of abundance and he may live in the world though not to the world which is a dutie easily spoken of yet not easily performed neither was it easily wrought in our Apostle who being a persecutor of the Church was powerfully altered and changed from Heaven and thus doth God deale with his children whom hee doth first cast downe and afflict that they may finde by experience that these outward things can stand us in no stead it may be hee suffers them to fall into some grievous scandalous sinne that they might see the bodie of sinne that lies in them and seeing no good nor help in themselves their desires are stirred up to the imbracing of some better thing wherein they may finde comfort then doth God reveale Christ to us to whom he will have us to flie and say Lord what wilt thou have mee to doe So as this power of changing our selves is not in our selves but it is an almightie power If we thinke therefore that wee are selfe-lovers goe to God present thy selfe in the meanes and then our eyes shall be opened to see and discerne good and evill For God hath promised to annex his spirit to the use of the meanes if that wee in obedience submit our selves to them VERS 8. Yea doubtlesse and I count all things but losse THe words containe a kinde of correction as if in few words he had said All things whatsoever I formerly boasted in nay my very priviledges I count them not onely dung but I doe count them to be losse to me nay I have suffered the losse of them all in comparison and for Christ my â—ord Yea I desire to expresse the earnest intention of my affections by my desire to win him to know hâ—m to be found in him and to formable to his death In generall observe The Apostles resolution and zeale his assured certainty his large heart being not able to expresse his affection but by many words viz. his love of Christ and hate of all outward things whatsoever Therefore we also in maine fundamentall points must be resolute carrying a full saile as in the truth of the thing there is a certainty so in us there must be an assured perswasion thereof For even from these uncertaine irresolute hearts comes Apostacie men being not grounded are carried about with every winde of doctrine and hence also comes different measures of grace in Christians some say with Paul Doubtlesse others are of doubting hearts But the end of the word is to settle us Ephes. 4.13 And though it be never so true yet if we not beleeve it though the foundation be sure yet if we not build on it the tru hand force of it is not good unto us In the second place fâ—om the Apostles example We are to learne in fundamentall truthes to be zealous The Apostle speaking of any thing that â—eâ—kes competition with Christ for value how doth he vilisie it that he hath not words sufficient to eâ—prâ—sse his fervent hatred thereof For zeale is such an affection as causes a constant hatred against any thing that opposes that which we intirely love even such a hatred as will cause us not to indure to heare of it And God therefore promiseth Ephraim he shall so abhorre Idols as he shall not have to doe with them And indeed a jealous God and a zealous heart doe well agree when wee have to doe with any one that opposes God in his â—ruth we are not to be cold but to be zealously affected In the third place Wee are to learne to bee large hearted in expressing our affection wee beare to the truth and therefore we are to bee ashamed of our shortnesse of breath in speaking or meditating of Gods honour and glory and his truth But particularly from our Apostles esteeme wee may learne That Gods children have sanctified and regenerate thoughts and esteemes For with new soules they have new eyes new senses new affections and judgements what they saw before to be gaine they see now to be losse Beasts we know conceive not of mens matters neither doe weake simple men of state matters that which weake silly men admire the Apostle scornes and contemnes Moses accounted of the afflictions with the children of God more than of the pleasure of Egypt We may observe this as a marke to know our estates by what is high in thy esteeme is honour riches pleasure or the like thou art not yet throughly sanctified for if thou wert thou wouldst have a sanctified judgement But some may say did Paul esteem all things to be losse yea his good workes I answer good workes in their own nature are good but weighing them with Christ as Paul did they are also drosse and dung Secondly it teaches us that wee are not righteous or justified by any workes ceremoniall or morall either before or after our conversion The Papists alledge works as meritorious we contrarily doe disclaime them As to that purpose I say they you meane ceremoniall works we say no we meane also morall For Paul was unblameable as concerning the works of the law and yet counts them dung O say they St. Paul meaned those works before his conversion and not those after his conversion I answer yes all things in respect of Christ I doe now account them as drosse and losse To prove this the fuller If nothing after conversion bee perfect then cannot they intitle us to heaven but all our best works in state of regeneration are imperfect to prove this See the examples of David a man after Gods owne heart Psal. 143.2 None righteous in thy sight and who can say his heart is cleane And Esay 64.6 Wee are all as an uncleane thing and all our righteousnesse as filthie ragges O but Bellarmine sayes the Prophet speakes this in the person of the wicked I hope he will not put the Prophet into that number for he saith wee and our and our righteousnesse not our ill deeds and all our righteousnesse Nay of himselfe in particular Esay saith as much in Esay 6.5 And besides the wicked doe not use to pray as the whole Chapter is to that end And Daniel also includes himselfe in his confession Dan. 9.20 And to prove this by reason We know that weake and corrupt principles must needs produce imperfect effects now the principles of all our motions are evilly affected our understandings memomories affections all are corrupt and weake Corruptions make combates in all parts of the soule and body in whatsoever therefore we doe there is flesh and spirit and their owne Authours agree hereunto as Ferus and Catharen a Cardinall of their owne sayes there is donatajustitia and inhaerens When the question is what we must leane to it must be onely on Christ and his righteousnesse wherewith from him we are indowed And a Pope of theirs Adrian the fourth saith that all our righteousnesse is as the reed of Egypt which will not onely faile us if we rest on it but will pierce our
Paul to the Philippians PHILIP 3.1 Finally my Brethren rejoyce in the Lord. THIS Chapter containes a general Exhortation to severall duties In this Verse you have the manner of doing them all must bee done in rejoycing From thence he proceeds to backe other particular Exhortations with reasons and examples of himselfe which we will speake of particularly when we come at them Now in this Verse I wil speake first of the Compellation Brethren then of the Exhortation Rejoyce and lastly of the Limitation In the Lord. Brethren By this loving Compellation hee labours to enter into their hearts and affections well knowing That exhortations are of the more force being directed to those that are perswaded of the good affection of the speaker If exhortation comes from the pride of a man the pride of man in the hearers will beat it back and give no entertainment thereunto But why are Christians Brethren First they have the same beginning of life from the same Father as also they have the same common Brother that is Christ. They have the same wombe the Church the same food the Word of God They have the same promises they are all heires all borne to an Inheritance Furthermore the word Brother is a word of equality and of dignitiy of equality though in personall Callings one is superior to other yet this takes not away the common Brotherhood This should fill up the vallies of mens hearts dejected here in regard of their meane estates as also pull downe the mountaines of the proud hearts of men lifted up through these outward things Kings must not lift up themselves in disdaine of others because all these personall respects end in death we carry them not to Heaven and in those respects that we agree in here as in Grace and Goodnesse we shall continue united for ever And yet must we honour such as are in eminencie and acknowledge them as men worthy of all respect and give them dignity according to their places But further this is a name of Dignitie it argues that we are not basely borne that we are sonnes of God and heires of Heaven Christ after his resurrection the first terme he gives his Disciples tell my Brethren saith he I go to my Father and their Father This word is also a word of love and therewith the Apostle insinuates the affections of the Philippians Examine therefore thy affections towards the sonnes of God If we love and respect them as our own Brethren good is our estate if we hate them our estate cannot be good And in the second place Let not this word be appropriated to some and not to others which are notwithstanding of the same number For one brother cannot make another no brother for it is one and the same Father that makes Brethren So long therefore as thou seest any thing of Christ in any breake not off thy affection and disdaine not the name of brother to such for where the spirit is it workes in us a resemblance of God and where it stamps his Image it makes them Brethren Rejoyce It is not only an affection but a dutie that we are injoyned Wherein first observe It is a Christians dutie to rejoyce It is commanded here Ministers are injoyned to speak comfort to such Isa. 40. Comfort yee Comfort yee my people and Christ came to binde up the broken in heart and the Ministers sent to shew men their unrighteousnesse Iob. 33.23 The spirit that is in such is the spirit of joy and therefore joy is reckoned as a fruit of the spirit Gal. 5.22 And why should not Christians rejoyce they are free from the spirituall Egypt from greatest miseries Nay why should not we sing as the Israelites did after their deliverance our enemies and deliverance is farre greater than theirs And we have the greatest prerogatives we have here an assured hope of eternall perfect happinesse hereafter we have peace with God Rom. 5.1 We have free accesse in all our wants to the throne of grace and wee have a God ready to heare all our prayers and to helpe us we have many gift already received Christ is already given us we are in a state of regeneration and for the time to come wee have promises from God the God of truth that nothing shall separate us from Christ surely these are great causes of joy in us and having such things as these wee dishonour them the giver of them and our selves and our profession if we rejoyce not in them In the second place observe That it belongs only to Christians to rejoyce Others have neither cause of joy nor commandement to rejoyce the Ministers and Prophets are bidden to bid such howle and lament to shew them their miserable estate And indeed what ground can a condemned person have of joy for the wicked till they have remission of sins they are in a damned estate and though they will snatch this to themselves and say that they are sure to be saved yet is salvation not their portion They joy indeed but it is in sinne in seeing or doing evill to others Or if sometimes they joy in the Gospell for a wicked man may doe so it is but a forced joy and much like hot waters to a cold fit of an Ague it brings heate and expulses cold for the present but it burnes them after So this joy seemes to comfort them now but when triall comes it failes him and makes him more disconsolate to see himselfe thus beguiled Fitter it were for such to bee first humbled and brought to the sight of their estate than to administer comfort to them to speake peace where none belongs is to undoe men It is the broken that must be healed and the wearie that must come to Christ. 3 In the third place observe The limitation of this joy it must be in the Lord That is in Christ who in the new Testament is often called Lord and he is our Lord First by gift God hath given us all to Christ. Secondly by Conquest he hath gotten victory of Sathan And thirdly by marriage And therefore we may well call him Lord and rejoyce in him because he is our Lord for by him we come to conquer all our enemies by him wee have peace Rom. 5. he makes us Kings and Priests and brings us to heaven Now for the practise of this dutie of rejoycing in the Lord that we may be incouraged let us consider how it is a meanes not onely of adherence to God but also of obedience to his Lawes 1 Ioy if it bee sound knits us firme to God so as we rest contented in him as our only and sufficient joy seeking for no other joy in any other thing To us Christ is made all in all That we should solace our selves in his fulnesse which if we truely doe we will count all other things as despised assuring our selves they cannot minister or adde any jote of sound comfort at all and therefore will not
by private friends Nay canst thou desire this search that thou maist know thy â—inne more and more for this end that thou mayst truely hate it with a more perfect hatred Canst thou truely appeale to God as Peter did to Christ thou knowest that I love and preferre thee above all It is a sure signe of thy sinceritie which the world cannot have and therefore when they see their sinnes laid open they spurne at the ordinances and spite the Minister and their true friends that put them in minde of their faults accounting them as their onely enemies Surely they shall never be able to indure the search of God hereafter and the last day when he shall lay them open they shall be overcome with shame A fourth signe is That at the houre of thy death this spiritual worshipping of God will give thee content when nothing else can Thou mayst say with comfort as Hezekiah did Lord remember how I have walked before thee in sinceritie When down-right affliction comes outward verball profession vanisheth with all the comforts thereof then perisheth the hope of the hypocrite Two things upheld Iob in comfort in his great extremity he was first assured that his redeemer lived and secondly he knew his innocency in those things that his friends charged him with and such times will fall on us all either at the time of death or before when nothing but innocencie and sincerity shall be able to uphold us Labour therefore for sincerity and spirituall worship Worship God in spirit but let it be done outwardly also But first bring thy heart and intention to what thou dost and that will stirre up the outward man to its duty and for the performance hereof follow these directions First learne to know God aright For worship is answerable to knowledge for how can we reverence God aright when we know neither his goodnesse nor his greatnesse how can we trust on God when we see not his truth in the performance of his promises in the Scriptures and in our owne experience those that doe not these know not God for as the heart affects according to knowledge So also its true in divinitie as we know his justice wee shall feare as we know his mercy wee shall love him and as we know his truth we shall trust on him Psal. 9.10 They that know thy name shall trust in thee and in other places of the said Psalme the Lord is knowne in the judgement he executeth vers 16. Secondly know God to be the first mover and cause of all men ordinarily feare the creature attributing that to it which belongs to the Creator But God he is the giver of all and Christians looke on the secondary means as to the first author and ground of all the rest they behold the Magistrate as in God feare them no otherwise but in the Lord. Atheists they will not sticke at any sinne whatsoever to get the love of those that may bring them any worldly commodity A Christian hee pleases and seekes the love of him that can make enemies friends when he lists and when it s for our good he knowes in him we live move and have our being Thirdly make much of spirituall meanes God he works by meanes by his word attend to it it works love feare joy and reverence in us and therefore no marvaile if those that neglect these meanes are not acquainted with these graces of Gods spirit 4 Fourthly Lift up thy heart to Christ the quickening spirit 1 Cor. 15. Our hearts naturally are dead Christ is our life when thou art most especially called to love to feare to humilitie pray to him to move thee and yeeld thy selfe to him and then shalt thou pray in spirit as it is said in Iude 20. heare in spirit doe all in spirit doe outward workes of thy calling in spirit for a true worshipper will out of spirituall grounds doe all outward works of his particular calling as well as the workes of his generall Christian vocation Let us therefore doe all things from our hearts to God and to our neighbour else will not God accept of our workes It is the Iew inwardly who shall have praise of God The want of this sincerity hath extinguished the light of many a glorious professour and thereby hath brought a great scandall upon the true worshippers of God in spirit VERS 3. And rejoyce in Christ. THe word rejoyce implyes a boasting or glorying of the heart manifesting it selfe in outward countenance and gesture as also in speech it also implies a resting on and contenting in the thing we glory in proceeding from an assurance that we glory in a thing worthy of glory for they are fooles that delight in bables Observe hence therefore That those that will worship Christ aright must glorie in him For the worship of Christ is a thing that requires incouragement and nothing can worke this incouragement like the glorying in Christ and therefore Paul in the first part of his Epistle to the Romans having shewed that God had elected them freely and had begun the worke of sanctification in their hearts he comes in the 12. Chapter I beseech you saith he present your selves as a holy living and acceptable sacrifice to God And in Tit. 2.11 The grace of God teacheth by incouraging us to deny ungodlines to walk unblameably soberly righteously and godlily in this present world And therefore whensoever wee grow dull or dead think of the great benefits that we have by Christ and it will quicken us and all our performances In the next place observe That Christ is the matter and subject of true glory and rejoycing and onely Christ for they well goe together a full and large affection with a full and large object boasting is a full affection the object is every way as full First as he is God and man he is God full of all things he is man full of all grace and void of all sinne he is Christ anointed to performe all his offices he is a Prophet all-sufficient in all wisedome in him are the treasures of wisedome he teaches us not onely how to doe but he teaches the very deed he is our High-priest he is the sacrifice the altar and the Priest and he is our eternall Priest in Heaven and on earth on earth as suffering for us in Heaven as mediating for our peace Who shall condemne us it is Christ that dyeth yea rather that is risen againe who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Rom. 8.34 He is also our King he is King of all King of kings and Lord of lords a King for ever and at all times subduing all rebellions within us and all enemies without us and he is all these so as none is like him and therefore is worthy of our glory Secondly Christ is communicative in all these he is Prophet Priest King for us he is God man he is Christ for us he
hunger fulnesse And base wee are because wee are upheld by inferiour creatures We enter into the world by one way but goe out by divers deaths some violent some more naturall and by divers sicknesses lothsome to the eyes to the nosthrils and especially when wee are nearest our end when as our countenance is pale our members tremble all our beautie is gone But after wee are departed so lothsome is this our carcasse it must bee had out of sight yea though it bee the body of the Patriarch Abraham Gen. 23.4 For as the bodie of man is the best temper so the corruption thereof is the most vile the best countenances of the greatest personages are the most ugly gastly objects of all others by so much the more by how much they were the more excellent so much the greater is their change And yet are wee not to conceive of this bodie so as though there were no glorie belonging to it for first its Gods workmanship therefore excellent and so excellent as the heathen man Galen being stricken into admiration at the admirable frame thereof breakes out into a hymne in praise of the maker And David could not expresse it but sayes I am wonderfully made God made this his last worke as an Epitomie of all the rest Secondly we are told that we owe glorie to our bodies and therefore we are bidden that wee should not wrong our bodies and the Scripture speakes infamously of selfe-murtherers as of Iudas Saul Achitophel they are branded with a note of shame and reproach And God to shew the respect we owe to our bodies hath provided to every sense pleasing recreations as flowers for the smell light for the eyes musicke for the eare to be briefe hee made all things for the bodily use of man Thirdly these bodies of ours are members of Christ redeemed and sanctified Temples of the holy Ghost as well as our soules And therefore we must take heed when wee read of the base termes that are given to the bodie that we doe not mistake For it is true in regard it keepes the soule from heaven it is the grave of the soule but indeed it is the house the temple and instrument of the soule but being misused it proves an unto ward darke house an unweldie instrument Wee are to take heed therefore of the error of those who afflict it by writing and declaiming against it or by whipping of it when alasse it is the sinne of the soule the unruly lusts and affections that are the causes of all rebellions in us and if the body doth rebell as often it doth come to passe since the fall this proceeds from the corruption of the soule yeelding to the bodie ayde to serve the lusts and God hath appointed a religious abstinence as a meanes to tame such lusts and weaken them which it were to be wished were used oftener than it is But it will be said are the bodies of Christians base for whom Christ shed his most precious bloud I answer while we live here we are in no better condition than others as concerning our bodies Hezekiah is sicke Lazarus hath his sores David and Iob troubled with lothsome diseases and thus its fitting it should fare with us For first Christ laid us this example he tooke our base ragged nature on him hee hungred and thirsted was pained and death had a little power over him and shall we desire a better estate than our master our head had or doe we ever thinke to partake with him in happinesse that will not partake with him in his mean estate the decree of God is that to dust wee must as all the rest of our fellow Saints and servants shall Secondly hereby God doth exercise our faith and hope causing us to looke and expect a better resurrection and by this meanes are our desires edged to a better life for else would we set up our rest here and make this our Paradise Thirdly as yet there is sinne in us from the danger whereof though wee be deliuered yet there is a corruption that remaineth behinde in us and by this hee will teach us the contagion of sinne and teach us to see how the divell hath deceived us by the effects thereof bringing paine torment and lothsomnesse Forthly it shewes Gods wisedome in vanquishing sinne by death which is the childe of sinne for by it shall we be purged from sinne from corruption both of bodie and minde and thus is our base estate made a way to our excellent estate hereafter Wee must therefore moderate our affections to the best things of this life health is changeable and will not continue beautie is a flower of a stalke the flower quickly fades away and perisheth the stalke that is more base continues longest flesh is grasse either cut downe by violent deart or if by age the longer it lives the baser it is and increases continually therein till death when as it is most base It is therefore foolish for any to swell because of beautie or strength which at the best are but curious excellencies of a base bodie and farre more sottish are they that thinke to resist old age and Gods decree by trimming up and painting a withered stocke this is not the way to conquer vilenesse But if we will be rid thereof labour for the meat that perisheth not Ioh. 6.27 But that which maketh us indure to everlasting life is with Marie to chuse the better part that shall not be taken away meat for the belly and the belly for meate but God shall destroy both the one and the other And let this be as a cooler to quench the base wild-fire of love and conâ—ider what is it wee so affect it s but beautifull dust a painted sepulchre a body that after death will bee vilenesse it selfe that while it breathes its full of rottennesse the matter of wormes supported it may be by a carrion soule that whether it willeth or nilleth must leave it and goe into a farre worse place And contrarily in the last place it should teach us to be at a point cheerefully to honour God by sacrificing our selves to him when hee calles for us count it no shame with David to be vile in the eyes of men for Gods cause if the worst could be imagined which cannot be we had as good perish with usage aswith rust But this is the onely way to be glorious to avoid vilenesse even to sacrifice our bodies and all in a good cause what though the world esteem vilely of us as good for nothing but the shambles Rom. 8.36 shall wee feare them no feare him that can destroy both body and soule it s better to goe to heaven without a limbe than to goe to hell with a sound healthfull bodie therefore men temptation of the world doe begin to provoke thee say to thy flesh with Bernard stay thy time the time is not yet to be happie And therefore conclude our soule is but a stranger
for them to sleepe in and that at length God will not forget to raise them up with the residue of his Saints hee will change them and make them like his glorious bodie and this was the use made by the Apostle 1 Thes. 4.18 And lastly pray to God to teach us to number our dayes so as we may apply our hearts to wisedome But when is the time of this blessed change It is not laid downe onely it is implyed by the word Shall that the time is to come but out of all question it is meant at the last day and not before First because all are to bee gathered together even those that were baried 4000. yeers agone must stay till the number bee fulfilled and it will make for Gods glorie that we should all meet together to attend on him with multitude of Angels so as they cannot be perfected without or before us and wee shall not prevent those that are asleepe Secondly it is for the comfort of Christians that are weake that the Martyrs and constant professors of Christ should be pledges of their rising who continually cry how long Lord Thirdly God wils that things should now bee carried as in a cloud and that the last day should bee a day of revelation which could not be if before there should be this change For use this must teach us to desire that day and pray for the hastening thereof till when the soules in heaven are not perfectly happy for all must be brought in before they can be made perfect and therefore they desire and hope for and pray for to be united to those bodies again that they lived withall and so deerely loved But who are these that shall be thus changed The Text saith our bodies that is our bodies that have had our conversation in heaven and therefore those that have had no part in the first resurrection they shall have no pâ—rt in the second the Baker and Butler of Pharaoh all shall arise and be lifted out of prison but some to the resurrection of life and others to the resurrection of condemnation But to proceed VERS 21. That wee may bee fashioned like unto his glorious bodie SO that Christ shall be the exemplary cause as well as the efficient cause of our resurrection for he is our head and our husband and it is reason we should bee sutable to him and be ruled by him he came not to make himselfe like us but us like him he first must be a King blessed and anointed and a sonne the head makes us like to him Kings blessed and glorious and sonnes Enoch and Elias though before his reall incarnation yet they ascended by vertue of his resurrection and so shall we they are glorious like to him so shall wee in his good time and pleasure But how I answer in these particulars First as he is immortall never to die againe so shall we we shall bee freed from all sinne and so consequently from all mortalitie Secondly we shall be uncorruptible wee shall have no corruption whithin us or without us as it is 1 Cor. 15.53 We shall be embalmed with the spirit that shall cause us to remaine for ever incorruptible Thirdly we shall be unchangeable alwayes the same without sicknesse of bodie or indisposednesse of minde Then in the fourth place wee shall bee in perfect strength here we contract to our selves weaknesse by every little thing as alteration of â—ire study and the like there the body shall be inabled to every thing but here we are weak unfit and soone wearie of any dutie soone tired in prayer wearie of hearing so as even Moses his armes must be supported Fifthly we shall have beautie and comelinesse the most lovely complexion and proportion of parts there shall be no dregges in our body all shall be spent by death farre better than after Physicke which notwithstanding brings the body into a quiet repose all wants shall be supplyed what is misplaced shall be reduced into right order and therefore what though we lose limbes for Christs â—ake he will not be indepted to us none shall goe thither maimed But some will say Christ himselfe retained wounds after his resurrection and therefore much more shall we be imperfect I answer this was a voluntarie dispensation he suffered them to appeare for the faith of Thomas not of necessitie Sixthly these bodies of ours shall be spirituall as it is 1 Cor. 15. a naturall bodie is upheld by naturall meanes as meate drinke Physicke but then shall there be no need of such things Christ shall be al in all to us and again our body shal obey the spirit now the body keeps the spirit in slavery but theÌ„ shal it readily yeâ—ld to everie motion of the spirit The Vbiquitaries when they speak of the spiritualitie of Christs body they would have it in all places But they may as well conclude because wee shall have spirituall bodies therefore our bodies also shall be in all places like to Christs bodie The ground of the glorie of these our bodies shall be the beatificall vision and our union with Christ if our beholding him here in his ordinances bee of such a power as to transforme us from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3.18 What a change shall be wrought in us when we shall see him as he is and if his first comming had that power to make all things new 2 Cor. 5.17 much more when hee commeth the second time in glory shall he make all things new and glorious This therefore in the first place should incourage us in all causes of dismay and trouble rather than wee will offend God to lose our bodies knowing that wee give them to God and shall receive them againe with advantage Secondly labour wee to make our bodies instruments of his honour that honours us and let us honour our bodies wherein are the seeds of immortalitie and glory in so using them as that they bee carried to the grave with honour Let us also honour the bodies of the deceased Saints of God and the places of their sepulture as Cabinets wherein the precions dust of the holy Saints are laid up in keeping And let us not be like them without faith that thinke the bodies are lost for ever that are cast into the grave like children that seeing the silver cast into the furnace thinke it utterly cast away till they see it come out againe a pure vessell And when wee die let us not trouble our mindes with the discomfortable thoughts of wormes rottennesse darknesse and the like but with the eye of faith let us looke beyond these on the haven whether wee are going this made Iob though covered all over with ulcers to say with a cheerfull heart My redeemer liveth though after my skinne wormes consume this flesh If wee want limbes to our bodies comfort our selves the resurrection will restore all things Furthermore let us serve here with our
them from evill in the world and not that thou shouldst take them out of the world Ioh 17.15 If we be under crosses if this spirit and power of Christ be in us it will enable us to beare all patiently it will keepe us from murmuring and fretting It will also convince us of our naturall estate so as wee shall see evident necessitie of Gods almighty power to change us this made the Apostle Paul and the Iaylor to looke about them for helpe Lord what wouldest thou have me to doe and thus it will make us never to give God rest nor Christ respite till that power that shall raise up our bodies doe raise up also our soules and he shine in us by his spirit that did bring light out of darknes and fashion us as in his wisedome shall be most meet In the next place the consideration of Gods Almightie power should teach us not to be dejected or cast downe at the reports of the afflicted state of the Church abroad it should bring us rather to God to rely upon his goodnes and power for God is ever God almighty and the same mercifull God that ever he was and therfore we should pray for the Church the more instantly that God would give them beautie instead of ashes wee should urge him with his promise of building up and defending of his Church and destroying of Antichrist and let us make the resurrection of the body a ground to strengthen us in the beleefe thereof as the returne of the children of Israel from Babylon was sealed by the resurrection of the dry bones Ezek. 37. as also the Apostle from the resurrection of the dead gathereth that God by that power hath and will deliver him 2 Cor. 1.9 10. Furthermore when wee are oppressed with any extremitie though never so great by continuall meditation of his promises wee should strengthen our selves and apply them to our present estate and condition knowing that he that raised us out of dust will not suffer us to bee buried in miserie but will with the triall give us a gracious issue at the last by raising up our bodies at the last day by his almighty power which made also the Patriarch Abraham to hope above hope what though our helpes be few its no matter what the instrument is so as Christ is the chief worker In the next place This should incourage us to stand out sted fast in a good cause for the truth do not think with our selves alas I am but one and a weake sillie man what can I doe against a multitude let not such thoughts discourage thee thinke of Luther a poore Monke who alone set himselfe against the whole world and wrought that effect that wee have all cause at this day to honour the memorie of him it is not thou but God in thee that is able to confound all thine enemies and therefore with Moses behold him that is invisible Yet further this should bee observed by a Christian as a ground of his perseverance to the end for when wee know we are Christians what can bereave us of our blessings what can make our faith faile its Gods power that will keepe us to salvation and he that beleeveth shall have life and shall not come into condemnation Ioh. 6.39 40.44.47 and many other places and Christ by his almighty power swayes all our life to our building up to salvation and therefore in contraries we should beleeve contraries that death will worke life miserie happinesse corruption incorruption and this vilenesse glorie for its Gods order to worke by contraries that his power might the more appeare And at the houre of death then behold him that is thus able and all-sufficient that shall presently glorifie our soule and at length will raise up our bodie also and unite it to our soule to partake with it in glorie and happinesse that will then quit us of all sinne corruption death change all our enemies shall bee troden under our foote and all this by his almightie power whereby he is able to doe farre above that wee are able to think and therefore let us with a holy admiration thereof say with the Apostle Ephes. 3.20 To him be glorie for evermore Amen FINIS Loâ—uere ut videa 1 Cor. 8.5 Animus â—ujusque is est quisqueâ— 1 The Appellation 2 Exhortation 3 Limitation Meanes to get Ioy. Answ. 1. Ob. Answ. Psal. 120.5 Doctr. 1. Doct. 2. Note 3. Doct. 4. Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason 4. Reason 5. Reason 6. Vse 1. Vse 2. Rev. 1. and 2 3. Doctr. 1. 1 John 4.1 Quest. Answ. Ob. Answ. A threefold judgment to wit I Of Discretion II Of Directiâ—n III Of Jurisdiction Doctrine Quest. Answ. Rev. 22.15 Remedies against seducers Remedy 1. Remedy 2. Remedy 3. Remedy 4. Meanes and waies to mortifie sinne Three parts viz. 1 The Act Worship 2 The Object God 3 The most part viz. in Spirit Reasons why God must be worshipped in Spirit Vse Reasons why outward worship is so well liked and loved Ob. Answ. Signes of spirituall worshippers Helps unto spiritual worship Doctr. 1. Doct. 2. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason 4. Reason 5. Reason 6. Quest. Answ. Causes of true joy Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Vse 4. Vse 5. Answ. Signes of true Christian joy 1 Signe 2. Signe 3. Signe 4. Signe 5. Signe Quest. Answ. Doctrine Ob. Answ. Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Reason 4 Reason 5. Quest. Answ. Signes of fleshly confidence St. Pauls prerogatives Obj. Quest. Answ. Obj. Answ. Wherein and how the knowledge of Christ exceeds humane knowledge Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Vse 4. Vse 5. Quest. Answ. Obj. Answ. Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Signes of the choice of Christ. Quest. Answ. Obj. Answ. Answ. The meanes how to be united to Christ. Vse 1. Signes of mortification Quest. Answ. Obj. 1. Obj. 2. Ob. Answ. Doctrine Vse 1. 1. Direct 2. 3. 2. Hind 3. Hind Direct 1. Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. 1. 2. 3. Hind 4. Hind Doctrine Vse Doct. Vse 2. Doctr. Vse Doctr. Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Vse 1. 1 Signe 2. Signe 3. Signe 4. Signe Vse 2. Quest. Answ. Doctrine Doct. 1. Signe 2 Signe 3. Signe 4. Signe 5. Signe 6. Signe 7. Signe 9 Signe 10. Signe Meanes unto perfection Motives to the use of the meanes and unto perfection Doctrine How to walk according to the Rule Ob. Answ. Doct. Wherein imitation consists Why examples are laid downe in Scripture Vse 1. 1. Dir. 2. Dir. 3. Dir. Vse 2. Vse 3. Vse Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Who were enemies to Christs crosse Gal. 5.4 A threefold judgment Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Reason 1. Helpes Remedies against vaine-glory Rules Signes Doctr. Quest. Answ. 1. Dir. 2. Dir. 3. Dir. 4. Direct 5. Dir. 6. Dir. Obj. Answ. 7. Dir. Ob. Answ. Reason 1. Reason 2. Reason 3. Vsâ— Object Answ. Quest. Answ. Doctrine Doctr. 1. Quest. Answ. Vse Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Vse Quâ—st Answ. Obj. Answ. Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Vse 4. Vse 5. Vse 6. Vse 7. Doctrine 1.