suffer Indeed such a true and proper sufferer he was for so himself confesseth I lay down my life no man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again Joh. 10.17 And again to say plainly he suffered what is it but to shew his innocencie that he had not offended For if hee had been a malefactor or offender it should have been said rather he was punished or he was executed And so it is most true for so it followeth in the next words of the Text the just for the unjust And again to say peremptorily he suffered what is it but to set him forth by the way of excellency for the chief and archsufferer and that not onely in respect of the manner of his sufferings that he suffered absolutely so as never did any but also in respect of the measure of his sufferings that he suffered excessively so much as never did any And so also wee may well understand and take it For to him doth well belong that lamentation of the Prophet Lam. 1.12 O vos omnes qui transitis attendite videte si dolor est ullus sicut dolor meus O all yee that passe by attend and see if there be any sorrow like to mine Behold then in saying nothing else but Christ hath suffered 1. He implyeth that he alwaies suffered constantly without intermission 2. That he onely suffered patiently without opposition 3. That he properly suffered voluntarily without compulsion 4. That he innocently suffered wrongfully without just condemnation 5. That he principally suffered excessively without comparison And is it not enough then that he saith Christ hath suffered but will ye yet ask what Nay but I pray you be satisfied and rather of the two ask what not For what sufferings can ye think on which he suffered not Sufferings in birth he suffered them Sufferings in life he suffered them Sufferings in death he suffered them Sufferings in body he was diversly tormented Sufferings in soul his soul was heavie unto death Sufferings in estate he had not where to rest his head Sufferings in good name he was counted a Samaritane and a devillish Sorcerer Sufferings from heaven he cryeth out My God my God why hast thou for saken me Sufferings from the earth he findeth for his hunger a fruitlesse Fig-tree Sufferings from hell he is assaulted and encountred with the Devill himself He began his life meanly and basely and was sharply persecuted he continued his life poorly and distressedly and was cruelly hated hee ended his life wofully and miserably and was most grievously tormented with whips thorns nails and above all with the terrors of his Fathers wrath and horrors of hellish agonies Ego sum qui peccavi I am the man that have sinned but these sheep what have they done So spake David when he saw the Angel destroying his people 2 Sam. 24.17 And even the same speech may every one of us take up for our self and apply to Christ and say I have sinned I have done wickedly but this sheep what hath he done Yea much more cause have we then David had to take up this complaint For David saw them die whom he knew to be sinners we see him dye who we know knew no sin David saw them dye a quick speedy death we see him die with lingering torments David saw them dye who by their own confession was worth ten thousand of them wee see him dye for us whose worth admitteth no comparison David saw the Lord of glory destroying mortall men we see mortall men crucifying the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2.8 How then have not wee more cause then David to say I have sinned I have done wickedly but this innocent lamb what hath he deserved to be thus tormented But let us not goe on with Davids words to adde as he doth there Let thy hand I pray thee be against me and against my Fathers house Let us not desperately offer our selves to condemnation when we see redemption fairly freely fully offered unto us rather let us sing Maries Magnificat My soul doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour Let us take heart of grace courage and comfort in faith for Christ hath blotted out the hand-writing that was against us and hath nailed it to his crosse and hath spoyled Principalities and Powers and made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in the same cross Col. 2.14 And so much for the second generall part or branch of the Text his sufferings hath suffered The third and last part is the occasion of his sufferings for sins Look how largely he spoke before of his sufferings in a generall word hath suffered meaning all sufferings so largely he also speaketh of the occasion of his sufferings in a generall word for sinnes meaning all sins But take this all with this restraint namely for all mens sins And let this all againe bee thus expounded for all mens sins competently and sufficiently but onely for all the Elects sins actually and effectually For first it appeareth that he suffered for no sinnes of his own for the Text here denyeth him to have any in that it calleth him just the just for the unjust And it is also plain that he suffered not for lost Angels sins for he in no sort took the Angels but he took the seed of Abraham Heb. 2.16 And why not them as well as us seeing they were the more noble and excellent creatures They were celestial spirits we earthly bodies dust and ashes They were immediate attendants upon God as it were of his privy chamber we servants of his lower house of this world farther remote from his glorious presence Their office was to sing Haleluiahs songs of praise to God in the heavenly Paradise ours to dresse the Garden of Eden which was but an earthly Paradise They sinned but once and but in thought as is commonly held but Adam sinned in thought by lusting in deed by tastting in word by excusing Why then did not Christ suffer for their sinnes as well as for ours or if for any why not for theirs rather then ours Even so O Father for so it pleased thee Mat. 11.26 We move this question not as being curious to search thy secret counsels but that wee may the more fill our hearts with admiration of thy goodnesse towards us and be the more tankfull for thy favour joyfull in thy mercy and cheerfull in thy love acknowledging ourselves more bound unto thee for that we have received more bounty from thee then even thine Angels thy noblest creatures So then Christ hath suffered for the sinnes of Mankind onely and that as aforesaid of all Mankind if we respect the sufficiency of his sufferings so that if any be not benefited by it the defect and fault is not in it but in their not apprehending and applying it Else why is it thus largely said in this indefinite speech
3.8 Would we have health he giveth water of life Joh. 4.10 and bread of life Joh. 6.48 Would we have liberty If the Son shall make you free then are ye free indeed Joh. 6.36 Would we have honour It is he that hath made us Kings and Priests even to reign on the earth Rev. 5.10 Would we have pleasure In his Garden there is Mirrh and spice honey-comb and honey wine and milk and he biddeth us eat O friends drink and make you merry bibite inebriamini drink and be drunken O welbeloved Cant. 5.1 If therefore wee look for fulnesse any other where we commit a twofold evil one in refusing of truth another in choosing of falshood as it is Jer. 2.13 My people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters to dig to themselves broken pits that can hold no water Again 2. With Invitation here we have also Imitation offered not onely that we take of his fulnesse but that in our measure as much as may be we be full as hee is full Christ is our pattern we must learn of him as in other things so in this even to be filled with the spirit Eph. 5.18 To grow up into him which is the head unto a perfect man unto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ Eph. 4. That we may be filled with all fulnesse of God Eph. 3.19 Our naturall Parents would not have us dwarfs in nature our heavenly father will not have us dwarfs in grace For he will have us hunger and thirst after righteousness Mat. 5.6 And bids us open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Ps 81.10 But why doe wee not Imitate Christs fulnesse of Grace why doe we not desire it why doe wee not thirst after it No doubt because wee are filled other waies for who despiseth honey but he that is full The person that is full despiseth an honey comb Prov 27.7 The reason then why we long not for Christs fulnesse is because we have some other fulnesse either of worldliness or else of windiness Of worldlynesse so are they filled who when they have heard the Word the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choak it and make it unfruitful Mat. 13.22 Of windinesse so are they filled who boast themselves like the Pharisee Luk. 18.11 and doth that they doe for their own love and self-conceit to be seen of men not for Gods love in truth and sincerity and therefore are but sounding brasse hollow windy vessels Is 26.18 And though they travail as a woman with child yet doe they bring forth nought but wind Be therefore empty from such fillings that thou mayst be filled with Christs fillings for indeed Nihil est vacuum if God fill thee not the Devil will Discas non diligere ut discas diligere funde ut impleris Learn not to love that thou mayst love empty thy self that thou mayst be filled saith St. Augustin in Ps 31.26 Fast therefore as Gluttons doe when they are bidden to a feast yea purge as patients doe when they prepare for physick Macra cavum repetas arctum quem macra subisti Thou camest into the world naked and empty corporally temporally spiritually thou must be born again then and come to thy first scantling and empty condition so and not otherwise shalt thou be capable of Christs fulness And so ye see all fulnesse is in Christ 2. Now secondly that all our fulness all our measure descendeth only by and through him All is his in regard of possessing all is his in regard of conveighing all is his originally all is his mediately All is both of him and by him from him and through him All is ours in regard of his communicating our participating All ours is his in regard of our deriving his abounding Hee is not onely the Fountain that yeeldeth but the Pipe that conveigheth and leadeth every drop of Grace that runneth into our souls For the Church concludeth all her Prayers and Thanksgivings through Jesus Christ our Lord making him the onely Jacobs Ladder whereon God descendeth unto us and we ascend unto him Jo. 1.51 Hee is not onely the root that feedeth all his branches but the trunck that deriveth the sap of life to every one according to its measure and capacity I am the vine my father is an husband man every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit Joh. 15.1 Well then all our fulnesse is derived to us as well by him as from him All yes as well of being as of well being Of being even our substance and existence Ours Yea all creatures for all things were made by him Joh. 1.3 By him yea by him and for him were all things created Col. 1.16 By him for he is that essentiall operative Word of God By the word of the Lord were the heavens made Psal 33.6 For him for he made him heir of all things by whom he made the worlds Heb. 1.2 So that he may be said to be originalis instrumentalis finalis causa the originall instrumentall and finall cause of the being of all things And as of our being so of our well being also and that both in grace and in glory Our well being in Grace is by and through him both our capableness and our fulness Our capablenesse is by him even that we are Vessels Vessels we are indeed by nature but vessels of wrath We were by nature children of wrath Eph. 2.3 How doe we then become vessels of mercy prepared unto glory Rom. 9.23 Even through that adoption of Sons which we have in our redemption which work is only and wholly his Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood Rev. 5.9 He hath by himself purged our sins Heb. 1.3 It is by him then that we are made capable of heavenly water of our selves we are broken pitchers and cannot hold for our bursting in Adam was like the bursting of a potters pot that is broken without pitty so that in all the masse of mankind there was not left one sheard to take fire out of this hearth or water out of this pit the fire of the Spirit the water of Grace but our capablenesse is restored by Christ And as our capableness so likewise our fulness is by him even all our measure of Sanctification and Justification Ye are washed ye are sanctified ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 6.11 Christ Jesus is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 And as in Grace so also in Glory our fulnesse is by him for this is the sea whereto that stream doth lead Whom he called them he justified whom he justified them he glorified Rom. 8.30 And by whom onely by Christ The gift of God is eternall lafe by Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6.23 So that Christ is still our meanes Christ in
filled Chap. 2. ver 4. yea so abundantly filled that each one was able to fill multitudes For by Saint Peters preaching the same day there were added to the Church about 3000. soules ver 41. Thus this heavenly fire hid since the world began and from all ages Col. 1.26 now breaking forth sheweth most heat and light Thus our Zacheus for that name whether you expound it Just or Pure may well stand for him who is the fountain of all Justice and purity recompenseth his former hoording and sparing by giving fourfold Thus the holy and precious oile of gladnesse powred upon the head of the Church runneth down to the skirts of his clothing even to all his members and parts For saith Saint Peter here ver 16. This is that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel And it shall be in the last daies saith God that I will powre out of my spirit upon all flesh And this is that which is cited Heb. 8.11 They shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know ye the Lord for all such know me from the least of them to the greatest Thirdly not to like end was the Holy Ghost before come or given For before he was given to foretell things to come and to be done now to tell and declare things done and finished Before to set forth the shadow of good things to come now to minister the substance of the things themselves Before to teach men but now we may say in some sort to teach Angells For now unto principalities and powers in heavenly places is made known by the Church the manifold wisdome of God Eph. 3.10 And in the ministry of the Gospell the things are now shewed which the Angells desire to behold 1. Pet. 1.12 Before it was to prepare the bride for the marriage of the Lamb Now it is to keep the keies of the bridechamber dore to bind and loose open and shut I will give thee the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt binde on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shal be loosed in Heaven saith Christ to Saint Peter Mat. 16.19 For which causes I doubt not it is that the least of the Kingdom of God that is as aforesaid after this third and full revelation of the Trinity is said to be greater then John the Baptist whose time was but a little before it Mat. 11.11 What followeth then for our instruction out of this inlargement of the holy Spirit to us but this that we also be inlarged in the holinesse of our spirits unto him that as he hath abounded unto us so we may abound unto him and that as he to us so we to him be renued In our manner Not with eye service as men-pleasers but heartily as to the Lord. Col. 3.23 In our measure Rich in faith rich in good works In our end Not minding earthly things but having our conversation in heaven Phil. 3.20 But how was this new and great coming of the Holy Ghost It was in or under signs and figures types and emblems For the Son came to take our nature because he was to stand in our room to act our cause therefore his coming must be hypostaticall he must be that he seems to be The Word was made flesh Joh. 1. But the Holy Ghost was to renew us into his nature that we might be partakers of the godly nature 2 Pet. 1.4 therefore it sufficeth that his coming be symbolicall not becoming or being what he shews but shewing what he is his properties and effects As excellently here hee doth in three notable symboles or signs Namely Wind Fire and Tongues And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing and a mighty wind c. To seek all the agreements between these shaddows and their substance were to attempt that impossibility 2 Esd 4.5 Weigh me the weight of the fire or measure me the blast of the wind Expect not all then but be content with some And first of the wind The Wind hath two especiall properties Secretness and Activeness First Secretness and that both in its arising and its working 1. Secretnesse in its arising It is so secret that it cannot be known for I will rather believe Christ who telleth me that I cannot tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth Joh. 3.8 then I would yeeld to the wisdom of man if all Philosophers could as indeed they cannot agree together to tell me from whence it cometh God bringeth them out of his treasures Ps 135.7 No doubt out of those treasures of light and and might knowledge and power the light which no man can attain unto 1 Tim. 6.16 And secondly it hath Secretness in its working too for it unsensibly pierceth the sensible joynts and bones Zephyrus quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vitam ferens and worketh sensible refreshing on the unsensible herbs and plants And to the Holy Ghost also is secretnesse proper both in his beginning or arising and in his working In his beginning for we say he hath a beginning of personality though not of nature A beginning from the Father and the Son not in time being coeternall but by proceeding Whereof the proceeding of the stream from the fountain of the heat from the fire and of the light from the sun is all too short and weak expressions and yet these in time we are still together And in his working also he is secret Entring in to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and the joynts and the marrow Heb. 4.12 And as the true Zephyrus breathing breath of lives upon all the plants which the heavenly father hath planted and that unsensibly as the wind blowing when and where and how he listeth The former secresie is for our admiration the greater it is the farther we must stand from it For qui scrutatur majestatem opprimetur à gloria He that searcheth Gods majesty shall be oppressed of his glory It is enough to cry out O the deepness of this secret The latter is for our examination for we must prove our selves whether we are in the faith or no 2 Cor. 13.5 If we live in the spirit we must walk in the spirit Gal. 5.25 And as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sons of God Rom 8.14 Again Activenesse also is another property of the wind It is active constantly strongly subtilly variously 1. Constantly for it is alwaies in motion its being consisteth in action for it is not wind if it do not blow And though it be not in all places alwaies alike perceived yet never can it be said to be in no place at all 2. Strongly for it bendeth the pliant plants but breaketh or overturneth the stiffe and sturdy oaks 3. Subtilly for it findeth the chaffe in the middest of the wheat and purgeth and scattereth it quite away 4. Variously for it bringeth sometimes lightning sometimes rain
other faculties and acted other exercises yet in the Psalmes we find him very frequent in the meditation and contemplation and examination of mans estate and condition which indeed was the knowledge of himselfe And it seemes he had studied this point so far that he was gone beyond himself in it and had learn'd more then he was able to utter But hee doth set it forth as far as possibly he can and as far as words may significantly expresse it For in the 144th Ps ver 4. he saith Man is like unto Vanity And in the 39th Psa ver 5. he goes farther and saith Every man at his best state is altogether vanity And yet farther in the 62. Psa ver 9. he goes farther and spares neither high nor low but saith Surely men of low degree are vanity and men of high degree are a lie to be laid on the ballance they are altogether lighter then vanity Like vanity At the best altogether vanity Altogether lighter then vanity And yet farther and beyond all in this Psalme and in this verse of the Psalm hee goes farther for he doth not here say what man is but hee makes a question of it he brings it to a question As if he could not tell what to say of it as if it were a thing not possible to be told What is man that thou art mindfull of him This passionate exclamation of the Prophet concerning man groweth and ariseth from his considering the Heavens the Moon and the starrs as appeareth in the verse next foregoing And it so ariseth necessarily and by good consequence For in those admirable and excellent creatures whether he considered their place and situation or their influence and operation or their uncessant and untired motion or their long undecaying durance and continuaation very just cause had he to say What is man And on the other side whether hee considered that they are all made for mans use and service the Sun to rule the day the moon and the Starres to govern the night Psa 136. or whether he considered that man shall one day be placed higher then they and be advanced in glory above them all very just cause had he then to adde the other words also and say that thou art mindfull of him Here therefore I take it we have three things offered to our consideration 1. The vilenesse or baseness of man 2. The unworthinesse of man 3. The providence of God For in that out of the consideration of the heavens the moon and starres he raiseth the question What is man we may gather that he intimateth mans vilenesse in respect of their excellencie And in that he makes the question with mention of Gods providence wee may gather that he aimeth at mans unworthinesse in reference to Gods goodnesse and mercie And in that hee makes mention of Gods mindfulnesse we may plainly see he sets forth Gods good providence to man notwithstanding his vilenesse in himself and his unworthinesse towards God To begin with the first mans vilenesse or baseness This will be discovered in a twofold consideration namely of what we are or belongs unto us in our corporall and what in our temporall state and condition each of them again have a double reference or respect First for our corporal state and condition our vilenesse therein will appear in respect both of our beginning and of our ending First for our beginning If I should speak of our next and nearest natural beginning I mean our conception and birth I fear I should then make it too plain and more offend your eares then edifie your soules I should scarce I doubt find words modest and civill enough to bring me off with good manners It is a subject so unseemly for discourse that it may be enough if not too much for my present purpose onely to have named it Passing therefore that let us look I pray you on our first and primary beginning namely in Adam or rather on Adams beginning For though he was the beginning of all us yet he was not the beginning of himself No he had his beginning as well as other men And whence was it yee may see Gen. 2.7 The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground Loe then here is our noble parentage our high descent of dignity our honorable house Yea this is the very foundation of the house we dwell in houses of clay whose foundation is in the dust Job 4.19 And what can be more vile and contemptible then the dust of the earth which is troden under foot of all creatures which is scattered abroad of every blast of wind which beareth no herb nor fruit which serveth for no use to any creature unlesse for meat to the most cursed creature that is the serpent Thou art cursed above all cattell upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat saith God to the serpent Gen. 3.19 But if any man or woman in the pride of their beauty or other excellencie will not apprehend their vilenesse by considering from whence they came yet let them apprehend and own and acknowledge it by considering whereto they shall shortly return What can be more odious to a living man then the carcasse of a dead man what can be more loathsome to his slight more noisome to his smell more infectious to his body And yet such we all are I may say we are For indeed we are so by natures judgement disposition and inclination I may say such we are for certainly such we shall be and onely God knowes how soon such must every man and womans body be be it never so strong and able never so sound and healthful never so fair and beautifull And as the generation of man originally was from the dust which is serpents meat so for farther expresse of our vilenesse as some naturalists note the corruption of a man is the seed or generation of a serpent For so they write Ex spina humana corrupta out of the corrupted Carcas of a man is ingendred a serpent And Aug. de morib Manic ca. 17 saith Scarabaeus ex fimo aper ex bove anguis vel scorpio ex homine other things and other corruptions but of mans corruption comes a snake or scorpion I may therefore well cry out with the Son of Sirach Why is Earth and ashes proud For when a man is dead he shall inherit creeping things beasts and worms Why doth not this teach us rather to be humble and lowly and not to have so proud a conceit of our bodies as too commonly we have nor to be so excessively curious in the delicate feeding and pampering of them in the soft and tender lodging of them in the superfluous trimming and adorning of them For it is but dust for the feeding whereof so many creatures suffer death It is but dust for the lodging whereof wee spend so much time in building tabernacles It is but dust for the clothing whereof we teare both surface and bowels of the Earth