or believed in the World Nay for the most part he is thought the wisest man who hath the least of this principle of Wisdom appearing in him that shakes off the fear of God or the sense of his presence or the obedience to his will and the discipline of Conscience and by craft or subtilty or power or oppression or by whatsoever method may be most conducible pursues his ends of profit or power or pleasure or what else his own vain thoughts and the mistaken estimate of the generality of men render desirable in this World And on the other side he that governs himself his life his thoughts words actions ends and purposes with the fear of Almighty God with sense and awe of his presence according to his word that drives at a nobler end than ordinarily the World thinks of namely peace with Almighty God and with his own Heart and Conscience the hope and expectation of Eternity such a man is counted a shallow empty inconsiderate foolish man one that carries no stroke in the World a man laden with a melancholy delusion setting a great rate upon a World he sees not and neglecting the opportunities of the World he sees But upon a sound and true Examination of this business we shall find that the man that feareth God is the wisest man and he that upon that account departs from evil is the man of greatest understanding I shall shew therefore these two things 1. What it is to fear God 2. That this fear of God is most demonstratively the best Wisdom of mankind and makes a man truly and really a wise man 1. Touching the first of these Fear is an affection of the Soul that is as much diversified as any one affection whatsoever which diversification of this affection ariseth from the diversification of those objects by which this affection is moved I shall mention these four 1. Fear of Despondency or Desperation which ariseth from the fear of some great and important danger that is unavoidable or at least so apprehended and this is not the Fear that is here commended to mankind 2. Fear of Terrour or Affrightment which is upon the sense of some great important danger that though possibly it may be avoided yet it carries with it a great probability and immediate impendency as the fear of Mariners in a storm or a fear that befalls a man in some time or place of great confusion or visible calamity And this kind of fear of Almighty God is sometimes effectual and useful to bring men to Repentance after some great displeasure of Almighty God by Sin or Apostacy but this is not that fear that is here at least primarily and principally meant but those two that follow 3. A Fear of Reverence or Awfulness and this fear is raised principally upon the sense of some object full of glory majesty greatness though possibly there is no cause of expecting any hurt from the person or thing thus feared Thus a Subject bears a reverential fear to his Prince from the sense of his majesty and grandeur and thus much more the majesty and greatness of Almighty God excites reverence and awfulness though there were no other ingredient into that fear Jer. 5.21 Will ye not fear me saith the Lord will ye not tremble at my presence c. Jer. 10.7 who would not fear thee O King of Nations 4. A Fear of Caution or Watchfulness This is that which the Wise man commends Prov. 28.14 Blessed is the man that feareth always And this fear of Caution is a due care and vigilancy not to displease that person from whom we enjoy or hope for good the fear of a Benefactor or of that person from whom we may upon some just cause or demerit expect an evil as the fear of a just and righteous Judge And these two latter kinds of fear namely the fear of Reverence and the fear of Caution are those that are the principal ingredients constituting this fear of God that these excellent men commend to us as true Wisdom Now this fear of God ariseth from those right and true apprehensions concerning Almighty God that do with a kind of connaturality and suitableness excite both these two kinds of Fear and those seem to be principally these three 1. A true and deep sense of the Being of God namely That there is a most excellent and perfect Being which we call God the only true God the Maker of all things But this is not enough to constitute this Fear for Epicurus and Lucian did believe that there was a God yet were without the fear of him 2. A true and deep sense knowledge and consideration of the Attributes of God And although all the attributes of God are but so many expressions and declarations of his perfection and excellency and therefore all contribute to advance and improve this fear especially of Reverence yet there be some attributes that seem in a more special manner to excite and raise this affection of fear
as well the fear of reverence as that of caution and vigilancy as namely 1. The Majesty and Glory of God at which the very Angels of Heaven that are confirmed in an unchangeable estate of happiness carry an inward and express an outward reverence 2. But Majesty and Glory without Power is not perfect therefore the sense and knowledge of the almighty Power of God is a great object of our fear He doth whatsoever he pleaseth all things had their being from him and have their dependance on him 3. The deep knowledge of the Goodness of God and that Goodness not only Immanent in himself but Emanent and Communicative and from this diffusive and communicative Goodness of God all things had their actual being and from him they do enjoy it And both these Goodnesses of God the Immanent and Emanent Goodnesses are the noblest exciter of the noblest fear a fear springing from Love and that love fixing upon the Immanent goodness of God which is altogether lovely and perfect and also upon the Emanent and Communicative goodness of God as he is our Benefactor and wherever there is this love there is this fear both of Reverence and Caution We cannot choose but honour and reverence and be careful to observe and please whatsoever we thus love the intrinsick nature of that which we love for its own worth and perfection binds us by a kind of natural bond or result to reverence and honour and the extrinsick emanation of that goodness unto us binds us to reverence and esteem and honour it as our Benefactor by a double bond viz. first of Gratitude or Benevolence to him that communicates this good secondly by a bond of Prudence and self-preservation not to disoblige him from whom we have our good and upon whom we have our dependance lest a disobligation should occasion his substraction or abatement of that good from us Wheresoever there is dependance as there must be naturally love to that upon which is our dependance so there must be necessarily a fear both of Reverence and Caution even upon principles of self-love if there were nothing else to command it 4. A deep sense knowledge and consideration of the Divine Omniscience If there were all the other motives of fear imaginable yet if this were wanting the fear of God would be in a great measure abated for what availeth reverence or caution if he to whom it is intended do not know it and what damage can be sustained by a neglect or omission of that fear if God Almighty now it not The want of this Consiâ—eration hath made even those Atheists that â—et acknowledged a God such were Epiâ—rus Diagoras Lucretius Lucian and others â—mong the Philosophers and such was Eliâ—has his oppressor Job 22.13 How doth God now and can he judge through the thick cloud â—r David's fool Psal 94.7 The Lord shall â—ot see neither shall the God of Jacob regard But the All-knowing God searcheth the very thoughts and knows the Heart and â—ll the actions of our lives Not a word in â—ur tongue but he heareth it and knows our thoughts a far off 5. A deep sense of the Holiness and Purity of God which must needs cause in him an averseness unto and abhorrence of whatsoever is sinful or impure Lastly the sense of the Justice of God not only an inherent Justice which is the rectitude of his nature but a transient or distributive Justice that will most certainly distribute rewards to obedience observance and the fear of his Name but punishments to the disobedient and those that have no fear of him before their Eyes The deep consideration and sense of these attributes of the Divine perfection must needs excite both the fear of Reverence and the fear of Caution or fear of offending either by commission of what may displease God of omitting of what is pleasing to him 3. But although this knowledge of Almighty God and his Attributes may just excite a fear both of Reverence and Caution yet without the knowledge of some thing else that fear will be extravagant and disorderly and sometimes begets Superstition or strange exorbitancy in this fear or in the expressions of it and a want regularity of duty or obedience if a maâ— know that Almighty God is just and will reward obedience and punish disobedience yet if he knows not what he will have done or omitted he will indeed fear to displease him but he will not know how to please or to obey him therefore besides the former there must be a Knowledge of the Will or Law of God in things to be done or omitted This Law of God hath a double Inscription 1. In Nature and that is again twofold first the natural rudiments of Morality and Piety written in the Heart secondly such as are deducible by the exercise of Natural reason and light for even from the notion of God there do result certain consequences of Natural Piety and Religion as that he is to be prayed unto to be praised that he is to be imitated as far forth as is possible by us therefore as he is holy beneficent good â—erciful so must we be 2. But we have more excellent Transcript of the Divine Will namely the Holy Scriptures which therefore a man that fears God will study and observe and practise as being the best â—ule how to obey him And the very fear of God arising upon the sense of his Being and Attributes will make that man very â—ollicitous to know the will of God and â—ow he will be worshipped and served and what he would have to be done or not â—o be done And therefore since the glorious God hath so far condescended as by his Providence to send us a Transcript of his Mind and Will and Law he will be very thankful for it very studious of it much delighted in it very curious to observe it because it is the Rule and direction how he may obey and consequently please that great God whom he fears this Word he believes and prizes as his great Charter and in this Word he finds much to excite and regulate and direct his fear of God he sees Examples of the Divine Justice against the Offenders of his Law of the Divine Bounty in rewarding the obedience to it Threatnings on one Hand Promises on the other greater manifestations of the Divine Goodness in the Redemption of mankind by Christ Jesus and therefore greater obâ—â—gations as well to fear as to love such Benefactor And thus far of the kinds of the fear of God and of the causes or objects exciting it Now let us see how it doth appear thâ— this fearing man is the wise man and how the Fear of God discovers it self to be the true and best and only Wisdom which wiâ—â— appear in these particular Consideration following 1. Many Learned men considering that great similitude and image of ratiocination in some Brutes especially have therefore declined to define a Man by his Reason because of that
as a blasphemer as an impostor and yet in the midst of all this usage scarce a word spoken and those that he spake not savouring of any impatience or complaint against his persecutors but full of mildness gentleness sweetness goodness and whiles his persecutors are busie in revilings and tormentings he as industrious to pray for them Luk. 23.34 Father forgive them they know not what they do 3. Which is yet a higher step he suffered all this Willingly and Cheerfully Joh. 10.18 No man taketh my life from me but I lay it down of my self Luk. 12.50 I have a baptism to be baptized with and how am I straitned till it be fulfilled and this willingness of our Lord's suffering appears in these particulars 1. In that when he had power to prevent it and to rescue himself from the insolence of his persecutors yet he useth it not one Angel armed by commission from God in one night destroyed a vast Army of the Assyrians and upon the desire of our Lord no less than twelve legions were ready for his Guard but yet this must not be How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled Matth. 27.53 54. When the company that were sent to apprehend him heard those words I am he they went backward and fell to the ground Joh. 18.6 the same power by which they fell could have so bound them never to have risen again but our Lord though he manifested this power to evidence his Divinity yet he useth it not so far as to impede his Passion and as it were resumes and calls back that manifestation of his Deity lest it might be a means to interrupt the service which he was about to perform for mankind He asked them again whom sock ye 2. In that he corrects and checks all things that might be either an impediment of his passion or that might in the least degree betray an unwillingness for him to undergo it Doubtless there was an adequate representation unto him of the dreadfulness of that conflict he was to undergo with the wrath of God and yet upon all occasions he corrects that sear and those sad apprehensions which caused his humane nature to shrink at it Job 12.27 Father save me seem this hour but for this cause came I to this hour Matth. 26.39 Father if it be possible let this cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt That even whiles the infirmity of his humane nature started at the apprehension of what he was to suffer and prayed against it yet the freeness and purity of his obedience carried him on to it and made him as it were un-pray what he had before prayed And though his soul startled at the discovery of that dismal vale that he was now to pass through yet his love to mankind and his resolution of obedience to his Father's will carried him on with willingness to suffer that which he was troubled to see again how doth he check all impediments to his suffering he foreseeth shame and pain he arms himself against both Heb. 12.2 with patience against the latter he endured the Cross with resolution against the former he despised the shame again when Peter began to play the Politician in advising our Lord to decline his suffering how severely doth he take him up Get thee behind me the cup which my Father hath given me to drink shall I not drink it again when the forward zeal of the Disciple drew his Sword and cut off a Servant of the high Priest's Ear our Lord checks the assailant and cures the wound lest any thing should retard the execution of that thing for which he came into the world or import the least argument of backwardness in him to undergo it Matth. 26.52 Joh. 18.11 It is very observable to see how Pilate was ready to fluctuate upon every occasion and shisted from place to place and from point to point to decline the condemnation of our Lord when he answered him nothing he marvelled and was at a stand upon his silence Matth. 27.14 when he heard his accusation to be because he made himself the Son of God he was the more afraid Joh. 19.8 he had secret checks from his own Conscience and weighty advertisements from his Wife that doubtless did put him to a great perplexity of mind which was scarcely conquerable by the importunity of the Jews And if in the midst of this unresolvedness and hesitancy of mind our Saviour should in any one answer of his have sent forth that majesty and strength of conviction that he could easily and upon former occasions had done certainly the Jews must have expected the coming of another deputy to have been the executioner of this purpose But our Lord was so far from declining this great work of our Redemption by his blood that he seems purposely to decline that majesty of speech wherewith he could have confounded his Judge and either answered him with silence or with such expressions as might not too much affright him from the proceeding in that sad employment Joh. 19.11 Thou couldct have no power at all against me unless it were given thee of God Though he blamed the malice of his accusers he admits and asserts the authority of his Judge 5. Let us consider For whom he suffered all this 1. The Persons for whom he suffered deserved it not The expressions of the Scripture are full in this Rom. 5. 7 8. Peradventure for a good man some would even dare to dye but God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us the objects upon which he looked upon in his sufferings were darkness Eph. 5.8 Children of wrath Eph. 2.3 Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel strangers from the covenant of promise having no hope and without God in the world Ephes 2.12 See but what a monster the best of us were in our natural condition when every power of our Soul and Body was quite corrupted from the use and end for which they were made Rom. 3.9 10 c. 2. As it was for those that deserved it not nor any deliverance by it so it was for a company of creatures that were no way solicitous for nor sought after redemption such as were ignorant of their own misery and no ways endeavouring after mercy Thus He was found of them that sought him not and surely little seeking could be found of such as were in such a condition Eph. 2.1 Dead in trespasses and sins 3. Not only for those that neither deserved nor sought after deliverance but his sufferings were for those that were Enemies Rom. 5.10 If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son Col. 1.21 And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works yet now hath be reconciled And the Enmity was so perfect that it corrupted the best habits of our minds and turned those into an abstracted kind of enmity the very wisdom of the