the day after so long between to approve the truth of his death and no longer that he might see no corruption Early in the morning to shew that he was the light of the world the Son of Righteousness a light to be revealed unto the Gentiles one that was to lighten every one that came into the world namely that is lightned even us that are by nature darkness it self from hence must every man fetch light On the first day of the week for so God disposed of it This first day was answerable to the first day of the world it was the morrow after the Jews Sabbath As he began to make the world the first day of it when before it was not so now that it was decayed and corrupted by sin he now came to make it up again which he did by his Death and Resurrection Hence the Reason of the alteration of the Sabbath from the Jews Sabbath to the day following which is ours to keep a memorial as of the Creation of the world so especially of the renewing of the world by the work of Redemption and as the first Sabbath continued from the Creation to Christs Resurrection so no question ought this to abide to the worlds end The benefits ensuing hereupon are 1. To assure us that Christ hath fully paid all our debts If Christ be not risen saith the Apostle we are yet in our sins and our preaching is in vain 2. To give us power to rise to a new life 3. To assure us of our Resurrection O then who shall lay any thing to the charge of Believers It s Christ that is dead nay rather which is risen again for whom therefore there 's no evil remaining They shall have power given them to walk in holiness of life as the Syon graft into a stock receiveth juice and life therefrom yea they shall enjoy a comfortable and joyful Resurrection Contrarily miserable is the case of the wicked their debt is all on the File against them they shall rise but to their cost and smart to a dreadful judgement when they shall stand trembling and wishing that the hills might fall on them on them the second death shall have power Now they lie snorting neither will be awakened by our preaching notwithstanding their present and approaching misery The duties which are hereupon to be performed are 1. In imitation of Christs Resurrection in a spiritual maner to rise out of the graves of our lusts and sins to a new and holy life O awake thou that sleepest the Word is appointed for this end 2. To endure any thing rather then to be deprived hereof The faithful in Heb. 11. endured racking and would not be delivered therefrom with an ill conscience that they might have a better and joyful Resurrection 3. Set our affections on those things which are above Thus of his Resurrection Verse 19. By which also he went and preached to the Spirits in Prison Verse 20. Which sometime were disobedient when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the Ark was a preparing wherein few that is eight souls were saved by water THe Apostle proceeds to comfort the faithful that suffer for Righteousness sake He had said before That as Christ rose again after his sufferings and had a good end of them so shall all that suffer for his sake Now lest this should be doubted of he sheweth how it cometh to pass namely by the help assistance and power of the Spirit of God who as he shewed himself mightily in Christs person so hath and will in his members and for instance he looks back a great while ago when long before Christs coming the Spirit shewed himself to the confusion of the wicked and disobedient and to the comfort and deliverance of Gods servants as Noah whom as this Spirit enabled to preach the to wicked world so they disobeying and mocking him the same Spirit preserved and saved in the common destruction And therefore if the Spirit of God shewed himself so in the people of God for their good so long ago then we need not fear but that he will much more shew himself in and with us inasmuch as now the Spirit is bestowed in a larger and fuller maner then before our Saviors coming into the world Now he reckons this rather then any other example because it was a famous one both of convicting the wicked world and preserving the servants of God in such a bad time and because it was so long ago I come to the meaning of the words By which his Spirit namely his Godhead and Divine Nature which raised him from the dead He went and preached namely by the mouth and ministery of Noah To the Spirits in prison even them that be now and were in Peters time Spirits and Souls in Hell but when Noah preached were disobedient men and women when God seeing the notorious corruption of the times threatned to destroy the world with a flood if they did not repent To them Noah preaching both by word and by deed also in preparing the Ark they not being moved hereat nor at the long suffering of God were at the length drowned Noah onely and his wife with his three sons and their three wives being preserved in the Ark. This Scripture hath suffered as Mr. Luther saith of the Lords Prayer much Martyrdom by false interpretations and erroneous constructions whereof that of the Papists is most gross They understand it thus that Christ being dead in his soul went down to the lower parts of the world where be four several places together one above another Limbus patrum Limbus puerorum Purgatory and Hell which is the lowest and hottest of all that Christ went into Limbus patrum to fetch out all the godly Fathers that dyed from the beginning til his coming and all such as in Noah's time seeing the flood come indeed repented and went to Purgatory and had there suffered all and so were gone into Limbus patrum also to deliver the souls then in Purgatory and into the lowest part namely Hell to Preach to the convicting of the Reprobates there c. But though in truth Christ had done thus which yet he never did this proves no such matter will afford no such sence for 1. By Spirit whereunto the word which hath relation is not meant Christs soul but his Godhead not his soul for then it was that Christ was quickned in his soul or by his soul but neither can be true not in his soul for his soul never dyed nor was mortal not by the soul for it was not the soul that raised him again but the power of God that joyned them both together as the Scripture testifieth and that his Godhead is hereby meant will appear by the like places as Rom. 1. 3 4. 2 Cor. 13. 4. 1 Tim. 3. 16. where that which our Apostle calls flesh Saint Paul calls infirmity and
thy goods for how have many by yielding to the Word saved hundreds and thousands this way that they began to waste and others do How do many bring untimely death upon themselves by wretched courses How many do the gallows catch in a year how many stab'd and dye fearfully which might have lived long if they would have been ruled Innumerable sorrows do men bring upon themselves for want of obedience to God and his Word which that would save them from At least if thou wilt not obey throughly and in all things yet come into some civil order and course so shalt thou at least if thou beest not saved yet have the less torment in Hell 2. Civil persons which disobey both commandments of the Gospel do neither believe nor repent and for the Law they do some duties to men but of the first Table make small Conscience nay they have no skill neither savor of the spiritual maner of performing duties What talk they of giving every man his due when they give God no part of his as they should or of keeping promise with men if they shall break their vow with God 3. Ignorant persons of all kindes as the Heathens that worship they know not what and Papists that toil themselves about their will-worship how good soever their meaning may be yet they do not that which God commands yea numbers among ourselves that either have or might have the means but neglecting them pull in their heads 4. Hypocrites that obey in some things yea some in many and go far yet either never digged deep and laid a foundation sure or retain the love of some sin 3. This may be for instruction to us all especially that profess the fear of God that throughout our whole course and in all our conversation we cast this with our selves not what our profit or our pleasure or our minde saith but what the Word of God saith This becometh Christians and will bring comfort and will prove the surest way at long run we must not following our own reason and conceits cast off and disobey the Word we think it may be better thus and thus or hope it s no great matter or that it s but once O take heed This cost Saul dear He would go offer Sacrifice He said he was bold so he was indeed as we many times But take heed of being bold with the Word and taking leave of sin though but for once Thou knowest not what that once may cost thee To Travel on the Lords day hath many fair pretences but what evils hath ensued thereby So Usury is a hasty way to get gain but fair and soft goes far What if we get much and put it in a bottomless purse and God blow on it and melt it One man gets slowly in his Office and Trade because he dares not lye Dissemble break the Sabbath Others care for nothing and they grow rich apace with the one it holds and his Children enjoy it and he dyeth with Peace and Credit but the other dyeth with disgrace and a guilty Conscience and God scatters that he hath for God will take pity of the honest labors of men and give of the fruit thereof to their Posterity but no pity of that which was got with the price of his glory Hereby many a man loseth soul and all So many a man seeth not into some one thing who is otherwise good and so haply is too hard to his workfolks will make bold now and then with the Sabbath c. though his soul be faved yet God sets the print of his hand on him in some outward affliction Body Goods Children and the like Whereunto also they were appointed The Reason how it comes about that seeing Christ is the way of Salvation and the Word the means to bring men to Faith in Christ that yet to some they prove a rock of offence and turn to their destruction it s because God in his unchangeable and eternal purpose hath so decreed This to let pass other interpretations by the consent of the soundest is the plain meaning of the words and I come not to tell you what men say but what I am perswaded God saith As he hath ordained some to Salvation so hath he some to stumble and come to destruction which are the two parts of Predestination This is that most holy and just decree of God whereby he hath in himself eternally and unchangeably determined of the final estate of all mankinde and every particular in the same whatsoever falls out is by his decree and not aâ— adventure He doth all according to the counsel of his own will The means of effecting this are the creation of man in innocency and the fall of Adam which was also of him decreed It hath these two parts Election and Reprobation for though it be put sometimes for the one onely as for Election yet is it common to both This Doctrine will appear both lawful and meet to be taught upon these grounds 1. Whatsoever is written is written for our learning and the whole Scripture is profitable to teach c. whereof this is a part 2. This is a part of Gods counsel the whole whereof ought to be taught 3. It s of very great use to the people of God their strong Bulwark to flie unto and strengthen them against all Satans assaults even the unchangeableness of Gods counsel 4. The holy Apostles have Preached the same plainly to mixt Churches in most of their Epistles 5. Many Errors have been broached about this Doctrine by Satan and men of corrupt judgement whereof the Translator of Mr. Perkins his Treatise speaketh in his Epistle But it s offensive and many take hurt hereby casting off all care and saying If I be elect I shall be saved let me do as I list and if I be appointed to damnation I cannot be saved do what I can What if some take hurt by this Doctrine shall it not therefore be Preached What Doctrine almost can be taught but mans vile nature and heart will take occasion by it of ill as of Gods mercy whereupon men wax bold and secure shall not the Doctrine of Gods mercy be taught so of Christian liberty which was the reason of those preventions which the Apostles used so of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith onely yea Christ himself is a stumbling stone and rock of offence Shall he therefore not be Preached It s not the fault of the Doctrine but their own wicked corruption and Satans malice that turn holy and wholesom things to hurt as a cholerick stomack doth good meat into ill juyce and the Spiders gather poyson from the same flowers from which the Bees gather honey Do we therefore wish there were no flowers Shall the Childrens bread be kept from them because some unruly Servants will riot and abuse it Shall the use of a Knife or a Sword
hath not But if it be unchangeable then what shall I do I le never stir and trouble my self but take my pleasure c. for if I shall be damned I shall so be whatsoever I do I le never hear Sermon more while I live for all the Sermons of the world will not help me if I be ordained to Damnation O the folly and falshood of this blinde and desperate rage It s not possible for him that is ordained to life to live as he list If thou give thy self so to do thou hast then indeed a mark to thy self of thy Damnation yea what a desperate wretch is he to resolve himself to live like a reprobate before he know whether he be one or no as if one should run to the gallows and put the rope about his neck before he know whether the Judge hath any purpose to condemn him Again know you not that whom God ordains to the end he ordains also to the means Therefore these must be used As for Gods decree towards you the Preacher knoweth not therefore he must preach and call all to Repentance neither do you know therefore must you hear and follow the revealed will of God and by obeying that you shall in time come to know his secret will We must not live by the secret but by the revealed will of God and we must not stand upon that desperately and blindely at first If I be ordained c. but meekly hear the will of God in his Word which being followed of us it will be in time an Argument that we not are onely no Reprobates but such as are ordained to Salvation But if thou wilt desperately shake off the revealed will and onely run upon the secret and cast off all means that should do thee good and run into sin and means of destruction then thou hast a bad sign of Reprobation Whoso stumbleth at Christ and at the Word and live in disobedience and so continue to the end its certain they are Reprobate and so long as any continueth in that state they can have no other knowledge of themselves Thus of the fourth Verse 9. But ye are a chosen generation a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light NOw he returns to the Believers again and having spoken grievous things of the wicked that they stumbled at Christ and the Word and should perish lest they should be dismaid as if this also might be their case some of them having been very grievous sinners he now endeavors to prevent this their fear But ye saith he are a chosen generation as if he should have said They stumbled because they were ordained to it but you shall stand because you are elected of God Thus he comforts them and reckons up a number of priviledges whereof Gods election was the ground as that they were a royal priesthood an holy nation a peculiar people in all which he opposeth them to the Unbelievers You are a chosen generation they a reprobate rout You a royal priesthood they a prophane and base company You an holy nation they whether Gentiles or Jews an unholy company You a peculiar people they the servants of sin and Satan Then sets down the end of all In general observe we two things 1. That the Apostle not onely divides the people into good and bad and sends the Sheep to their fold the Fox to his den but he speaks exceeding comfortably to the good exceeding terribly to the wicked setting forth the ones happiness and the others misery and so must the Ministers of God do 2. That he delivers the Word so warily that the godly might not be dismaid at the threatnings against the wicked Hence may Ministers learn wisdom to give every one their portion and this is to divide the Word aright to cut and part it not to rend it Thus the Prophets having vehemently threatned by and by lest the godly should be cast down adde comforts and promises When they deliver comforts they must bid the wicked stand off so when they speak of judgements they must so speak that the afflicted in Conscience may not be troubled for people are ready to misapply that they hear Wicked men when they catch hold of the Doctrine of Gods mercy they snatch that which no way belongs to them and for humble ones in affliction of Conscience Oh all terrible things they can apply and they work on them but the promises and comforts they cannot fasten on In particular consider we the priviledges here mentioned and the end of them A chosen generation This is the first priviledge Election is the decree of God whereby in himself and for his own glory he hath unchangeably ordained some men to Salvation and life Eternal Where consider 1. That God before the world hath ordained some men to Salvation This is plain from these Scriptures Luke 10. 20. Eph. 1. 4. Phil. 2. 12. 1 Thess. 5. 9. 2 Thess. 2. 13. His election is compared to a Book and the Lord to a General that books his Soldiers names or a Corporation where they book all the Freemens names Again we see some men be saved therefore were it so decreed for whatsoever is was eternally decreed of God 1. This sets out the infinite love of God to mankinde who might have been glorified in the Damnation of us all 2. This confutes that Opinion That God elected none before the World but that he generally appointed all to be saved alike and therefore gave Christ to dye for all and when any receive grace then God elects them Doth every wise man set down certainly his end before he begin his work and onely the God of Wisdom go uncertainly to work And did Christ lay down his life for any other but his sheep vouchsafeth he intercession for any other nay excludeth he not all others If Christ had dyed for them then they should have been saved for his death is infinitely meritorious If he dyed for any and they not be saved he should miss of his purpose Adam and Christ are two common persons and roots therefore as Adam lost all so Christ restored all They are indeed alike in many respects as namely in this That they communicate to others that which was in themselves Adam sin and death Christ righteousness and life but not to both alike Adam lost all Christ recovered but some Then Adams sin was of more force then Christs death and obedience Not so for its easier to destroy then to build If Christ had saved but one it had argued more force then Adams sin to destroy all A childe can break a glass which all the men in the Town cannot make up again yet the childe hath not more force then they Why then is Christ preached to them Christ must be offered to all
of it as an example to move us to suffer and that patiently but continues his speech of it and sets it out by the ends thereof and the many benefits that come to us thereby 1. That we be thereby delivered from our sin and the punishment thereof 2. Enabled to dye unto sin that we might live unto righteousness Having fallen into this argument he sticks in it and cannot easily get out but is like a friend that holds his friend long by the hand being loath to part with him Who Even Christ himself the Son of God Lord of Angels and of the whole world His own self In his own person not by a Deputy without any help in the business Bare That is suffered the intollerable and infinite wait of Gods wrath due to our sins bare our sins and all that was due to them which would have swallowed up men and Angels Our sins Even the sins of the Elect all of them and the punishment of the same In his own body Not but that he suffered in soul and therein his chiefest sufferings were but because he speaks of his putting to death the cruel usage of his body was evident On the tree Namely the Cross which death he dyed by the especial providence of God being that kinde of death which God had pronounced accursed and so fittest for our Savior Christ to endure that he might bear what we had deserved which was to become accursed that we might escape the curse which we had deserved by the breach of the Law For Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them The foregoing words set forth the passion of Christ. The following That we being dead unto sin c. The fruits that come to us thereby As a childe that hath a piece of Sugar in his mouth is loath to let it go down but would keep the sweetness still so doth our Apostle by the Doctrine of Christs passion so sweet comfortable useful admirable he cannot get out of it but doth as it were dwell on it which teacheth us not to be weary in meditating hereon or hearing hereof it should be stil fresh and new to us as the song of the Saints and Angels though the same yet is ever new The Angels themselves desire to see further into this mystery of Gods love to his Church in giving his Son They saw somewhat by the Prophets some more when he was come especially when crucified and risen again from the dead but most of all when they saw the Gentiles called and the Gospel Preached so plainly by the Apostles yet it s said They be not satisfied but stooping down as it were they pray and desire to see more yet is the benefit more to us then unto them and therefore how much more unwearied should we be Herewith our Apostle was so taken as that he desired to know nothing else but Christ crucified and esteemed all priviledges and advantages that he had of being a Pharisee an Hebrew c. as dung in comparison of Christ The Israelites were often told by the Prophets of their deliverance out of Egypt how much more should we be content to hear of our deliverance through Christ whereof that was but a small resemblance and type But alas how quickly are we weary of this argument Because we have heard often of it it s now stale and people have no more minde to hear it then the Israelites could be contented with the Manna which God allowed them but lusted after other Food As they that go to Sea think it strange and for a day or two admire the wonderful works of God but afterward cease therefrom so do we in this matter though most sweet comfortable admirable and of daily use to make us grow in hatred of sin and love of God and would also be a spur to our dulness But to come to the passion it self It s usually referred to that he suffered on the Cross as here because that was a great part and the most visible to all and the end of all but there were also infinite sufferings before and besides his death His whole life was a continual suffering from his birth to his death from the Manger to the Cross all full of Crosses His abasement to take our nature was much and to become subject to all our infirmities sin only excepted and to be in a poor condition persecuted as soon as born living obscurely with his Parents till about thirty years old in the exercise as is supposed of a mean Trade strange abasement for the Son of God as soon as he entred into his Office and was baptized the Devil set sore on him After this as a recompence to his continual toil and travel for mens Souls and Bodies he was not only content to live in a mean condition without any House of his own c. but he was so vilely railed on and slandered as is set down in the foregoing Verse as none have been more or so much yea as sometimes in policy they sought to entrap him so at other times they laid wait and used means to kill him At last they plotted by one of his own Disciples to take away his life as burning with an irreconcileable hatred against him But ere he was betrayed he entred upon his sufferings in a most grievous maner yea no doubt even before he thought thereof at sundry times which did not a little trouble and perplex him as a woman thinking sometimes of the pains of her travel before they come is set on a sweat and quakes for fear thereof But after he had finisht the Passover and instituted the Supper he knowing that the time of his death approached went into the Mount of Olives and there entred into his most bitter Passion taking with him Peter James and John the beholders of his transfiguration and glory and therefore the fitter to behold his abasement but alas pitying them he left them onely giving them a charge to watch and pray and went from them a stones cast for they were not able to behold his agony nor hear the grievous dolour that he could not but make and then began his pains as of a woman in travel save that they were a thousand times greater he fell on his face grovelling and cryed out His soul was heavy unto the death and was in such an agony that he shed drops of blood a thing never heard of and that through the extream force of his pain O it was the intollerable weight of his Fathers wrath due for all our vile sins which was so grievous as it made him pray to his Father for help and to remove that cup if it might be which was but the frailty of his humane Nature without sin desiring help feeling it self almost swallowed up and having that which would not onely have taken away the bodily life of all men
above all others Oh! it rebukes our cold serving him which will scarce lay down our lusts at his request who yet laid down his life for us our proud lusts revenging lusts covetous and worldly lusts unclean lusts c. O fearful unthankfulness And how hardly are we brought to do duties No forwardness therein negligence every way and when we do them how cold and careless are we O lamentable Is a cold drowsie service suitable to such a love as this we may be even ashamed herein And for suffering alas we have no will no not to endure a mock a frown of a great person we will make friendship with the world rather then to endure the least disgrace we will forbear many duties nay to keep company with Gods servants onely lest we should be counted Puritans How shall we then be able to go to Prison and death for the cause of Christ 3. To all that mourn in Sion to all that are heavy laden hungring after Christ Jesus and willing to take up his yoke and to all other Believers this is matter of most unspeakable consolation Their sins be gone and all the punishment due to them no punishment shall befal them here as on the ungodly no wrath or condemnation hereafter Their afflictions are merciful corrections to further their Salvation To them death is no death but a passage to life that whereupon their Souls are received into Heaven their bodies committed to the earth both which at the Resurrection shall be joyfully reunited O how should we walk worthy of this in all holiness and honesty But to all that shall not have part in Christ there remains unspeakable misery it had been good for them they had never been born they must bear their own burthen and sink to Hell there to be for ever and ever This will be the portion of most because so few receive Christ so few are humbled so many through pride and profaneness refuse to be guided by him O how few will cast away their lusts and yield up themselves to be ruled by him and his Word It will be most woful to the Turks Jews and Pagans that shall perish without Christ but yet of all others their judgement will be most fearful which have had him preached daily and by the Ministers of God have been so often besought to embrace him and yet have despised him would none of him Oh it will encrease their torment to consider that they had offer of Christ and many believed in him and were converted by the same Sermons whereat they themselves were no whit moved O this will fret hearts O le ts consider this we that live in this happy time One would think every man should receive and imbrace Christ Jesus but alas how few do this for them that do not it will be their undoing O give no rest unto your selves till you can get a discharge in and by Christ confess bewail crave pardon cry to God and resolve to turn to him The water is now stirring step into this Pool of Bethesda 4. This condemneth all false ways for Salvation for other then Christ never was any neither is or shall be therefore all that reject him as Jews and Turks or embrace him onely to halves as the Papists are in a fearful case as all among our selves that trust to any thing else besides him That we being dead to sin c. Another main end of Christs death and another great benefit redounding unto us thereby namely That he dyed for us not onely to free us from sins and wrath and damnation deserved thereby but also to kill sins in us to deliver us from the power thereof and to dissolve the works of the Devil in us that being dead unto sin we might live unto righteousness Of the words first in general then in particular In general note we thus much that For whomsoever Christ dyed he dyed to kill sin in them for he dyed not to free us of half our misery and leave us in the other half nor to be at a great deal of cost with us and for us and yet leave us in a case fit to do him no service as if one should ransom a man out of the Turks galleys and leave him in the midway but hath done all this that we might be fit to do him service thereupon giving us his Word and Spirit to humble us and so to change us that sin may be mortified in us and we made live He is not onely made of God unto us Redemption but also our Sanctification as he hath redeemed us so hath he purged us to be a peculiar people unto himself Christ affords both and from him we may as well look for the one as the other yea whosoever hath indeed his part in the one cannot be without the other and in token of our thankfulness we ought to labor by all means to shew forth this latter 1. This confutes that wicked slander of the Church of Rome We talk say they that we must be saved by Christs death and by Faith in him onely and not by any thing we can do and therefore that we set men at liberty to do what they list and open a gap to all licentiousness but as the Gospel is not a Doctrine of liberty so neither do we by preaching give way unto licentiousness The Gospel requires as strict obedience as the Law doth to every of Gods Commandments though not in extremity neither freeth it us from any duty to God or men yea teacheth us That denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world and that none have nor can have part in Christ which give not themselves to good works 2. This setteth forth the wonderful goodness of Christ Jesus that hath not onely freed us from Gods wrath and the punishment of our sins which is unspeakable goodness but hath appointed to give us his Spirit to free us from sin for if we should all our life here have lived after our own lusts or under the power of Satan what a base and woful life had this been that we might both in heart and body serve him in the works of holiness and a godly life 3. This condemneth all those that lay claim to the death of Christ and yet live in their sins and old lusts Numbers in these days have got this by the end They hope to be saved by Jesus Christ They be no Papists that look to be saved by their works but they believe in Jesus Christ with all their hearts and yet they are not washed from their old filthiness but abide still in security in all or some of their lusts But let such know they speak impossible things God hath joyned these two ends of Christs death and they divide them yea blasphemous things that Christ dyed to set men at liberty to live as they list O woful
The just He is the just one as God holiness it self as man filled therewith above Men and Angels Just not as Job Zachary and Elizabeth They were Righteous by his Righteousness imputed to them as Abraham also but he by his own they by Sanctification imperfectly Holy and Righteous he most perfectly nor as Adam who though perfectly Holy and Righteous by his own Righteousness yet was mutable therein and lost it not so in Christ but immutably so There was no guile found in him none could accuse him of sin nay he was the light and glory of the world yet suffered he gross things We then though never so just and innocent must not think much if we suffer altogether without cause It s the better it s but as Christ did But alas we are very faulty before God and deserve far greater things then we meet with yea cannot be innocent towards men how much less towards God The meditation of this point will much help us in our sufferings For the unjust That is for us wretched and miserable sinners and his enemies who could do nothing for him to deserve such kindeness How much rather ought we to suffer for him that just one and for his sake especially considering our sufferings are nothing to his The meditation of this also will much help us in suffering For sins that he might bring us unto God Christs sufferings were altogether for our good and if it had not been for them we had been utterly lost But for ours they be nothing to him he is never the better for them neither be they for his benefit but for our own even the purging of our souls the tryal and proof of our faith and patience and the preparing of us to the greater glory in Heaven Let 's think of this also and it will make us suffer the more willingly and patiently Lastly as he after his sufferings and death rose again and entred into glory and sits at the right hand of God So if we shall sow in tears we shall reap in joy having fought the good fight we shall receive an incorruptible crown of glory 1. This reproveth our notable tender daintiness that can endure nothing for Christ but as if we were too good to suffer though in company we should hear never so much spoken against Gods Servants and sincerity of Religion we can be silent and pass by the same and there are many that would be forwarder but for fear of being counted Puritans O cowardly fearfulness No wonder if such be never called to that honor to suffer for Christ What if to please the world we be luke-warm and God vomit us out of his mouth What if for our zeal the world hate us and God approves of us what do we lose Shall we make friendship with the world Know we not that its enmity with God He is praised that is allowed of God 2. Let us take heed of all preposterous zeal and rash unwarrantable causes whereinto some runâ—under colour of zeal and be zealous for God we cannot hate sin too much nor love goodness too much nor the Word too much nor keep the Sabbath too carefully nor govern our families too religiously Let us go on in a zealous godly life and if this offend any let them pardon us we would do no other then God requires and for this we must pray our Landlord or whosoever to give us leave we have served the Devil a great while tell them Its time now to begin to serve God and to look about us for our souls good thus in suffering for wellâ—doing we may be comforted and by these reasons kept from being discouraged Now of Christ sufferings death and resurrection particularly Christ hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God In handling the sufferings of Christ observe 1. The circumstance of time or how often he suffered once 2. Who he was or the quality of the person suffering Christ the just 3. For whom he suffered for the unjust 4. Why he suffered even for sins and 5. To what end that he might bring us to God and hereinto our Apostle is again willing to fall as we should be to hear and often meditate thereof as hath been already shewed in the end of the last Chapter namely from verse 21. to verse 24. Much profit follows on it For 1. It sets out a notable mixture of justice and mercy 2. It shews what a mighty Savior we have in whom we may trust and to whom we may have recourse 3. It may wound our hearts for sins past and make us hate sin for the time to come 4. It sets out Gods infinite love and accordingly of all that have assurance of their part therein requireth unspeakable love 5. It s a comfort to all that mourn in Sion 6. It shews that all that miss of Christ must bear their own burthen 7. It provokes us to labor to know whether Christ hath dyed for us or not and for our assurance thereof to finde that we are truly humbled hunger after Christ and are ready to take up his yoke O that all ignorant persons which do not in any measure know the grounds of Religion that all civil persons which trust to their own righteousness that all worldlings whose hearts are altogether glewed to the things which are here below and do not so much as minde those things which are above the same being out of their element that all prophane persons which go on in open notorious lewd courses and that all Hypocrites not to speak of Turks Jews and Papists which content themselves with shews and common gifts would but duly meditate on Christs sufferings that so they might have part in Christ Assuredly all they that believe not shall be condemned but of all others they that have lived under the Gospel shall have greatest judgement and to make up all it will increase their torment to think that they had offer made of Christ and yet had not the grace to apprehend it that they were so near and yet missed and that some that sate with them were converted and are now in Heaven and they careless or wilful are now in irrecoverable damnation This will make them gnash their teeth gnaw their tongues curse themselves and the day wherein they were born Let such see feel confess and fly to Christ there being no other way of Salvation besides him I come to the particulars propounded The first concerneth the time how often he suffered Once It s true Christ suffered throughout his whole life and that diversly but all make up one perfect suffering and he suffered so as at once he finished al never to suffer again wherein his suffering is opposed to the sacrifices of the Law which were continually renewed because of their imperfection whereas he suffered once for all for being God
life for us a Superior for inferiors yea for enemies most of all so far and all this hath Christ done for us How then should this dissolve and break our hearts to love and cause us out of love to serve him O woful dulness in us and unthankfulness that can say We have part in such a Redemption from such a misery to such a glory and by such a price and yet can be ready to think every thing too much for him How dull are we and slow to do his service in hearing the Word Prayer and other duties How quickly are we weary of well doing How think we every little time too much for him that thought not his pains his abasement nay his life and heart-blood too much for us When we have him asking us in his poor members some small refreshing how hardly and sparingly if at all doth it come from us nay we will not part with our lusts and sinful affections at his request Will we give our lives for him and not our lusts how shall we ever martyr our bodies for him that will not martyr our affections of Pride Envy Covetousness unlawful pleasure in gaming c. O shall we grieve him that hath done so wonderful things for us It was grief enough to him that he suffered already though we grieve him not again by our unthankfulness O that we would labor to gratifie him by all means possible To this end do we often meditate of this price come we oft to the Sacrament there may we see it there eat and drink it worthily there sprinkle it upon our Souls and apply it to our selves that so an edge may be set upon our care and zeal 7. In vain do they lay claim to the blood of Christ that yet live in their lust O impudent faces and lyars that they are As of a Lamb without blemish and without spot Here Christ is further described by his innocency and purity compared therefore to a Lamb Where allusion is made to the Lamb in the Old Testament used in the Sacrifices and the Paschal Lamb which as it signified their own guiltiness and danger so yet that there was help not by their blood but by the Sacrifice and satisfaction of another that was signified hereby namely Christ who is termed The Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world The Paschal Lamb was to be a Male without blemish of a year old a pure and perfect one signifying the Purity Perfection and Innocency of Christ Jesus so he is called a Lamb to shew his willingness and patience in suffering both from God and men Our Savior Christ was innocent indeed no guile found in his mouth he was most pure and perfect in his birth for he was conceived by the Holy Ghost and so freed from the least touch and contagion of Original sin which was in the Virgin his Mother as also that matter of his body was filled with all holiness that it was capable of and likewise immediately from the first moment of the conception united unto one person with the Godhead the second person in Trinity He was so in his life Who could accuse him of sin so also in his death for he that betrayed confessed the same and his Judge two or three times so pronounced him one of the thieves also that were condemned with him gave the like testimony of him and it was necessary he should be innocent else he could be no Mediator for us he himself had needed a Savior But how could it stand with Gods Justice to punish an innocent He being sufficient to pay our Debt offered himself our Surety to his Father who therefore could not refuse him but imputing to him our sins laid the punishment thereby deserved on him 1. This sets out his love so much the more that being innocent would suffer for us wicked wretches 2. This teacheth us to imitate him and in all things to be innocent as he was for this cause are we thrice termed Sheep and Lambs in our Saviors charge to Peter we must walk holy in the duties of the first Table towards God and righteously in the duties of the second towards our brethren we must walk so exactly that we may not justly be blamed Be we as Job as Zachary and Elizabeth and as Daniel whose enemies could finde no fault in him in respect of his outward conversation and therefore were fain to take another course to entrap him Samuel could say Whose Ox have I taken c. and though we cannot say with our Savior Christ Who can accuse me of sin being privy to our selves of so many corruptions and infirmities as the best of us are yet that we may truly say Who can accuse me of this or that gross sin or of any infirmity that I know by my self and both mourn not for and strive against O it s a shame that Christians should hurt others in their goods in their names that they should revile censure backbite c. consider that there are many eyes upon us Gods his Angels the Devils both good and bad mens 3. In that Christ being so innocent was yet willing to suffer and offer his blood let us imitate him in this also let us be patient in bearing troubles and persecution we must suffer for his sake though causlesly chearfully and willingly being called hereto for it s our honor and we must reign with him To suffer with Christ hath these things in it To suffer as a Member of him To suffer for his cause and to suffer willingly as he did we must also suffer patiently such afflictions as are of Gods immediate sending as in like maner injuries and wrongs from men against frowardness hastiness and revenge Use we meekness and patience these we must follow If Christ were thus innocent how comes it to pass that he was called a Samaritan a friend of Publicans and Sinners a glutton a wine-bibber an enemy to Cesar and Barabbas preferred before him He might be and was innocent for all this The holy Ghost saith not he was never ill spoken of for the Devil and his instruments will speak ill of the best persons and things yea of goodness it self Learn we then not to listen to nor believe all we hear even Elijah will be accused for a troubler of Israel and the yong Prophet called a mad fellow and that Micaiah never prophesied good and that Jeremiah raves and it s not meet that he should live Paul a pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition and now adays the true servants of God good Christians called of some Hereticks of others Puritans Factious Proud Singular Shismaticks worse then Papists c. And may they not be the good servants of God for all this You shall have Elimas's ready to buz in yong Gentlemens and ignorant persons ears that begin
to set on to Religion O these Puritans are the vilest persons in the world even as the name of Hugenot in France was enough to help one to his death But let such take heed believe not all its malice speaks So take heed we believe not all we hear of particular Ministers and Christians some slandred one way some another Is this a new trick or rather is it not the old course of Satan to raise up such things to hinder men if he could from profiting by their Ministers or set men off from the profession of Religion It s more to be wondred that he raiseth not up ten to one therefore never condemn them in your hearts till you have tryed them Do them that equity ere you believe it ere you report it ask and expect if they have so carried themselves as they have deserved to be wel thought of before Is it not therefore a grievous thing that even such as profess the same truth and that have also good things in them hearing an ill report of their Neighbor Christian shall be too ready to believe it and report it to others but I hope saith he it is not true and so he tells it to another and so it encreaseth like a Snow-ball who should rather have stopt it when he heard it first and have used means to have come to the truth Verse 20. Who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of tbe world but was manifest in these last times for you Verse 21. Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God HE proceeds to speak of Christ as of one of whom he cannot make an end of speaking and describes him 1. By his Antiquity 2. By the time of his taking flesh and the reason of it He was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world there 's his Antiquity He was manifest in these last times for you there 's both the time and reason of his Manifestation Those for whom he was manifested he describes also 1. By their Faith in God 2. By the means whereby they did attain thereto namely Jesus Christ where 's shewed both why they did for the time present and might still also believe and hope in God namely because he raised him from the dead and gave him glory both which were for our good Who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world Here the Apostle prevents an Objection He had said they were redeemed from their vain conversation which they had received from their Fathers by Christs Blood why then belike might they have said our Fathers lived and dyed in their sins and in their vain conversation or else they had some other way of being Redeemed and Sanctified and so God had no Church in former times yet saith the Apostle God had his Church among the Forefathers and such as were Redeemed Justified and Sanctified as well as we and that also by no other way then we for Christ though he came not in the Flesh till these last times yet he hath been the Savior of the world from the beginning in Gods counsel and the efficâ—cy of his death and merit So that first he answereth what they might have doubted of their Fathers and then shews Christs Antiquity that they might see he was not a new way devised of late and that after Four thousand years it came into Gods minde thus to redeem mankinde Oh No saith he it was ordained before the world and hath been in force in all times And this he speaks the rather because we are ready to suspect Novelty neither can we freely fasten our Faith upon any new devised way He tells then they may freely rest upon him as being the ancient way of Salvation But was manifest in these last times for you He adds these words to stir up their hearts to more thankfulness and duty who being so unworthy should yet have the vantage of all the Fathers Christ was but promised to them he was performed to themselves Now its worth much thanks to have a benefit promised of God who is so sure of his Word and to us so unworthy but then it deserves much more thanks when the benefit is performed Who was fore-ordained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ordained before The word signifieth foreknown as it s elsewhere rendred to shew that Gods foreknowledge is not idle nor separate from his Decree and Will as some think Now that Christ was ordained before the World he was he that was foretold by the Prophets signified by their Sacrifices promised to Abraham The seed in whom all the nations of the world should be blessed so to Adam The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the Serpent yea he is termed The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world neither is this all He was ordained before the world Whatsoever God brings to pass in time as nothing nor the smallest or most casual thing but comes to pass by his Providence that he decreed beforetime for nothing comes to pass without Gods knowledge for then were not he infinite in Wisdom nor without his Will for then were not he infinite in Power How could this be seeing there was no need of Christ till after the world was made and man was the last creature that was made and that in innocency Was the remedy ordained before the malady The remedy was ordained before the misery was but not before the misery was foreknown to be Thus was the Lords order He before all time set down this to glorifie himself How In the Salvation of some of mankinde and condemnation of others Well how could he bring this to pass he decreed to make man male and female and to make them holy he decreed also to leave them to themselves that falling he might make a way for the glorifying of his mercy and justice which if man had continued righteous had been stopt up then he decreed to give his Son to redeem the vessels of mercy Now for his decreeing of Adams fall let it not seem strange he did not onely foresee but decree it yet so as he is altogether free from any fault thereof God Man and the Devil had all a hand in that action yet man and the Devil most guilty and the Lord most free as may appear partly by their diverse ends that they aymed at and partly by their maner of bringing it to pass Their ends God aymed to glorifie his mercy in saving some and his justice in condemning others a good end The Devils aym was to strip the Lord of any creature on earth to serve him and to overthrow all mankinde Adam and Eve they listened to the Devil counting God as it were a lyar that had threatned them when there was nothing so and envious of their good estate therefore thought without him to thrust themselves up into his seat and make