John 3.1 to think seriously of this if the Apostle cry out as he doth Beloved what manner of Love is this that the Father hath bestowed upon us that We should be called The Sons of God O think then what manner of love is this that GOD should be called The Son of Man Nay become Man In Christs Incarnation John 1.1 and Verse 14. for the WORD was with GOD and the WORD was GOD and the WORD was made FLESH For to think that Christ was onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Divine Man and not GOD-MAN is a thought both beneath a Christ and below a Christian John 5.20 But thanks be to God We know that the Son of Son of God is come and He hath given us understanding Christ true God that We may know him that is True and We are in Him that is True even in his Son Jesus Christ This is the True GOD and the Life Eternal This is He of whom it was said of Old Isaiah 9.6 To us a Child is born and yet his Name shall be called The MIGHTY GOD. By whom saith the Apostle Hebr. 1.2 Chap. 3 3 4. Hebr. 1.10 Verse 3. John 1.10 God made the World and he that built all things is GOD and to him it is expresly said Thou Lord in the beginning hast established the Earth and the Heavens are the works of thine Hands He was in the World and the World was made by him and the World knew him not And that He upholdeth all things by the word of his power who by himself purged our Sins and sate down at the right hand of the Majesty on high Christ suffering was God satisfying himself Acts 20.28 So that CHRIST Suffering was but GOD Satisfying himself and therefore He cannot chuse but have full payment for the Purchase Blood was the Blood of GOD. Feed the Church of GOD saith the Apostle which he purchased with his Own Blood And God did Suffer though He could not Suffer As GOD the Nature assuming adding infinite value and vertue to the Nature assumed both being one Person 1 Tim. 3 1◠for God manifested in the Flesh must needs be justified in the Spirit or Godhead of Christ Hebr 9.14 through which or upon which as the Altar this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this middle Person as the Apostle calls him betwixt God and Man God-Man as Priest offers up himself Suffering as true Man to Himself 1 Tim. 2.5 as One true God with the Father and the Holy Ghost This is that great Mystery look'd into by the Angels Preached to the Gentiles Believed in the World Lord I believe it help thou mine unbelief Sect. XXXIV 1 Tim. 3.16 Mistake to think one drop of Christ's blood sufficient Acts 20.28 The Death of Christ necessary Heb. 9.15 Verse 16. As Testatour BUt though I dare not but Think with Scripture that the blood of Christ that is the Death of Christ for so the Scripture is to be understood when it speaks of his blood is of Infinite value and vertue being Gods own blood yet dare I not think with those who without Scripture affirm that One drop of Christs blood was sufficient to save the world for the Apostle saith expresly that He is Mediatour of the New Testament through DEATH 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Redemption no Redemption without Death for where a Testament is saith he there Must be the Death of Him that made the Testament And He proves it by the killing of the Sacrifices in the Law Verse 22.23 That without shedding of blood he means dying there is no Remission And that it was Necessary Christ should enter by his own Blood that is for so he explains it by the Sacrifice not of a drop or few drops but of Himself and that no otherwise than by Death Verse 26. Verse 27 28. Surety Gen. 2.17 Heb. 7.22 Rom. 5.21 Christ suffered in our stead Gen. 22.13 Is◠53.5 10. for as it was appointed unto Men once to die So Christ must be Once offered For the Debt that We owe to the Covenant of Works is Death In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt Die This Debt must Our Surety under the New-Covenant pay though a Covenant of Grace for GRACE must reign by Righteousness for Christ was not onely for Our Good but in our stead like the Ram in the stead or room of Isaac for the Chastisement of our Peace was upon him And therefore not one drop of his Blood onely but his Soul must be made the Offering for Sin and he must powre out his Soul to the Death Verse 1◠Verse 4. for He was to bear Our Sorrows which were the sorrows of Death as you have seen which Text Grot. in loc though a learned man who sometimes had written worthily for Christs satisfaction falling afterwards off by Temptation would fain distort by expounding it of the Prophet Jeremiah yet two great Apostles Philip and Peter Acts 8.34 35. 1 Pet. 2.24 do understand and expound it of Christ and no other by whose alone stripes we are healed So Christ himself also who knew what would serve the turn tells his Disciples plainly that there was no way but one he must go away he must depart John 16.7 yet he had long before this even at eight dayes old lost more than a drop of blood for them in his Circumcision Luke 2.21 Mat. 16.21 but still for all that the Son of Man must go to Jerusalem and must suffer many things and be killed and it was his Life Chap. 20.21 and no less that He must give for a Ransom for many 'T is true indeed The preciousness of Christs Death Acts 2.24 2 Sam. 18.3 Christ fully Satisfied was lawfully discharged this One Life of His was worth Thousands of Ours as Davids Men said of David and his Suffering Death though it were not possible he should be held of it gave Infinite Justice that Satisfaction and full Payment because he that Suffered was an Infinite Person that Millions of Damned ones Men and Angels in Hell cannot give or make in Millions of Ages but the subjects of the Suffering being Finite the duration or Term of the Suffering must be in some sort Infinite that is to say without End But now God sends his Angel Mat. 28.2 as a publick Minister to roul away the Stone from Christs Sepulchre not that Christ needed an Angels help to further his Resurrection John 10.18 for He that had power to take up his life again could not want strength like another Sampson Jud. 16.9 12. to shake off those sorry shackles of his Sepulchre but I say the Key must be turned by Gods own Officer and the Prison door set open to declare to All the World that Our Debt by his Death was fully paid in that Our Surety did not Break Prison but was set at Liberty which the damned shall never be because they can
yet was alive once without the Law and gives this as the Reason He did not by all their Doctrine know LUST He knew not that thought-sins were such sins untill the Commandment came in another manner and by another kind of teaching then ever he had from them For this was our Saviours great business in that Incomparable Sermon upon the Mount to vindicate the Spirituality of the Law from their carnal and corrupt Dotages they put the great stress of the Rule upon the outward man He puts it upon the Heart also Poverty in spirit he begins with that He layes the breach of the Sixth and Seventh Commandments in heart and thought as well as outward Act He condemns carking cares Anxiety of Thoughts 'T is strange indeed they should be so blinded seeing the very last of Gods Ten Words goes down to the very bottom of the mind and thought Thou shalt not COVET so that when the scales were but fallen from the Apostles eyes He could easily-see in the light of that Law that THOUGHT was Sin He knew LUST to be SIN then He knows now that the Law is Spiritual Yea and thus he Schools others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That ye might learn not to think above what is written Gods written WORD is the measure of mans Right THOUGHTS yet even some Heathens had some glimmerings of this Deut est animus therefore mente colendus God it a Spirit and requires mental worship and conformity to his will And this is indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our reasonable Service when the Internal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THOUGHT and mind serve the Law of God Sect. I. Secondly AS a man must have a right Rule for his Thoughts Right thoughts of the Rule James 4.11 1 Cor. 2.14 so he must have Right Thoughts of the Rule The Apostle speaks of some that Judge the Law Take we heed that we do not misjudge it Therefore it is necessary that we look on the Spiritual Law with a Spiritual eye To carnal Thoughts the Right wayes of the Lord seem crooked and unequal Gods right Rule why seems crooked to men not that the Law is so but because the medium is such through which it is looked upon as if a man put part of a strait staff into the water it appears crooked because of the inequality of the medium All Gods Rule to David Psal 119.228 All right But now a right heart hath right thoughts of the Rule I esteem all thy Precepts concerning all things to be right So we Read it but the Text is I esteem all thy Precepts to be all right every one and every way Right 'T is true There may be some kind of approving the things that are excellent Rom. 2.18 Some approve some excellent things As Herod Mark 6.20 And yet the Heart not be Right But if there be not an approving of excellent things the Heart cannot be Right A bad Heart may think good of many good wayes as Herod but a good heart thinks good of every good way as David Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandments Psal 119.6 But David all Gods Laws Universal respect fair evidence 1 Tim. 3.16 Men may have a fair respect to many of Gods Laws yet have hard Thoughts of some But an universal respect is a fair Evidence of Sincerity For ALL SCRIPTURE is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness c. THE Second Part. Contents of the II. Part. AN Introduction of particular Instances of Thoughts suited to their several Subjects according to Scripture Rule .. 1. In thinking of Scripture it self 2. Of Our Selves 3. Of others 4. Of Creature-comforts 5. Of Ordinances 6. Of Sin 7. Of Holiness 8. Of Afflictions 9. Of Temptations 10. Of Persecutions 11. Of the present Condition of Life 12. Of the present Time of Life 13. Of Death 14. Of Judgment 15. Of Eternity 16. Of Angels Evil Good 17. Above all in Thinking of GOD. To have High Thoughts and Sweet Thoughts but in all points Regular and Scriptural Of his Being Highness Holiness Unshangeableness Unity yet Trinity in Unity Eternity Omnipresence Omniscience Omnipotence Invisibility Terribleness and just Severity Truth Verity Loveliness and Goodness not only in his sparing Mercies and means of Grace but even in His Judgments and Destruction of the ungodly in the First Covenant especially in the New Covenant of Grace richest Theme for thoughts CHRIST the Objeâ—t of Gods Eternal thoughts and of all good mens of Old and of Angels though Men otherwise concerned in Him than They. Immanuel God with us makes All in God Ours Justice Holiness Highness c. Gods Love in Christs Incarnation Suffering The Necessity and Excellent Vertue of Christs Death Right thoughts of Christs righteousness Imputed High thoughts of Christ sweet thoughts of Christ Holy thoughts of Christ as tho great Enemy of Sin though Friend of Sinners right thoughts of God the Holy Ghost High thoughts of God the Spirit in his Essence Subsistence and Operations Sweet thoughts of him and our high Obligations to Him the finishing work in mans Salvation the Spirits Holy Ghost the great Promise of the New Testament as Christ of the Old Fruits of the Spirit sweet Thoughts For God must be Scriptural as well as Of God Conclusion Exhorting to Self-reflection by and upon Our thoughts Giving Motives and Rules for keeping thoughts RIGHT THE Second Part. WHICH Contains an Induction of particular Instances of Thoughts suited to their several Subjects according to Scripture-Rule and concludes with an Exhortation to self-Reflection and Motives and Rules for keeping Thoughts Right NOw then supposing a Man have a right Rule for his thoughts and right thoughts of the Rule The great inquiry for the tryal of thoughts is whether they be suited to their several Subjects according to that Rule Right thoughts of Scripture Adoro Scripturae plenitudinem Tertul. cont Hermog See B. Tayler's Dissuasive from Popery 2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. John 5.39 As for Example Sect. I. IN thinking of SCRIPTURE that it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All divinely inspired and a sufficient Rule in all things pertaining to God and our Souls Able to make the man of God perfect throughly furnished to every good work able to make wise to Salvation and therefore to be searched by every one that desires to be Saved Search the Scriptures saith our Saviour for in them ye think to have Eternal Life and they are They that testifie of Me. Now to think otherwise of Scripture then we are taught by it is to think strangely of it which is a thing the great God takes strangely at their hands that do it a dishonour done to our Spiritual MAGNA CHARTA the great Charrer of our Salvation I have WRITTEN to Him saith God the GREAT THINGS of my Law Hosea 8.12 but they counted them as a strange thing Great things indeed
saith In all he saith Psal 119.160 He saith in Truth Thy Word is true saith David from the beginning and every one of thy Righteous Judgments endureth for ever Psalm 19.9 Revel 19.9 In all he doth Psalm 33.4 Psal 111.7 8. Psal 80.7 8. The Judgments of the Lord are truth saith the Hebrew These are the true sayings of God Whatever God doth He doth it in Truth All his works are done in Truth The works of his hands are verity and Judgment they stand fast for ever and ever and are done in truth and uprightness Therefore God is greatly to be feared in the Assembly of the Saints and to be had in Reverence of all them that are about him It follows O Lord God of Hosts who is like unto thee or to thy FAITHFULNESS round about thee So that as the Girdle goes round about All and encompasseth and encloseth All so Gods Truth and Faithfulness doth surround all the rest of his Excellencies and therefore if our Thoughts of God be Right We shall have most awful and Reverend Impressions on our Hearts not onely from the SEVERITY but from the VERITY of God not onely from his Justice and Righteousness but also from his TRUTH and Faithfulness Sect. XXVIII Thoughts of God must be Right Psalm 2.11 BUt then again if our THOUGHTS of GOD be Right and Scriptural they must be CHEARFUL as well as FEARFUL There must be a Rejoycing with our Trembling Divine Thoughts must be awful but delightful as a Son thinks of his Father not as a Slave thinks of his Taskmaster Chearful as well as fearful or a Condemned Prisoner of his Executioner for God is LOVE and how can LOVE be Rightly thought of unless it be thought LOVELY 1 Joh. 4.8.16 Rom. 5.5 or how can this precious box or rich perfume the love of God be shed abroad in the heart and the thoughts thereof not be sweet-sented and indeed the sweeter as perfumes are for being held to the Fire of holy Fear Our fear not a fear of torment 1 John 4.18 There is a Fear that hath TORMENT which Love labours to cast out but again there is a Fear that gives temper to true LOVE of God and strips it self of its All as it were to the service of it as Jonathan did by David even to its Sword and to its Girdle and to its Bow 1 Sam. 18.4 Our God is a CONSUMING FIRE Here is Trembling Heb. 12.29 and good cause why but this God is OUR GOD as the Psalmist speaks for ever and ever Psal 48.14 He will be OUR GUIDE even unto death here is rejoycing with our trembling And O how amiable is this Chequer-work of Mans thoughts in the sight of God surely things are not as they should be with us when we Remember God and are troubled what Psalm 77.3 Harbour hard thoughts of the Father of Mercies Think evil of the Fountain of all Goodness 2 Cor. 1.3 Good thoughts of God Ezek. 18.32 and 33.11 ah wherein hath God deserved this at mans hands Is it because he swears as he lives that he hath no pleasure in the death of him that dies But that the wicked turn from his way and live that is but rather that sinners should Repent and live Is it because he cryes out to you turn ye Chap. 33.11 turn ye from your evil wayes for why will ye die or because he cryes out of you John 5.40 ye will not come to me that ye might have life or because he cryes out over you how shall I give up how shall I make thee as Admah Hosea 11.8 Chap. 6.4 Psal 81.13 Isaiah 48.18 Luke 19.42 and set thee as Zeâ—â—im O sinners what shall I do unto you or because he cryes out for you when it is too late O that ye had harkened unto my voice that thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things that belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes Wretched Miscreant Wilt thou go on to hate Wisdome and to love Death Prov. 8.35 as indeed thou dost and then think that God is an Enemy to Mankind and takes delight in making Creatures meerly to destroy them O spit out thy Gall and Venom and clear thy Thoughts of prejudice against thy faithful Creatour and most merciful Preserver and account his long-suffering to be Salvation that he 2 Pet. 3.15 that reprieves thee would pardon thee didst thou sue for his pardon as thou wouldst beg for thy Life for he is so Gracious that he waits that he may be gracious Isaiah 30.18 Hosea 12.6 Gods thoughts not to be measured by ours Prov. 12.10 Therefore turn thou to thy God and wait on thy God continually And think not to measure his pardoning Mercies by thine which are cruelties nor by thy frowardness and passions nor by thy hard Thoughts and evil surmises as if God was altogether such a one as thy self till thou canst measure the space betwixt the Heavens and the Earth for so high are his thoughts above thy thoughts or till thou canst find in thy heart to follow thine Enemy Isa 55.7 8 9. moment by moment all the dayes of his life with thine unwearied care for his safety and providence for his supply and by that time that thou hast done for thine Enemy as God hath taught thee by what he hath done for thee Gods challenge to Man 't is like that thou wilt have better thoughts of thy God or if thou have not come and testifie against him If thou darest or if thou canst for 't is a challenge of Gods own making Micah 6.3 O my people what have I done to thee testifie against me and I as his Herauld proclaim this his challenge to thee But if thou keep silence let me speak and tell thee plainly what he hath done unto thee He made thee a Man that might have made thee a Brute and gave thee a Soul endued with Reason Jer. 38.16 Psalm 139.14.15 Improveable by Grace and so capable of Salvation He gave thee thy shape that might have made thee a Monster and made thee desirable to others who might have made thee a burthen to thy self The Hand of his Providence took thee out of thy Mothers womb and hath ever since suffered thee to hang upon it though thou Psalm 22.9 like a Viper hast fastened thy teeth so deep in it that thy venomous biting hath often gone as it were to his very heart and he with more ease might have shaken thee off into the Fire of his wrath Acts 28.5 Psalm 71.6 He kept thee from ten thousand Deaths and Dangers in thy fearless Infancy careless Childhood hardy and adventrous youth and troublesome Manhood to the very moment that thou art reading this He made thy Bed in thy last sickness Psalm 41.3 Psalm 36.6 Psalm 107.30 bare thee up in his everlasting Arms the last time that thou fellest
a Cross for a Scepter and for a Royal-Robe the onely Crimson of a Bloody Passion lined with the Ermine of white Innocency Heb. 1.3 but spotted with the Contradiction of Sinners That the Ancient of dayes should become an Infant The thundring God a Crying Babe Heb. 1.2 Matth. 2.13 The Heir of All things be born to Banishment as soon as Born and He that fills heaven to be as it were a Fugitive in the Earth at his first coming into it That God Our Refuge should be forc't to Flee John 22.46 yea to Run for his Life before he could Go and to hide his Head in AEGYPT John 6.41 Psalm 49.12 who was the Light of the World That the Bread of Heaven should be laid amongst Oats and Hay for the food of Man that was now become by his Sin like the Beasts that perish Acts 3.15 Luke 21.24 That the Prince of Life should begin to Die from his very beginning to Live and the early shedding of his Precious Blood from the first weeks sucking of his Mothers Milk That He should be reputed the Carpenters Son John 1.3 by whom all things were made That He before whom the Devils tremble Matth. 4.1 should be lead into the Wilderness to be Tempted of the Devil That the Living Bread should suffer hunger Verse 2. and the Fountain thirst That He that gives Rest to our Souls should Himself suffer weariness John 19.28 John 4.6 Luke 9.58 Isaiah 53.12 and He that gives us all things richly to enjoy not have a hole himself where to lay his head That He that Justifies the ungodly should himself be Numbred among the Transgressors That God the Judge of All should be tryed for his Life at Mans Bar And He that did All things well should himself suffer among Malefactors John 14.6 Mat. 26.56 Luke 22.22 That the WAY should be Forsaken aâ— He was by his Friends and Followers That the TRUTH should be Betrayed as He was by Judas That the LIFE should be Killed as He was by the Jews That the Great God should be Sould to Redeem Man Acts 3.15 And the Living God die that dead Man might Live And be shut up in the grave to set Man at Liberty In a word That the most high God should humble himself to so sad a Life and the Lord of glory to so base a death Luke 22.28 spending and ending his Doleful days betwixt Perils and Pains Hebrew 4.7 Luke 22.44 and Temptations and Persecutions and Wants and Weariness and Fears and Tears and Sweat and Blood till at length his tender body was extended to the utmost torture that a cruel Cross could stretch it and his meek and Innocent Soul stretched to the utmost extremity of sorrow that it could possibly be extended to and all for poor Man that never deserved it that never desired it that never once Thought of it before he heard of it ready rather to cry out with Nicodemus How can these things be so slow of heart to believe it John 3.9 Luke 24.25 Chap. 6.58 having heard of it crying out with the Jews How can this Man give us his Flesh to eat But oh the Folly of mans wit and the unreasonableness of their reasonings that have not Faith 2 Thes 3.2 for why should it be thought an incredible thing that the Condescention of Divine Grace should surmount all Humane Comprehension Phil. 4.7 1 Tim. 3.16 the Effect of which Grace is peace that passeth all Understanding that the Mystery of Godliness should be GREAT The first Principle whereof is GOD manifest in the FLESH Isaiah 9.6 or that He should be an object of our admiring thoughts in all his Story Rom. 3.3 the very first letter of whose Name is WONDERFUL But thanks be to God that the unbelief of man cannot make the Faith of God without Effect Sect. XXXVII ANd Oh how Joyful as well as Awful Delightful thoughts of Christ Numb 24.17 and truly Amiable as well as highly Admirable a Thought it is that it was TRUE MAN as well as very GOD that was engaged in all this 'T was the Star proceeding out of Jacob that was ushered into the World by that Star in the East Matth. 2.2 't was the Seed of Abraham that was waited upon by the Multitude of the heavenly best Hebr. 2.16 Rom. 8.5 and to whom it was said at his bringing into the world Let all the Angels of God worship him for of the Fathers concerning the Flesh Christ came who is over all God blessed for ever Amon. For since man had Fallen by aspiring to be like God there was no way for his rising again but by Gods Condescending to become like one of Us. O comfortable thought to poor Man that it was MAN that fulfilled all Righteousness Math. 3.15 John 16.33 that wrought Miracles that overcame the world that satisfied Justice that appeased wrath that subdued Sin that destroyed Death and him that had the power of it Hebr. 2.14 that is the Devil And having spoiled Principalities and Powers triumphed over them and having risen from the dead in that very Body wherein he suffered Colos 3.15 Acts 31.2 and shewed himself alive after his Passion by many infallible proofs being seen on Earth for the space of 40 dayes He afterwards in open sight ascended into Heaven Hebr. 1.2 and sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high from thenceforth expecting till his Enemies be made his Footstool Chap. 10.13 Cant. 5.16 Zech. 13.7 O this is Bone of our Bone and Flesh of our Flesh this is our beloved and this is our friend This is the Man that is Gods fellow the Man whom God hath appointed to judge the world and happy We whose Surâ—ty is to be Our Judge Acts 17.31 Hebrews 5.1 this is the High Priest taken from among Men to bring us to God the Ladder reaching Heaven and touching Earth that he might gather together in one All things that are in Heaven Ephes 1.10 Hebrews 6.20 and that are on Earth This is Our Fore-Runner that is for us entered and hath taken possession in that very Nature wherein He paid the Price and made the Purchase Math. 25.3 who entered first into our Sorrows and acquainted himself with our Griefs that We might enter into the â—oy of our Lord John 17.24 and be where he is that we might behold his Gloâ—y And Oh methinks the Divine Thought of this Immanuel the Incarnate GOD notwithstanding All the Magick that the World can use to betwitch our affections or to Charm our Thoughts to the things below Exod. 7.12 should be like the Rod of Aaron among the Rods of the Magitians even a Thought swallowing up every other thought A Thought so great and so good so admirable and so acceptable even worthy of acceptation A Thought so dearly engaging us and so nearly concerning us a Thought without