no eye hath seene no eare hath heard no heart can conceiue nor tongue can vtter but by them so well sorting with our nature to giue vs some sight smacke or taste of them And euen herein also appeareth Christs loue that he is pleased to stoop downe so low vnto vs and in such base termes to expresse vnto vs such excellent things But yet let vs a little more particularly examine the words That word that is here termed labour doth not signifie simply euery labour but such a labour as is sore and hath ioyned with it toyling of the body and moyling of the mind with carke and care yea and wearines both of body and mind ioyned with it as an effect flowing from it and that causeth some also to turne it thus Come vnto me all ye that are weary Whatsoeuer it be we may see that Christ mindeth by this Metaphore to expresse this much vnto vs that distresse of spirit vpon what cause soeuer it arise and conflict of conscience is no small payne but a great and grieuous sorrow entring deepe into the soule disquieting the spirit distempering the body and making all parts and powers vnfit for al or any duety almost And this to be true the Scripture elsewhere sheweth it and namely Prou. 18. Where it sayth The spirit of a man may indure his infirmitie but a wounded spirite who shall beare it And our owne experience can witnes it if eyther wee haue beene humbled our selues or haue beene acquainted with other mens sorrowes that way in whome it hath taken away for the time sleepe from the eyes hearing from the eares speech from the mouth appetite from the stomacke nay I wil say more it hath caused some to assay the finishing of their payne as they supposed with a shameful feareful end had it bin accomplished Which yet notwithstanding is not spoken here or propounded elsewhere vnto vs in the word to discourage or oppresse them that be in that combate but as on the one side to teach all men to cast away securitie and carelesnes so on the other side to instruct them that are so weake in themselues to relie vpon him that is the God of their strength who being in them and with them and for them will doubtlesse make his strength and power to appeare in their weakenes That other word heauie laden is metaphoricall also and translated from bodily burdens vnto spirituall that is to say to the burdens of sinne and iniquitie which lye more hard vpon the soule and spirit though worldly men feele them not than any outward doth or can vpon the bodie yea though a man should be pressed therewithall vnto death because that onely reacheth vnto the bodie and in the middest of the paynes thereof the soule little or nothing touched nay it may bee very cheerefull and comfortable spiritually and so cause the soule almost to finde no griefe as in the Martyrs that haue beene so many wayes and so grieuously tormented may and doth appeare but when the soule is ouerclogged with sinne and the sense thereof or of Gods anger against it for the same the very body is tainted thereby with sundry sorts of sicknesses and diuers kindes of diseases some recouerable and some vnrecouerable And we shall find it much vsed in the scripture that sinne it selfe is compared vnto a burthen which may in part appeare not onely by this when the Prophets call the iudgements of God that should fal vpon men for their sinnes burthens that so there might be some proportion betweene the iniquitie they had committed the punishment that was executed vpō them for it but also by a plaine place of the Prophet Dauid in that eight thirtie Psalme that wee sung before this Sermon when hee sayth Mine iniquities are gone ouer my head and as a weightie burden they are too heauie for mee to beare By all which we may see that sin is not so sleight or light a matter as men make it but a wonderfull weight indeede whether wee consider it in it owne nature as being the feareful violation breach of the law of God or God that is offended thereby whose pure eies cannot behold that that is euill his hand in iustice is prest and ready to strike or the dangers dammages they pull vpon themselues in body and in soule for this life present and for that which is to come as terror and feare of heart shame and confusion of face discredite amonst men specially godly discords yea anarchies in Kingdomes common wealthes and families and what not And indeede this were a point well worth the wading into by reason of the grossenes and corruption of the age wherein we liue making so smal or no conscience at all of sinne and transgression were it not that we are to be occupied in some other points of comfort and consolation Howbeit this much we may say that as it argueth small conscience of sinne in men that mittigate minse it so it ministreth small hope of comfort vnto themselues or others of the happie recouery out of it For how is it likely that they should be cured of a disease that eyther knowe it not or feele it not or take it not to be so deadly and dangerous as it is Whereas on the other side the tender conscience charging yea surcharging it selfe with more then it should it may be yet that can hardly be if men consider rightly the height and the haynousnes yea the infinitenesse innumerablenesse of their owne sinnes generall and particular though in that accusation it suffer much griefe yea plunge it selfe as it were into distrustfulnes is in more hope of a gracious recouerie which in the midst of such sorrow of heart should minister some comfort because sinne felt is more likely by repentance to be cured and healed then that that men make no keepe or account of But to let this point passe and to come to that that doth more nighly concerne our purpose at this present Now there followeth the last wordes of this 28. verse And I will refresh you and containe in thē the second part thereof namely a sweet comfortable promise for the better drawing yea alluring of vs vnto him that calleth vs vnto himselfe but yet for our spirituall good A thirstie body indeede woulde reioyce to heare though it were but of water and not of drinke to slake the thirst withall the reason is because he knoweth it and taketh it to be a meane to maintayne life The tydings of ease and lighting of him in some sort of a great and grieuous burden to him that carrieth it is no doubt of it gladsome and ioyfull also because it is a toyle and a moyle a wearisomnes and weaknesse to body and minde to beare a waight yea though it be but small continually Reason our owne experience teacheth vs the trueth hereof in these worldly thinges But how much more shall this be found true as in
as mournefully vtter that sorrowfull voyce Wretched man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death His other name Christ and his stately offices of King Priest and Prophet contayned in it and vnder it set out vnto vs what doe they else but proue this point For why was he all in all but to giue vs to vnderstand that as all was in him so all must be fette from him or else it coulde no where be sound And though it bee true that diuers persons had as some one or other of those names for example Iehoshua so one or diuers of those offices vpon them at one the selfe same time as Melchisedech if you will yet neither had they all or if they had them they had them but as figures of him whose person and place they did for a while represent and those graces also they had in measure whereas in him they were in all fulnesse that so of his fulnes we might all receiue euen grace for grace that is aboundance of grace and yet when he hath giuen vs all that wee haue hee hauing neuer a whit the lesse in himselfe And this very thing haue all the godly in all ages felt in themselues and confessed before others that so if it were possible they might be made partakers with them of the selfe same comfort Abraham saith Christ in the Gospel after Iohn chap. 8. reioyced to see my day and indeed saw it and was glad Christ meaning thereby that the aboundant riches of Gods grace that was in him was made manifest in all former ages the fathers by the eye of fayth as the Apostle plainely sheweth it Hebr. 11. seeing in the promises that he shoulde come of whome also as they did very ioyfully lay hold on by fayth so in respect of him and the sweetnes of his promises they contemned all outward things And Dauid no doubt of it in many places fetteth out this grace and feeling to haue bin in himselfe and he to haue found fauour with the Lord as in regard of comfortable assurance of this matter How gloriously in many places of the Gospelles doth Peter the rest of the Apostles acknowledge it In the 16. Chapter of this Gospell in the great varietie of opinions that was amongst men concerning Christ some saying he was Elias some Ieremias or one of the Prophets Peter in his owne name and in the name of the rest being demaunded what they thought answered for them all Thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God Which what was it else but to acknowledge that in him alone and in none other was the fulnesse of all goodnesse trueth life comfort or whatsoeuer else we can thinke of or reckon vp And in the sixt of the Gospel after Iohn where it is shewed that euen for some points of doctrine which our Sauiour Christ did deliuer but were not rightly vnderstood many of his disciples went backe and walked no more with him Christ demaunding of the twelue whether they also woulde goe away Peter answered as he was alwayes a forward fellow Master to whom shall wee goe as if hee shoulde say certainly we cannot tell Thou hast the words of eternall life and we beleeue and know that thou art that Christ that Sonne of the liuing God But amongest all others yea aboue the rest as seemeth to me the Apostle Paul is most plaine and plentifull in this poynt whose seuerall sentences recorded in his holy Epistles concerning this matter would make almost a volume But let vs take one or two in steede of all the rest In his first Epistle to the Corinthians and first Chapter thereof towards the ende he saith concerning Christ and for the body of the faithfull that he is made of God vnto vs wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption meaning thereby that all euen the chiefest graces that we can wish or would haue as true and heauenly wisedome absolute righteousnesse euen before God houest and holy life in the sight of men and deliueraunce from all sinne and all miseries and calamities whatsoeuer are to be found onely in him and no where else And in the Epistle to the Colossians once or twice for fayling he saith that it pleased the Father that in him should all fulnes dwell chap. 1. And in the 2. chap. he saith that in him dwelleth the fulnes of the Godhead bodily meaning thereby that he was replenished not onely with most plentifull but with infinite aboundance of all things both diuine and humane he being not onely most perfect in himselfe and passing all other things but teaching his that whosoeuer hath him neede require nothing more Yea that we might see in him what wee our selues should striue vnto euen euery one of vs as in regard of our owne parte or feeling hee doth not onely tell vs comfortable things 1. Tim. 1. but setteth a worthy preface before it saying This is a true saying and worthy by all meanes to be receiued that Christ Iesus came into the world to saue sinners of whom I am the chiefe Neither neede wee to thinke this strange that godly men haue euery where acknowledged it for euen the diuelles and wicked men conuicted with the euidence and clearenesse of this trueth haue bin constrayned though it haue bin full sore against their willes but for the further increase of their condemnation to confesse it saying What haue we to doe with thee O Christ the Sonne of the liuing God And this is it also that S. Iames meaneth when he sayth of thē the deuilles beleeue tremble And surely God himselfe doth not obscurely but most plainely rather propound this point both in the giuing of his gracious promises concerning Christ and in the reiterating of them also because as the Apostle saith In Christ Iesus all the promises of God are yea and Amen As for example when to our first parents after the fall hee sayth the seede of the woman shall breake or bruise the serpents head And when to Abraham he sayth in thy seede shall all the nations of the earth be blessed Which he doth repeat in Genesis twise or thrise at the least for sayling and the Apostle doth notably expound it in his Epistle to the Galathians saying in thy seed as of one which one is Christ That so in the particularizing of it wee might see still this to be most true that no where we can seeke for or find sound consolation but in him alone Which also may yet further appeare by this that God the Father hath not onely prouided for the continuance and conueyance of this trueth ouer or vnto men by the audible voice of preaching in the publicke ministery of the Gospell teaching them to sound and to publish it saying This is my welbeloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased heare him but hath offered to seale it vp in the heartes and consciences of them by instituting ordayning certaine visible signes and Sacraments both in the
that bee thus throwne downe and humbled vnder Gods mighty hand for that is presumptuous against the Lord and vncharitable towards men And another vse may be made of this point as in regard of the faithfull themselues who minding too much their owne sinnes and by meanes there of miserie and vnworthinesse in themselues iudgements from God against them for the same many times make their owne mouthes meanes to expresse fearefull thinges against their owne soules as for example no man in so wofull taking as I I feare I am a castaway or els why should I thus bee tormented And these thinges I doubt not but they deliuer from a heart that feeleth as much as the mouth expresseth Howbeit I say what art thou that takest the Lords office into thy hands and deliuerest these hard and heauie things and that not against other men which were indeed vncharitable but euen thine own selfe which is vnnaturall Tell me I pray thee May blindnes so farre preiudice mens iudgements that it shall hinder them from beholding their owne and other mens states and shall it not obscure thine owne also yea and that euen concerning thy selfe and touching thine owne present state But further knowe this O man that sometimes greatnes and continuance of griefes maketh the best of Gods Saintes to say as much against themselues as thou doest and yet for all that bee in neuer a whit the worse case Dauid in the xxii Psa crieth out My God my God why hast thou forsakē me And yet euen thē he was neare vnto God yea deare vnto him also or els he coulde not haue called vpon God and that in such particular maner applying him to himselfe as hee did neither would the Lord haue so graciously graunted him his requestes And why should not this be thy state rather than the state of a damned or reprobated wretch To vphold thy heart thou hast something euen the sanctified examples of the people of God but to depresse thee so aboue measure thou hast nothing but imagination and conceit either of that which is not in God or if it bee is not in him to that ende that thou supposest or els of that which is not in thy selfe or if it be is not in that measure and quantitie or to those ends that thou imaginest Besides I beseech you consider that it is one thing what men speake of themselues according to their present feeling either of sinne in their soules or the wrath of God against them therefore which many times may be more thā is eyther meete or true another what God is in his owne nature what he himselfe saith of them God is exceedingly good merciful and is not indeede bound to ratifie euery sentence of mans mind or mouth which he vttereth either against his owne soule or against others I hope no man is sure I am no man can be rightly perswaded that any particular person is more than the whole Church And yet God no otherwise approoueth the Churches iudgement to ratifie it in heauen than they on the earth bind according to his will And why should it be otherwise as in regard of particular persons Haue they better priuiledges than the whole Church hath if it bee so let them produce a lawe not of the twelue tables amongst the Romans but of the ten commandementes amongst the people of God or else there is no credit to be giuen O my brethren it fareth in the diseases of the minde as it doth in the sicknes of the body Many a man yea skilfull Physitions take them to be at deathes doore when God giueth afterwards long life On the other side some blesse themselues in their owne heartes and thinke all is well when death sodainely seizeth vpon them leadeth them to the graue and hell Remember I beseech you what was said before out of the 28. of the Prouerbs Blessed is the man sayth the Lorde there that feareth much continually This state and condition of ours whensoeuer or wheresoeuer it pleaseth God to exercise vs therewithall is a principall argument vnto vs that God woulde not haue vs perish with this wicked world hee by this as by other meanes thorow his grace making vs able thus to iudge our selues And indeede to haue such a fearefull and checking heart of our selues for sinne past or for feare to fall into it hereafter is one plaine difference betwixt the godly and vngodly who are seldome or neuer this way touched at the least with comfortable effect And therefore let the afflicted soule gather consolation to his conscience and correct his iudgement for surely that which he taketh to be bitter as gall or wormewood is by the Lord himselfe and not by the voyce of man to be proclaymed to bee sweete as hony or the hony combe The promise specified in the last wordes of this verse commeth nowe to bee looked into Out of which gracious and sweet promise we may learne two things One that the fulnes of all spirituall ioy and comfort is to be found in Iesus Christ and no where else which because it is the same that hath bin handled heretofore wee will but onely touch and put you in mind of it not standing vpon it because it is done already And indeede though the point be excellent and would be handled againe againe yet because the time passeth away we are to come to other points we will say no more Onely let the faithfull conscience looke well vnto it and prouide his comfort this way or else let him know he shall neuer be comforted indeede The other is this that if a man will find sound cōfort indeede he must be wel acquainted with the promises of the word This doctrin as others is both gathered out of this place cōfirmed by it as may appeare by this that our Sauior Christ is here so plentiful in the promises I will refresh you yee shall finde rest vnto your soules which course also he obserueth in many other places I wil haue mercy and not sacrifice and againe I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance And most sweete is that in the third chapt of the Gospell according to S. Iohn God so loued the world that he hath giuen his only begotten sonne that whosoeuer beleeueth in him should not perish but haue euerlasting life Neyther is this his practise onlie but the spirit also in all the writings of the old and new Testament is large this way and speciallie in that euangelicall prophet Isaiah as we may see by the manifold promises contayned therein and speciallie in three or foure chapters together as 53.54.55 c. But amongst the rest how comfortable is that of chapt 41. from whence euen vnto the end of his prophecie almost hee doth nothing els but publish promises and confolations amongst which howsoeuer hee doe sometimes intermingle terrour and threatning yet he doth it to no other onde but to make the mercies of God more
where els eyther to be sought or found but in lesus Christ onely Where I beseech you first to marke both how this doctrine ariseth from hence and then the tearmes in which I doe propound and deliuer the same It is gathered from this place because our Sauiour calleth vs vnto him yea vnto him alone which if it had not bin the will of his Father and verie truth indeede or if hee alone had not had aboundant yea infinite matter of strong and solide comfort in himselfe he would neuer haue done as we haue already heard in the beginning of this exercise And for the wordes I doe not say there is no comfort to bee founde for meate drinke sleepe friends recreation and such like are comforts I confesse but not true and sound comfort for a distressed spirit For the affliction of the mind is inward and these are but outward therefore are not fitte for a person or partie so affected and I would as soone thinke and say that bodily food were the proper and sound nourishment of the soule as suppose that these outward things were the true and sound comfort of a broken and contrite heart But that yet wee may bee the better perswaded of the trueth of this point let vs proceed vnto some further proofes of it This was not in my mind obscurely signified vnder all the sacrifices of the old law whether they were ordinarie or extraordinarie dayly or yearly generall or particular all and euery one of them in measure more or lesse tending still vnto him whom they did prefigure and signifie as the Apostle at large declareth in the Epistle to the Hebrewes And why him because he was he alone in whom God was pleased to reconcile the world vnto himselfe and to make the one and onely obiect of our faith And this is plainely propounded vnto vs and proued also by manifolde texts of Scripture both in the old and new testament I wil not trouble you with many for I like not much of that course Out of that great store let vs take two or three both playne and pregnant for this purpose In the 55. Chapter of the booke of the Prophet Isaiah a place cited before and is as we all know and confesse an euident prophecie concerning Christ and the graces that wee shall finde in him if with a liuely and stedfast fayth we labour to lay hold of him it is sayd Encline your eare and come vnto mee Oh marke how like this Euangelical Prophet our Sauiour himselfe speake let this phrase also I beseech you serue for a cōfirmation and exposition of these wordes of our text Heare and your soule shall liue and I will make an euerlasting couenant with you euen the sure mercies of Dauid Euery worde hath his waight he yea he alone will establish not a momentany but an euerlasting couenant with all his faithfull of which that wee might be the better certified hee telleth vs it shall be sure yea as sure as the mercies manifested vnto and bestowed vpon Dauid which as they were large and almost innumerable so were they irreuocable and could neuer fayle To the same purpose serueth a notable sentence of the Apostle 2. Cor. 1.5 As the sufferings of Christ abound in vs so our consolation aboundeth thorow Christ. By sufferinges of Christ he meaneth not onely those thinges that we indure at the hands of persecuters for Christes sake for Christ did not onely suffer that way but euen those anguishes also that we haue in our soules and in our spirits Christ being as much yea farre more throwne down and humbled that way than all flesh as appeareth by his conflict in the garden and by his outcries vpon the Crosse saying My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee And though these haue bin were and are very good indeed as those that haue felt and doe feele thē know and confesse yet to the ende that wee might assure our selues that our ioyes shoulde match them he sayth Our consolations abound thorow him For if there were not a proportion betwixt our heauines and our comfort nay I will say more a superaboundance of our ioyes aboue our griefes then sure what by reason of Satans malice against vs and the dulnesse and hardnesse of our owne heartes to beleeue and the greatnesse of our griefes sorrows besides it would goe hard with a distressed spirit And therefore as for the comforting of vs against the hugenes and height of our sinnes we say with the Apostle where sinne hath abounded there grace hath ouerabounded So in this case of inward afflictions particularly we say our sorrowes may be sore and our griefes great yet our light affliction which is but for a moment causeth vnto vs a farre most excellent and eternall waight as of glory in the life to come so of ioy in this life raysed vp in our hearts by the comfortable feeling thereof And he that knoweth soundly and feelingly beleeueth the names natures person and offices of our Sauiour Christ together with the effects that from him in them are communicated to vs cannot chuse but see feele and confesse the trueth of this point Hee is good in him there is not or cannot be any thing but that which is absolutely good as in whose face and presence also there is the fulnes of ioy for euermore and at his right hand pleasures for euer and euer He is likewise so good that yet notwithstanding he is man like vnto vs in euery respect sinne onely excepted and one that hath bin touched with the feeling of our infirmities by meanes whereof we may the more boldly come vnto the throne of grace so receiue mercy and finde grace to helpe in time of neede Yea these two natures are so ioyned knit as we may say inseparably in one person euen from the very time of his blessed cōception in the wombe of his mother for the accomplishment of the worke of our redemption and our full comfort thereby as that they cannot be deuided or sundred hee being man that so hee might suffer and God that so hee might ouercome the perfection and full accomplishment of our redemption standing vpon these two partes suffering for sinne this is the first and then ouercomming sinne and death him that had the power of death that is the deuill And why is he called Iesus but because as it is sayd Matth. 1. He should saue his people from their sinnes For sinne and that that insueth vpon sinne as shame and confusion of face horror of heart condemnation c. is it that most stingeth mens mindes and soules Now all these beeing taken away in Christ why should they not as well and comfortably sing that tryumphant song O death where is thy sting O graue or hell where is thy victory the sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the law But thankes be vnto God which hath giuen vs victory thorow our Lord Iesus Christ as well