sake The Romans boast of many such virtuous persons amongst them and for patient enduring of bitter torments what expressions do the Stoicks delight in They make all Philosophy to be in these two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sustine and abstine Now although by their rules they would teach a man to bear afflictions yet this is but a splendid sinne It 's from Christ onely we can be strengthned to such things And Paul Phil. 4. 12. saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am instructed as in a secret mystery to know how to abound and how to suffer need Wonder not then if you read of what fortitude and patience even to admiration Heathens have excelled in who yet were not strengthned by Christ for vain-glory and corrupt aims may make men contemn their lives yea and the Devil many times filleth such with boldness and presumption as we see in blasphemous Hereticks who have shewed great confidence in their death For as the Devil when he possessed the bodies of some persons filled them with more strength than naturally they had so that they have been able to break iron chains in pieces thus when he filleth the hearts of men by Gods just judgement with impudency and mad undaunted boldness they will willingly adventure any danger whatsoever The Devil hurrieth such into danger yea death it self as he did the swine into the sea Use of Instruction to all that fear God to humble themselves under every trouble God brings upon them to go out of themselves to acknowledge Gods strength onely Say O Lord if I had no more power than my own there is no cross I could bear I am such a bruised reed that I could not stand under any tribulation Therefore I cast my burden upon thee thou canst make me bear it though of my self I cannot urge God When thou feelest thy infirmities with that gracious promise Isai 40. 30 31. All shall lose their strength rather than the people of God What hath God given thee strength to love him to believe in him and hast thou no strength to suffer afflictions Be strong in the power of the Lord Ephes 6. 10. SERM. LXIV The natural fear of Death is not taken away by Grace What are the Uses of it 2 COR. 1. 8. Insomuch that we despaired even of life THis last clause in the Text is a further Aggravation of the greatness of this trouble which came upon him in Asia and it is from the Event or Consequent It was so great that he could not escape death The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath an emphasis in the Preposition and so is more than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for that doth properly signifie When a man is indeed doubting and full of debates within himself not well concluding what to do Joh. 13. 22. Gal. 4. 20. but when this Preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is added it denoteth such a perplexing that a man cannot any way evade out of it Therefore the Apostle you would think speaketh the contrary to this passage as we shewed he did seemingly to the former For 2 Cor. 4. 8. there the Apostle doth expresly say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This word is used only there and in my Text. It may seem then a contradiction for the Apostle here to say He was without all help or means and there to say The godly never are But the answer is easie For when in the Text Paul saith He was without all help or means he meaneth natural and visible There was no outward way to help him Not but that God might deliver him in a way he did not see or apprehend and so indeed God did deliver him as appeareth afterwards Therefore when in that fourth Chapter he saith The godly are never so destitute as to be without help he meaneth so as to have neither divine or humane help Even as in the same place Paul saith of the godly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We are not distressed yet 2 Cor. 6. 4. he saith He was in necessities in distresse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so 2 Cor. 12. 10. The word thus explained the summe of his meaning is That this trouble was so great that it brought him into such a straight that in respect of any humane help there was a necessity of his death and this fear of death did much afflict and assault the spirit of Paul Some render the word taederet so that Paul was even weary of his life as if he desired to die his trouble was so great Some with our Translators We despaired of life But Beza doth willingly abstain from that word therefore that which doth most express the significancy of the word is such a perplexity and doubting in his mind about his life that he could not see any wayes to escape he was like Jonah in the Whales belly out of which there was no visible way to be delivered So that the word implieth these two things 1. That Paul was very anxious about his life and was afraid of death 2. That flesh and blood did conclude there was no help for him because outwardly there did not appear any From whence we may observe this Doctrine That Grace though it be never so lively and active yet doth not remove the natural fear of death Grace doth not destroy nature This holy Apostle who is so confident of the love of God and can triumph in all distresses is yet afraid of death is yet very solicitous about the preserving of his life There is a natural fear of death because there is implanted in a man a desire of self-preservation so that to be without it would be a sinne And then there is a sinfull fear of death which ariseth from sinne or tendeth to sinne Now the grace of God doth at least in some measure conquer the latter but it cannot overcome the former Hence Jacob for fear of death we see him in a great straight upon his meeting with his brother Esau greatly praying to God to turn the heart of his brother and also studying to mollifie his spirit with presents he sent to him David likewise was very sollicitous in the preservation of his life when Saul did so bitterly pursue him Yea Hezekiah though he had the testimony of a good conscience and could appeal even to God That he had served him with an upright heart and in truth yet when the Prophet Isaiah declared to him that he must die it is said He wept sore Isa 28. 2 3. and at the ninth verse we have a description of the bitterness of his soul under those fears Yea the Lord Christ himself In whom was found no sinne yet we find him greatly affected with the fear of death And although he had a peculiar reason because he tasted of death for our sake and so did therein bare our sinnes conflicting with the wrath of God due to us yet there was included in this a natural fear of death They that
make Christs fear of death only natural and say therefore he was more sadly affected with it than any of the Prophets or Martyrs because of the exquisite and tender constitution of his body do greatly derogate from that work of mediation for us and satisfaction which was done by his blood to the justice of God From these examples you see that though grace can subdue sinne conquer lusts overcome the Devil yet it cannot totally take away the anxiety and fear of death which is altogether natural though the sinfulness of it may be mortified But to this it may be objected How could Paul be so sollicitous about death when Phil. 1. 23. he saith He had a desire to depart and to be with Christ Yea he did not know what to choose whether life or death He was in a straight betwixt two a desire to be with Christ and a desire to live that he might be serviceable to the Church That this may be answered it is good to take more exact notice of that place for it is an admirable demonstration of the gracious frame of Paul's heart lest the Philippians should think that he desired their prayers for himself now in bonds for the Gospel as being too inordinately affected to the desire of life he sheweth what a blessed frame of heart he had obtained unto even that if it were put to his choice whether he should live or die he should be straightned what to do The desire to be with Christ on one side did so affect him and the desire of the Churches good by his labours on the other side did so much work upon him where we may observe that his desire to depart was not because he had troubles and calamities here it was not because of the miseries and afflictions he met with but want of love to Christ That I may be with Christ saith he he doth not say that I may have glory that I may reign in Heaven but be with Christ Christs presence maketh Heaven to be Heaven Though Paul in this life was in Christ yet he was not with Christ Further he doth not say meerly I desire but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Having a desire it was a constant setled permanent desire in him and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to cut the rope as it were and to set fail to Heaven to return to him from whom he had his spiritual being The Apostle then did not only desire to be with Christ but he judged it the farre better condition for him Therefore we must distinguish of a two-fold desire there is a Natural Desire and an Elicite Desire A Natural Desire is that which floweth from the meer principles of Nature desiring to preserve it self and this Paul could not but have as he was a man Even as our Saviour told Peter He should be bound and should be carried whether he would not Joh. 21. 18. that is according to his natural will otherwise according to his will as sanctified did with readiness and joy go to the place of his Martyrdom An Elicite Desire is that which a man putteth forth according to the principles of reason and grace so that we may desire one thing with a natural desire another thing with an elicite A man that hath a putrified arm doth with a natural desire will to continue his arm still in his body but with an elicite desire following reason so he willeth to cut it off And thus Paul did with an elicite desire so he willed Heaven and being with Christ rather than to continue in the flesh To amplifie this Consider First That death is not according to mans creation at first he was not made mortal or corruptible But as the sentence of God doth witness In the day Adam did eat of the forbidden fruit he fell into a dying condition It is true The Question is of a large dispute Whether Adam was made immortal or no The Papists say he was made mortal and the Socinians they do more frowardly oppose this truth affirming Adam would have died though there had not been any eating of the forbidden fruit So that with them actual death was necessary before Adams sinne only it became a punishment after But Rom. 5. the Apostle at large sheweth That by one mans sinne death came into the world And Rom. 6. 23. The wages of sinne is death Death then being wholly against the natural institution At first Adam had an implanted love of his life in him And although his estate was so blessed that there could not be place for any fear yet had he been capable of losing his life his love to it would have made him afraid of being deprived of it This then is the great mystery that the natural wise men of the world were ignorant of Death they would not deny they called it The tribute of Nature which all must pay only they did not know the cause of it they understood not how it came to seâ—se upon all mankind Secondly Seeing that death is thus connatural and the effect of sinne and the Devil Hence it is that which maketh Death farre more terrible than otherwise it would be is sinne Whatsoever bitterness and gall is in death it doth chiefly come from sinne 1 Cor. 15. 56. The sting of death is sinne So many sinnes as thou committest thou puttest so many stings into death to make it more dreadfull Could a man die and have not any sinne laid to his charge though it would be pain yet it would not be terrour When Aristotle calleth death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The terrible of terribles He speaketh of death as now it is Now in death as ordinarily men die there is not a bare apprehension of the dissolution of soul and body but there is the guilt of sinne likewise interposing whereby a dying man is usually terrified with the thoughts of what he hath done and in Christians what will become of them when they are dead Animula blandula quae nunc abibis in loca Die I dare not live I cannot and thus his soul is miserably in agonies and grievous tormenting fears and all because sinne is the sting of death Oh it were easie to die were it not for sinne for hell for judgement were it not for conscience accusing and condemning But this is it which maketh the thoughts of it so grievous and terrible Therefore in the third place The Lord Christ came into the world to destroy and remove this sting of death To change the nature of death that it should not be matter of terror but of joy and comfort being like Joseph's Chariot to carry us to the place of our hope and desire Thus we have the Apostle insulting over death 1 Cor. 15. 54 55. Death is swallowed up in victory Death doth not swallow the godly man but he doth swallow that up O death where is thy sting Thanks be to God which giveth us victory by our Lord Jesus Christ Were it not then for
of Indulgences which was the occasion of that Reformation wherein Luther was so greatly instrumental For the Text it self you have Paul professing his rejoycing in his sufferings though so afflicted so reproached being made a spectacle to men and Angels Accounted the off-scouring of the world yet in all this he did rejoyce For God loveth a cheerfull sufferer as well as a cheerfull giver Si quid boni tristis feeris per te fit magis quam tu facis It is done in thee rather than by thee the good thou doest with grudging and reluctancy Yea admire the publick affection of Paul this was not so much because he should hereby have a greater crown of glory that he should hereby be more honoured but principally he rejoyced because he suffered for others that by his persecutions many others may be imboldened to profess the Gospel Now he sheweth in what manner he did suffer for them viz. By filling up that which is behind of the affliction of Christ in his flesh for the bodies sake which is the Church This seemeth strange how could Paul fill up the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things behind of Christs sufferings Were Christs sufferings imperfect Could Paul make up that which was deficient in Christ This would be to make Paul copartner with Christ in the work of the mediation and then Paul might truly have said that which once by interrogation he so vehemently denied Paul was crucified for them Therefore you must know the sufferings of Christ are of two sorts 1. Those which he suffered in his own Person as Mediator and head of his Church And thus by once offering up of himself he for ever made perfect those that do believe in him and thus there are no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 no remainders behind to be done 2. There are the sufferings of the members of Christ united to him their Head and these are called his sufferings because of that mystical conjunction between Christ and his members as also that sympathy that is in him with them in their sufferings Now as Christ was appointed to sufferings so is every member of his by way of conformity to their Head set apart also for their sufferings and these are the afflictions of Christ that are still behind All the members of Christ have not yet fully suffered In every age there are some still to be afflicted for his sake and as long as any one believer is to suffer so long something of Christs afflictions remaineth still behind Therefore the Apostle addeth He was to fulfill these afflictions in his flesh and the end is for the good of the Church They suffer for the Church but not as Christ suffereth as will appear by some Propositions to clear the Doctrine First therefore when we say That the afflictions of the godly especially of eminent officers in the Church are for the good of the Church you must still distinguish them from the sufferings of Christ for the Church also The Martyrs they died to witness the truth and hereby occasionally to procure salvation for others but Christs â—…ng for others was in a far more transcendent and efficacious way For 1. Christs death was not only a martyrdom but a propitiation and an atonement also Christ we grant did suffer as a Martyr he came into the world to bear witnesse to the truth And he is said 1 Tim. 6. 13. To have witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate But those wretched Socinians are therefore to be abhorred because they make this the only end of his death That he died by way of example not by way of propitiation for our sins Thus with them the sufferings of Christ and of Paul for the Church differ only gradually not in kind Christ died as a more eminent Martyr than Paul but both only by way of witness to the truth Take we heed then that we do not split our souls at this rock of blasphemy denying the atonement of Christs sufferings 2. They differ in the efficacy also For Paul's sufferings and so all the sufferings of the godly do only objectively or by way of example turn to the good of others They comfort convert or save others only ministerially but Christs sufferings did meritoriously and efficiently also procure all the benefits which the Church standeth in need of Hence remission of sinne justification renovation and glorification are attributed unto his blood which cannot be to the blood of the Martyrs So that Christs death did by way of merit and causality procure all the priviledges the Church enjoyeth Hence in the second place All the sufferings which any undergo for the Churches good they are not meritorious or satisfactory either for our selves or others As the Papists do most derogatively to the honour of Christ maintain for their Doctrine about the sufferings of Martyrs for Christs cause is very proud and pharisaical They dogmatize that by these he may merit and satisfie God yet through the merits of Christ Tincta sanguine Christi yea not only thus satisfie for his own sins but may supererogate So that they exceed the wise Virgins they will part with some of their oil because they have more than enough So that from the overplus of all their sufferings the Church hath a great stock and treasure to relieve those that have no merits of their own Now this is a meer political engine in Popery to make the Pope have indeed a great treasury for he communicateth and dispenseth out of this stock for money Insomuch that Albertus Magnus saith plainly That a rich man is in a farre better condition to be saved than a poor man because he hath money to buy his pardon and to redeem himself which the poor hath not Thus these like Judas make a sale and bargain of Christ but though the godly suffer yet their sufferings are not for that end as Christs was even as when they obey the Law of God they do it not for that end which Christ did For both in suffering and doing Christ was only meritorious because he was without sin and did more than he was bound to which cannot be said of any Martyr Thirdly When we say the sufferings of the godly turn to the good of others This is not to be understood as if of themselves they did so but by the mighty power and grace of God working by them For Paul cannot of himself cause comfort and courage in others for he acknowledgeth God only to be the fountain of all comfort and therefore he prayeth to God that God would do good by such afflictions And as Paul cannot of himself thus do good to others by his sufferings For it is with him as in his preaching He doth but plant and water it is God that giveth the increase So neither do these sufferings work good of themselves by any intrinsecal virtue and efficacy they have For how many by these persecutions are the rather terrified So that as
it was with Paul this trouble though so exceedingly presting though for the present above his strength yet see how much strength he feeleth at the latter end This trouble did not overcome him but he overcame by the trouble by the grace of God For by this he was brought not to trust in himself but in God who did deliver him and thereupon he concludeth he doth and will deliver him So that God never suffereth any trouble though it be for the present never so heavy and burdensom totally and finally to overcome a man but at last he proveth even more than a conquerour These things thus explained Observe That it 's not the natural strength of any man no not of Paul that is able to carry a man through such afflictions that God may exercise him with Paul saith here It was above his strength not to complain not to accuse God as if he were too severe but thereby to debase himself and to give all glory to God Thus Isai 40. 28 29. when the Church began even to despair under her long calamities saying Her way was hid from God he took no notice of her condition With what incouragement doth God speak and that from this property in him The Creator of the earth fainteth not neither is weary God sinketh not under the government of the world nor the preservation of the Church For if the Sunne that hath runne its course so many years is not weary but can perform it as swiftly as ever Do we think God will be weary But this is not all the comfort As he hath this power so he communicateth it to his weak people To them that have no might he increaseth strength So that the more sensible we are of our own impotency the more ready is God to put forth his power To explain this Let us consider First That the sense of the Doctrine is That no man can bear any burden of affliction in a gracious manner without divine assistance from Christ Men may be naturally patient under great troubles yea they may have that fortitude as to be able to despise death it self but all this is not done in a godly way There is not the least temptation or affliction that cometh upon thee but if God should leave thee to thy self thou wouldst be broken under it nothing but sinne and corruption would manifest it self therein Peters case is abundantly known a temptation did befall him that was more than he could bear for the present though he had a good issue out of it Now this was a very little one in it self Peter had not yet resisted to blood It was but a Damsel and some others that told him he was of Christs company Here was no arraigning of him no impleading of him Here is no sentence of death pronounced against him and yet for all that he falls under it and in a most dreadfull manner denieth Christ What will any one say here Peter was pressed above measure No but from hence we may gather That there is not the least or most inconsiderable trouble that is but falling upon thee in thy own strength as Sampson with his hair cut off but it is able to overwhelme thee Therefore in all thy exercises consider thy infirmity Know that to bear the least burden as a Christian thou canst not do it unlesse it be given thee from above For if Iohn 15. We are not able to do any good separated from Christ if we cannot performe any holy action without the help of grace then much lesse are we able to bear any affliction graciously Conclude then on this That so great is thy sinfull infirmity and impotency that thou canst no more in a godly manner bear thy burden then the lame Cripple could rise up and take his bed and walke till Christ bid him and gave him power to do it Hence in the second place All those opinions which hold That a man is able to resist the tentations of sinne whether by prosperity or adversity so that they be not very extream and grievous without grace and strength from Christ are very injurious to the glory of God though never so much coloured with specious distinctions A man cannot do the least good or beare the least evil without Gods power in an holy manner And besides many Texts in Scripture the reason is plain Because the power of man and supernatural objects have no proportion or habitude between them Ordo Naturae and Ordo Gratiae differ as much as Heaven and Earth For this reason the people of God are so earnestly to pray to God that they be not lead into temptation For let what temptation soever arise if God leaveth thee to thy self it will be to thy ruine Therefore in the third place Experience doth confirm it That many men through the natural strength they have are able to beare up themselves under extream troubles Therefore we must acknowledge a vast difference between a Natural bearing and a Spiritual bearing of troubles And it is the duty for every one to examine whether Nature or Grace doth support Rom. 4. 18. it is there said of Abraham That against hope he believed in hope against natural hope he believed in divine and supernatural hope Thus the godly they do above strength with strength endure afflictions above natural strength with divine But because many men naturally have patient dispositions others stout and strong stomacks it is good to know whether Nature or Grace support thee When Solomon saith Prov. 18. 14. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmities but a wounded spirit who can bear He doth by that give us a distinction of two sorts of troubles The former External such as fall upon our Body Estate or good Name And now under these many a man hath so much natural courage and boldnesse that he will not shrink under them But then The second sort is Internal because of the guilt of sinnes when the wrath of God falleth upon the conscience being now awakened and made tender this he calleth a wounded spirit and concerning this he saith None can bear it So that although for outward troubles many men do with their natural power and strength go through them yet a troubled conscience no humane power is able to bear if God withdraw his helping hand Cain cried out It was greater than he could bear Iudas was so overwhelmed with it that he destroyed his own self Oh then take heed of bringing a burden upon thy conscience that is heavier than any weight Poverty may be borne misery and streights may be borne but a wounded conscience who can beare In the fourth place There is not only a great difference between the natural spirit of a man to bear infirmities and a gracious but also that moral vertue called Fortitude by Philosophers which is so commended by them They make Fortitude as a vertue to lie in attempting difficult things or bearing great evils for vertues
the person of a regenerate man because he cals himself carnall and yet this Authour though of the same judgemen with them will by a naturall man understand a babe in Christ or a weak Christian The Apostle I say making this distinction between these two saith The naturall man receiveth not the things of God because they are spiritually discerned Now there must be alwayes some proportion between the faculty and the object The eye cannot see musick nor the eare heare colours nor doth a Beast understand reason but then the spirituall man having received the Spirit of God he judgeth all things and such have the mind of Christ There is then that Heavenly and holy wisedome which if we receive from above if we plow with this Heifer we are able more exactly and certainly to judge of Gods proceedings then otherwise we could do for as God giveth it to his people to understand the mysteries of the Gospell when they are hid from other mens eyes so to the godly it is impart given to understand the wayes and workes of the Lord that thereby they may prevent those delusions or deceits which otherwise they are lyable unto Whereupon it is that because in this particular as well as in other we know but in part we have heavenly wisedome but in part Therefore it is that we do so often miscarry As in all civill Governement there are arcana imperii secrets of state which only the wise favorite is admitted unto the single and credulous Subject he believeth the pretences and appearances of things Thus God also though in a wise and just manner hath his secrets in governing of his Church he proceedeth in such methods that to the judgement of flesh and blood do appeare very improbable and unlikely ever to produce any blessed end and hence it is that the carnall wise men of the world are so often taken in their own craft and wherein they deale not only proudly but wisely God is above them whereas if they had understood the method of Gods proceedings they would not have been found so foolishly to fight against God but the godly have Scripture wisedome and prudence and therefore are not wholely in the dark but while they follow them are kept from those bogs and pits which others are very ready to fall into we may instance in some of those Divine Maximes of state As 1. The understanding of this truth will prevent much false judgment viz. When we consider that God delights to carry on the great things of his Church in a contrary way to humane thoughts and expectations let us instance in that main foundation of all our comfort and duty Christ Crucified with the benefits and effects flowing from him Was not this the master piece of Gods wisedome and power and mercy yet how contrary and unsuitable to the judgement of flesh and blood for God to be made Man and Man not in a glorious externall way as the great Potentates of the world but in a most abject and ignominious way and then by such an accursed and reproachfull death to procure our pardon of sinne and acceptation with God it hath so much absurdity in it to flesh and bloud that to the Jewes it was a stumbling block and to the Gentiles foolishness Non pudet quia pudendum omnino credibile quia prorsus impossibile What the thoughts of men were about Christ while working out our redemption appeareth Isa 13. 2 3 4. There is no beauty that we should desire him he is despised and rejected of men we did esteem him smitten of God So that generally all the Nations of the Jewes were deceived about a Messiah yea the Disciples themselves were full of prejudices in this Point This then is Gods way to do the great things of his Church in a super-humane way So that even then when the things themselves are not super-naturall yet the manner of accomplishing them is wholely above nature What therefore God speaketh in one case to his people about the pardon of sinne Isa 55. 8 9. is true in all the rest of Gods administrations My thoughts are not as your thoughts For as the Heavens are higher then the Earth so are my wayes higher then yours By this it is plain that a Dwarfe is as able to reach to the Heavens as we are to comprehend Gods wayes so that whatsoever God doth for thee whether body or soul it is a mystery All will be wonderfull and marvelous in thy eyes As he said that was not worthy the name of eloquence which did not beget admiration in the Hearers So the Lord accounteth of nothing as beseeming his Majesty which may not put the soul in admiration possess thy soul with this principle and thou wilt not be often in thy complaints I looked for this and hoped for that but God hath taken away that I never dreamed off 2. Another Rule is That when God hath promised to do any thing for his people yet he doth for the most part seem to go contrary to it especially at first as when Abraham was promised a great Posterity David a Kingdome they met at first with nothing but what did make against these so that his providence did seem to gainsay his promise Now if this be not known how quickly will the godly be deceived The world was a great Chaos and confusion before it was made so glorious as now it is 3. This will prevent mistake also when we consider That God doth usually hide himselfe and deny help till every thing be desperate and then he cometh to help When the poore creple that lay so many years and could not be put into the Poole said I have no help then Christ healed him Christ did not provide Wine at the Marriage Feast till all was spent Moses cometh when the â—aske of brick is doubled in the Mount the Lord will be seen Would not this truth alone deliver thee from many conclusions as if God had forsaken thee and would be mercifull no more What if Christ do with thee as that Woman of Canaan to put thee off to call thee Dog Is it not to provoke thy faith and importunity more 4. The Heavenly Artist remembers this Rule also That God will sometimes alter his ordinary wayes do things because of his soveraignty and prerogative What Disputes and different thoughts had Job and his friends about Gods dealing with him in his particular wherein both Job and his friends were at a loss only Job spake more rightly then they Yet God discovereth his greatness and Najesty to Job thereby informing of him that he did not sufficiently consider his own weakenesse and Gods infinite greatness 5. And lastly God delights to put his people upon a life of faith and that in temporall and spirituall mercies The just shall live by his faith This faith doth exalt God and debase man now saith and sense they are opposite one flyeth up to Heaven the other crawleth on the ground and therefore
The preaching of this truth is to take off those prejudices that doe too closely adhere even to such who are come out of that spiritual Babylon There is a causlesse and sinfull suspition in people that if the faithfull Pastours in Gods Church do indeavour a Reformation from the accustomed superstitions or evil and prophane disorders that through length of time have taken full and quiet possession they presently attribute this to carnal and corrupt ends they will not believe that these things are undertaken from pure and holy ends they will not be perswaded that the motive to these things is pure respect to Gods glory but that the Ministers of God have their carnal and sinister respects in all this either to get dominion or to advance themselves in one way or other Now although it may not be denied but that in perusing of Ecclesiastical History we may observe that carnal interest and humane respects were eminently dominative in Church-affairs yet God forbid that any should be given up to such a temptation as to think that there is no truth or fidelity in any When Lot did but courteously and civilly reprove the Sodomites for their high impieties see how wickedly they interpret this Genes 19. 9. He will needs be a judge over us They construed his endeavour against sinne to be nothing but usurpation Thus also Corah and his complices accounted all that Moses and Aaron did tyranny and pride Numb 16. 5. Ye take too much upon you seeing all the Congregation is holy c. Wherefore doe ye lift up your selves above the Congregation of the Lord. And we may see by many Apologies that Paul maketh the Galatians and other Churches could hardly be perswaded of his sincerity and love to them If then thou shalt once satisfie thy self with this that those Ministers of God who endeavour to bring a people out of their disorders and to make them conformable to Scripture-directions dare not look to themselves herein yea they goe against themselves and shew no fleshly wisdome at all but rather if they consulted with that they would let people goe quietly in the broad way to perdition as they have done If I say this be once believed by thee it will make thee with all alacrity and chearfulnesse to go along with them and encourage them in their work But it is the Devil that moveth upon that unruly sea of thy heart he putteth thee into many vexations and commotions whereas if the Spirit of God should rebuke both Satan and thy own corruptions thou wouldst with clamnesse reflect upon thy self yea reprove thy selfe saying Why should I be offended at those wayes which are for the good of my soule which make to the getting of knowledge and to the overcoming of those former lusts I have been intangled with which would have done mee no good but have destroyed my soul These things premised let us instance in some principles of fleshly wisdome that men have used and doe use in the matters of Religion And First This is the Proprium quarto modo as it were of all heretical persons To cover their falshoods with pretended Authority from the Scripture Now this is meerly fleshly wisdome to regard the Scripture no further then by the words and phrases thereof thou canst protect thy errours Not to go to the word of God as that Rule by which thou wilt stand or fall to give up thy heart and soul and all thy thoughts to be moulded and framed by that but having afore-hand swallowed down thy corrupt tenets then to go to Scripture to wrest and compell it as it were to speak for thee There is a great deal of fleshly wisdome in managing of false wayes but it is never more hainous yea and sacrilegious then when it doth thus prophanely and irreverently handle Scripture If we expostulate with the Socinian he will grant the Scripture words he will tell you he holdeth Christ to be a God that by Christs blood we have remission of sinnes but then come to ask him In what sense Christ is a God and in what manner we have remission of sinnes by Christs death then the poison of the Viper doth break forth So if we contend with the Pelagian Arminian and others about the injury they doe to the Grace of Christ they will tell you they are for Christ they doe owne all the Texts of Scripture that speak of grace But then ask what they mean by grace And how farre they extend the efficacy of grace then their deceit will appear So that it it is true of most Hereticks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They speake the same words but doe not thinke the same things Let then all fleshly wisdom be abhorred whereby we goe to the Scripture onely to apply the words thereof to our lies and so would father them upon the Spirit of God not that we love the purity and holinesse of the Scriptures but because we cannot be received with any approbation unlesse we bring our authority pretended at least from that Therefore it falleth out many times as Tertullian observeth When such erroneous persons can no longer hide themselves by Scripture-words that they directly fall to accuse the Scripture either to deny it to be the word of God or debasing of it as but a dead letter that so their corrupt hearts may be more believed than the Scripture it self Secondly A second principle of fleshly wisdome is To hide and conceale those monstrous births we have brought forth or else secretly and in a clandestine manner to acquaint others with them that so many weake persons may be infected before those who are able and skilfull had any opportunity to gain-say them 2 Pet. 2. 1. The Apostle Peter speaketh of some Who should privily bring in damnable heresies Privily because as the thief hateth the light seeing he onely comes to steale so do those who vent their false errours delight in secresie because the light will quickly manifest their falshoods As it is with Moles all the while they are under ground you can hardly take them but if once above ground then they are presently destroyed Thus all the while errours and falshoods creep under ground will not come to the light they are hardly discovered and stopped but when once found out then they are easily overcome Now all this is but fleshly wisdome to appear no where but in the dark to be alwayes hiding our selves under ground Therefore they are said 2 Tim. 3. 6. To creep into houses as thieves do by night they doe all things closely and secretly not willing to be brought to the light Whereas we have our Saviour professing the clean contrary concerning himself John 18. 20. I spake openly to the world I ever taught in the Synagogue and in the Temple whither the Jewes resort and in secret have I said nothing Thus the Ministers of Christ imitate him in an open publick way Not but that in times of persecution the Disciples of
into nothing Thus it is with the promises recorded in the Scripture they all move and act as it were in him They all live and worke in him were it nor for his merit and his Spirit they would be but as empty words or as a tinkling cymball Therefore In the fourth place The Covenant of Grace which is virtually all the promises of God it is not onely called a Covenant and a Promise but a Testament likewise And that for this end because it doth necessarily relate to the death of the Testatour So that Gods promise is not to be conceived as when one man maketh a promise to another absolutely and without any thing intervening For here we have God indeed promising from his meer absolute goodnesse and mercy but then the execution of this cannot be without the blood of Christ so that all the force of the promise ariseth from the death of Christ The Apostle therefore argueth the validity of this Covenant from that which is amongst men Galat. 3. 15. A mans testament when it is confirmed cannot be disanulled or added unto how much rather then must the testament of Christ be confirmed for ever The Apostle doth excellently consider this Heb. 9. 15. For this cause Christ is a Mediatour of the New Testament that by meanes of death they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance For where a testament is there also must of necessity be the death of the testatour By which it appeareth that the promises of God are established upon a sure and unchangeable foundation even the blood of Christ and therefore as sure as Christ died so sure will those promises of God be made effectual to thee Indeed if Gods promises were Yea and Amen according to thy workes to thy worth and dignity woe would be unto thee Yea though God doth require faith and repentance yet the promises are not setled upon these as a foundation but on Christ and therefore it is that our hopes our comforts can never be shaken The promises then of God have two Pillars to bear them up though one be enough The first is The immutability and verity of Gods Nature he cannot change he cannot lie The other is From the Merit and Efficacy of Christs death whereby the things promised are deserved and that at a dear rate even Christs blood Now then can any godly soule give way to unbeliefe to sinfull dejections seeing that God cannot lie and the blood of Christ cannot but obtaine God cannot deny himselfe neither can he deny his onely Sonne Therefore let the godly soule remember this Gods promise is not onely a bare promise but Christs Testament also Insomuch that all spirituall benefits are the fruit of his death and shall we thinke that blood will be shed in vain Shall we give no more to Christs Testament then we will to a mans But this Doctrine deserveth further enlarging SERM. CXXVII Of the usefulnesse and unchangeablenesse of the Promises of God 2 COR. 1. 20. For all the Promises of God in him are yea and in him amen ALl the promises of grace you have heard are established upon two immovable pillars Gods unchangablenesse and the bloud of Christ To proceed from this followeth First That Deus absolutus as Luther was wont to say or Deus in praedicamento substantiae is a consuming fire and we are nothing but stubble before him it must be God as in praedicamento relationis as he is a God promising mercy unto us in Christ that is the ground of all our commerce and fellowship with him We are not to appear before God in confidence of our obedience to his commands but by faith in his promises insomuch that the only foundation we have to build upon in all our approaches unto him is Gods promise alone in Christ The godly soul is to look with as much or more chearfulnesse on that than Rahab could do on the scarlet thread held out as a commemorative signe to preserve her life were it not for this promise in Christ who could who might who dare draw nigh to God the Father So that it is through Christ that the way is opened for us to come unto God We may see this notably prefigured as it were in Gods dispensation with the people of Israel Exo. 33. 2 3. for when they had by their sinnes greatly provoked God the Lord denied his presence to go along with them I will not go up with thee lest I consume thee in the way this sheweth that such was Gods anger against their iniquity that he could not bear it It 's a speech taken from the humour of men otherwise the anger of the Lord is subject to his own power only this is spoken to shew what distastefull objects they were to him But though his anger be thus against them yet see what he promiseth ver 2. I will send my Angel before thee Here God would not go but his Angel now this Angel is Christ as appeareth Exod. 22. 20 21 22. where he is described as one in whose power it is to pardon iniquities with this addition for my Name is in him Observe then here a sweet Oeconomy or dispensation of Gods dealing with the people of Israel as a President to inform us about all mankinde God would not look upon mankinde neither would he behold as it were if he did he should immediatly destroy them all but he sends an Angel he sendeth Christ into the world and so in and through him he becomes propitious to us Now how little is this understood by Christians who do go to the promises upon their own obedience they think they beleeve they repent and in the mean while Christ is not all in all as if in our graces in our performances The promises of God were yea and Amen and not in God himself It is a long while ere the ministery of the Law hath any efficacy upon mens hearts ere they are sensible of the weight and the heavinesse of sinne ere they go bowed down because of this burden and when that hath broken them it is many times longer ere they are directed to an Evangelicall life ere they can tell how to make use of the proper remedy which is the promise of God in Christ for all their disputes and doubts arise from this as if the fullfilling of the promises were established upon themselves and not upon Christs bloud Truly if the humbled sinner were well instructed in this principle it would be like the rising of the Sunne to dispell all darknesse for either the promises are made good because of thy faith and of thy repentance or because of Christs bloud and atonement through that if because of the former then no wonder thou art no more quieted in thy minde no wonder thy heart is so full of fears for how weak is thy faith how strong and heavy is thy heart if thou must be justified by their worth thou art undone But then if Christ be
God may forsake gradually that thereby he may not forsake totally and finally Such desertions that are for a season are sometimes mercies and very usefull being a substraction of grace in order to fill us with more grace And the end of such providential administrations is to convince us fully of this truth that we do not settle our selves but it is God that doth it for us Lastly This truth may be demonstrated from the nature of that grace which is habitual and permanent in us For though that there be in us as a principle qualifying of us to work holy things with delight joy and content yet it cannot put us upon working without a further actual efficacious work of grace upon our souls which you heard the Apostle calleth Working in us both to will and to do Phil. 2. 13. So that although there be never so much grace planted in us yet that lieth asleep as it were and worketh not till this efficacious grace actuate it and put it into motion neither ought this to be any wonder to us For we see in natural causes it is not enough to have a principle of life unless God also enable us to move For in him we live and move and have our being much more then must this be in supernatural things where the Actus primus and secundus is of God Not but that in the progresse of grace we act and move but Acti agimus moti movemus It is the grace of God that doth efficaciously incline the sanctified will to spiritual operation then the North-wind and the South doe as it were blow upon the spiccs that they may send forth their fragrant smell It is true at the first work of grace there we are meerly passive but God doth not then force our will he only changeth it as water which naturally descends when made air doth naturally ascend upwards Thus the will of a man which was depressed to earthly things by sinne when sanctified and made heavenly ascendeth up towards God and heavenly objects By these discoveries it is manifest that the best Saint in this world is setled by the grace of God alone Those corruptions within him are treacherous and would betray him into the hands of Satan did not Christ corroborate him And is this any wonder of man fallen seeing Adam fell for want of this confirming grace and the elect Angels do therefore not leave their habitation as the Apostate have because the grace of God doth confirm them So that the good use we are to make of this Doctrine is to be exceeding watchfull and tender about all sinne lest thereby we provoke God to leave us How terrible do such desertions many times prove To whom are woes to whom are wounds and gripes of conscience but many times to those who being left of God have thereby ingaged in sinfull wayes and so having lost an holy frame of heart have thereby deprived themselves likewise of an Evangelical comfortable one Take heed through thy lazinesse negligence pride or some other sinne God forsake thee and thou become worse than Nebuchadnezzar of a godly man made like a beast This will be bitternesse in the latter end As for the second Doctrine I shall not say much to that because it hath been in part already spoken unto it is That in Christ alone we are established That as in the building other stones are strengthened because of the corner stone or the foundation stone or as the branch in the Vine doth therefore live and flourish because in the Vine so it is with us because in Christ we are setled with Christ in Christ we are confirmed with Christ which made Austin say In Christo sumtis Christus extra Christum nihil In Christ we are even like Christ out of Christ we are nothing at all To consider this we are to know First That all the godly through the efficacy of Gods Spirit are united to Christ and so become his mystical and spiritual body By reason of this it is that Christ dwelleth in them and they in Christ Christ actively communicating of his goodnesse and virtue to them and they passively receiving influences of grace from his fulnesse This union is represented in Scripture by many similitudes of a building of a vine and branches of an husband and wife but none so expresly as that in the Sacrament of bread and wine denoting us those elements are naturally turned into our nourishment and made one with us so we are in a spiritual and mystical manner made one with Christ This being laid as a foundation then Secondly From this our establishment and settlement followeth whereby we are sure to persevere and nothing shall be able to dissolve this union whence once made a true member of Christ there cannot be any separation made so as ever such a person should at last be damned in hell for that would redound to the highest dishonour of Christ the Head as could be imagined The reason why Adam fell though without any inherent corruption in him was partly because he was not united to Christ in that manner as the weakest believer is now under the Covenant of Grace And although these things are derided by the Arminian yet this Doctrine of spiritual union with Christ may compell every one to believe the truth thereof so that if we now fall Christ must fall with us we are not to be considered as single persons standing upon our own bottome but as united to Christ Therefore Thirdly Being thus in Christ our stablishment ariseth two wayes from Christ 1. By meritorious impetration Christ as our Mediatour hath deserved this through his propitiatory death that we should alwayes be kept his and therefore when we have a thousand times over deserved that God should leave us yet because Christ hath deserved that God should alwayes love us therefore it is that we stand faster than Mount Zion which yet is said not to be moved The second way is by efficient application for he doth communicate of his power and strength to us whereby when we are ready of our selves to fall yet he doth prevent it So that our being in Christ is the foundation of all strength and all comfort and therefore this discovereth the wretched estate of such who can claim no interest in Christ these are tossed up and down from one lust to another they roll from one iniquity to another the Devil doth what he pleaseth with them he throweth them sometimes in the fire and sometimes in the water and all this is because not in Christ If at any time through the common graces of Gods Spirit they are got up to the pinacle of the Temple they are eminent for gifts and place in the Church of God all the godly have admired them for a while yet at last you find them blasted and cursed in this way you find them like swine wallowing in the mire that were judged to be the sheep of
under some temptation surely when he wrote that Pelagian History for in that he hath this passage where speaking of some Ancients who from the metaphor of an anchor and earnest conclude the certainty of eternal life glosseth after this manner Histor Pelag. lib. 6. Thes 13. Certos nos dicunt quamdiu habemus arrhabonem spiritus sancti sed arrhabonem hunc siquis abjiciat hinc certitudinem simul salutis amittere We are certain of eternal life as long as we have this anchor this earnest but if we lose it we lose our certainty also of salvation How inexcusable is this though some learned men great friends to that excellent Authour say that he promised to review that History of Pelagian heresie in time For therefore is this earnest given us to take away our fears about the future Whereas in their sense we must needs be as uncertain as before and besides this earnest would need another earnest and so in infinitum The Scripture then by calling it an earnest would hereby inform us of Gods will that he who hath given us the first-fruits will in time also give us the lump or harvest it self he will so preserve us that not only any thing without as the devil and the world but also any thing within us our own hearts our own lusts shall not betray us and become our destruction and certanily that reason of Chrysostowe which is also grounded upon the Scripture is among others very remarkable If God of his free-grace did while enemies convert us and bestow his spirit as an earnest upon us will he not much rather do it for us since he hath received us into his friendship To this purpose the Apostle also argueth very strongly Rom. 5. 9 10. While we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us much more then being now justified by his bloud shall we be saved from wrath through him for if when we were enemies we were reconciled by death of his Sonne much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his lise If then God hath done the greater will he not do the lesse when we wallowed in our lusts when we tumbled in our filth even then the grace of God did speak unto us to live even then it did put comelinesse and beauty upon us and shall he not much more do it since he hath made us his own So that the same grace of God which received us though unworthy will preserve us though unworthy and as our rebellious heart did not finally withstand converting grace but was overcome by it so will the grace of perseverance watch over us that this earnest shall not be totally lost For this end we have many glorious promises to encourage us in this particular we must not then look upon our own dead womb but the power and promise of God concluding by this Lord I know thy will is that I shall be saved by this I am perswaded that nothing no not I my self shall separate my self from thy love for thy grace will alwaies prevent my will Secondly In that it is called an earnest there is implyed that grace here and glory hereafter are of the same nature that they differ only gradually Even as in an earnest amongst men that is part of the full payment and of the same nature with it Thus grace is nothing but glory begun and glory grace perfected for which cause it is called glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. We are changed into the same image from glory to glory that is from grace to grace till we come to inhabit glory For which cause also the Apostle compareth our state of grace here to the state of a childe and that of glory hereafter to a virile estate 1 Cor. 13. Now as a childe differeth from himself when made a man but gradually he is the same individuall person still Thus it is here thy grace will not be abolished thou hast here but perfected We do but think and understand in heavenly things as children only comparatively to what shall be done in heaven Even as these individual bodies shall put on immortality and incorruptibility They shall not be new bodies but changed bodies It is true there are some graces which suppose an imperfection in the subject while he is here in the way at least in their actings and so farre as there is imperfection it shall be abolished as 1 Cor 13. Thus saith as it justifieth as it is opposed to vision and hope as opposed to enjoying repentance likewise as it is sorrow for sin and patience which supposeth afflictions These things cannot be put forth in heaven but probably the habits of these graces may continue there as being an ornament and perfection of the soul it being extrinsecal only and by accident that the occasion of the exercise of those graces is removed Hence some say but not probably that the Spirit of God is a pledge in respect of faith and hope because they shall cease but an earnest in respect of charity which abideth for ever Salmeron in loc No wonder then if grace be an earnest of glory seeing they are the same thing in nature and differ only as perfect and imperfect yet when we say that grace is only glory begun that must be understood in a sound sense for some of the Papists make an inward condignity between grace and glory we are not then to think that grace of it self would in a naturall and necessary way spring up into glory as an Acorn would in a physicall manner breed up into an Oak being seminally and causally contained in it No but in a moral sense by the gracious appointment and order of God grace is glory begun otherwise such is the imperfection and drosse that is in our graces while in this life that when we have arrived to the highest pitch we might justly be deprived of glory Grace in the Apostate Angels formerly was not glory seminally and radically for then they had not missed it But if we do now regard the covenant of Gods grace he hath so appointed it that whosoever hath grace here that shall be preserved and kept so faithfully that it shall be perfected into glory hereafter And thus the earnest is of the same nature with the full payment it self Thirdly and lastly This similitude doth not only declare Gods purpose and effectuall will concerning us but it is also to assure and perswade us of heaven as if we were already in it and this is indeed one of the main ends of this similitude God will by this inform us of the transcendant excellency of the covenant of grace above that of works which he made with Adam Thus our Saviour saith Joh. 5. 24. He that beleeveth is passed from death to life he is already and therefore is sure of everlasting happinesse so that in this similitude there is not only the perseverance of the Saints denoted but also their assurance and certain perswasion of it And the truth is great is the