figuring Christ who was declared the well-beloved in whom his Father delighted Matth. 3. 17. 3. He was very beautifull Gen. 39. 6. and his internall beauty was more than his externall Christ was more beautifull than the sons of men and making us beautifull in his beauty 4. Joseph was endued with such a measure of wisedome and understanding as none was like him in whom Gods Spirit was For which cause he was called Zaphnathpaaneah verse 45. that is an expounder of secrets figuring Christ in whom were treasures of wisedome and the Spirit beyond all measure who is therefore called the great Counseller and the Lambe onely worthy to open the book who onely hath the key of David to open the secret mysteries of salvation 5. In Jacobs last Testament Joseph is called a fruitful bough whose branches runne upon the wall because out of him branched two tribes Ephraim and Manasseh therein he was a type of Christ who is not a fruitfull bough onely but a root from whom all the tribes of God branch out and flourish And whereas those tribes are come to nothing Christ shall see his seed and prolong his dayes II. In his actions 1. Joseph was sent by his father to visite his brethren in the wildernesse So was Christ sent to seek his brethren wandering in the wildernesse he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel 2. As at thirty years Joseph was preferred to his Office by Phanaoh so at thirty years Christ entered his Office 3. As by Pharaoh a virgin was given Joseph to wife verse 45. So is the Church as a pure Virgin given by the Father to Jesus Christ as his spouse to sanctifie and save All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that commeth to me I will in no wise cast out 4. As Joseph out of Pharaohs garners feeds all Egypt all his fathers house and the nations whence in Gen. 49. 24. he is called the feeder of Israel and a stone that is a rocke or refuge to his brethren So Jesus Christ is the feeder of Israel and of all the family of God in all Nations of the earth not with temporall food onely but with the Manna from heaven the word and Sacraments and his owne flesh and bloud the incorruptible and indeficient bread and water of life 5. As Joseph in his lowest estate was both a Lord in the prison and a comforter of the prisoners assuring the Butler of his life and recovery of his place So Jesus Christ at his lowest abasement was Lord over death and the grave having command of them and his last breath on the Crosse almost comforted the poor thiefe promising him both life and glory 6. As Joseph doth all the good he can for his brethren that had ill deserved it For 1. He teacheth them how to live together and commends brotherly love and concord fall not out by the way 2. Teacheth them how to speake to Pharaoh and what to demand 3. Goes to Pharaoh and speaks and obtaines for them whatsoever he would and placeth them in Goshen the fat of the land till they come to Canaan So Jesus Christ above all lessons commended to us the new Commandement of love a badge of his disciples teacheth us how to pray and what in the Lords prayer himselfe intercedes for us and obtaineth all that good is and provides for us in earth till we come to Canaan III. In his sufferings and passions 1. The archers grieved him Gen. 49. 23. that is not his Mistris onely and Master but his brethren also conspire against him although sent from his father in love and comes in love to see how they do and to know their wants yet they scorne him behold yonder dreamer comes they consult to kill him let us kill him and see what will become of his dreams So Jesus Christ came among his own sent from his Father in love pitying the wanderings and wants of men but the Jewes scorn him for a deceiver plot to kill him conspire against his life 2. As his brethren sold him for twenty pieces stript him naked and cast him into a pit sent hin as a slave into Egypt where he being indeed free became a servant So Jesus Christ in his infancy was sent into Egypt sold by the Jewes for thirty pieces stript naked of his apparrel and in the form of a servant cast into the pit of death and the grave whence they thought never to have heard more of him as Josephs brethren did 3. As in this service Joseph was tempted to whoredome by his wanton Mistris when they were alone and that often and daily but by strength of grace stoutly resisted yea conquered her and himself So was Jesus Christ in the enterance of his Ministery strongly assailed by Satan to spiritual whoredome when he was alone in the wildernesse and that often set upon yet by the power of the Spirit overcame and conquered so as the evill one found nothing in him 4. As in this service notwithstanding his faithfulnesse and innocency Joseph was falsely accused condemned cast into prison with the Butler and Baker So was Jesus Christ notwithstanding all his innocency falsely accused they lay things to his charge he never knew as falsly condemned bound yea fastned to the crosse between the theeves and cast into the grave as into a prison till the time of his deliverance came that he was taken out from prison and judgement as Isai. 53. 8. IV. In his advancement and preferment For 1. As Joseph was separate from his brethren Gen. 49. 26. that is advanced by God to honour above them all So Christ was separate and advanced in glory above men and Angels Heb. 1. 4. hath obtained a farre more excellent name than the Angels 2. Though Joseph was shot at by the archers yet his arme was strengthened the bonds and fetters were loosed and he not onely brought out of prison but advanced to be Lord over the whole Land and next unto Pharaoh having all administration delivered unto him So Jesus Christ although he was a But or signe of contradiction yet his arme was strengthened to raise himselfe out of the grave to loose all chaines of sinne to loose all sorrowes of death and being risen againe was advanced and exalted above all creatures all power given him in heaven and earth his throne set next unto his Fathers the Lord of his Church and ruler of the whole earth to him is committed the government and his bounds are the utmost hills Psal. 2. yea the whole Church in heaven and earth is his to whom all power belongs 3. As Pharaoh every way honoured Joseph As 1. He richly decks and attires him puts a golden chaine on his neck Gen. 41. 42. 2. They must cry before him Abrech that is every man must bow to him 3. Every man must depend on his word Gen. 41. 55. Goe to Joseph saith Pharaoh and what he saith to you do yee
Three sacrifices ibid. No perfection but onely in Christ. 96 Sin unpardoned all service is abominable 97 Wash and purge all with the bloud of Christ. 99 Notes of it 100 Effects of being so washed and purged 101 Priests garments common and peculiar to the High Priest 102 Seven uses thereof for Ministers 112 Three uses for the people Twofold instruction 115 Comfort to the godly in respect of their head and themselves 117 Believers highly esteemed as precious stones 119 Sin to slight them ibid. Temperance of Ministers 122 Marriage ibid. Mourning for the dead 125 Ministers duty 130 Private Christians duty as Priests to God 131 XIV Nazarites types as set apart for God abstemious nourishing the hair not to touch the dead and released of their vow 133 Christ and his excellency to be acknowledged and power wherein 137 Difference of the Nazarites vow and Papists 138 Be Nazarites unto God in five things 139 XV. Clean Persons types three sorts of legall uncleannesse 141 Meats and unclean how and why ib. Two markes ibid. Issues unclean corporal and spiritual 144 Leprosie of body and of sin 146 Signes ibid. Church and members subject to many defilements 149 Look narrowly on the misery of sin ib. Good fruit thereof 150 Miserable effects of inward uncleannesse 152 Washing legall and of Christs bloud 153 Smallest sinnes to be put away 154 And how 155 Offering purgeth the unclean so of Christ typified 156 There is a way to cleanse every uncleannesse 160 Have recourse to the meanes 161 Motives ibid. Be very carefull to avoid spirituall uncleannesse 162 Oblation of Birds 163 Comfort to the godly 166 Affect purity of heart and life Motives 167 Directions 169 Avoid all occasions of defilement ib. No easie matter to be rid of sin 174 Separate between the precious and the vile who must 175 Christ discernes the leprosie of sin 176 Onely they are cleansed from sin whom Christ accounts so to be 177 Markes of one cleansed from sin ibid. What is to be done before this cure 178 And what afterward 179 XVI Holy things types of Christ. 180 Use of legall Ceremonies 181 Their fitnesse to the Jews nature ib. Ends. ibid. Sacraments and Sacrifices distinguished 183 Sacraments ordinary and extraordinary 184 Circumcision described in parts 185 A sign of Christ and seal of righteousnesse how 186 Be humbled for naturall corruption 188 And imperfection of grace 189 Be circumcised spiritually ibid. What it is ib. Notes 191 Mortification if right is painful 192 Motives to get the spiritual circumcision 194 XVII Passeover a type in the choice preparation effusion of bloud eating fruits 195 Christ a Lamb and his perfection 196 Christ two wayes set apart to be a Mediator 198 The time of his ministery and passion ordered 199 Christ must dye a violent death time of it 200 Jewes division of the day into four parts 201 How Christ is to be conceived and received ibid. In all worship look to Christ. 202 The pretiousnesse of Christs bloud 203 Applied 204 Faith resembled by hyssope how ib. Christs bloud to be highly prized 205 Precious things procured by it ibid. Profane not the bloud of Christ. 206 How 207 Feeding on the Lamb and Christ five conditions 208 Danger of the soul and how it is to be avoided 213 Directions for receiving the holy Communion 214 Similitude of purging out leaven and sin 216 Entire purging of the soul. 217 Whole Christ must be received 219 And how ibid. Popish abuses taxed about the Lords Supper ibid. XVIII Pillar of Cloud and Fire a type of Christ. 221 How 223 Four constant miracles to Israel in the wildernesse 224 Comfort by Christ as our guide 226 In seven things ibid. Confidence and security by Christ. 228 Notes of them that receive comfort by this Pillar 230 And how this comfort is to be esteemed 231 Mercy and Justice met in this type ib. Follow Christ as a guide 232 And how 233 XIX The Red Sea a type 234 In three conclusions ibid. Miracles in the miraculous dividing of the Sea ibid. Benefits sealed up by Baptisme four 237 Observe the power of God 238 The way to heaven filled with difficulties and why 239 Many comforts by that great work of God ibid. Duty of them that will enjoy these comforts 241 XX. Manna a type of Christ. 242 Matters of resemblance ibid. Why Manna putrified if reserved 247 Christ infinitely better than Manna 248 Gods patience and love to be noted 250 How it should work in us ibid. Gods watchfulnesse and care over his Church to be noted 251 Comfort thereby and instances 252 Gods bounty towards his Church to be noted 253 His wisdome in ministring to his Church to be noted 254 Manna why given daily yet not on the Sabbath ibid. Moderation in naturall things 255 And what is Gods measure 256 Man of himself is senselesse of the things of Jesus Christ. ibid. Whence this comes ibid. And of what use 257 Hunger and thirst for Christ motives 258 Take pains for him motives 259 Observe times and places to meet with Christ. 260 Apply and feed on Christ. 261 And how ibid. Be never weary of this Manna ib. Motives 262 Prize and magnifie this Manna ib. XXI Water out of the Rock a type of Christ. 263 In three respects ibid. Christ resembled by a Rock and waters 264 Christ ever present with his Church 269 Our duty ibid. An almighty power in Christ for his Church 270 Our duty ibid. Gods mercy to his people admirable ib. See the fountain of grace opened and its superexcellency 271 Thirst for Christ and conditions of it 272 Continue it two rules ibid. Have reâ—…rse to Christ in this thirst motives 273 Quench thy thirst and be satisfied ib. Motives 274 Meanes to get water out of this Rock hindrances helpes ibid. XXII The Brazen Serpent a type of Christ. 275 Gods justice here to be noted and equity of it 276 Of fiery Serpents and the old Serpent the devill 278 Temptations called fiery darts why 279 Observations about sin deceit folly poyson danger of loving it ibid. God appoints the meanes of health to soul and body 280 A brazen Serpent not golden five reasons 281 Christ lifted up before us how 282 Application of Christ a saving remedy far most excellent ibid. God helps his people by weak unlikely and contrary meanes and why 284 Grounds for faith in these troubles of the Churches 286 Kingdome of Antichrist how fit for destruction ibid. The eye of faith must shut the eye of reason 287 Four things cannot otherwise be obtained ibid. Believe the Word absolutely 291 Pray for eye-salve and what it is 292 Captivate thine own reason and wisdome ibid. Motives 293 Mans reason the mother of heresies 294 Naturall reason an enemy to the power of godlinesse 296 What is to be done to be cured spiritually 298 Wounds of sinne compared to deadly poyson in four things ibid Come for counsel to spiritual Physitians ibid. Who reproved 299 Confess special sins and go
I raise up like unto thee Here is a similitude a likenesse no parity no equality This is the difference Christ is worthy of more glory than Moses Heb 3. 3. For Moses was meer man Christ God as well as man Christ the builder of Gods house Moses but a stone in it Christ a sonne in the house Moses but a servant Christ the Lord of his own house being the Church Moses a servant in his Lords house Now let us see wherein the similitude is I. In his person and estate 1. Moses was of mean parents and birth So was Christ of a poor decayed and dryed stock and born of a poor Virgin who at her purification brought a pair of Doves a gift appointed for poor persons Luke 2. 24. Whereas rich folkes must bring a Lamb of a year old Lev. 12. 6. 2. Moses was no sooner born but he was exposed to the cruelty of King Pharaoh and sought out to death So Christ in his infancy was sought by Herod to be slain But both by Gods extraordinary and speciall providence saved and delivered that both might be saviours and deliverers the one by her whose sonne he was reputed the other by him whose sonne he was reputed 3. Moses was a shepheard he kept the sheep of Jethro his father in law Exod. 3. and while Moses was in that private estate we read of little concerning hsi life expressed till he was forty yeares old So Christ was a shepheard sent to seek and save the lost sheep of his Fathers fold of whose private life we read as little as of Moses till he was thirty yeares old 4. Moses was of a most meek and sweet disposition above all men living yet full of zeal and indignation against sinne as at the erecting of the Calf Exod. 32. So Christ a pattern of meeknesse Learn of me for I am meek but most zealous and earnest at the abuse of the Temple Mar. 11. II. In his office and function 1. Both appointed by God Moses sent and raised to deliver Israel out of Pharaohs bondage Christ sent to deliver all the Israel of God from the Pharaoh of hell and all his oppression of sinne curse damnation the most heavy taskes and burthens Moses was appointed to lead Israel towards Canaan So Christ to lead the Church the Israel of God into heaven And whereas Moses was to lead them but into the sight of Canaan and the borders Our Moses leads us into the heavenly Canaan and gives us possession 2. Both were furnished by God to their office 1. Moses was learned in all the learning of AEgypt Christ was learned to admiration His enemies asked whence hath he all this great learning Joh. 7. 15. And never man spake like this man Joh. 7. 46. And at twelve years old he sate among the Doctors conferring with them Luk. 2. 46. 2. Moses was furnished with many mighty miracles in Egypt in the red sea and in the wildernesse for the confirming of his calling all types of the miracles of Christ by sea and land in Townes and deserts to manifest his glory Ioh. 2. 11. But with difference Christ wrought by his owne power Moses by Christ. 3 Botl joyfully executed their office whether we consider the matter or the manner 1. For the matter 1. Moses brings glad tydings to the Israelites of their deliverance out of Egypt and that from God Exod. 29 30. Christ brings from God the glad tydings of eternall salvation and deliverance from the spirituall Egypt and bondage under Pharaoh of hell to all the elect of God 2. Moses received from God and delivered to his people the Law and was a Mediator between God and his people Gal. 3. 19. the Law was delivered in the hand of a Mediator that is Moses as Acts 7. 38. Now Moses was Mediator of the Old Testament not a mediator of redemption but of receiving the law and delivering it to the people standing between God and them as his mouth to them and theirs to him But Christ our true Moses 1 not onely receives the Law but fulfils it 2. When Moses had broken the tables to shew how we in our nature had broken the Law our true Moses repaires it againe 3. He writes the Law not in tables of stone but in the tables of the hearts of beleevers Joh. 1. 17. the Law was given by Moses but Grace by Christ. Moses could not pierce the heart nor supply grace to keep the Law 4. He is Mediator of a new Covenant and surety of a better Testament Heb. 7. 22 and 9. 15 3. Moses gives Israel an excellent pattern of the Tabernacle and all the utinsils to the very least pins about it but our Moses delivers a perfect Doctrine from heaven and certaine and perpetuall rules for the worship of God to his Church the well ordering of it even in the smallest things And as nothing was left which must not be framed to the pattern seen in the Mount So hath not Christ left the worship of God in whole or part in great or small matters to the libertie of men for then he would have been lesse faithfull than Moses 4 Moses instituted the Passover and sacrifices from God offers the bloud of beasts sprinkles the houses of the Israelites with the bloud of the Lamb Exod. 12. by which they were saved from a temporall death and the revenging Angel But Christ the true Moses instituted the supper of the Lord sacrificeth himselfe offers his own bloud being the Paschall Lambe who purgeth and saveth from death eternall And as that house onely was exempted which was sprinkled with the bloud of the Lamb So in the Church salvation is assured onely where the bloud of Christ is sprinkled and apprehended by faith 5. Moses prayeth for Israel with his hands stretched out till the evening and while he prayeth Israel overcometh Amalek Exod. 17. At Moses prayer Gods wrath is turned away Num. 14. Christ stretcheth out his hands for the elect upon the Crosse and made intercession for them in earth and now continues so to do in heaven whereby we are both enabled to conquer our spirituall enemies as also Gods wrath is appeased and grace and favour returned Heb. 8. Thus both for the matter faithfully discharged their office in these five things 2. For the manner containing the difference it is in Heb. 3. 5 6. Moses was faithfull in all the house of God as a servant but Christ as the sonne Moses in his Masters house Christ in his own house Moses by delegate authority Christ by proper power Moses as a servant foretels his Masters comming Christ declared the Lord present Moses in types shadowes Christ in body and truth Moses to one nation the Jewes Christ taught all nations the true worship Moses doctrine accuseth woundeth Christs doctrine justifieth healeth c. III. In his passion and suffering 1. Moses being to deliver the Law fasted forty days and forty nights in the Mountaine
all the members of his mysticall body the Catholike Church First the Spirit descends and sits on Christs head then on the Apostles in likenesse of fiery tongues running down as it were by Aarons beard and from them upon other inferior persons beleeving their word as unto the skirts of his garment Psal. 133. 2. Now a threefold Application hereof I. In the anointing of the high Priest the eminency of Jesus Christ above all creatures whose very name carrieth in it a note of principality being called the high Priest of our profession And in that this whole consecration of the high Priest in most solemne and stately manner was but a dark shadow of his selemne inauguration into his Office And by this anointing Christ is differenced from the most excellent Priests and Prophets that ever were Aaron Moses Elias Some of them had a most glorious vocation as Moses and in the entry of their callings graced with most divine and powerfull miracles but never any had the spirit sitting on his head but he None of them by their anointing had all graces nor any grace in perfection but onely begun and in small degree Moses a beleever wanted faith sometime as when he smote the Rock which he should have spoken to and the meekest man in the world was sometime to seek of his meknesse Aaron though the oyle was powred on his head was weak as in murmuring against Moses in making the calf But in our high Priest all graces virtues were not inchoate onely but perfect In him knowledge of God was most perfect holiness most perfect and all kind of graces in highest degrees Grace sits in his lips not onely to move the mind but to change it None of them by anointing could receive graces for others but for themselves onely but he receives such a measure as runns over to the sanctifying of the lowest and meanest of his members Hence 1 Joh. 2. 27. the anointing which we have of him dwels in you and teacheth you all things And 2 Cor. 1. 21 22. It is God that anointeth us in Christ and sealeth and giveth us the earnest of the Spirit Thus our Lord Jesus is advanced above all his oyle shines brightest and swimmes aloft above all others II. In Aaron's and Christs anointing and furnishing to their Office Ministers must labour for a greater measure of this ointment than others to run down from them to their skirts They must pray by the Spirit watch by the Spirit walk by the Spirit An unconverted Minister may do another good but he hath no prmise of blessing nor doth any good to himselfe As the holy ointment was kept in the Sanctuary So Christ is the Sanctuary whence this oyle comes The pipes are the Word preached Sacraments Prayer societies of the Saints and Gods people And such Ministers as contemptuously contemne the conduit-pipes through which this oyle drops and flowes scorne to come to Sermons and joyne in holy exercises how doth their oyle dry away Instead of this oyle that should fall from them a deale of pitch and slime froth and filthinesse falls on their skirts III. In the communication of this ointment unto us the skirts we learn that Christ is not for himselfe but for us And therefore 1. Examine if thou beest anointed This is to be a Christian to be anointed as Christ was Scornest thou this holy oyle in thy selfe or others Know thou shalt one day wish the mountaines to fall on thee on whom this oyle falls not 2. Hence draw strength in temptation Remember If sollicited to sinne Oh I have the anointing I am taken up and set apart to Gods use I am for God and his glory Neh. 6. 11. 3. Use meanes to attaine a farther measure and be liker Christ. Thou missest a Sermon or the Sacrament thou knowest not what drops of oyle thou hast missed 4. Have a care to walk as such as are anointed smelling sweet every where in holy lives speeches prayers in all things edifying thy self and others Leave a sweet smell every where behind thee Let it drop down from us to others round about us The third thing in the high Priests consecration was sacrificing Exod. 29 1 2. In which 1. Observe in general that the Priests must be consecrated by offering all sorts of sacrifices for them and therefore they must take a calfe two rammes unleavened bread cakes and oyle verse 1 2. 1. Because of the speciall holinesse and honour of their calling who are to come so near unto God who will be specially sanctified in all that come near him 2. Because sinne in them is more hatefull than in any other and in expiating their sinnes as much is required as for the sins of all the congregation 3. Because they were to offer unto God all the gifts and sacrifices of all the people of all sorts and therefore for them must be offered all sorts to sanctifie them not onely in generall but to their speciall services between God and his people 2. In particular The first of these sacrifices must be a sinne offering verse 10. For which they must 1. Take a calfe and offer him for the expiation of sinne verse 14. This young calfe was a type of Christ who onely by his own oblation expiated our sinne which otherwise made our selves and duties most hatefull 2. This calfe must be presented before the Lord and his Congregation signifying the willingnesse of Christ to offer up himselfe for the sinnes of men Joh. 19. 11. 3. Aaron and his sonnes must put their hands on the head-of the calfe verse 10. not onely to confesse they were worthy to die for their own sins but to professe also that the death which they deserved was by the death of the Messiah the high Priest of the new Testament removed off them and transferred upon the beast And not onely the imputation of our sinnes upon Christ but also is signified that we must lay our hand by a true faith upon Christ our head if we expect any comfort from his death and passion 4. The calfe must be killed before the Lord at the doore of the Tabernacle verse 11. signifying both the death and crucifying of Christ as also the fruit of it by the place That by his death as by a doore an entry is made for us into the Church both militant and triumphant Heb. 10 20. 5. The bloud of that sinne-offering for the Priest must be put on the hornes of the Altar and the rest powred at the foot of the Altar verse 12. signifying 1. The sufficiency of Christs death to purge and reconcile us to God 2. The plenty of grace and merit in it for many more than are saved by it For being sufficient for all it is not helpfull to all nor to any that tread under foot this pretious bloud the extent of the benefit is to all the elect 3. The large spreading and preaching of the Gospel of salvation by Christs bloud through
all corners of the world as that sacrifice was shaken every way East West North and South 4. This sacrifice must alwaies be offered up with cakes of unleavened bread tempered with oyle vers 23. Signifying 1. The most perfect purity of Christs life and doctrine without all leaven of sin 2. That Priest and people must in service to God lay aside all leaven of maliciousness 3. The oyle notes the soft and loving kindness of God Jesus Christ chearing suppling the conscience by the sweet meditation of it as also how joyfully gladly we ought to serve the Lord and with cheerefullness present before him all the parts of his worship Note hence as the eare hands and feet of the high Priest must be touched with bloud before he attempt any part of his office so our care must be that all our parts all our actions and affections be touched and purged with the bloud of Christ. So David Psal. 51. 2. Wash me throughly Reason 1. Because sinne hath defiled the whole man all his parts all his actions all within him all without him 2. This foulnesse sticks so fast as it is no easie matter to be cleansed Nothing in the world can fetch out this soile but the bloud of Christ. Not all the water in the sea nor all the holy water in the Sea of Rome can wash away one sinne 3. All thou doest or performest depends upon the merit of this bloud and dignity of this person and passion for acceptance The knowledge of thy duty must be sprinkled with this bloud for that is signified by the eare The undertaking of duty by the hand The progresse and perseverance in it by the foot All must be presented in him and by him and find grace and acceptance If I wash thee not thou hast no part in me Qu. How may I know that the bloud of Christ hath touched and purged me Answ. 1. It is not enough that Christs bloud be shed but it must also be sprinkled If thou contentest not thy selfe that Christ hath died for all but seest how necessary it is to apply it to thy self 2. If thou hast an hand to lay hold on Christs bloud and besprinkle thy self with it A man washeth his face with his hand This hand is faith which takes up the bloud of Christ and applies it to ones selfe as did Paul who dyed for me 3. If it wash the whole man within and without which no others bloud could do The bloud of sacrifices under the Law could not sanctisie the conscience but onely the outside Heb. 9. 9. but this can and must purge the conscience from dead workes verse 14. And under conscience is contained the whole inner man purged by the merit of his satisfying bloud and by his spirit renewing our nature And for the outward man 1. If thy right eare be touched thou hast the hearing eare rightly to hear the word of God Thou hearest to learn for to harken is better than the fat of Rammes 2. If thy right hand be touched that thou art an active Christian not an hearer onely of the word but a doer and unto knowledge of the doctrine of faith joynest obedience of faith thou keepest the faith working as knowing that obedience is better than sacrifice thou darest not doe what seemes good to thy self or is right in thine owne eyes but what is rightly ruled by Gods word for that is the right hand touched 3. If thy right foot be touched that thou walkest in the right way with a right foot not making crooked pathes to thy feet but ordering thy conversation aright And all this with right ends and affections the feet of the soule laying aside all sinister ends and intentions in all thy obedience and directing all to the honour of the true Aaron and high Priest Jesus Christ. 4. If thou findest the effects of Christs bloud sprinkled 1. Pacification of conscience for this bloud speakes better things than Abels for us and in us for us to God by intercession in us by perswasion that the Lord looking on the bloud of Christ rests wholly in it as a full satisfaction for all our sinnes for this is the end of shedding remission of sinnes Matth. 26. 28. therefore of sprinkling 2. Daily sanctification through this sprinkling 1 Pet. 1. 2. For out of the side of Christ issues water as well as bloud the one redeeming from condemnation the other from vaine conversation the one purgeth from the death of works the other from dead workes themselves The sprinkling of this bloud admits not security or idleness and carelessnesse nor suffers a man to sinne against this bloud by impenitency unbeliefe despising of grace horrible swearing and foul lusts But makes the Christian truely noble as one now descended of the bloud of Christ scorning the base and foule courses he formerly affected Find these markes and comfort thy selfe thou art sprinkled with Christs bloud Thy whole course is sanctified all thy hearing all thy obedience be it never so weak in it self be thy unworthinesse never so great it shall be no barre to thine acceptance with God For every thing sprinkled with this precious bloud is sweetned and accepted Sect. III. III. The third thing in the deputation of the Priest to his office is his apparrell appointed by God and called holy garments glorious and beautifull farre differing from all other mens And they signified 1. The function to be glorious and excellent 2. The fitnesse of their persons to that office 3. The glory of the true high Priest Jesus Christ of whom Aaron was but a figure For all the glistering shew of these Priestly garments set forth the more Angelicall brightnesse of all the virtues which should shine in Jesus Christ. The Priestly garments appointed by God were ten in number of which four belonged to the inferiour Priests Exod. 28. 40 42. 1. A linnen garment Which signified the white garment of Christs righteousnesse and innocency which they were to appeare in before the Lord if they would be acceptable in their persons or duties Noting to us by the way that every godly Minister weares a white linnen garment not woven and made by men but by God not without him but within him not a shaddow oâ— ceremony but the substance and truth to which all shadowes give place Nay there is no private man that is godly but he must weare this white linnen garment having put it on in the laver of regeneration as Gal. 3. 27. Whosoever are baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 2. A girdle verse 40. which signifies constancy and stability in the truth both in our high Priest Jesus Christ who was not a reed shaken but a firme rock as also in his members who are commanded to stand fast their loines girt with verity Ephes. 6. 14. Hence followes That the Ministers word must not be yea and nay his course must be constantly gracious and watchfull And for
truely humbled and prepared for Christ nor can expect a good estate in him whose daily corrupt issues from an overflowing fountaine make him not seem marvellous filthy and unclean in his own eyes 1. What is the reason that so many do Pharisaically pride themselves if not in the goodnesse of their persons yet in some blind hopes and presumptions that they be not so bad as they are or as some others be but because they never saw themselves in this glasse which onely lets a man see himselfe a masse of sinne a lump of uncleannesse and that no good thing is in his nature which in no part is free from the running issues of that festred and inbred sinne 2. Why do many doat upon their own works and sightly actions either to Popish confidence in them as meritorious or at least with many Protestants to rest in the civility and morality of them without farther pursuit of the power of religion but that they see not that so evill trees cannot send forth any good fruit nor so bitter fountaines any sweet water which could they but discerne they would be weary of the best of their righteousnesse and cast it away with Paul as dung and conclude that when Aloes and wormwood yeeld a sweet taste then might their fruits be sweet and tastfull to God and themselves 3. Why do so many thousands contest against grace stand upon their honesty good neighbourhood hospitality charity they thanke God they are no blasphemers no drunkards adulterers murderers they wash the outside come to Church hear sermons are outwardly clean and formall no man can challenge them no nor they themselves but because they never saw the infection of their soules nor the inordinacy of their inner man which is a fountaine ever overflowing all the banks most dangerous most secret hardest to find out and hardest to cure and this deceives thousands in their reckonings 4. Why is the righteousness of faith in the bloud of Christ so much undervalued and men so hardly driven out of themselves to seek righteousnesse by him But because they see not their own uncleannesse and therein their hatefull estate before God untill Christ the high Priest have made atonement for them For as that man who being sick to death feels not his sicknesse nor discerns the depth and dangers of it seeks not greatly after the Physitian he applies either no meanes or some idle and impertinent things to small purpose so he that sees not the misery of his disease of sinne sees not the need of Christ neglects the right meanes and contentedly deludes himselfe running any whether but to the right remedy It is fit and fruitfull to look a little nearer this disease of nature that we may not onely make conscience of the foulnesse of nature but be thrust out of our selves to the meanes of our cleansing Considering 1. That this uncleane issue which the Legall issues point us unto is a sinne against the whole Law of God in all branches of it whereas other sinnes are against one of the Tables and one of the Commandements 2. This poyson of nature is the same in all men that all may be humbled who are born children of the devill enemies to righteousnesse all of us being in our very birth sonnes of death for in Adam all are dead And as an image of rotten wood must needs be rotten so we hewn out of so rotten a stock Who is it that is not a Leper from the wombe Let any man thrust his hand into his bosome as Moses did Exod. 4. 6. and he shall pull it out againe leprous and as white as snow Every man hath cause to cry with the Leper I am uncleane I am uncleane The spawne of a Serpent are Serpents and what are we but the spawn the seed of Adam 3. This Issue is a generall disorder of the whole man and of all parts Neither is bodily leprosie more generall and universally spread over all the members than sinne in the soule which is seated in all the members so as from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot there is nothing sound but ataxy or disorder in want of all goodnesse in all parts and pronenesse to all evill 4. Miserable are the effects of this close uncleanenesse As 1. In this Image of sinne no ugly toad can be so hatefull to us as we unto God 2. The whole man lies subject under the curse and wrath of God Rom. 5. 18. the fault came on all men to condemnation 3. Nothing can proceed from us but what is foule and damnable What can a Serpent cast out but poyson Whatsoever our own strength or will can bring forth is tainted with this leprosie for free will remaineth onely to evill 4. Nothing without us that we can touch but we taint till we be cleansed noted in the infection of houses vessels garments Both earthly things all the creatures all our comforts actions to the unpure all is so yea divine actions the word Sacraments prayer almes all polluted by us and to us so long as we be unconverted and in our uncleane nature 5. An unregenerate man can converse with no man but as a Leper he infects him by example provocation corrupt opinions frothy speeches fruitlesse behaviour And if they that poyson mens bodies are worthy extreame punishment and every man detests them how much more severe wrath of God are they liable unto that do nothing but poison mens soules 6. No Leper was so worthily cast out of the campe as all of us by nature are worthily cast out of the society of Saints in earth and in heaven yea from the presence and fellowship of God and Jesus Christ and that for ever Sinne properly shuts out of heaven no unclean thing comes there nothing more hateful to God nothing but that hated by him 7. All this misery we our selves can neither discerne nor remedy It makes us pure in our owne eyes though we be not washed Prov. 30. 12. We lie wallowing in our filthinesse and delight in it as the swine in the myre and never are cured till we get out of our selves to the high Priest in whom onely it is perfectly to cleanse and cure us Now seeing in this glasse our own disease and need of cure let us returne to the meanes of our cure in these three severall sorts of uncleanenesse and in the legall be led to the cure of morall uncleannesse Thus of the kinds of legall uncleanenesse Next all Legall uncleanenesse was to be cured two waies 1. By ablution or washing 2. By oblation or offering Both these were appointed for all kinds as in particular 1. For uncleane touchings and tastings the parties must wash their clothes Lev. 11. 40. 2. For unclean issues they must wash themselves and their clothes Lev. 15. 13. 3. For uncleanness of Leprosie they must wash themselves their clothes and besides shave off all their haire and stay seven daies without the camp
onely a purifying of the flesh this of the Spirit and conscience 4. That cleansed from legall and bodily pollution this from morall called dead works 1. Because they proceeded from death of sinne 2. Because they lead to eternall death For the explaining of this ordinance consider four things 1. Whence the Cow must be 2. The properties or qualities 3. The actions about her 4. The use and end of it I. All the congregation must bring an heifer to Moses out of the heard 1. All the congregation for not one in the congregation but needs a meanes of purging 2. This meanes must be a Cow not an Oxe or Bull. The imbecillity of the sexe noteth the great humillity of our Lord Jesus who being the mighty Lyon of the tribe of Judah would so abase and weaken himselfe for our sakes 3. They must take her from the heard so our cleanser must be taken from among our selves being true and perfect man taking our nature and our flesh yea our infirmities as the weak sexe importeth in all things save sinne like unto us II. The properties required in this Cow are four 1. She must be an heifer in her youth and strength Christ offers himself and must be taken for a sacrifice in the flower of his strength at three and thirty yeares He offers his best gifts and dies in his strength and so his offering was more free and acceptable And we also should offer up our youth strength best times and gifts to Jesus Christ who offered himselfe in his best strength to death for us 2. The Cow must be red Signifying 1. The truth of Christs humane nature being of the same red earth that the first Adams body was 2. The grievousnesse of sinne which he was to undertake and the scarlet staine of it 3. The bitter and bloudy passion of Christ and his cruell death The red skin of the Cow resembled the red garments of Christ all besprinkled 1. With his own bloud 2. With the bloud of his conquered enemies 3. Presented unto his father like the coat of Joseph all stained with bloud 3. The Cow must be without spot or blemish to signifie the purity of our Lord Jesus in whom was never any spot or staine of sinne Though he was contented to be counted a sinner yet he was no sinner And though he had sinne on himselfe he had none in himselfe as the Cow was slaine for sinne not being sinful Christ was ruddy through his passion yet most white and spotlesse by his most perfect and absolute righteousnesse 4. She must be without yoke on which never yoke came Signifying 1. That Christ not necessarily but voluntarily took our nature that he might free us from our yoke 2. His absolute freedome from all the yoke of sinne farther than he voluntarily undertook the burthen of it 3. That he was never subject to the yoke of humane precepts and commandements being the Law-giver to prescribe Lawes to all not to receive Lawes from any 4. That none could compell him to suffer for sinne but his whole obedience active and passive was a free-will offering he having power to lay down his life and to take it up againe 5. He was more free from the yoke than any red heifer could be She indeed must be free in her selfe He not onely free in himselfe but he must free all believers from the yoke whom the sonne sets free they are free indeed III. The actions about the Cow were five ver 5. 1. Action 1. The Congregation must deliver the Cow to be slaine so was Christ delivered to be slaine by the whole body of the Jewes 2. She must not be delivered to Aaron but to Eleazer his successor signifying that the death of Christ serveth all the successions and ages of the Church and must be taught by the Ministers of all ages 2. Action She must be led out of the Camp and there burnt whole to ashes her skin flesh bloud and dung ver 5. Signifying 1. That Christ must be led out of the gate of Jerusalem to suffer Heb. 13. and there 2. must be crucified by which he was made a whole burnt offering 3. That whole Christ is our comfort his flesh our meat his bloud our drink yea the very base dung of those contumelies cast upon him were a part of his sacrifice offered up in the fire of his passion for us to sweeten and sanctifie ours 3. Action Eleazer must take of the bloud with his finger and sprinkle towards the foreside of the Tabernacle of the assembly seven times vers 4. Signifying 1. The purging of us by the bloud of Christ sprinkled on the Conscience 2. That Christs death profits none to whom it is not specially applied for the Cowes bloud must be not shed onely but sprinkled 3. That onely the people and Congregation of God have benefit of the death and bloud of Christ for it was sprinkled directly before the tabernacle 4. The seven times sprinkling noteth 1. That that one oblation hath virtue and merit enough 2. The perfection of justification 3. The need of often application of Christs death 4. The duration of it to all ages 4. Action She must be burnt with Cedar wood scarlet lace and hysope all which must be cast into the fire with her vers 6. Signifying 1. Three things in Christ. 1. The Cedar of uncorrupt life 2. The scarlet of fervent love to mankind 3. The hysop of savoury obedience in all things to his father all which were in all his sufferings and fire of his passion sweetning it 2. They noted three things arising from Christs sufferings 1. Immortality signified by the Cedar which is not subject to putrefaction 2. The scarlet the merit of his bloud applyed to justification 3. The hysope of mortification healing our corruptions aâ— hysope hath a healing quality All these three properly arise from the passion of Christ. 5. Action A clean person must gather the ashes of the heifer and lay them without the Camp in a clean place vers 9. Signifying 1. The buriall of Christ in a cleane and new tombe wherein never man lay a clean place never used before 2. That the merit of Christs death is ever laid before God in the highest and holiest heavens 3. The Christians account of Christs merit and passion who layeth them up as his chiefe treasure in the clean place of a pure heart and conscience an onely fit closet to keep the mystery of faith in IV. The use and end of these ashes was twofold vers 9. 1. They must be kept for the Congregation Signifying that there shall never want supply of grace and merit from the death of Christ to any believer that sees his need of them 2. Of them was made a water of separation thus A clean person took of the ashes of the red Cow burnt and put pure water into a vessell and taking hysope dipped it and sprinkled it upon the tent the persons and vessels and
upon the unclean person the third and seventh day and so he washing his clothes and flesh with water was clean at even ver 18 19. Signifying 1. That the bloud of Christ is the onely water of separation for persons separate to separate them from their uncleannesse The water made of the ashes of Christs death and bloud-shed sprinkled upon the unclean can onely purge the conscience from dead works 2. That this bloud of Christ must be sprinkled with hysope of faith and mortification For hysope hath a cleansing quality and is put sometimes for that which onely and properly cleanseth purge me with hysope that is with the bloud of that eternall sacrifice figured by that which is sprinkled with hysope 3. That this bloud of Christ must be often applied the third day and the seventh day The death and merit of Christ must be often meditated and applied to the heart For it is a perpetuall and eternall purging and sprinkling water in the Church and we must have daily recourse unto it I. That the Lord hath appointed meanes for cleansing all kind of impurity 1. That his people and we might know that by no infirmity and frailty we shall fall quite out of the grace of God 2. That the Lord takes not the forfeit of all the scapes and foule falles of his children utterly to forsake them seeing the Jew that was legally polluted seventy times seven times was as often received in againe as he was cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary 3. That we should not despaire nor the weak Christian be quite dejected in the sence of the multitude of his frailties and foule touches seeing the Gospel affordes us the remedy and meanes to cleanse all morall uncleannesse no lesse certainely and fully than the Law to the Jews to purge their legall II. As the Jew was no sooner defiled by touching a dead man or bone or grave or tent or any thing about him but he must presently repaire to the meanes of legall cleansing So every Christian defiled by the least touch of any dead work must have recourse to the remedy appointed in the Gospel The Law appointed the water of the ashes of a red Cow but the Gospell appoints the red bloud of Jesus Christ sprinkled and applied by faith as by hysope upon the conscience Consider 1. The necessity The person defiled not having this sprinkling upon him shall be cut off from Israel vers 13. So whosoever hath not the bloud of Christ sprinkled upon his soule shall be cut off from the number and inheritance of the Saints Mar. 16. 16. he that believeth not shall be damned 2. Every sin is a separation from God who being a God of pure eyes cannot abide the filth of it and therefore we had need continually to have this water of separation for the washing of our hearts daily and often every day because it is gathering some uncleannesse every hour yea every moment 3. An unclean creature or vessell could not be of any service to man for he must not touch it till it be cleansed So a sinner so long as he is unclean and impenitent cannot be of any good use nor present any acceptable service to God And therefore the Prophet Isa. 〈◊〉 Wash you and cleanse you and then come No man dare present any thing to a King with a foule hand the Lord will accept no such present 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. touch no unclean thing and I will receive you and be a father unto you Implying that the Lord will not receive him that any way communicates with sinne if obstinate and impenitent 4. Nothing else can recover our beauty and first estate of holynesse and happinesse but this laver A cloth once soiled never recovers the beauty and whitenesse but by washing This laver onely brings back a white and unspotted innocency All the holy water in the Sea of Rome cannot wash one sinne for that hath no commandement no institution no promise Besides all legall Ceremonies are dead which in their life time could not cleanse by the meer deed done as they say theirs doth 5. How vaine is it to see men and women curious and carefull in washing their bodies and clothes they will not suffer the least spot on them but wash them weekly and yet go on year by year in the soule defilements of sinne and never desire to be washed and rinsed in the water of separation nay nothing more troubles them than to be called to reformation A cleanly man will have his clothes washed weekly but his hands and face every day A cleanly Christian will not be lesse carefull of his heart III. Seeing there was so much businesse in legall cleansing of the least foulenesse how carefull were the Jewes to avoid those foulnesse and how much more should Christians be to avoid the morall 1. In themselves A good heart will be affected with the least touch of sinne as David to cut Sauls lappet and to avoid the least appearance as well as evill it selfe 2. From others For the Jew might be impured from others as well as by himselfe We must not communicate in other mens sinnes 1 Tim. 5. 22. The just man bewareth not onely sinne it selfe but even the contagion and infection of sinne Watch thy selfe as privie to thine own weaknesse and thy adversaries subtletie and strength Watch against other sinnes as being beset with snares Resolve with good Jacob Gen. 49. 6. Into their secret my soul shall not come This strict watching is counted commonly foolish precisenesse nicety hatefull purity but God esteemes it otherwise It is an apparant losse of mens favour preferments and worldly helps but he onely findes the favour of God and the happinesse to see God Sect. VII The oblation for unclean issues leading us to Christ is appointed Lev. 15. 14 15. In this 1. What foules must be prepared for the offering Two Turtles or two young Pigeons and so for the womans vers 29. Of the clean kind of birds signifying and resembling the purity of Christs humane nature Besides his innocency simplicity meeknesse chastity charity fruitfulnesse of all which virtues these Doves were expresse Emblems 2. What was the use of these foules 1. They must bring them to the Priest No man must offer his own sacrifices but must present them to God by Christ the onely high Priest 2. They must bring them to the doore of the Tabernacle for publick service must not be privately performed and figured our entrance by Christ the doore 3. One must be made a sinne offering the other a burnt offering The sacrifices were types of that onely sacrifice of the Sonne of God our Redeemer performed upon the Altar of his Crosse for the expiating the sinnes and foule issues of the whole world In them both 1. What they were 2. What were the ceremonies about them 1. The sinne offering was a sacrifice in which the whole beast or bird was not
consumed with fire as the burnt offering was but slaine for the expiation of sinne The use of which was to figure and seale up to the Jews the expiation of their sinnes in Christ. Now Christ is made manifest for the doing away of sinne by the slaine sacrifice of himselfe Heb. 9. 26. and see vers 28. The burnt offering was a sacrifice in which the whole beast or bird was consumed with fire offered up therein to God for a savour of rest namely to appease and pacifie Gods wrath for some sinne or sinnes committed Which signified that Christ was to be a whole burnt offering and to be wholly consumed in soule and body with the fire of his Fathers wrath that he might be a sweet smelling savour for us He gave himselfe for us a sacrifice and oblation for a sweet smelling savour Neither did the believing Jewes think that God was appeased by any virtue in the burnt-offering but through the eternall sacrifice of Christ shadowed therein 2. What were the ceremonies about these foules for they all pointed at Christ. 1. For the sinne offering of foules the ceremonies are appointed Levit. 5. 8 9. and they be three 1. Rite The Priest must wring the neck of the Dove asunder but not pluck it clean off and the same rite in the burnt-offering The neck must be pincht with the naile of the Priest to let out the bloud but the head must not be pluckt off from the body Signifying 1. That although Christ was to die yet his divinity and humanity should not be severed 2. That the death of this innocent Dove should not interrupt his headship of the Church He was to be pinched to death but his head should not be severed from his body and members which is the Church 3. That Christ should die indeed but no bone of him must be broken Joh. 19. 36. Shadowed also in the Passover 2. Rite The Priest must sprinkle the bloud of the sinne offering upon the side of the Altar vers 9. and the like in the burnt offering Chap. 1. 15. Signifying that all the virtue and merit of Christs bloud for the purging of sinne was drawn from the Altar of his Deity He must be God that must purchase the Church with his bloud Act. 20. 28. and 〈◊〉 Cor. 5. 19. God was in Christ. 3. Rite All the rest of the bloud must be powred out at the foot of the Altar Signifying not onely the powring out of the bloud of Jesus Christ our true sinne offering upon the Altar of the Crosse without which shedding of bloud can be no remission of sinnes but also the bloud powred at the foot of the Altar that is those clots and drops of bloud plentifully flowing from him in his agony before his passion Luke 22. 44. as he was going up to the Crosse. 2. For the Dove appointed for the burnt offering besides the former rites some other are appointed 1. The Priest must pluck out the maw with his feathers and cast them besides the Altar on the East side in the place of the ashes For these were things unclean and signified that Christ should bring no unclean thing to his suffering but present a most spotlesse and holy oblation to the Lord for else had it not been of sweet smell 2. The Priest must divide and cleave the bird with his winges but not asunder signifying Christ who seemed by his death to be burnt extinct and perished for so he was in the esteem of his own disciples as they were going to Emaus but yet he was not quite sundered but rose againe by his own power and ever liveth sitting at his Fathers right hand to make request for us Yea his own words might seem to imply a sundering when he saith Why hast thou for saken me but that the ingemination of his former words my God my God doth strongly prove the contrary 3. This bird must be throughly consumed to ashes to make it a sweet savour to the Lord Levit. 1. 17. signifying that never was any thing so gratefull and acceptable to the Lord as the whole burnt sacrifice of his Sonne in which he smelled a savour of eternall rest To which the Psalmist alludeth Let him smell a savour of all thy oblations and turn thy burnt offerings into ashes Psal. 20. 3. 4. When all these rites were observed the party that was unclean shall be clean Levit. 12. 8. and Chap. 15. 13 28. signifying that a party justified by Christs bloud and exercising true repentance and the study of holinesse and new life is brought in againe into the right and fellowship of God and his people whatsoever his uncleannesse formerly hath been And thus hath the legall cleansing of this person brought us to the Evangelicall in Jesus Christ I. Sundry grounds of consolation to the Church and people of God 1. As Christ seemed clean divided and sundered from his Father from his Church but was not so his members often seem quite sundered from God and all comfort but are not and Ch. 6. 9. A godly man may be in such a streight as David was when thus he brake forth to Jonathan As the Lord liveth and as thy soul liveth there is but one step between me and death And yet when he can see no passage God makes a passage forth Hence may a Christian with Paul challenge all perills and dangers and contemne them as too weak to separate us from Christ Rom. 8. 39. yea in all things we are not onely conquerours but more than conquerours So was Christ in death and from under the grave more than a conquerour Let a Christian be slain it hinders him not from being a conquerour and what ever he may loose he looseth not the love of God who loveth him to the end whom he once loveth and therefore onely the sound Christian is in a sure estate If sorrow be for a night joy will returne in the morning after darkenesse as sure to see light As Jesus Christ keeps his headship and death cannot sever him quite so the members may be pinched yet not quite off but abide members still 2. As the speciall providence of God watched his own sonne that though he was in wicked hands that wanted no will yet they were kept from breaking one bone of him so doth the same providence watch over his members that howsoever the wicked of the world pinch and presse them yet the promise is made to them Psal. 34. 20. He keeps all their bones not one of them is broken that is without the will of our heavenly Father as Matth. 10. 29. Not an haire shall fall for the same providence watcheth the head and members This consideration is used by Christ to remove excessive fear of men If thou see thine enemies encrease as bees about thee ready to strike and sting Let thy waies please the Lord he can 1. turne their hearts to peace as Esaus to Jacob when he purposed his death and Labans to
cleannesse Sect. VIII Now followes the oblation for the uncleannesse of leprosie The cleansing of the Leper is in Lev. 14. where we read of two sorts of oblations prescribed 1. For the cleansing of him that he might come into the tent 2. After his cleansing and comming into the tent he must offer three Lambes one for a trespasse offering one for a sinne offering another for a burnt offering with a number of ceremonies about the Lambes all leading to Christ. But in this place we are onely to speak of the former concerning his cleansing Lev. 14. from ver 2. to 8. Where 1. The Leper to be cleansed must be brought to the Priest For he onely must discern and pronounce of it whether it be cured or unclean signifying that the sinner that desires to be cleansed must hasten to Jesus Christ the onely high Priest of the new Testament who onely is able to cleanse and heal our leprosie of sinne and herein is farre beyond all those types The Priest could discerne of bodily leprosie and pronounce them cleane if they were so but he could not make them clean if they were not But Jesus Christ can properly forgive sinne the soules leprosie being the healing God and onely Physitian of soules 2. The Priest must go out of the campe unto him to consider him to signifie how Jesus Christ finds us when he first comes unto us namely such as having the most loathsome leprosie running upon us have no right to the communion of Saints nor to any of the priviledges or Gods people but out-casts and aliens from God from the faith and from the common-wealth of Israel Ephes. 2. 12. 3. The Priest must first see him healed and then proceed to the exact cleansing vers 3. signifying a twofold action of Jesus Christ in the curing of the leprosie of sinne For 1. He must heal the sinner by the grace of justification and sound conversion but this is not all for there remaines a great deal to do before we can be soundly cleansed And therefore 2. he must bestow on us his spirit to work in us a daily growth and proceeding in sanctification before we can be pronounced clean 4. The Priest must prepare 1. two little live birds of the clean kind vers 4. 1. two birds to note the twofold nature of Jesus Christ his deity and humanity 2. Two little birds to note the humility and mean esteem of our Lord and Saviour Christ. 3. Two cleane birds to note the unspotted and surpassing purity of both his natures 4. Two live birds one to die and the other to live to note that Christ had one nature to die in another not subject to death As also the twofold estate of our Lord Jesus his suffering and dying estate and his glorious exalted estate 2. He must prepare Cedar wood scarlet and hysope noting as we have heard the excellent graces that Christ brings to his oblation both in regard of himselfe his Church and his Father And signifying that Christ and his graces are inseparable And teacheth that no man can think to be cleansed by the bloud of Christ that is carelesse to receive his graces which thou must as eagerly desire as himselfe 5. The use of these materialls of cleansing concern 1. the dying bird 2. The living bird 3. The party to be cleansed First concerning the dying bird 1. One of the birds must be slaine pointing at the death of Christ without which is no purging or cleansing of sinne Heb. 9. 22. But one bird onely dyed so Christ was put to death concerning the flesh 1 Pet. 3. 18. 2. It must be slaine over running water that the bloud might fall into the water The bloud falling into the water signified 1. That a fountaine of grace by the death of Christ is opened both for justification and sanctification For water and bloud here meet shadowing the streames of water and bloud issuing from the side of Christ in his passion 1 Joh. 5. 6. 2. The bird slain over running water signified the innocency of the death of Christ for though he must die yet his bloud is in pure streames as running water is 3. That this water must be running water not standing signifying that there is a continuall cock and conduit of grace overflowing from this fountaine ever runing and issuing from Christ to the refreshing of thirsty and weary soules believing in his name 4. By the falling of the bloud into running water might also be signified that the death of Christ should run into the Ministery of the Gospel as the waters from under the Sanctuary every way As Christ spake of Maries fact preparing him to his death so much more of his death it self what he hath done and suffered shall be every where preached to the worlds end 3. This water must be in an earthen vessel Not onely to signifie that Christ must sweat and powre forth in his death water and bloud according to his humane nature which for the time of his abasement was a fraile and brittle vessell subject to infirmities and contempt and in all things like unto ours onely sinne excepted but also that this blessed treasury of the Church should be retained and held in earthen vessels that is the faithfull Ministers of Christ how contemptible so ever they are in the world yet these shall carry and disperse these blessed misteries unto men as 2 Cor. 4. 7. Secondly concerning the live Sparrow The generall signification of it was Christ now alive raised from the dead who can die no more but ever liveth and sitteth at the right hand of God and that by the power of his divinity And 1. This Sparrow must be used also to the cleansing of the Leper For neither the humanity of Christ without his deity nor his deity without his humanity can cleanse or justifie the sinner Neither the life of Christ without his death nor his death without his life can availe us to righteousnesse Act. 20. 28. God shed his bloud to purchase the Church to himself 2. The Priest must dip the live bird and the Cedar and scarlet lace and hysope in the bloud of the Sparrow slaine and pure water vers 6. Signifying 1. That the deity of Christ which is impassible in it selfe can yeeld us no comfort alone had it not been joyned to an humanity subject to passion which is plainly meant by dipping the live bird in the bloud of the slaine For therefore the sonne of God must take our nature to better our nature and take our flesh that by death he might destroy him that had the power of death Heb. 2. 14. 2. The scarlet cedar and hysope must be dipped also to shew that all the graces we receive from him must be dipped in his bloud by which alone we have both accesse unto grace and acceptation into grace For by the dipping and union of this live bird and slaine we come into the grace and favour of God being united first to his
evidently expressed in the preparation of the Paschall Lamb wherein the Jewes were tyed to six observations I. Observation The Lamb must be severed from the flock v. 6. to signifie Jesus Christ separated by God the Father to the office of mediator and that two waies I. By Gods eternall decree he was a chosen servant of God to the most excellent service in heaven and earth Isai. 42. 1. My elect servant And thus is called a Lamb separarated from before the foundation of the world 1 Pet. 1. 20. 2. In due time actually separated from all the rest of the flock by 1. A supernaturall conception by the holy Ghost whereby he became an high Priest separated from sinners all the rest of Mankind remaining sinners 2. By a miraculous birth of a Virgin being the seed of the woman 3. By an unconceiveable union of the two natures divine and humane in one person by which he became our Immanuell God with us 4. By a solemne and heavenly inauguration into his office at the brinke of Jordan by which he was openly proclaimed the chiefe Doctor and Prophet of his Church Thus it became this Lamb of God to be actually separated from all the rest of the flock because for all the rest he was to pay a greater ransome and price than any other that could be found amongst all mankind II. Observation The Lamb thus separated must be reserved and kept alive four daies even from the tenth day of the first month till the fourteenth day of the same month vers 6. Wherein was signified the very particles of time of Christs both Ministery and passion 1. For his Ministery Christ must not be sacrificed presently so soon as he was born nor so soon as he is baptized and separated but after that separation must live about four years to preach the kingdome of God and then be offered up that his death might not be a seale to a blancke but might confirme all that holy doctrine delivered by his owne mouth and Ministery to the world 2. For his passion The time of it depended not on the will of man for his enemies sought many a time before to slay him as Herod in his infancy Matth 2. 16. the Jewes took up stones to stone him Joh. 8. 59. The Nazarites would break his neck from an hill Luk. 4. 29. And many other attempts were made against his life but his time was not then come the lamb must be reserved four daies And this very moment of time was determined and registred in Gods most certaine and unchangeable computation Act. 2. 23. being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God Whose wisdome so ordered that 1. As the lamb was taken in the tenth day of the first moneth so Christ came into Jerusalem about the tenth day of the same month to suffer as appeares Joh. 12. For upon the sixth day before his passion he came to Bethany vers 1. and the next day he went to Jerusalem which was the fifth day before his passion ver 12. 2. As the lamb must be slaine the fourteenth day of the first month which answereth to our March and at the full of the Moon So that no man might be deceived in our Paschall lamb he must be sacrificed at the Passeover the same day that the lamb must be slaine In the full Moon to note the fullnesse of time now come which was so long before appointed and in such a month as when light prevailes against darknesse and every thing revives and springs to signifie that Christ by his suffering chaseth away our darknesse and death and brings in light and life and a blessed spring of grace and glory III. Observation The Lamb must be slaine vers 6. signifying that Jesus Christ being as that Lamb of a year old in his vigour and strength who by reason of his age and strength might have lived longer must not onely die but by a violent death and that by Israel Noting 1. That Christ must be put to death by the Jewes 2. That the benefit aad merit of his death redounds to his Church onely The Redeemer must come unto Zion Isa. 59. 20. Objection How was he then a Lamb slaine from the beginning of the World before the Jewes were in being Sol. Two waies 1. In regard of Gods decree whereof a promulgation was made in promises and types and an acceptation as if it had been already done 2. In regard of man He was slaine onely one time as to the act but in all times as to the fruit because the perpetuall power and efficacie of Christs sacrifice was begun with the world and extended to all believers of all ages who onely diversly apprehend it IV. Observation The lamb must be slain between two evenings 1 To put them in remembrance of their deliverance in Egypt which was in the evening 2. To note that our Paschall lamb should be slain towards the evening of the world that is in the last times Heb. 9. 26. 3. that Christs sacrifice was to succeed in the same time of their evening sacrifices which were daily to be offered Exod 29. 41. and so to put an end to them Dan. 12. 4. to note the very houre as well as the day of Christs suffering on the Crosse. To understand which we must know that the Jewes distinguished their artificiall day into four parts From six to nine from nine to twelve from twelve to three from three to six This last part was counted the evening of the day and the next three houres the evening of the night In this fourth part of the day used the Paschal lamb to be slain and the rest of the time was little enough to dresse it whole for Supper even so the true Paschal lamb must be sacrificed the very same day and houre that the Mysticall lamb was For Christ at the third houre that is at three of the clock in afternoon between the evenings with a great voyce gave up the Ghost Matth 27. 50. V. Observation The lamb must be roasted with fire not raw not sod baked boyled or otherwise but all thoroughly roasted with fire vers 9. 1. Not eaten raw to signifie that we must not grossely conceive nor unpreparedly receive Christ in the Sacrament as the Capernaites did of the flesh of Christ Joh. 6. and the Papists of eating the raw flesh of Christ as it was born of a Virgine with their teeth 2. Roasted to Signifie two things 1 The manner of Christs death he was to be crucified and peirced As the lamb must be thrust through and fastened to a spit so must the lamb of God be peirced and fastened to the Crosse. As the brazen Serpent was fixed to a pole Joh. 3. 14. 2. That Jesus Christ was made fit food as that lamb for his people by enduring the fire of affliction but especially by suffering the hot burning fire of his Fathers wrath which had burnt up
all mankind to the bottome of hell had not Christ endured it 3. Wholly roasted to signifie that Christ endured the whole wrath of God which is a consuming fire both in soul and body as that bitter agony in the garden witnesseth which made him sweat drops of water and bloud and complaine that his soule was heavie unto the death VI. Observation Though the lamb must be wholly drest yet a bone of it shall not be broken Noting that wonderfull accident in the passion of Christ that when the souldiers came purposely to break his legs as they had done the others that were crucified with him yet by Gods secret providence they were restrained so as the antitype might exactly answer to the type as the Evangelist applieth it Joh. 19. 36. This lamb by dying when he would hindered the breaking of his bones For 1. His body was most holy and must not be prophaned and torne ignominiously as if it were the body of a thiefe or malefactor 2. His Fathers care that keeps the bones of the Saints that not one of them is broken Psal. 34. 20. will much more keep safe the bones of his onely Sonne 3. His bones were to be whole buried because he was to rise againe with his whole body and so the faith of believers in the article of his resurrection was more easily confirmed We must cast our eyes upon Jesus Christ the true Paschall lamb in all the worship of the old Testament For further than Christ was found and seen in it it was then but as an empty shell without a kernell and how much more now The Jews at this day celebrate the Passeover kill the Lamb sprinkle the bloud eat the flesh observe the rites but refusing Jesus Christ what sweetnesse can be in that feast What do they else than cast away the kernell to gnaw upon the shell or as a mad man who casts away the graine and choakes himselfe with the husks Oh how is the wrath of God come upon them to the uttermost who think that they have done a good service when they have slain a number of lambs taken from earth rejecting the Lamb of God who came from heaven from the bosome of his Father infinitely surpassing them all For their madnesse 1. What sence or what spirituall worship is it to feed their bodies with the flesh of lambs and to refuse Christ the lamb of God separated from all the flock for the food and refreshing of the soule 2. What weak and cold comfort to eat a number of lambs in memory of their deliverance out of Egypt and the thraldome of Pharaoh and yet not endure to hear of much lesse to taste of that lamb that hath wrought a more powerfull deliverance from the Pharaoh of Hell from sinne from damnation and all their heaviest burthens 3. All that sprinkling of bloud in their houses so long as they despise the bloud of Jesus Christ shall never get them protection from the revenging Angel We must pray that God would please at length to remove their vaile from their hearts that they may submit themselves to the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10. 3. that so all Israel may be saved by acknowledging the deliverer out of Zion of whom was prophecied Isai. 59. 20. That he shall turne away the ungodlinesse from Jacob. Sect. III. III. The Paschall lamb directly aimed at Christ our true Passeover in respect of the bloud and actions about it which were three 1. The bloud of the Lamb must be saved in a Basen vers 22. It must not be shed upon the ground to be troden under foot signifying the preciousnesse of the bloud of Christ. 1. In respect of God 2. Of Christ. 3. Of the Church For 1. God the Father highly prizeth this bloud and saves it in a golden vessell that it may be ever before him and that the streames of it may pacifie his displeasure and confirme the Covenant of grace with his Church Whence it is called the bloud of the Covenant Heb. 9. 18. 2. It was precious in regard of Jesus Christ seeing every drop of it was the bloud not of an innocent man onely but of one that was God as well as man Act. 20. 28. God with his own bloud purchased the Church and therefore it was a bloud of infinite vertue and infinite merit 3. Every true member of the Church doth most highly esteem it as the most precious thing in all the world and with great care and reverence receives it into the vessell of precious and saving faith and there keeps it safely as men do their most precious commodities 2. The bloud of the Lamb must be sprinkled upon the lintle and side posts of the doores of the Israelites vers 22. 1. In that it must be sprinkled it signified that the bloud of Christ must be applied unto us for our righteousnesse stands not in the shedding of Christs bloud but in sprinkling and application of Christs bloud shed and sprinkled upon our soules and consciences to purge them from dead works 2. It must be sprinkled upon the posts and doores so as the Israelites could neither go out of doores nor in but they must see on all sides the bloud of the lamb signifying that they and we should both at home and abroad going forth and comming in and on all occasions have the passion of Jesus Christ before our eyes in the holy meditation and deep contemplation of it 3. It was not enough for the Jew that the lamb was slain the bloud shed within the house but it must be sprinkled without doores that every man might see it and signified that if Christs bloud and the merit of it be shed in the houses of our hearts for justification and righteousnesse the sprinkling of it will appear and be seen without in holy life and practise of sanctification 3. This bloud of the lamb must not be sprinkled with the bare hands but with a bunch of hyssope dipt in the bloud vers 22. which signifyed that every one which puts forth his hand is not sprinkled with Christs bloud unlesse he have provided this bunch of hyssope Hyssope is Faith and Faith resembles this herbe in four things 1. It is a ground herbe low and weake so Faith in it selfe and in us is weak fraile feeble and of most despised Neither hath every man that hath hysope in his garden this bunch of hysope in his heart 2. Rooting in a rocke for so it used among the Jewes whence some thought it to be Pellitory of the wall Faith roots it selfe upon the rock Jesus Christ and cannot grow or prosper in any other soile Other hysope roots in earth this in heaven 3. It is an herb cleansing and curing Faith onely is an herbe of soveraigne virtue both to purifie the heart Act. 15. 9. and to heal all the wounds of conscience Act. 16. 31. the Goaler wounded and pricked in heart must believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ and be saved Our Lord himselfe was wont to say to distressed persons According to thy Faith be it unto thee 4. It was fitter than other herbes for the receiving and sprinkling of liquor so Faith although a low and weak plant is onely fit to receive the precious liquor of the bloud of Christ. Onely faith drawes virtue from Christ as in the poor woman that stood behind Christ Mark 5 31. And the want of this bunch of hyssope disables Christ from doing thee any good Christ could do nothing in Capernaum for their unbelief I. Note hence how we are to prize and magnifie the bloud of Christ. For if the shadow of this precious bloud must be so preserved so carefully saved in a costly vessel how much more ought the bloud it self Quest. How may I prize the bloud of Christ Answ. 1. Consider with the dignity of the person the infinite value of it That it is able to purchase the whole Church of God Act. 20. 28. which a thousand worlds of wealth could not do No wealth in heaven or earth besides this can redeem one soule And therefore the Apostle 1 Pet. 1. 19. sets this precious bloud against all corruptible things as gold and silver and things so much set by amongst men 2. Consider the precious things which it procures us both in earth and in heaven 1. Here below it procures us four things 1. Reconciliation and peace with God Rom. 3. 25. and Ephes. 2. 13. we which were farre off are made near by the bloud of Christ. 2. A sweet tranquility of mind peace of conscience which all worldly treasure caÌ„not purchase because now we are within the Covenant of God living in his love which is better than life and in this love is no lack but an abundant supply of all needfull things All which Covenant of grace is made and ratified by this bloud therefore called the bloud of the Covenant Heb. 9. 3. Victory against all the malignity of our spirituall enemies even the greatest Satan himself who is overcome by the bloud of the lamb Rev. 12. 11. 4. Immunity and safety from all the judgements and dangers threatned against our sinnes else had we died without mercy for despising Moses law Heb. 10. 28. For if there were such force in the bloud of the type that by the effusion of it the Israelites lay safe and untouched of the revenging Angel Heb. 11. 28. much more in this bloud of Jesus Christ to cover belieuers in his Name from the hand of Gods revenge due to our transgressions 2. This precious bloud now in heaven procures us the most needfull and excellent good things above all that we can imagine Especially two waies 1. By opening heaven for our prayers for this bloud pleades for us now in heaven and speaks better things for us than the bloud of Abel Heb. 12. 24. That called for vengeance against the sinner this intreateth for daily grace for daily sinnes and procures daily mercies for daily supplies 2. As to our prayers so this bloud openeth heaven to our persons This bloud onely rents the vaile asunder and makes a way into the holy of holies and gives entrance into the kingdome of heaven Heb. 10. 19. by the bloud of Jesus we are bold to enter into the holy place This bloud is the onely key that unlocks heaven for else the Lord dwels in light which no flesh can have accesse to 1 Tim. 6. 16. namely without Christ and the shedding of his bloud II. Is the bloud of Christ so precious take heed of prophaning this precious bloud take heed of sinning against it Consider of that sore punishment which he is worthy of that treads under foot the sonne of God and counteth the bloud of the Testament unholy Heb. 10. 29. He cannot expresse the greatnesse of the punishment in words but leaves it to all mens minds to consider of Quest. How may a man prophane this bloud Answ. 1. By undervaluing it as Papists who think it insufficient to ratifie the Covenant unto them without other additions and supplies from themselves and others yea ascribe as much to the bloud of Thomas Beckâ—t and other traytors as to this bloud 2. To be ashamed of Christ and his sufferings The Jewes must strike the lintels of their doors with the bloud of the Paschall Lambe that all might see they were Israelites signifying that we must openly professe Christ and not be ashamed of his death and ignominy which is the life of the world at which notwithstanding the greatest part of the world stumbleth at this day To shame at the profession of Christ is to contemn his bloud 3. To contemne it in the meanes in which the Lord would hold it before our eyes To reject or neglect the preaching of the word wherein Christ is crucified before our eyes as he was to the Galatians chap. 3. 1. To neglect and despise the Sacrament in which his bloud is after a sort poured out to the mind and senses Or unpreparedly to receive the Sacrament and in the unworthinesse of a guilty conscience is to make ones self guilty of the bloud of Christ as Pilate Judas and the Souldiers were 4. To despise and wrong the godly descended of the bloud of Christ redeemed with the bloud of Christ To hate the Church of God and abuse the members of Christ is to crucifie again the Son of God and despise the price of our purchase In that yee doe it to one of these little ones yee did it to me Thou canst not draw bloud of the Saints but thou sinnest against the bloud of Christ. 5. To prophane it in gracelesse swearing as those branded hell-hounds that swear commonly by wounds or bloud as if this precious bloud were to be engaged on every base occasion Well they carry wounds in their consciences and poure out the life bloud of their souls Sect. IV. IV. In eating the Paschall Lambe Jesus Christ was typified To this eating many conditions are required concerning 1. Time 2. Place 3. Persons 4. Manner 5. Measure The Time It must be eaten at the sametime and in one evening must all Israel eat the Passeover 1. In the evening to signifie our estate of darknesse and misery by sinne and death till Christ came and when Christ came to be our ransome 2. In one and the same evening to note the holy agreement and consent of the whole Church in the faith of Christs death and passion to which well agrees the constitution of our Church ordaining the Supper succeeding it in the same time so all superstition and formality be avoided The Place 1. Every particular Lambe must be eaten in one house to signifie the unity of the Church of God the house of the living God and the spirituall conjunction and agreement of all the faithfull in one bread and one body 1 Cor. 10. 17. 2. If one house sufficed not to eat up one Lambe
as Christian Rechabites Jer. 35. esteem themselves strangers content themselves to dwell in tents ever ready to remove not distracting themselves in building houses or planting vineyards or seeking great things for themselves Hence was that commendable admonition of the ancient Church in the time of the Sacrament used in our Liturgy Lift up your hearts 2. We must eat the Lamb hastily hastning unto Christ the true Passeover and not insist in these Sacraments of ours which are still but as shadows of good things to come yet serving us through this our strange Countrey and speeding us into our own Canaan and Countrey and that with all expedition seeing that to be dissolved hence and to be with Christ is best of all Phil. 2. 23. 3. We must celebrate our Passeover with staves in our hands that is the doctrine of the Law and Gospel held in our hearts as a staffe to defend our selves in the right track and path of holy doctrine and holy conversation to repulse our adversaries that come out against us for it is the sword of the Spirit and to lean upon as a staffe in our weaknesse and wearinesse This staffe must not lie by us in our books but be held by us in our hands and hearts and be not in possession onely but in our daily use He hath no comfort of this Sacrament that hath not this staffe in his hand VI. As the Jewes in eating the Passeover must repeat and recite the memory of that great deliverance out of Egypt by a mighty and miraculous power so must we in our Sacrament commemorate and remember our great deliverance from hell and that spirituall Pharaoh wrought by the bloud of our Paschall lamb 1 Cor. 11. 26. so often as ye shall eat this bread and drink this cup ye shew the Lords death till he come And therefore it is very fit the Word and Sacrament should go together as the seal together with the deed and Indenture Hence those that are so devout at the Sacrament and neglect or despise the Word are meer hypocrites and ignorants their folly is like his that makes much of a seale but teares the Indenture all to pieces which onely can convey his inheritance unto him VII As the Jewes came together to eat the whole lamb so must we to receive whole Christ. Quest. When do we receive whole Christ Answ. First when we reverently receive the signes appointed by Christ according to his own institution Secondly when we receive faithfully the thing signified which is Christ and all his merits I. For the former 1. As it had been a great sinne for the Jewes to divide the lamb which God commanded to be eaten whole no lesse grievous a sinne is it in Popery to administer the bread without the cup of which Christ hath said expressely Drink ye all of this 2. As the Lamb was appointed to no other use by Moses but to be eaten so was the bread and wine in the Sacrament ordained to no other end by Christ but to be eat and drank all other holy use of them out of the action of the Sacrament is Idolatrous superstitious and unlawfull 3. As it had been a grievous sinne to reserve any of the lamb till the morning against so expresse a commandement appointing it to be wholly eaten so grievous a sinne is it to reserve the consecrated host as they foolishly call it either to boxe up or to hang up or to worship and adore it or pray unto it or carry it in procession or lift it up with both hands above the Priests head that it may be worshipped with divine and Idolatrous worship or yet if it be possible with more blasphemy to offer it upon an Altar as an unbloudy sacrifice for the sinnes of the quicke and dead which abolisheth at once the whole Priesthood of Christ. All which the Lord would prevent in this constitution that no part of the lamb must be reserved but if any were left it must be burnt with fire II. We eat the whole lamb when with the signes we receive the thing signified which is Christ and all his merits We must feed upon and digest whole Christ that is be united so straitly and undividedly to Jesus Christ as the meat which is changed into the same substance with our bodies and this by the faith of our hearts which so streightly knits us to Christ as a marriage bonde and he becomes a perfect nourishment to us unto eternall life Neither could our Lord fitlier expresse this straite union than by feeding and eating seeing there cannot be astraiter union in nature than between the thing nourishing and nourished Question What may I doe thus to receive the whole Lamb Answ. 1. Come hungry in sence of the want of faith and desire of supply 2. Labour to feele the sweetnesse of Christ take heed of despising this sweet Manna Let not the hunger of the Onyons garlick and flesh-pots of Egypt thrust down the desire of this Manna which comes down from heaven to which the other Mannah was not halfe so sweet 3. Thinke it not enough to eat the flesh of Christ Sacramentally if not spiritually Conceive what a fearfull delusion it is to eat the Sacrament of the flesh of Christ in the Supper and not eat the flesh of Christ by the Sacrament Thou hast been at the Supper of the Lord but hast not tasted of his Supper CHAP. XX. The Pillar of Cloud and Fire a type OF the ordinary Sacraments of the Jewes pointing at Christ we have spoken Now of the extraordinary Of these some are answerable to the Jewes circumcision and our Baptisme As 1. the Pillar of Cloud 2. The red Sea Some to the Jewes Passeover and our Supper As 1. Mannah from Heaven 2. Water out of the rock The ground of this distinction we have in 1 Cor. 10. 2 3. where the Apostle leads us by the hand to the distinct consideration of these Sacraments First of the Pillar of Cloud and fire under which the Fathers of the old Testament were baptised When the Lord in his wise providence appointed to lead the children of Israel for the space of fourty years through a drie uncouth and terrible wildernesse himselfe undertooke to be their guide and for their certaine direction in their way appointed them this visible signe of his presence for their motion or station by night or by day through all their pilgrimage concerning this Cloud let us enquire 1. Of the kind 2. Of the difference between it and other clouds 3. Of the use of this cloudy Pillar 4. How a type of Christ. 1. Quest. What kind of Cloud was this Answ. Not naturall but supernaturall and miraculous yea one of the four great miracles that the Lord continued all the while of their Journey which was fourty yeares Those four great miracles were 1. The not swelling of their feet Deut. 8. 4. 2. Their aparrells not wearing or not waxing old Deut. 8.
congealed water as upon firme land but they walked in the bottome of the Sea as on dry land Who could deny but it had been a work of omnipotency for the Lord to have made the sea on a sudden a pavement for Israel as hard as Christal to have walked firme upon but because every strong frost congeales the water according to nature that had been lesse glorious more questionable But he provides for the clearness of his own glory by effecting a work above yea against the whole frame of nature 3. That the waters should stand as a solid wall on both sides which are naturally fluid and seeing nothing is so hardly contained within bounds as liquid waters it was exceeding miraculous And that the bottome of the Sea should on the suddain become firme and dry ground Exod. 14. 22. and even as an high way was not the least of these miracles 4. That the same Sea at the same time should be both calm and tempestuous For the mighty winds and tempests were so strong against the Egyptians that it brake their Chariot wheeles and they could hardly move or stirre against it yet all the same time it was a peaceable calm to Israel who were very near them 5. The time of the standing of the waters on so vast an heap whereon learned men agree not any way concluded is most miraculous Some think as Chytraeus that for so many thousands yea hundred thousands of men women and children to walk a soft pace and to drive their cattel so many miles must needs take them four or five dayes time and then the waters to stand so long was admirable Others think they went through in one night for the text mentioneth but one night and then was it no lesse miraculous to convey so much people and cattel so much way in so small time 6. That the same Sea at the same time should be both a gulfe and devourer and yet a saver from devourers That the same Sea at the same time should both retire back and yet return to its course for the Waters returned upon the Egyptians on the one side of the Sea when Israel was not fully over on the other as appeareth by comparing verse 26. with verse 29. That the same Sea at the same time should move and stand with such judgement and distinction as not one Egyptian was saved verse 28. not one Israelite drowned verse 30. II. Now consider this great work of God as a signification and type of Christ which it must needs be as it is a Sacrament which we must consider both in the constitution and in the consequents or effects of it in all directly pointing us to Jesus Christ hereby typified In the first to the Corin. 10. 2. the Apostle saith that all the Fathers were baptized in the sea whence I gather three conclusions I. Conclusion That this was a Sacrament figuring our baptisme and that all necessary institutions of a Sacrament concur in it As 1. The Author was God the Institutor both of the Covenant and seales Exod. 14. 30. 2. The Minister was Moses verse 31. 3. The Covenant sealed was Gods promise and word for their deliverance verse 15. 4. The sign of the Covenant was Moses stretching of his hand both for the dividing of the Sea verse 16. and the returning of it again verse 27. 5. The thing signified was salvation by the Messiah and all spiritual and eternal benefits and deliverances procured by him sealed up in this miracle 6. The faith of the Israelites was the same hand with ours to receive the same benefits and things signified verse 31. They believed God Heb. 11. 29 By faith they passed thorough the Red Sea c. II. Conclusion There was not one of these actions in this temporal deliverance but it signified and sealed such actions to the believing Israelites as both confirmed their faith in the Covenant and set forward their salvation meritted by the Messiah and so still led them to Christ. As in these examples 1. God in leading his people to Canaan made them a safe way through the Sea signifying to their faith that God offered them Jesus Christ the promised Messiah through the red sea of whose death and passion they should find a sure and safe way to passe them through a full sea of troubles to the true celestial Canaan and by him as by a firme way to walk forward to eternal life 2. When they saw the same Jehovah to divide the sea into his division Junius calleth them cuttings off and to drive away the raging waters from overflowing them this action signified to their faith that the Son of God by his merit and mediation would carry them through all difficulties and dangers as deep as the bottome of the sea unto eternal rest and so rebuke the seas of their sorrows and drive back the raging waves of terrors and temptations that threaten their destruction that they shall safely and happily passe through the sea as it were on dry land 3. When they saw Jehovah the Sonne of God present with them in the voyage and that he made the sea return to his force again both to save themselves and to overthrow the Egyptians It signified to their faith the action of Christ freeing his elect from all spirituall forces and armies pursuing them as also by a mighty overthrow swallowing up and devouring in the bottomlesse sea of his wrath all those that come out and stand against them III. Conclusion There is no Evangelicall blessing by Christ sealed to us by baptisme which was not signified and sealed to them in the Red Sea So as Christ was as truly represented to them as to us though not so clearly and the truth and substanre of his merits exhibited to them as to us onely in a manner more obscure and clouded As in examples 1. If the waters of Baptisme seal up to believers that the bloud of Christ alone saveth and defendeth the people of God from eternal death and damnation What could be more plainly signified by the waters of the Red Sea saving Israel from present death and destruction 2. Baptisme signifieth to us that by the bloud of Christ in which Red Sea all believers must be baptised there is a dying and a burial unto sin and a rising unto newnesse of life What could be more plainly signified by the Baptisme of the fathers in the Red Sea who were after a sort buried in the waters but after raised to the shoare and restored to land and life 3. By the benefit of Baptisme in which the Red Sea of Christs bloud is truly applyed our old man and flesh is truly mortified buried and destroyed but the new man is quickned and repaired and now new motions desires affections are stirred up and preserved in the hearts of believers what could be more expresly signified to the Fathers by the overthrow of Pharaoh and his hoste in the Red Sea and the escape of the Israelites
safe and sound 4. When they did see themselves by the benefit of the Red Sea freed from Pharaohs servitude how easily might they gather that by the bloud of Christ every believer of Jewes and Gentiles are freed from the slavery of hellish Pharaoh and all his Armies of sinnes and corruptions And when they did see how the Egyptians once dead and slain could hurt them no more how could they but gather that all the armies of sin once remitted and buried in the death of Christ can no more rise up to condemnation than a drowned Egyptian to drown an Israelite I. To note the mighty power of God who can still and over-master the mighty raging of the Sea which we see here in that its water dry land sands and shoare observe the providence of God and serve for his peoples safety Israel saw the mighty power of God herein Exod. 14. 31. Let us also behold the glory of God herein and fear before him as they did Let not us be more senseless than the senselesse creatures but hear his voice runne out of our own nature to observe his voice sounding in the Scriptures and Ministry of the Gospel II. To see and consider the state of the Church and people of God Canaan whither they goe is a fine and fertile countrey but the way is asperous and dangerous They are still as it were in the bottome of the sea enemies implacable at their heeles in infinite numbers Seas of waters dreadful to behold on both hands yea rising over their heads as mountaines threatning to fall over them and after a deep sea a terrible wildernesse takes them in which is no meanes for meat drink nor cloath A man would think no man could deal so with his children and yet Gods wisdom sees this the fittest way to Canaan He sees how 1. Every small content glewes us to our Egypt 2 What sluggs we are in the way farther than we are chased out 3. How little we care for dependance on himself when we are full of naturall comforts 4. That Canaan is so rich a land as is worthy all our labour and suffering Apply this note to awake thee out of thy ease and carnall slumber If thy way be so easie and pleasing to flesh sure it leads not to Canaan suspect it The Israelites going into Egypt had no enemies nor troubles meeting them but going into Canaan they had nothing else Strait is the way that leads to life and all the way to heaven is strowed with crosses Apply it also to secure thee in thy troubles Art thou in a deep danger or sorrow like the bottome of the sea It is no worse with thee than with the rest of the people of God No affliction overtakes thee but the same hath befaln the Saints in the world Hold on to Canaan and all is safe Canaan is worth all Happy thou if thou canst get to Canaan though thy passage be through the bottome of the sea III. To observe what a many comforts this great work of God will load us withal that are willing to carry them away For. I. The Lord in strange and unwonted dangers can work new and unwonted remedies for his children As we heard before that fire shall not burn them so here the Sea at his word of restraint shall not drown them He can make a wall of water more strong for them than a wall of Adamant yea himself according to their need will be to them either a wall of fire or water II. What danger can prevail against the Church if all these dangers on all hands above them below them afore them behind them at once cannot sinke them No All the gates of hell cannot prevail against it Every main affliction is like a main Red Sea which threatens to swallow us up but it shall in the issue onely preserve the Church What we have most cause to fear the Lord maketh most helpful and soveraign The very raging Sea rather than they shall perish shall open her lap as a tender mother to recieve them from the rage of Pharaoh and his pursuing army Nay the land of Goshen shall not be half so bountiful to them as these waters which gave them freedome victory and the spoiles and riches remaining upon the dead bodies of their enemies III. How unweariably the Lord sets himself to overcome all difficulties for his servants What had it been to have passed the oppressours of Egypt and to have been swallowed up of the sea Therefore he makes a new way where never any way lay before in the bottome of the Sea Afterwards he makes a dry and barren wildernesse comfortable to them dryes up Jordan as strangely for their passage gives them a daily harvest of Manna from heaven breaks a Rock to give them water and happily in time finisheth their long and tedious journey Even so the godly going out of Egypt departing from the kingdome of the devill and hastning out of the world towards heaven come presently into a deep sea not pursued onely by the fury of tyrants and enemies but every where threatned with dangers wants and death it self yet the Lord breakes for them one toyle after another and happily guides them through a deep sea of miseries and never leaves them till they recover the shoare and arrive safely at the haven of salvation where their songs shall be louder than their cryes were and a mighty deliverance shall swallow up all their danger IV. Here is comfort against the fear of enemies 1. Spiritual enemies For here we have both a confirmation and resemblance of the eternal delivery of the Church from the tyranny of the hellish Pharaoh which in spight of him is led through a sea of tribulation every where ready to overwhelme it into the promised rest of everlasting life Again we see here our sinnes also cast into and drowned in the bottome of the Red Sea Mic. 7. 19. These are the strongest and fiercest enemies that pursued us to death but these our furious sinnes as so many Egyptians are drowned in the sea of Christs bloud and extinct in the waters of Baptisme Aug. Psal. 113. 2. Temporal enemies How can the Egyptians hope to stand before Israel to whom the waters give way so strangely The enemy shall find the same sea a wall and a well a safety and a death Let enemies look here as the heathen did and let their hearts faint as theirs to see God make the Sea a wall a lane yea a lap for his people Let them behold the ordinary work of God who commonly joynes the salvation of his Church with the destruction of the enemies So for Mordecaies advancement and the Churches deliverance Haman must be hanged and his posterity destroyed as in a ballance if one scoal goes up down goes the other IV. The godly to partake of these comforts must learn 1. To labour for increase of faith for by faith they passed thorough the Red Sea Heb. 11. 29.
and externall sensible sacrifices which all had end by Christs onely sacrifice upon the Crosse but spirituall sacrifices such as Calves of the lips Heb. 13. 15. The sacrifice of a broken heart Psal. 51. 17. Of almes with which God is well pleased Heb. 13. 16. Of mortification Rom. 12. 1. and of good works and duties of all sorts Of prayer Psal. 141. 2. Now before any of these sacrifices can finde acceptance we must all put on holy and spirituall garments Never was any priest or performance pleasing without his garments the use of which was to cover and adorne Quest. What garments must we put on Answ. Jacob before he could get his fathers blessing must put on his elder brothers garment Gen. 27. 15. so must we put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Rom. 13. 14. Quest. How Answ. Put on whole Christ as the Priest all his garments 1. By making him our own we must weare our own garments Speciall faith unites to Christ and marrieth us to him that he is ours and we his 2. Cover thy selfe with the sacrifice of his death Adam having sinned covered his nakednesse with skins of dead beasts signifying that all his sinfull posterity must cover themselves with the sacrifice of Christ dead the righteousnesse and perfection of which is the linnen Ephod in which thou being wrapped must offer up thy sacrifice 3. Array thy selfe with his virtues to adorne and deck thee This is the broydered coat which thou must weare of manifold virtues and graces which as jewels and ornaments must shine in thy life as the many glistering stones did in the brestplate So the Apostle Ephes. 4. 24. Put on the new man created after God in righteousness and holinesse 4. Put on Christ by Christian profession Our apparrell is seen and makes us known to others Servants make themselves known by the cloth they weare whose they are The Priest must put on the Plate on his forehead and we are commanded to carry the name of God and the Lamb on our foreheads Rev. 14. 1. that men may never see our faces but therein read the holinesse and innocency of our conversation 5. Put on the girdle Have thy loines girded Luke 12. 25. Stand in a readinesse 1. To all duties of Christianity 2. To all acceptable sacrifices of faith repentance prayer praises obedience 3. to offer up our selves by life or death to the glory and praise of God We had need be thus begirt that we may stand to the confession and profession of the truth not knowing when or what trialls will come besides that the world nor pleasure nor lusts seldome find us unprepared And can he be a good subject who is alwaies unprepared for his Princes service but ever ready to serve his enemys III. From the being arrayed with these garments the poore members of the Church have a ground of much comfort in respect 1. Of their head so arrayed 2. Of themselves and in respect of themselves considering those garments 1. In the generall 2. In the particulars First in respect of our high Priest Jesus Christ thus gloriously arrayed 1. In the Ephod we see his mighty power who carries his Church upon his shoulders of power and protection Alas where should we lie if our Lord did not lift us up and beare us up But now we never need to discourage our selves by casting what shall become of the Church or religion if such and such projects prevaile for so long as we are on Christs shoulders we are safe 2. In the Pectoral behold the ardent surpassing love of Jesus Christ to his Church For as he carries us on his shoulders by his power so he carries our names on his heart by his love This our true high Priest cannot forget his saints when he seems to turne his back on them but still hath their names before his eye And this is the happinesse of the Church in which she may well rest her selfe that according to her prayer Cant. 8. 6. Christ setteth her as a seale on his heart and as a signet on his arme How is it possible to forget that which is sealed on the heart How can the eye look off the signet on the arme For a signet because it is most precious is most carefully kept and being upon the arme of Christ what arme can pull us off from him Object Oh that I might know my happinesse to be set on Christs heart Sol. If thou wouldest be set as a signet on the Lords arme become the Lords servant and be faithfull in this service See Hag. 2. 23. O Zerubbabel my servant I will set thee as a signet 3. In his Miter we see our high Priest crowned with honour and glory above all men and Angels And all the Church must say as Psal. 132. 18. On him let his Crown flourish And if the dignity of the head be the honour of the members and the power of the head the safety of the members then from hence we have no small consolation 4. In his Plate we see holinesse engraven on his forehead that all our senses and thoughts must be fixed in the forehead of our onely high Priest from whom all holinesse floweth to his Church Oh what matter of joy is it to see that we in our selves so foule every way in our nature in our course and shut out of heaven where no uncleane thing commeth have in him a fountaine of holinesse set open for us For he is made to us of God wisedome sanctification c Secondly in respect of themselves by meanes of Jesus Christ the members of the Church thus arrayed enjoy sure and stable consolation For 1. In generall they all afford us this comfort that through Christ our high Priest we are beautifull and glorious yea our beauty is made perfect through his beauty Psal. 45. 9. The Queen stands in most royall and costly garments Never had Salomons Queen in all her royalty such sweet perfumed and precious garments as hath the spouse of our true Salomon For 1. Those were provided by Salomon Kings daughters in thy precious garments but these provided by Christ out of his wardrobe and will not endure any other garment or ornament brought or procured elsewhere 2. Those were materiall gold silver and precious stuffe out of earth but ours are spirituall and heavenly What the glorious robes of the Church are see Isa. 61. 10. I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord for he hath clothed me with garments of salvation and covered me with a robe of righteousnesse and decked me as a bride with Jewels What is gold silver silk pearles to righteousnesse holynesse life immortality and glory 3. Those were corruptible and soon cast off but these never weare nor teare For all the sonnes and daughters of God are clad with incorruption and immortality and are heires of eternity Now it were no small comfort that we being so naked and foule wallowing in our bloud and filthinesse or covered
with filthy clouts and raggs of sinne and the apparel of death should have these taken away Zach. 3. 4. But to be thus arrayed covered yea decked and adorned with such beauty and glory is more cause of joy and comfort II. In their parts they assure our happinesse and seale up our comfort I. The Pectorall shewes how God esteemes of believers that they are the precious parts of the earth signified by the twelve pretious stones 1. For price A great summe of money will not buy one of these precious stones For we are not redeemed with gold silver or corruptible things but with precious bloud He must be some great King that must buy an Union but he must be the great God that can purchase one of these precious stones Acts 20. 2. For shining and beauty If a man were clothed with the Sunne he must needs shine gloriously The meanest beleever is clothed with the Sunne Revel 12. 1. and shineth in the firmament of the Church with the beames of Christs righteousnesse as the Sunne in his strength 3. For hidden virtues and secret operation The godly have not a shine and shew but the true substance of many virtues and graces secretly layd up in their hearts and working mightily in them the stones out of common Quarries that is common men have not such things 4. For rarenesse It is an hard thing to find a godly man these are rarer than most pretious stones Elias could not see one in the world besides himselfe though there were many 5. For their estimation and the reckoning of them with God and good men Although the world out of ignorance and malice scorne this pearle and as swine tread them under foot yet the Jeweller knowes them our high Priest placeth them upon his breast And a wise merchant knowes that a pearle troden under foot is a pearle and in it selfe a pearle lying in the quarry or sands unknown or trampled in the dirt or myre is as good as when it is taken out Thou that art an enemy to good men 1. See how farre thou art from Gods judgement 2. If thou knewest their worth where now thou tramplest them thou wouldest take them into thy heart 3. One day thou shalt desire their glory but too late II. The robe of the Ephod hath comfort for the poor despised members of Christ whose estate is figured by the Pomegranates Which 1. In themselves have no great beauty without or on the outside 2. Their place is below and they hang in the skirt of the garment But within 1. They carry the colour of bloud are washed in the bloud of Christ. 2. They are full of excellent juyce and liquor of grace and piety 3. They cast a sweet smell from them and leave a pleasant savour behind them and therefore Christ fastens them to himselfe inseparably as the Pomegranates were fastened to the high Priests garment Be thou a fruitfull Christian no matter what place thou art in or in what account among men Our high Priest hath use of thee and must not go into the sanctuary of heaven without thee though thou hangest in the skirts of his garment III. The Miter or crown of our high Priest assureth us that we by his anointing shall attaine the like crown For he hath trodden all our enemies not onely under his feet but under ours also Rom. 16. 20. Let us not cast down our hopes and hearts our high Priest is stronger than all the enemies that can rise up against the Church And we may couragiously combate against sinne errours hereticks being sure of victory through the Crown and Miter of Jesus Christ. This Miter of Christ shall fetch down the Miter of Antichrist for us This Crown of our high Priest shall shake down his tripple Crown and hath already blasted him And though these Babylonians begin to wriggle as a snake deadly wounded with hope to raigne in these Churches as sometime they did and for the sinnes of the Land they may recover power by their craftinesse to surprize some ignorant silly and unstable persons yet shall they prevaile against none whose names are written in the book of life but by the power of our Captaine we shall tread down both Satans and Antichrists kingdome and prevaile against all that riseth up against the power of Christ. Sect. VI. Priests types in the execution of their Office Having declared how the high Priest and Priests of the old Testament resembled our high Priest of the new Testament Jesus Christ in respect of his solemne inauguration and investure into his Office Now we are to shew how he farther typified our Lord in respect of his administration and execution of it Many are the speciall Lawes which the Lord gave to the Priests concerning their careful carriage of themselves above others and these may be reduced to two heads 1. As concerning their common actions 2. As concerning their actions ministeriall Concerning his common actions he was prohibited diverse things which were lawfull in other men I will mention three I. The Priests must keep an holy abstinence from wine and strong drink for the time they entered into the Tabernacle Levit. 10. 9. a Law was made for all the Priests upon occasion of Nadabs and Abihues punishment who being as it seems drunk offered strange fire and were burnt by fire before the Lord. And the Lord gives a reason of this Law least their mindes or sences might be distracted or disturbed so as they could not rightly discerne or execute the thing pertaining to God and things pertaining to men Heb. 5. The use of the Law was 1. Typicall shadowing out the most holy and sober course of our high Priest Jesus Christ who was never unready or unfit for any part of his Office but in all perfection of judgement and understanding faithfully performed and fulfilled all righteousnesse 2. Perpetuall carrying in it a perpetual equity for all Christian Pastors and Ministers who must use such creatures and liberties sparingly as they help their naturall infirmities by them and help themselves forward in the exercise of prayer study preaching and other Ministeriall duties but not to dull or to make themselves grosse or distempered by them And hence is the same law repeated in the new Testament Tit. 1. 7. A Minister must not be a lover of wine Not inhibiting all use of wine and strong drink in case of necessity as in griefe of heart or for healths sake Prove 31. 6. Timothy may drink a little 1 Tim. 5. 23. yea and for honest delight at Feasts and Marriages may be a more liberall use of wine as Joh. 2. where Christ himselfe was present But he may not be a quaffer or wine-bibber one that sits at the wine or pot swilling in wine or strong drink because this is as great an hinderance to the faithfull performance of Ministeriall duties as may be For 1. It troubles the understanding Hos. 4. 11. wine