by the same rounds that he did If we suffer with him Not if we suffer with the world whereby vnderstand and learne that all that are afflicted shall not be saued but on the contrary none shall bee saued vnlesse they be afflicted for a man may suffer all the plagues to be deuised on the earth and yet after goe to hell to suffer more Some suffer with the world such as Peter speaketh of 1. Pet. 2.20 that are buffeted for their demerits and misdeeds on whom the Lord doth satisfie part of his iustice in this life These are poore in the â—esh but proud in the spirit for the misery they sustaine can nothing humble them vnlesse perhaps sometime they will weep for curst heart as Esau did when he lost the blessing Gen. 27.38 but they are so hardned in obstinacy as they are past fearing the heauinesse and weight of the Lords displeasure so as there is a worldly affliction that leadeth to death as well as a godly suffering that prepareth the way to life Now againe some suffer with Christ and such be they as suffer either to profit by the Lords afflictions as that they bee sent as chastisements to reclaime them from some sinne past and so they amend or else as preseruatiues against some sinne to come and so they are made more watchfull or els if we suffer for the Gospell because we will not communicate with the world Now though all afflictions ought to be esteemed iust in respect of our infirmities yet sometimes the Lord regardeth not this alone but maketh it more honorable as when we are troubled for the Gospell that we being but vile wormes and but dust and ashes should either with losse of goods which are but lent vs or with our liues which are the Lords doe the Lord of heauen some honour to maintaine his truth against such as doe maligne it that the wicked may see wee striue for a more precious reward then is set before the eies of mortall men Wee shall bee glorified with him Wee would thinke it a small honour for flesh and blood to suffer with Christ for company and to stay there therefore obserue hence by the Apostles speech that wee are not to looke and to fixe our eyes on the beginnings of affliction but to regard the end that patience may haue her full perfection Looke not vpon Lazarus begging at Diues doore but lying in Abrahams bosome Looke not to the beginning of Ioseph Luk. 16.22 who was so farre from his dreame Genes 37.9 that the Sunne and Moone should reuerence him that for two yeeres he was cast where hee could see neither Sunne nor Moone but behold him at the last made ruler ouer all Egypt 1. Sam. 24.1 Looke not vpon Dauid as there was but a step betweene him and death his life was so thirsted after nor as he was abused by Sauls flatterers 1. King 2.2.10 but behold him feated in his royall throne and dying in his bed of honour with his sonne Salomon about him Looke not vpon Christ borne basely after persecuted from Ierusalem when he came to teach encountred and resisted by the proud Pharisees a litle before his death in such an agony as an Angell from heauen was faine to comfort him Luk. 22.43 his doctrine esteemed false his life notoriously sinnefull betraied by his owne Disciple led as a sheepe to the slaughter a man without blemmish and yet as the Prophet Esay speaketh Esay 53.2 Luk. 23.26 a branch arising from a dead stocke carrying a Crosse vnder which he was so distressed as another was faine to ease him going vp to the crosse nailed hand and foote scoffed and reuiled as hee was vpon it crying as if the sea of the Lords wrath had burst foorth vpon him beholding him in this estate and there was neuer any creature so miserable at last caried as a dead man laied in a graue not only dead but three daies vnder the dominion of death so as his Apostles fled and the diuell thought all had beene quiet But afterward behold him raised vp againe ascending to the heauens Mark 16.19 Luk. 24.51 then hee became head of Angels then a dead man by a few fisher-men conquered all the world so as Emperors submitted their â—â—ownes and sought their saluation in 〈◊〉 Crosse of Christ So we must looke vpon the Martyrs who died in their holinesse and were put to death for their holinesse not as hauing reeds in their hands in signe of basenesse and bolts on their feete and stripes on their backes as euill doers but as Renelat 7.9 standing before the throne and before the Lambe with palmes in their hands in token of victory arraied in white robes in signe of innocency and in long robes in signe of statelinesse for these are they saith the spirit of God that came out of tribulation and therefore he that sitteth on the throne will dwell among them We must therefore alwaies bend our thoughts and set our eies not vpon the present affliction which is tedious to the flesh but vpon the end and successe which shall bring spirituall consolation not vpon the crosse which is wearisome but vpon the crowne which is delightsome not vpon the race which is long and crooked but vpon the prize which is weighty and precious not vpon the combat which may be to the blood but vpon the conquest which shall bee certaine and glorious And if we can subdue our affections truely to this meditation all our troubles in the greatest extremity shall seeme light and we shall goe from the whip as the Apostles did with more reioycing then we had before Act. 5.41 because we may be sure our end shall be blessed for if we suffer with him we shall be glorified with him Now for the glory heere spoken of it is not comparable with the sorrow wee sustaine heere for this glory is eternall whereas afflictions are but temporall not possible to bee conceiued in heart nor vttered by speech it is in shew beautifull in sense wonderfull in weight excessiue in measure without bounds in dignity without comparison and in continuance without end â—â—â—â—ea it is such and so great that as one torment in hell shall make a reprobate forget his wordly pleasure so the least taste ye one drop of this glory shall make the heires of God forget all their miseries and for their single and temporary afflictions heere they shall haue double and infinite ioyes in heauen ROM chap. 8. vers 18. verse 18 For I count that the afflictions of this present time are not worthy of the glorie which shall be shewed vnto vs. IN this verse the Apostle proceedeth to proue that he set downe before namely that being companions in Christ his sufferings we shall also be copartners with him in the blessed light Hee proueth it can bee no small glory wee shall partake of since it is the very same that Christ himselfe enioyeth alwaies keeping the correspondencie and
commanding that which flesh and bloud most abhorreth and giueth no reason of it namely to bee the butcher to his owne sonne But heerein shall our condemnation be the more iust because the Lord hath giuen so many calles and yeelded so many reasons why we should flie from sinne and why we should turne to him not for feare of any bodily destruction by the hand of Herod but for feare of that spirituall thraldome wherein Satan laboureth to keepe our soules the Lord hauing discouered vnto vs early and late that hee is an old and a subtill enemie armed not onely with darts but euen with fiery darts to sting vs vnto damnation Let vs therefore with Ioseph embrace the sweet kindnesse of the Lord who mildly exhorteth vs to haste as it were out of Sodome and let vs with him resolue without any fleshly discourse with our selues to bee gone at the first call for his word is truth and the danger he foretelleth will follow Secondly heerein obserue that the Lord knoweth the secrets of mens hearts for Herod pretended adoring but intended the murthering of the Lord Iesus And his crafty and concealed purpose is heere named by the Angell that we may feare to deale doubly with our owne soules and may abhorre all hypocrisie because the Lord casteth his eie not only vpon our actions but watcheth euen ouer our very thoughts and will in time discouer them to our great shame This is it Dauid praieth against Psalm 32.3 that the Lord would free him from guile of spirit not to deceiue himselfe nor to dissemble his sinne for his dealing doubly with God and his soule in that his sinne with Barsheba had so distempered his conscience that vntill he had fully mastered his hypocrisie he could finde no rest in his bones Yet such is the simplicity or rather the frowardnesse of our harts that though wee know all things to bee naked and open before God we still runne on in hiding and cloaking of our sinnes which is as auncient as our first fathers fall who after the eating of the fruite forbidden had his eies opened indeed that is he then by experience perceiued and by checke of conscience saw what euill he came into and what good he had lost being conuinced of his owne misery he takes fig-leaues to couer his shame a small couer to hide it from the eies of God Beside marke his sottishnesse he couereth but his shame whereas the principall instruments of his wickednesse were his eies his eares and his taste and these were more filthy for the other part actuall had not sinned Now when he heard the voice of God the winde carying to his eare such a voice as he had not heard before then hee flieth among the trees thinking if fig-leaues would not serue yet the shadow of trees would sufficiently hide him alwaies when the Lord summons vs seeking shelter that wee may not come to reprehension And when this voice of the Lord could not bring him to a confession of his sinne nor pierce his heart enough the Lord calles him with his owne mouth Why doesâ— thou hide thy selfe Marke now his wonderfull hypocrisie crept in so soone after his fall Adam assigneth two causes of the hiding of himselfe both false and omitteth the true cause that is his sinne the one because he heard God speake which is most false for he had heard him speake often before and that most comfortably The second cause because he was naked and yet this was no cause for it is said in the text they were both naked and were not ashamed And by the malignity of his nature in this hee secretly chargeth God to be the cause of his sinne who in his originall creation had made him naked whereas hee himselfe was the cause of the shame of his nakednesse God goeth further with him Hast thou not eaten of the fruit which I forbâ—â— thee Now the Lord names the sinne and in his answer marke his hypocrisie and guile of spirit worse then before The womaâ— saith he which thou gauestâ—â—e gaue me of the tree and I did eate As if he should say it was thine owne ordinance so as he impudently faceth out the matter and laâ—es it vpon his wife whereas it was his owne ambition and not her suggestion only that prouoked him to the sinne and in the whole story yee shall not finde one word of confession So the woman shee transfers from her selfe to the diuell the cause of her fall the Serpent indeed blew the coles but the fire was in her owne heart and she would not confesse that shee abused her selfe to bee seduced by the Serpent so as both of them felt the punishment of their sinne but would not iudge of the cause of it in eating the forbidden fruit By which examples as by the naming of Herods sinne conceiued but in heart and by the traducing forth of Adam for his sinne that brake foorth into his hands we must learne to hedge in our thoughts that they harbour not so much as an euill inclination for sinne is of a forward brood and will soone bee hatcht and though as it is Psalm 50.21 the Lord hold his peace that is forbeare with patience for a time whereby wee thinke him like our selues that is as in the Hebrew a good fellow like our selues yet saith the Lord I will lay thy sinne before thee that is as it signifieth in the Hebrew either set them in order before thee like dishes on the table or write them in a role and make thee reade them in despight Thirdly in that it is saied Herod will seeke to destroy him it sheweth what hearts the wicked beare toward the godly and what purpose they haue but that it shall bee frustrate for it is said Herod would kill him not he shall kill him Thus though we be all sheepe appointed to the slaughter in the malice of the enemy yet we are not so in the purpose of God For the Dragon Reu. 12 4. like a bloudy mid-wife standeth ready to deuoure the child whereof the Church should bee deliuered but the Lord prospereth her in her trauell and assumeth the child into heauen that he may be free from the cruelty of the beast Whereby we are taught euery day to take vp our crosse for if wee will liue godly in Christ there is a necessity of persecution and we must all suffer either the sword of Esau or the frumping of Ismael Gen 27.1 Gen. 2â— 9 Act. 23.31 And this may be our comfort Herod may trauell with mischiefe but he shall neuer bring it foorth the Iewes may vow and sweare the death of Paul 1. King 17.5 but they shall be preuented Iesabel may make hue and crie after Eliah but the Lord himselfe shall hide him What did Herod thinke God to be an idoll or to haue cast off all care of his Sonne he knew by the Prophets that God had set him vp to raigne ouer his people and yet he vainly thinkes
he must sauour of death which cannot be proued by this The wisedome of the flesh is enmitie to God but he that is borne of God cannot be Gods enemy on the other side hee that walketh in the wisedome of the flesh obeieth not the law of God and by consequent saith the Apostle cannot but sinne Whereupon it followeth that they that liue after the inclination of the heart of man cannot please God and so cannot bee saued now hee that is in Christ cannot but please God because he cannot but performe his will Another reason that being a true Christian a man cannot but amend his life is taken out of Rom. 6.5 Whosoeuer is made partaker of Christ is made partaker of the death of Christ then is he dead to sinne proued thus Christ by his death deserued not onely remission of our sinnes but also to haue the holy Ghost in those that bee his to mortifie their sinne and this spirit cannot bee idle but worketh and his worke is to dâ—â—troy oâ—â—â—nemie that is sinne Lastly it is proued thus Whosoeuer is in Christ hath the spirit of Christ he that hath this spirit liueth in the spirit for the life of the spirituall man is the Lord Iesus euen as the life of the bodie is the soule and hee that hath a soule must needs breath and walking Galat. 5.24 in the spirit hee cannot fulfill the lustes of the flesh for the flesh and the spirit bee contrary And vers 24. it is said They that are Christs haue crucified the flesh with the affections thereof and who these bee appeareth 1. Peter 4.2 such as suffer in the flesh and these be they that cease from sinne Now then for thee to say thou art flesh and blood is not a shelter pleadable when thou art reprehended for sinne for he that is a good Christian cannot but forbeare it and if thou art all flesh and blood then hast thou not the spirit of God which is proued 1. Corinth 6.16 Do you not know how he that coupleth himselfe with a harlot is one flesh with her and hee that is one flesh with a harlot cannot bee one spirit with Christ Iesus Euen so for wrath toward thy brother thou saiest thou canst not loue him Consider that if the Lord should iudge thee out of thine owne mouth thou couldest not bee saued Thou wilt say the iniury is so great as no man can put it vp but hee that is more then a man can doe it and if thou beest all man Christ Iesus will neuer put vp thy name among the Saints Looke 1. Ioh. 5.3 Hee that is borne againe counteth all the commandements of God light so as if thou be of God it is an easie matter to forgiue the brother If he repent not of the wrong done vnto thee leaue the vengeance to God Rom. 12.20 and heape thou coles of fire on his head and if he do repent and seeke reconcilement it is the easier to forget it and flesh and blood doth pity the case of the suppliant For the third point which is the way how to assure our selues to be the sons of God wee must learne that there is no so certaine a marke to discerne a man to be of God as holinesse of life not but that Gods children may fall most grieuously and blemish their profession most foully but that if Sathan happe to blindfold them that they goe astray yet with the lost sonne they will returne with double sorrow and vnfold to their shame their owne sinne Example wâ—â—ere â—f wee haue in Dauid who though he was ingaged to the Lord by his many benefites that tooke him from the sheepe-hooke and gâ—â—e him a Scepter that by his protection had made him escape the snares of his enemies and by his mercy had freed him from many tribulations yet did he fall into great vncleannesse euen the sinne of adulterie 2. Sam. 11.4.5.6.7 which by the law of God deserued depriuation of this humane life When he had done this hee glauered and flattered with the womans husband and bad him goe home to refresh himselfe with his wife seeking thereby to father the bastard on him When this succeeded not he thought to make him drunke that he might thereby bee more irritable to lust and so to haue gone to his wife And though Vriah answered hee could not doe it because the Arke of the Lord was in the field which had not Dauid beene desperatly sicke in his soule how could he haue beene so forgetfull of the Lord as to haue dealt so with him that was no Iew but a conuert to religion heereby to make the name of the Lord euill spoken of Yet when this preuailed not hee went further and vnto adultery hee added murther that hee might make his sinne knowen and his vnholy life to appeare both to God and man and carry as the greefe of it in his heart so the shame of it in his fore-head And in this hee wrought worse then Iesabel for hee made Vriah the instrument and messenger of the letters for his owne execution yea hee sent them to Ioab who had himselfe beene a murtherer which might harden his heart in that sinne seeing Dauid that was the King not onely a fauourer but the cause of such bloody actions And after what manner should this be done namely that hee should fall by the sword of the vncircumcised a most ignominious and shamefull and grieuous death for so Christian a Gentleman and that hee should so murder him as to colour the grieuousnesse of his fault not hee alone but many other should die innocent and that hee should continue senslesse in this sinnefull course by the space of a yeere yet when it pleased God to cure his disease of hypocrisie and to cleare his eyes that hee saw not his sinne but his chaine of sinnes beâ—â—â—â—â—im then he calleth himselfe not a man of blood but of bloâ—â—â— â—nd then â—is conscience is open to grieue for it and then with his teares he washeth away his vncleannesse and wallâ—â—â—â—â—s a man cleansed and purged from his filthinesse So as if aâ—y bee a whoore let her remember the teares of Mary Mâ—gâ—alene if a persecuter of the Saints let him repent with Paâ—â— Luk. 7.38 Gal. 1.15 Mat. 26.75 if a murtherer let him soundly confesse his sinne with Dauid and if he be Apostasied weepe with Peter for these be the workes of righteousnesse whereby they are knowen to be of God And seeing others deliuered from the pit wee must learne as Dauid saith Psal 56.3 to feare and to trust so as wee must alwaies feare to fall into the sinne before being fallen we can trust to bee deliuered for this is one part of the righteousnesse of Gods children to tremble at the sight of sinne and then shall wee neuer swallow it without remorse Secondly from hence learne that a man may know in what state another man is If I see thee a despiser of religion a profaner of the Sabbath a butcher to the poore and an vncleane liuer what shall I beleeue thee to be but the child of the diuell for this may I know by thy fruites Why but loue biddeth you hope the best 1. Cor. 13.7 and beleeue the best True it is loue biddeth me beleeue all things but not a sow to bee cleane wallowing in the mire or a dogge not to bee filthy that is regorging vp his stomacke Mar. 6.44 or that grapes can grow vpon brambles or that mercy can bee found in the heart of an vsurer or that thornes may bee touched and will not pricke For as loue bids mee not to determine too soone so not to bee abused too late and God bids me looke vpon the tree to iudge of the fruite I may say thou art in the state of damnation for by thy snarling I know thee to bee a dogge Mat. 7.6 and I see thy heart through thy hands but whether thou shalt be finally damned I leaue thee there for the Lord may haue mercy on thee vpon thy repentance I may come to the tree and say heere is no fruite or here is small fruit or heere is bad fruit but I cannot say Neuer fruit grow on thee heereafter as Christ did Mark. 11.13 And it is not the commers to Sermons but the doers of Sermons
S. Iohn to an Eagle because hee flieth aloft and beginneth with the eternall generation of the Sonne of God according to his Diuinitie It it is true indeed their beginnings are as before but their comparisons are too curious for as the finger of God directed them so did they write and such was the Lords loue to his church as not to suffer vs to be vnfurnished of any thing that might further vs in the course of our saluation but from time to time to raise vp instruments and pen-men to set downe his will that seeing the way wherein to walke we need not nor cannot pretend ignorance The whole chapter diuideth it selfe into two general parts first is set downe the lineall descent of Christ secondly the maner of his natiuitie from the eighteenth verse to the end In the first part note three members first a generall comprehension of the matter in the first verse secondly the large narration of it from the second to the seuenteenth verse thirdly the conclusion in the seuenteenth verse In the first of these obserue two parts first what matter he will intreat of secondly of whose pedegree namely of Christs the great King of immortality In that it is said the booke of the Generation it is not to be taken as a title prefixed to the whole booke but it is meant according to the Hebrew phrase that it is a Catalogue or recitall of such a stocke as our Sauiour Christ came of For the second which is the narration it is distributed into three members euery one by equall proportion hauing foureteene persons the first of the Patriarkes the second of the Kings of Dauid the third of the Captaines and inferior Gouernors which had onely some fragments left of the roiall regiment after the transportation and carying them away into Babylon Now the cause why the Euangelist diuideth them thus into three foureteenes is not onely that the number and the story might the better be borne away but principally because he is to proue that Christ came lineally from the Iewes he setteth downe the threefolde estate of the Iewes and wherunto they were subiect till Christ came who should raigne in the hearts of men shewing how at the first the Tribe of Iuda increased greatly till it was established and setled in the kingdome of Dauid then the greatest excellency thereof was in Dauids sonne Salomon and then the abatement and greatest diminution that could be which was in their cariage away into Babylon and that a Carpenter should be right heire to the Crowne sheweth the great eclipse whereunto it was fallen so as in the Patriarkes it was like the Sunne dawning in Salomon like the Sunne in his full glory and afterward like the Sunne set and gone downe leauing the right of the kingdome as in a darke place namely in Ioseph a poore Carpenter of a base trade and meane condition nothing at all respected Now further in the narration the Euangelist as we may see in the old Testament reckoneth vp some that liued before the going downe into Egypt some that were borne and died in Egypt and some that returned out of Egypt and were led as slaues into Babylon In that it is said Iudas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar obserue that our Sauior Christ did not disdaine to debase and disparage himselfe so farre as to come of the line of such as were borne of an incestuous generation that we might be rauished and astonished with his loue who refused not to come out of the family of grosse sinners that he might saue the sinfull soules of beleeuers And whereas in the blazing of Christs armes by this Herauld the Euangelist there are but foure women named euery one of them hath their seuerall blemish and reproach left behind them in the booke of God The first Thamar incestuously abused by her father in law Gen. 38.18.29 The second Rahab Iosh 2.1 by nation a Cananite as vile as to be a dogge by profession an idolater Iosh 6.17 by city of Iericho a place so cursed as that no soule should escape thence aliue in trade a victualler and in conuersation a whore yea the place she dwelt in so cursed that who so should build it vp againe should do it in the bloud of all his family and yet this woman must be put in the roiall descent of Christ The third is Ruth who came of that nation that was begot in incest and caused the children of Israel to sinne in fornication Numb 25.1 so as it is said for the Edomites the Lord esteemed them no more then as an old shooe and Moab should be but as a chamber-pot and as appeareth in her owne booke Psal 60.8 Ruth 2.3 she was poore gleaning after the reapers the eares of corne For the fourth which is Vrias wife she was the worst of all of her Salomon was borne 2. Sam. 12.24 whereby the holy Ghost doth insinuate the adultery committed before his birth and consider Salomon borne of such an infamous woman that he should be heire and yet not the eldest sonne it was meerely of Gods mercy and not of any merit and by reason of this woman Dauid not onely committed adultery to haue made a bastard to haue inherited the Crowne but to this added bloud 2. Sam. 11.4.17 the death of her husband and of many others and such a death as to die by the sword of the vncircumcised which was most reprochfull that now the holy Ghost should direct the pen of the Euangelist to draw Christs linage by name from these not to deriue him from Sara Rebecca that were excellētly famous and that Dauid the type of the Messias should be such a bloudy man may be a consolation to al bleeding christians may teach vs that though our sins be neuer so hainous in respect of the qualitie of them or neuer so many in respect of the multitude of them yet if at any time we be wearie with a full detestation of them Mat. 11.28 and a resolute purpose to amend them Christ will refresh vs and will scatter them before him euen as the dust before the winde and the greater is our condemnation if hauing so much mercie we repent not Secondly obserue in that it is said Iesse begat Dauid and Dauid Salomon wheras Dauid onely is named king being the last of the first fourteene that the estate of the Patriarkes was now changed into kings and though Iuda had some preheminence before that the kingdome fell to them yet this was the greatest glorie that it should be such a kingdome whereof the king that should be borne should be God the Son which may teach vs that the highest honor that can befal a family or a cuntry or a Christian is to haue the Lord to dwel with them for all other titles are folded vp in time that perisheth but the presence of the Lord bringeth comfort that decaieth not Howbeit we must note that as this kingdome of Iuda
was a type of the Messias 1. Sam. 15.28 it was begun in Dauid onely for Saul though he was king before yet was he no type of the Messias And for this second order which is all of Kings we shall see if we peruse the booke of God that Christ came of some as wicked kings as euer were for where from Salomon to the captiuitie there were 19. kings 13. of them were most wicked and some of them had such speciall blemishes spots vpon them as it is doubted whether they be saued or no Salomon had great enormities but there is no doubt of his repentance witnessed by his booke of retractions called Ecclesiastes Asa began well but in his old age he imprisoned the Prophet that told him of his sinne and in his sicknesse trusted more to the Physitian then to God 2. Chr. 16.10.12 Iehosaphat did the woorst act that could be 2. King 8.18 to marrie his sonne Iehoram to Athaliah the daughter of Iezabel whereby manie prouocations were committed and yet these were the best Iehoram he caused all Iuda to commit idolatry so as the Lord forsooke him and 2. Chro. 21.15 he died a miserable death his guts falling out of his belly not all at once but day by day which was more grieuous Ahazia his sonne was slaine 2. Chro. 22.9 by Iehu in the field and neuer any reuenged his blood Ioash his sonne 2. Chron. 23.3 was mightily preserued by Iehoiada the Priest from the hands of Athaliah Yet when the Priest was dead 2. Chron. 24.78 when the Prophets came to tell him he was a bused and misled by his Princes to idolatry he caused them to be slaine in the temple and himselfe Vers 25. was afterward killed by his owne seruants Amaziah his sonne fell to Idolatrie after a victory obtained of the Edomites and 2. Chro. 25.27 was traiterously slaine by his owne subiects Azariah his sonne 2. Chro. 26.21 because he vsurped vpon the Priests office was immediatly smitten with the hand of God that he came to be a Leper but some of those last Kings are not heere named by S. Matthew because hee meant to make a proportionable and euen number that should consist on foureteenes For Ahaz hee made all the altars like the altars of Damascus and 2. King 16.3 made his owne sonne passe through the fire according to the sacrifice and abhomination of the Heathen Iehoiakim hee contemned the threatnings of the Lord and caused the roule to be burnt Ier. 36.23 which Baruch had writ from the mouth of Ieremie he was therefore buried like an Asse as was prophecied by Ieremie 22.19 euen drawne and cast foorth without the gates of Ierusalem And for Zedechiah hee imprisoned the Prophet Ieremie and contemned the Lord therefore were his eies put out by the king of Babel Iere. 39.7.8 and he bound in chaines and led like a slaue into captiuity Out of which obserue that there is no priuiledge in the Princes chaire to keepe them from sinning neither yet that the maiestie of their places can protect them from the Lords vengance Vnderstand these words touching Christs descent legally as Deu. 25.5.6 and pag. 8. line 29. but that if their hearts bee lifted vp against God his hand shall fall vpon them to their distruction for the grace of the Lord must season their palaces else doe they stand but in slippery places And though our Sauiour Christ vouchsafed to come out of the loines of such wicked Kings it was not at all to giue anâ—e countenance to their offences or to embolden them in their sinnes but onely to open the fountaine of mercy to vs that wee may know he is able to sanctifie the vilest sinner Now for the third order which is of them who were caried away into captiuity note first the cause of the captiuity secondly the cruelty of it thirdly the mercy of the Lord in their deliuerance For the first which is the cause that Gods owne children and them of the blood royall should be caried into slauery it is set downe 2. Chro. 36.12 to be first for that the king rebelled against God and humbled not himselfe before Ieremy the Lords Prophet Secondly for that both Priest and people trespassed wonderfully set downe in two things principally First they polluted the house of the Lord with the abhominations of the heathen Secondly they mocked and misused the messengers of the Lord and despised his words vntill the wrath of the Lord rose vp against them and that there was no remedie but he was enforced to giue them to the bloud-thirsty Babylonians Wherein obserue what a fearefull thing it is to fall into idolatrie after our eies haue once beene opened and how nothing prouokes the Lord so much as the contempt of his embassage For if hauing once seene the goodnesse and power of God we decline from him and lay holde on other helpes and contemne the face and speech of his Ministers whom he hath made acquainted with his secrets and that wee waxe strong in our selues we doe but as Vzziah did 2. Chron. 26.16 lift vp our hearts to destruction and force the Lord to take his cuppe of indignation in his hand and to holde it as well to the mouth of the king as to the people for where all conspire to worke mischiefe all shall be ouerwhelmed with the same madnesse as Ieremy speaketh chap. 25.18 For the second which is the miserie they sustained being captiues it is to be seene first in their vsage before they came to Babylon set downe 2. Chr. 36.17 they tooke both young and old men and women and though they fled to the Sanctuarie for succour yet were they there stabbed with daggers they burnt the house of God and tooke the precious vessels of it to abuse in their superstition when they come to Babel Now to see the temple on fire and yong and old slaine without mercy had beene enough to haue rent their hearts in peeces to see the worship of God thus defaced and themselues reserued but as an after pray to the enemy But now secondly comming thither namely to Babel to behold such grosie idolatry and to heare such high reproches as no doubt were giuen against the God of Israel as Psal 137.3 Come sing a song to the God of Iuda that hath forsaken you and Beholde heere be the people whom the Lord hath spued out besides the bondage wherein themselues were kept how could they but straine foorth teares of bloud and send foorth deepe sighes from a mournfull spirit Yea their case was so desperate and miserable as Ezech. 37.11 their raising vp againe and restitution was made of the Lord as great a matter and as hard as to put life into a company of dead bones for their the Lord saith These drie bones are the house of Israel neither yet did this their captiuity last but a while but they were wintred and sommered there full 70. yeeres as was foretold by the Prophet Ieremy chap. 25.11 that
all the Angels must worship him and yet as man no essentiall quality of the Deity rested in him The third priuiledge is this that his Diuine nature hath giuen the participation of his office to him as man that as God is Mediator so is man as God hath deserued saluation so hath man and that hee as man shall iudge the quicke and dead not that he shall iudge by his manhood but Christ-man shall iudge the world The second fruit of this vnion is the communication of properties not that the properties of the one are communicate to the other but that one may bee attributed to both as Christ God died Christ man is eternall and this is either when we giue that to the humanity which is proper to the diuinity or giue that to the diuinity which is proper to the humanity as God by his bloud redeemed his Church yet God had no bloud but Christ God had bloud so this man Christ forgiueth sinnes not that this power is in his manhood but hee doeth it meerely as God for these and such like speeches be true in Concreto not in abstracto as they be both ioyned together and not as they be separate one from the other Lastly in the word God with vs obserue that Christ is not only God with vs in nature but in person for the reprobate are of the same nature with him and he with them yet is he not God with them but against them but we as the Apostle speaketh are flesh of his flesh Ephes 5.30 and bone of his bones euen as man and wife which are not onely one in nature as all other men and women are but one person by speciall couenant and euen so are wee one person with Christ by the couenant of grace being one with him we are also one with the whole Trinity as himselfe saith I and my Father will come and sup with him and according to his last praier Iohn 17. Father I beseech thee that as I am one with thee and thou with me so these speaking of the faithfull and pointing at them may be one with vs both which bringeth great comfort to Gods children that through Christ we haue the whole Godhead reconciled to vs and dwelling in vs. And Ioseph did as the Angell had commanded him This is the third generall part spoken of before namely the obedience of Ioseph according to euery thing that was prescribed out of which gather generally that when we are acertained it is Gods pleasure wee should doe such a thing that wee stand not still consulting with our owne peruerse natures nâ—â— inclining too much to tender our owne frailties but that knowing it to be the voice of God we admit of no contradictions but we are to constraine our affections to bee pacified and perswaded according as the Lord hath disposed This was the infirmity of Sara Genes 18.12 who laughed when the Angels promised to come againe according to the time of life she râ—â—â—â—ting rather the order of nature then beleeuing the promise of God And this likewise was Lots fault Gen. 19.16 who prolonged the time when the Angels bad him arise and be gone for the which hee might iustly haue beene destroied in the punishment of the City But the contrary to this we see in Abraham Gen. 22.3 who when he was commanded to sacrifice his sonne than which what could be more contrary to nature than for a father to be the butcher to his owne sonne yet being assured that it was the voice of God speaking by the Angell he presently commended his affection and rose vp early to execute that bitter message Wherein obserue that all the children of Abraham must be children of obedience which must be shewed by walking in euery thing according as it is written For now seeing onely the voice of the Lord is the voice of the scripture Luke 16.29 which is as certaine as if Christ were to speake immediatly from heauen so farre as is commanded so farre is to bee performed howsoeuer it may cost vs deare and crosse vs much yea though it bee with Ioseph to embrace her for a wife whose honesty we might iustly suspect And if Ioseph did this at the first word of the Angell what shall bee said to vs who haue heard the voice of God so often beating vpon vs that we should forsake our sinnes and yet we spread curtaines ouer them But that as his obedience is heere recorded for his praise so our stubburnnesse and disobedience be regestred in our punishment that it may be as a hissing and astonishment to other nations Further obserue hence that the obedience of a Christian standeth not in a generall subscribing to the truth of that is taught them no nor yet in a verball confession of it but the commendation of a Christian resteth in his works of obedience as it is said â—eere Ioseph did as he was enioyned 1. Ioh. 3 1â— so that the hand and the mouth must goe together as our Sauiour Christ teacheth Not euery one that saith Lord Lord Mat. 7. â—â— but he that doth the will of the Lord shall be an heire of heauen Whereby we must learne that the calling of a Christian is noidle but a painfull calling wherein we must striue daily to plucke vp some weedes or other that ouergrow our godlinesse and to liue as children in the sight of our Father alwaies doing what hee commendeth vnto vs. For if Ioseph after this time had no more suspected his wife yet if hee had not taken her againe and dwelt with her as his wife he had failed in his obedience and had been like Lots wife Gen. 19.22.26 who beginning well in going out of Sodome and yet forgetting halfe her obedience to the commandement in looking backe behind her is left as a monument to this day for vs to take heed by And he knew her not till she had c. Though it be said he knew her not till shee had c. yet it doth not follow necessarily he knew her after for the word till in the Hebrew tongue signifieth as well that a thing shall not come to passe in time to come as that it came not to passe before as Mat. 28.20 I am with you vntill the end of the world not that he will leaue vs then but that he will by his spirit be with vs then and euer after Like to this is the phrase vsed 2. Sam. 6.23 Michol had no children till the day of her death and it is certain she had none after So in the speech following Christ was her first begotten Sonne it doth not therefore follow shee had any more sonnes for the phrases only exclude the time before And this we are to beleeue vpon our saluation that Ioseph knew her not till Christ was borne and that Christ was the first borne And it is very probable agreeable to the best churches that he knew her not after nor that she had any more
shall want the Rauens shall feed him yea hee will make the wicked an instrument to prouide for his chosen as Zedekiah to command that Ieremy be fed in the prison as long as there is any bread in the City Ier. 37.21 which ought to teach vs not to compasse any thing vnlawfully or to dig vs cisternes out of the policy of the flesh but to relie vpon the Lord who can and will send vs reliefe from the vttermost parts of the earth and when we least looke for it and when it shall be most welcome as he did heere to the mother of Iesus For the sixt generall circumstance namely for the oracle giuen these Wise-men to goe home another way learne first how the Lord disappoints the purposes of tyrants and wicked men which bend their bowes whet their swords and make their arrowes keene to pierce the sides of the godly Psal 7.14 that it fals out they are but concerued with vanity and trauell of iniquity and bring foorth a lie For when Herod meant to haue glutted his bloudy minde vpon the report of these Wise-men then are they of the Lord sent another way And when Act. 23.12 the Iewes had bound themselues with a curse that they would neither eate nor drinke till they had killed Paul then the Lord sent into the heart of the chiefe Captaine so to intrench him about with souldiers as he was kept safe from their fury So when Senaherib the King of Ashur had thought to haue swallowed vp Ierusalem Esay 36.33 then the Lord said and performed it that he should not so much as shoot an arrow nor cast a mount against it Thus doeth the Lord alwaies preuent the dangers intended against his children Psal 91.5.6 that neither the plague that flies by day nor the pestilence that walkes by night nor the snare of the hunter can once intrap them but his eares are open euen to the praiers of Ionas c. 2.2 to deliuer him out of the Whales belly and his eies are so bent vpon Daniel c. 6.22 as the Lions haue no power to hurt him but he is as a shadow against the parching heat and as a shield against the blustering cold which may incoâ—â—age vs still to lay hands vpon him as our succour to behold him as our deliuerer to flie to him as our comforter to waite vpon him as our guide and to commit our soules vnto him as vnto the best keeper Secondly heere learne by the not returning of these Wisemen to Herod according as they were commanded that an oath or a vow taken and made against the bond of charity and tending to the hurt of our brother is not to be performed but being vndertaken vpon weakenesse is to be discharged vpon conscience and therefore rash was the vow of Iphtah Iudg. 11.31 to promise to the Lord without limitation a sacrifice of that he should first meet when he came home For though the Apostle Heb. 11.32 commendeth him for his worthy enterprise in deliuering the people yet by this rash vow and wicked performance of the same his victory was much defaced For we must make no haste with our mouthes to pronounce any thing but set a watch before our lippes that they may hedge in our tongues from speaking euill of our brethren and yet if we hap to slip in this wee must keepe in our hands from executing what vnaduisedly we vttered For first we are so farre from being bound to derect them when their liues or bodies are sought for as wee are to counsell them to hide them as Eliah 1. Kings 17.3 was counselled of the Lord to hide himselfe So did Ionathan 1. Sam. 20.42 make his fathers fury knowen to Dauid that hee might hide himselfe and therfore cursed be the Ziphims 1. Sam. 23.20 that promised Saul to deliuer Dauid into his hands and cursed be Irrijah Ier. 37.13 that staid Ieremy and brought him to the Princes as a fugitiue when hee was going to the land of Beniamin Secondly if they cannot hide themselues wee must doe it for them So did Obadiah 1. Kin. 18.13 in the court of Ahab hide a hundred Prophets from the cruelty of Iesabel So did Rahab Iosh 2.1 in great zeale to God and loue to his seruants hide the spies with the danger of her owne life So did the Disciples Act. 9.21 let downe Paul in a basket when his life was sought for by the Inquisition Thirdly if they be apprehended we must be so farre from accusing them as we must countenance and defend them to our powers So did Ebedmelech Ier. 38.9 when he came to the King in the gate and told him Ieremy had wrong to be imprisoned and so did Ionathan 1. Sam 20.32 defend Dauid against his owne father for it is not the commandement of a King that ought to make vs giue vp the sonnes of God into their hands nay the Lord himselfe in this place teacheth vs otherwise that would not suffer these Wise-men to obey Herod wherby the babe might haue beene exposed to his butchery Lastly in the departure of these Wise-men obserue that God both in the beginning and in the end will blesse all courses and actions enterprised and done in his feare and in a holy obedience as he did blesse and prosper the iourney of these Wise-men giuing them both a direction which way to come to Ierusalem and which way to goe from Bethlem which must make vs if we expect any blessed successe of that we vndertake not to begin but with the warrant of a good conscience nor to proceed but with a reuerent and resolute obedience as to the commandement of God and as aiming at the aduancement and promotion of his glory and the furtherance of his seruice MATH chap. 2. vers 13 14 15. verse 13 After their departure behold the Angell of the Lord appeareth to Ioseph in a dreame saying Arise and take the babe and his mother and flie into Aegypt and be there till I bring thee word for Herod will seeke the babe to kill him verse 14 So he arose and tooke the babe and his mother by night and departed into Aegypt verse 15 And was there vnto the death of Herod that the might bee fulfilled which is spoken of the Lord by the Prophet saying Out of Aegypt haue I called my Sonne THE Euangelist as before hee shewed the glorious and blessed beginnings of our Sauiours birth who though borne in basenesse had testimony giuen him of his maiesty by the starre in heauen and in earth by the Wise-men of Persia so now he setteth downe a matter of great discomfort that this same babe euen from his cradle should begin to bee crucified in himselfe and his members Wherein generally there be three points set downe first the commandement of the Angell secondly the obedience of Ioseph thirdly the fulfilling of a prophesie In the commandement consider first the circumstance of the time that it was after the departure of the Wise-men how long after is not
hee shall be hold his destruction Exod. 14.28 in the red sea How oft 〈◊〉 Saul thinke and how sore did he thirst for the life of Dauid 〈◊〉 he misseth of his purpose and slaieth himselfe 1. Sam. 31.4 〈◊〉 make way for Dauid to the kingdome And such shall be the â—â—cesse of all that conspire against the Lord and his Christ to fall 〈◊〉 to the pit which themselues haue digged and to make the wâ—â—ked a ransome for the godly For the maner of Herods death though it be silenced by the Euangelist yet the Ecclesiasticall stories make mention of it as Iosephus and Eusebius which though it command not the conscience to beleeue yet the more to magnifie the Lord it is not vnfit to consider it He had a great swelling in his legs woonderfull rottennesse in his whole flesh his breath did so stinke as he could not be accompanied with he had such a disease in his parts of shame as wormes did crawle about them he was greedie of meat hauing the appetite of a dogge not to be satisfied his whole race was accursed after him hauing eight children within an hundred yeeres there was not any of their loines lest Archilaus heere spoken of was banished to Vienna and there died a beggar Antypas that beheaded Iohn Baptist and whom Christ called Foxe Luke 13.32 was banished to Lions in France and there died a most miserable abiect Agrippa the son of Aristobulus the sonne of this Herod an insolent and proud man was eaten vp with lice most shamefully Act. 12.23 The sonne of this Agrippa that would haue put Peter to death liuing till the destruction of Ierusalem there had his end Thus did the wrath of God rest vpon the familie of this cruell persecutor of Gods Church who was blasted in himselfe and his posteritie And thus did the Lord 1. Kings 14.10 sweepe away the house of Ieroboam as a man sweepeth away dung till it bee all gone and 1. King 21.21 did cut off the posteritie of Ahab for their prouocations wherewith they had prouoked him to teach vs to feare and tremble before his face and if we will be blessed in our selues and in the fruit of our bodie to looke vnto our paths that we lay not our hands to wickednesse Note further that we are not to feare what Princes can doe vnto vs for they liue no longer then they haue some seruice to doe for Gods glorie as it is said Col. 1.16 All things are in Christ and for Christ And Saul could not Acts 9.1 breath out threatnings against the Church of God had not the Lord some speciall purpose in it either for the exercising of his Saints or the waiting for his owne repentance Neither could Pharaoh so long â—â—ie his rodde vpon the Israelites were it not as S. Paul saith Rom. 9.17 that the Lord stirred him vp to shew his power in him For now when Herod had executed the children whereby God is glorified in their innocent death and his owne malice fully manifested then he dieth himselfe which may teach vs patience against the time of trouble knowing that the wicked are but as the weapons of the Lord to set an edge on our affectionâ— which otherwise would creepe vpon the earth and make vs forget our maker whereas by this meanes we oft times cast our 〈◊〉 on our deliuerer which is in heauen Further learne that though tyrants appoint vs as sheepe to the slaughter and in the malice of their hearts doe purpose to fleece vs yet sometime the butcher wanteth his knife and the sheepe in the shambles do escape therefore we need not to be afraid of them that haue not so much power as to kill the bodie vnlesse the Lord giue vs vp into their hands as Dauid saith Psal 7.12 speaking of the wicked hee hath bent his bow and spread his net and hath conceiued mischiefe but shall bring foorth vanitie and the euill intended shall fall vpon his owne hairy scalpe For the diuell that is stronger then man yea that aâ—meth the malice of men cannot stretch foorth his hand vpon the goods of Iob Iob. 1.12 much lesse touch his body without the permission of the Almighty Herod shall die and Christ shall escape if not the worst that flesh and bloud can doe is but 〈◊〉 send vs with the children of Bethlem into heauen for the Lorâ— is our shield and we are as neare deare vnto him as the apple of his eie yea he is our secret place and vnder his shadow we can not but be safe For the second point containing the obedience of Iosepâ— by his example we learne not to runne before Gods promises but patiently to waite vpon them for as hee is alwaies a sure deliuerer of his people so then especially when his mouth haâ—â— spoken it and vpon this Ioseph relied not stirring till he was called Moses was sure to bring the people of Israel out of Egypt Exod. 3.10 yet hee must staie for it fortie yeeres as if the Lord had forgotten to what purpose hee had appointed him Noab 〈◊〉 the Lords commandement entreth into the Arke and commeâ—â— not foorth till by the same commandement Gen. 8.16 he 〈◊〉 called foorth though by the not returning of the Doue he knâ—â— the waters were abated from the earth Dauid was sure to be king after Saul yet he waited so long as in his haste he said Psalm 116.11 All men are liers thinking that Samuel had abused him to tell him hee should be King which we must beware of for the cause why the Lord staieth many times is because his seruants crie not out vnto him nor presse him with importunity as Luk. 18.5 the widow did the Iudge or for that our curst heares will not come downe so as he is faine to vse the wicked as rods to chastise and humble vs. Heere also learne that as Christ commeth out of Egypt so the Lord draweth the Gospell out of the fire and giueth it some Sun-shine out of the darkest persecution yea and that as it is said Act. 12.24 in the time of the most ambitious and Lordly tyrants it shall grow and multiply exceedingly for so it hath pleased God that the hotest persecutors as was S. Paul haue embraced it and that kings haue submitted their scepters to the foolishnesse of preaching Which noteth vnto vs that the ignominy that lighteth vpon the crosse is not nor ought to be any occasion to disswade vs from it for the proceeding of Christs kingdome is aboue nature and the perswading to it is cleaue contrary to the custome of the world For saith Cyrus if a Lacedaemonian will serue mee if hee bee a foot-man I will make him an horseman if a horse-man I will giue him a Chariot if hee haue a Chariot I will giue him a Castle if a Castle a Citie and he shall receiue his gold not by tale but by waite But now in the groweth and age of a Christian it fareth otherwise for this is the condition of
true that the soules are now blessed as it is in the Reuel 7.9 where the Saints are said to haue their white robes in token â—â—nnocency long in signe of statelinesse and palmes in their hands in signe of victory but it is as true that the soule is not happy sauing in the constant expectation of the last day when it shall bee ioined to the body and it hath not now that fulnesse of happinesse it then shall haue For it standeth with the law of retribution in God that as he receiued most glorie from them both when they were vnited so should he returne them most ioie and fulnesse of glory when by his power they are brought together againe And euen so fareth it now with the reprobate that are departed who feele onely torment in their soules at this time but when their bodies shall bee raked out of the dust then shall their paines be increased So as this is the doctrine we must hold that the soules of the Saints are blessed ante resurrectionem before the resurrection but fine resurrectione without the resurrection they are not blessed Rom. 14.9 God is said to be the Lord of the dead and Mat. 22.32 Christ saith he is not the God of the dead In which places there is no contrariety for Christ meaneth that he is not the God of the dead according to the supposition of the Sadduces for no man is a King without subiects nor a Captaine without souldiers nor God the God of Abraham vnlesse Abraham be but hee is the God of the dead because they by him shall be raised vp Now followeth the first part what shall be raised vp namely this verie body which we now carrie about vs shall bee raised vp Which is prooued first from the proportion and resemblance with the head for the same body of Christ that was buried was raised vp which is signified vnto vs by himselfe Luk. 24.39 who to remooue all doubts of the truth of his resurrection out of his disciples mindes said Behold my hands and my feet and Iohn 20.25 it is said that Thomas put his finger into Iesus side after his resurrection And so much did Christ foreteâ—â—â—â—re his death Ioh. 2.19 Destroy this temple meaning his body and I will build the same not another vp againe Secondly it is prooued from the proportion of Gods iustice toward the elect and the reprobate also for it standeth with his iustice that those lippes which in this life offred vp the calues of thanksgiuing vnto him that that body that hath beene baptized into Christs death that mouth that hath feed vpon Christ by faith that that bodie which hath beene exercised vnder the crosse and sanctified through afflictions which hath testified to the blood the profession of his trueth it standeth I say with the iustice of God that that bodie and no other should bee raised vp to glory And Paul noteth foorth so much in himselfe a member 1. Cor. 15.53 when he saith This mortall shall put on immortalitie as if saith a learned Father he had taken it vp in his hands to haue expressed his meaning Againe the proportion of Gods iustice toward the reprobate is that that knee that hath bowed to the Masse shall also bow to the diuell in hell torment and that that body which hath embrewed it selfe with the blood of Gods saints that hath rent as it were the Lord in peeces by their blasphemy and that haue shut vp their compassion from the poore that that body should bee punished eternally in hell fire and euen denied so much as a drop of cold water to coole their tongues Luk. 16.24 For what iustice were it in God to frame them new bodies and so to punish them in that flesh wherin they neuer sinned Nay it were meere iniustice to punish them in any other parts than those wherein they haue offended Now this bodie of the faithfull that shall be raised vp shall haue three speciall graces giuen vnto it which it had not before to shew the riches of Gods mercy toward them as first it shall be immortall and shall neuer putrifie secondly 〈◊〉 shall be maintained by no naturall power and thirdly it shall haue glory Answerable to these in another kinde shall the bodies of the reprobate be for first they shall wish they might rot but cannot secondly they were happie if they might pine away but the worme shall be continually gnawing yet neuer satisfied nor they weakned Mark 9.48 thirdly they shall haue horror and shame and howling and gnashing of teeth continually For the second point which is by what power our bodies are raised vp namely by the same spirit that Christ was raised vp Now then it may be asked how the reprobate shall rise for they partake not of this spirit nor haue any part in this resurrection It is true that the power of Christ as a Sauiour and the fruite and benefite of his death are inseparable from the elect and belong onely to them The reprobate therefore shall bee raised vp by the same power by which they were at first created and as at the first they were made by the power of God in his Sonne the Father consulting with his wisdome which is Christ euen so shall they bee raised vp againe by the power of God in his Sonne not as a redeemer but by the absolute power of Iesus Christ their Iudge Gen 3.23 And as when Adam fell he was not onely depriued of the tree of life but of all the other fruites of the garden and in the losse of that lost all the rest and was driuen out by violence and kept out by the sword from any more fight of God in Paradise euen so the reprobate deserue not onely to bee secluded from the possession of heauenly glory where growes that life that euer flourisheth but euen vtterly to be extinguished and abolished for they are but vsurpers vpon the Lords heritage and euen the aire which they breath in shall be their damnation for they deserue not so much as their being Yet such is the great bounty of God that he raineth as well vpon the vniust as vpon the iust yea and oftentimes obscureth his goodnesse toward his Saints and hideth as it were his face from them when the wicked flourish as tâ—â— Palme-tree and abound in all earthly prosperity but yet this is our comfort that they passe away as a shaft in the aire and as a ship on the sea so is their place no more seene and indeede they shall finde it were better for them they were not whereas the godly know that in 〈◊〉 earth they haue no abiding citie but that their treasure is in â—â—â—uen where their hearts alwaies be and their bodies heereafâ—â—â— shall be Because that his spirit dwelleth in you This is the third part was noted out vnto vs namely how this power of the spirit is in this life communicated vnto vs. Wherein obserâ—e that whosoeuer is regenerate is made partaker
behold the Sun-shine of the Lord in full measure which is the Sunne of light and of life yet we haue such a glimpse as wee cannot bee perswaded but it shineth vpon our soules And as the child in the mothers womb stirring neuer so weakly yet euen by that feeble motion she is assured that it hath life so the least light of the Sunne of righteousnesse is most sweet comfortable vnto vs. Which doctrine as it ministreth and bringeth consolation to a weake soule so must it be as a sharpe spur vnto vs that this righteousnesse may be encreased and that this spirit of God may delight to dwell in vs that we being grounded and growing daily in a perswasion of Gods loue towards vs it may enforce vs to loue him more and more and the strength and perfection of this loue may and ought to make vs resist and shunne all contrary means whereby our encrease and growth in faith may bee hindered And because this spirit of the Lords adoption is inward and can not be perceiued that many be deluded by Sathans subtilty and forgerie foisting and thrusting in another deed than euer God gaue vs especially working vpon the weake heart of man which being fraught and full of selfe-loue is easily perswaded of any good to it selfe therefore we must learne how to discerne whether it be the true euidence of Gods spirit or no which we haue within vs. And for that the Apostle here setteth down one effect and fruit of this spirit for all that is that there is a confidence of any good conscience to come boldly before the Lord as a child before his father to preferre our suites vnto him and to offer vp our praiers vpon the golden altar Reuel 8.3 that is the mediation of Christ by whose meanes and through whose obedience and suffering they shall sauour before the Lord as a sweet incense and the Lord shall put into them daily a new incense by the spirit assuring vs more and more of his louing fauor◠and we shall not hide our selues and run away when we are called Gen. 3.8 as Adam did but being disburdened of that which doth presse vs downe from the presence of God we shall come cheerefully before him and ioy our selues in that the Lord will looke so pleasingly vpon vs Other effects of this spirit and yet arising from the former are these If the spirit worke in vs the same affection towards God that nature doth produce in children toward their parents as first to loue God secondly to feare him thirdly to reuerence him fourthly to be obedient to him fiftly to be thankfull to him all which vertues be in good children who do alwaies acknowledge all they haue to proceed from their father as the speciall instrument from God and if we haue beare these affections to God our father as to loue him for his mercies to feare him for his loue to reuerence him for his goodnesse to obey him for his greatnes and to be thankfull to him for his kindnesse then may we assure our selues that we haue the spirit of adoption sealed vp in vs for our saluation In that we crie Abba Father learne that no obstinate or resolute sinner persisting deliberately in his sinne and his heart deliting in it can once open his mouth to pray nor neuer did pray The like whereof may be said of the hypocrite for though they may falsely perswade themselues that offering vp a few words in forme of a praier it is sufficient to purge the vncleannesse of their liues and that impudently and in presumption they may call God Father when their harts be impure and vncleane yet Iohn 8.44 Christ calleth them the children of their father the diuell And though Sathan may perswade an obstinate and wilfull sinner as he did Houah Gen. 3.4.5 that doing such an euill and wicked thing they shall not hang in hell alwaies threatening where God promiseth and promising where God threatneth vntill he take them in the lurch at the time of their death and then he ouerreckneth them yet it is certaine he cannot pray vnlesse he haue this spirit and this spirit none hath if they delight and sauour of sin so as though they cry Peace peace to their owne conscience and seruing the diuell will neuerthelesse vaunt themselues to bee the sonnes of God it is the Lords iustice that permitteth Sathan so to blinde them that they cannot see their sickenesse to the death for 1. Iohn 3.8 it is said He that committeth sinne is of the diuell Can the poison of Aspes and the sacrifice of praier proceed both from the same tongue No. Grapes cannot grow of thornes nor figs of thistles and Esay 66.3.5 the Lord saith that he that offereth sacrifice without trembling that is without reformation of life it is as if he killed a man which is most vnsauory to the Lord. So as lawfull things and things commanded be an abomination to the Lord when the soule and conscience is not answerable to the action and to the outward profession Howbeit things simply forbidden are sinnes both in the regenerate and vnregenerate and the prayers of these men that thus can lie on their beds and imagine mischiefe and yet can open their lippes by way of conference and speech with God are no better then those of the rebels in the North who when they had published all their mischiefe which tended to the ouerthrow of our dread Soueraigne yet ended and concluded their proclamation with God saue Queene Elizabeth Now concerning hypocrites that they cannot pray but by imitation of Christians as Parots looke vpon the rule of Dauid Psal 66.18 If I regard saith he wickednesse in my heart the Lord will not heare me that is if I delight in sin my praiers shall not come neare him so as make what shew thou wilt if thy heart be not vpright it auaileth not For as it is said Iohn 9.31 God heareth no sinners that is no malicious and deliberate sinners which intend and compasse mischiefe in their inward parts howsoeuer in hypocrisie they dissemble it And it is certaine it is as impossible to pray without this spirit as to vnderstand without a soule Further obserue how this spirit begets in vs such peace of conscience that makes vs confident in crauing our wants at Gods hand as from the spirit of adoption cōmeth faith so from faith issueth and streameth inuocation and calling vpon God by praier This faith grounded vpō the loue of God in Christ doth assure vs that whatsoeuer is good in heauen or in earth God wil bestow it vpon vs then steppeth in praier and according as the soule is burdned either with a desire to be deliuered from danger or with an affection to haue some wants supplied or to declare and expresse our thankefulnesse it doth take the present occasion and for sloweth no time to enter into the sanctuarie of Gods presence and there to lift vp our weak hands and to send
proportion betweene the head and the members for wee shall bee carried vp into the highest heauens and wee shall stand before the throne viewing the glorious face of God and hauing the fruition of his blessed presence The greatnesse of this glorie howbeâ—â— it needeth rather meditation then explication yet something shall bee spoken of it that the vaile may bee taken from our eies that wee may sound and faddome in some sort the bottome of Christ his â—ole in his glorie which of our selues we cannot doe no more then the Iewes could into the ministery of Moses This place fitteth with that 2. Cor. 4.17 Our light affliction which is but for a moment bringeth vnto vs an euerlasting excellent weight of glory Where consider two things first that betweene these afflictions and that glory there is no comparison in the greatnesse it shall be a weight excellently excellent as the word signifieth whereas afflictions are but for a an houre Secondly the glory shall be more durable in respect of eternity whereas the other are but in this life onely For the first consider it in two degrees first the particular ioy euery child and man of God shall haue in his death and dissolution secondly the exceeding glory he shall be filled with when all things shall be perfect and God shall be all in all The first of these hath two parts first it containeth an absolute immunity and freedome from all infirmities of body and soule according as it is said All teares shall be wiped away for the body shall be free from labour care and such like and the soule shall be free from the suggestions of Sathan by couetousnesse and other corruptions wherewith the best and choisest of Gods seruants in this life are wonderfully assaulted Secondly the bodie sleeping in the earth the soule shall be absolutly sanctified from sinne and liue in the fauour of God so as there shall be added vnto vs a present entrance into the Lords ioy which none can comprehend but they that feele it Luk. 23.43 This in the Scripture is called the entrance into the Paradise of the Lord and Paul 2. Cor. 5.8 desireth to remoue out of the body that in his soule he might be with the Lord Iesus who resteth in such a place as hath in it whatsoeuer may moue either admiration or may giue contentation and is described Reuel 21.4 to be destitute of sorrow crying and paine and to haue the foundation of the wals thereof garnished with all manner of precious stones and to be lightned onely with the glory of God needing neither Sunne nor Moone It is also called Abrahams bosome Luk. 16.22 Ioh. 14.2 Reuel 19.9 the presence with the Lambe the gathering of vs into the companie of innumerable Angels and the mansion house of our Father The second degree of this glory is at the restitution of all things which the Apostle heere speaking of verf. 21. calleth the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God This standeth in two parts first in the resurrection of our bodies when they shall be made incorruptible and glorions and shall neede no naturall prouision nor maintenance for they shall shine as the Sunne and the Sunne shall then be seauentimes brighter then it is The second is that God shall be all in all that is the whole God-head shall immediatly raigne and the humanity of Christ shall more manifestly be subiected which is to the greater glory of it that his god head shall be so great for then there shall be no more office of Christ Iesus to procure any more good to his children but the benefit of the former shall continue for euer for then his enemies shall be all put downe and then the Sonne she ll resigne vp his kingdome to his Father that is all enemies being vanquished and that one enemy Death being abolished he shall raigne no more not that God raigneth not now for he raigneth in the person of his Sonne as Mediator but then his office shall end and he shall raigne onely as God For these are but the daies that the Lord Iesus doth woo vs and maketh loue to vs Reu. 19.7 but then shall the marriage be solemnized and for the better setting foorth of this with all magnificence and greatest state all creatures shal be restored that they may serue and attend at the celebrating of this feast Now for the second part that is the comparison of the glorie and afflictions in respect of continuance we see that no affliction lasteth but for the present but this glory is eternall Gods loue toward vs eternall before the world to predestinate vs eternall after the world to glorifie vs that as the first had no beginning so the last shall haue no end So as wee may consider of two eternities though to speake properly there is but one the first before the creation thesecond after the worlds dissolution Now betweene these two there is a certaine time for the world and a thousand yeeres in respect of eternity is but as one day nay as Moses saith Psal 90.4 A thousand yeeres are but as yesterday that is past 2. Pet. 3.8 So as counting the world fiue thousand yeeres it is but as the length of fiue daies past and of these fiue thousand yeeres what are fourescore which is a great age for any man to liue to and a farre greater time then euer any man was afflicted in It is not much more then a moment no way an hower and therefore these afflictions are no way comparable to the eternity of that glory wee shall haue heereafter not so much as a drop of water to the whole Sea or one graine to all the sand And yet we speake now as if a man should neuer but be afflicted euen from his cradle to his death liuing the full age of a man which neuer befell any In Esay 54.8 is shewed what seuenty yeeres be and by the accompt of the spirit of God himselfe they be but as the least minute for the Lord there saith For a moment in mine anger I hid my face from thee but with euerlasting mercy haue I had compassion on thee and this moment was seuenty yeeres for so long were the Iewes in captiuity Iâ—â— 25.12 So as affliction by this reckoning during the whole yeeres and life of man is but a moment and a great part of this moment is past before we can be said to suffer affliction for it is but a confused kind of paine that children sustaine and againe there was neuer any affliction so great but there was some either intermission or remission either the tormenter was wearied or the whip was wasted or they that were tormented died Now if the glory after our induring of these afflictions should last but so many millions of yeeres as there be starres in the heauens there might yet be some more and easier and equall comparison betweene them because at the last this glory should haue an end but it farre
that he hath a name at which all knees shall bow and this name is giuen him so as he hath it not as God for being God nothing could be giuen him Phil. 2.13 so as he hath it not as God for being God nothing could be giuen him but hee hath it as man and God for his bare humanity could not deserue this neither yet to be gouernour of all the world Now for the third which is the priuiledge we haue by being his brethren they are chieflie three First we are by this heires and fellow heires with him of all things in this life and in the life to come as appeareth vers 16.17 of this chapter Secondlie by this followeth and from this commeth the soueraigntie we haue ouerall creatures as 1. Cor. 3.22 Whether it be the world or life or death all things are ours for we are Christs and Christ is Gods and being vnder Gods wings no man neither dareth and though his stomacke bee neuer so good yet hee hath not the strength to hurt vs for the Lord will keepe vs as the apple of his cie Thirdlie by this though the Angels be farre aboue vs in nature yet we haue one of our nature better then they that is Christ and through him they doe all become our ministers Heb. 1.4.7 Christ is made more excellent then the Angels and he maketh them but his messengers Now for the degrees wherby the Lord doth execute this his eternal purpose for the first of them which is calling it is wrought by the holie Ghost as the principall cause and by a double instrument the holy Ghost vseth first the preaching of the law whereby we are brought to a holie despaire of our selues by the sight of our owne corruption that we may seeke for remedie in the profound sea of the Lords vnsearchable mercie The second the preaching of the Gospell whereby hee anointeth our eyes with the eye salue of the holie Ghost Col. 2.13 that being dead in sinne and not so much as dreaming of saluation the sound of the Gospel doth awake vs that we may heare that hearing we may liue Hereupon it is said that the Lord doth draw men and pull them vnto him as Christ saith Iohn 6.44 No man can come vnto me vnlesse the father draw him that is doth separate them from the cursed generation of the world and sets his inward seale vpon them that is his spirit and brandeth them in the forehead with a visible marke of holinesse of life that euery man may know them to be the Lords Hereupon also it is said that the Lord doth open the hart with the key of the Gospel as Act. 16.14 he is said to open the heart of Lydia and as Psal 40.6 he boareth the eare and softeneth the heart and moisteneth it with his grace that aboue all things a man shall esteeme of the pearle of the Gospell and be brought chearefully to sell all he hath to buy such a iewell as shall bring him righteousnesse to saue his soule so as this calling of the Lord is to this end to manifest and to secure a man in his soule that the Lord hath giuē him to Christ out of all the world Here may be obiected are not all vniuersally called by grace We answer No for first all men are not called effectuallie secondly some are not called at all Some are called externallie by the Preachers mouth and saluation is offered them by the ministerie of the word and sacraments and the kingdom of God is come to their dores and peace is shewed them and the glory of Ierusalem is set before them Math. 22.3 but yet we see of them that were bidden to the mariage there were three sorts not effectually called first they that being called carelesly refused to come being possessed with the cares of this world and with voluptuous liuing secondly they that cruelly persecured the inuiters messengers of the Bridegroome not onely refusing to come being called but disdaining to come as scorning such cheare and faring euery day better themselues at home thirdly they that came hand ouer head neuer looking to their feet before they entred into the Lords house nor neuer changed their attire but came without the wedding garment of a holy life So wee reade that of the foure sorts of ground that receiue the word and the seed thereof Mark 4.4 one sort onely shall be saued not that we must vnderstand it as if of foure hearers there should be but one saued for the Lord may haue mercy vpon a whole congregation to saue them but three sorts of them filled with seuerall affections that vouchsafed to come and to stand before the Lord as hearers were reprobate that is such as did not beautifie the profession of the Gospell with a holy life And truly of them that come and feed vpon the word and yet be reprobates it is wonderfull to see how farre they goe euen in the right course for first they may be enlightned generally in the knowledge of the truth and may taste of the heauenly gift yea and be partakers of the holy Ghost Heb. 6.4.6 and yet may fall away neuer to be renewe◠by repentance Secondly they may haue faith Luk. 8.13 for a time not counterfeit yet not truly sincere for in the daie of trial they fall away like fruit from the tree with a blast of wind yea they may take ioy in the word as Herod did Mark 6.20 who was glad to heare Iohn Baptist and with Herod they may for a time do many things at the request of Gods Ministers Mark 16.20 And for outward reformation swine we know may be washed so may they leaue off and discontinue some grosse sins for a time when Sathan being for a season cast out of them doth not worke so forciblie in them as Math. 12.34 the Pharises and Sadduces may for nouelties sake come to Iohns baptisme and for a time speake good things when they are euill and yet be but a generation of vipers yea they may wish with Balaam to die the death of the righteous Num. 23.10 iustifying in their owne conscience the course of holinesse and which is more they may partake of all the graces of God sauing that one grace of sanctification and yet they may seeme to bee sanctified as Hebrews 10.29 they tread vnder foot the Sonne of God and count the bloud of the new Testament an vnholy thing were with they were so sanctified Now others there be that are not called at all and these be of two sorts either those to whom the Lord hath denied the verie contemplation of the booke of nature as children that die as soone as they be borne who if they be elect it is by a supernaturall power of the holy Ghost if they be reprobate it is iust in respect of their naturall filth and corruption that did cleaue so fast vnto their bones for in that they die it proues they had finned and
the beholding of the very face of God and there shall bee no markes set to keepe vs from the mount where the Lord dweleth Reu. 21.12 as there was Exod. 19.12 but as Paul speaketh 1. Corinth â—3 12 we shall then see him face to face and know him as wee â—re knowen of him and see him as God all in all that is â—ee shall behold the glory of God not standing vpon the veile of the flesh of Christ for then all mediation and intercession shall cease and this is part of that Christ praied for a litle before his death Iohn 17.24 that we might see that glory he had before the world was made for then we shall see Christ-God and the whole Godhead immediately raigning yet in Christ the Sonne of man and in vs but so as we shall no more leane and relie vpon the praiers of Christ for then he shall raigne no more as the Sonne of man in the midst of his enemies for this gouernement shall cease death which is the last enemy being then abolished and he then shall raigne ouer them vanquished as God Howbeit the fruit and benefit of this his mediation shall indure for euer and the subiection of his humane nature shall then more appeare because of the glory of his Godhead which shall then be seene fully euen such and the same as he had before eternitie yet shall this saluation more increase the glory of his humanity when we shall vnderstand and see it to bee personally vnited to the sonne of God who with God the Father and the holy Ghost shall be all in all Now the fruition and possession of this glory shal worke three effects in vs first it shall breed in vs an infinite loue toward God secondly an infinite ioy in God thirdly an infinite praise to God Infinitely shall we loue him that hath aduanced as to such honour as is endles and to such fellowship as is matchlesse our hearts shall be filled with ioy yet not able to comprehend or expresse it Mat. 25.23 therefore it is said Enter thou into thy masters ioy for this ioy is too great to enter into thee and besides the ioy we shall haue in our owne saluation we shall conceiue as great ioie for the saluation of others which is called ioy celestiall and we shall haue yet more ioy then before to see the Godhead so glorious the Lambe aduanced in our flesh and to be one person with God And this is aboue all ioies because we shal loue Christ far aboue our selues for the zeale of Gods glory shall euen eat vs vp and it shall be so great in vs as it cannot be so great for our owne saluation and then out of this loue and ioy as out of two fountaines ioyned in one shall spring and arise such continuall praise to God for this glory that we shal vncessantly sing to God in the Temple which is God himselfe so as we shall praise God in God and this shall be as the Prophet Esay saith from new Moone to new Moone and from Sabbath to Sabbath that is for euer for this loue of God is from eternitie in respect of our predestination and to eternitie in respect of our glorification and this is that we sigh and grone for and for which while wee are in the flesh absent from God wee continually pray for ROM chap. 8. vers 31.32 verse 31 What shall we say then to these things If God be on our side who can be against vs verse 32 Who spared not his owne sonne but gaue him for vs all to death how shall he not with him giue vs all things also THe Apostle before set downe that God the Father by his eternall purpose hath foreacknowledged vs and foreloued vs with an euerlasting loue in his Sonne and not vs onely but all those that to the end of the world shall loue him and manifest and shew foorth this their loue by a sincere worship and religious care to keepe his commandements and how that the Lord as he hath ordained vs and them to the same glory so at the fulnesse of time by the dispensation of his wisdome by his spirit he doth call them by the instrument of his word by the same loue doth iustifie vs in his Sonne and will glorisie vs with himselfe Now he being ouercome with the thought and meditation of these things breaketh foorth into a woonder and admiration that seeing it is thus that the Lord hath taken it vpon him neuer to leaue vs till he hath aduanced vs to heauenly places euen the seat of the Lord Iesus what shall we say The answer is giuen with the question this we must say that since he is our God as appeareth by that which went before then is it impossible wee being thus backed and hauing the Lord our bulwarke that any creature can bee of that force or be so against vs no not the diuell in hell with all his power can hinder vs from the fruition of this glorie In the other words who spared not his Sonne c. there is a further consolation set downe vnto vs to make the heape of comfort greater that since the Lord gaue as it were iudgement against his owne Son and set him foorth to a shamefull death for vs and this when we were his enemies and strangers from the life of God how can it bee he should now denie vs any thing to further our saluation being made friends with him and reconciled to him thorow his Sonne This doctrine needeth rather deepe meditation then large explication for who doth not assume to himselfe sufficiently to vnderstand it being but thus much in effect that since God in his euerlasting purpose hath thus manifested his glorie and mercie and hath ordained the end which is his glorie in our saluation and to bring it that it may come to this end hath subordinated and set downe certaine causes as calling and iustifying it is impossible any thing should hinder our saluation If God he on our side Heereupon wee must not thinke that if God be on our side we shall haue no enemies for because God loueth vs therefore we haue the more enemies and therefore wee are persecuted and subiect to the hatred of the world as Christ himselfe expresseth Ioh. 17.14 The world hateth them because saith he they are like me So as in this place the Apostle doth not meane that we should expect any immunitie and exemption on from the eâ—mitie and malice of men but that wee hauing this heauenly securitie and assured certaintie of the Lords protection neither Angell nor man nor diuell nor torment shall be able to ouer come vs. For this is that Paul speaketh of All things are by Christ Col. 1.16 through Christ and for Christ that is all things are created by him all things are preserued through 〈◊〉 maintained for his glorie so that our saluation being alwaies ioyned with his glorie neither shall men breath nor the diuell
rage but to glorifie Christ which glorie of his is greatest in our saluation We therefore in a spirituall confidence of the Lords loue do challenge all men and all things that euer were created that what violence soeuer they offer vs or what punishment soeuer they inflict vpon vs it is so farre from presting vs downe as it maketh vs spread higher and furthereth our saluation for God is with vs and while the bridegroome is with vs wee cannot mourne The euill they can doe is but with the dragon to fight with vs and as the enemies of God to persecute vs and though they be led to do this by the malice of their harts yet they serue but as the Lords rods to chastise vs and as Apothecaries to make drugs to cure our infirmities but so as they cannot put in one dramme more then the Lord knoweth of for he hath the tempering of the cup as it is said of Salomon The Lord weigheth the enterprises of men and their actions are in his hands and the woorst they can doe vs is but this to shorten our daies by that meanes to hasten our ioyes Hereupon we are to gather and to lay vp this comfort that if the course of nature should be altered yet euen in this confusion of nature if we call vpon the Lord his eare is readie to heare and his hand to helpe vs nay if there be any speciall iudgement and vengeance determined against a citie or a people the presence of the Lords children doth euen binde his hands that he can doe nothing while they be there as Genes 19.16 till Lot was snatched out of Sodome the fire could not fall from heauen to destroy it So that if heauen and earth conspire against vs if sea and sand should imagine vs mischiefe if the Princes of the world should set their armies against vs and like grashoppers in multitude should lie waiting for our liues if the sorrowes of death and the pangs of hell should compasse vs yet this is our shade and comfort that we liue vnder the wings of the Almightie and that wee are to the Lord as precious as the tenderest part of his eie and he that commeth so neare him the breath of his mouth shall confume him and in the middest of all these calamities wee shall stand like mount Sion and shall feare no more then the heauens were affraid Psal 125.1 Psal 91.11 Gen. 11.4 when Nimrod and his companie would haue built vp a tower vnto them For the Lord hath giuen his Angels charge ouer vs and not a haire of our head shall fall without his prouidence but as the wicked haue many waies to hurt vs so hath the Lord farre more meanes to helpe vs. Who spared not his owne Sonne This is another consolation ministred vnto vs to stay vs from fainting in afflictions that if God hath giuen vs his Sonne when wee were his enemies then much more now being reconciled vnto him will he giue vs with his Sonne all things else In this consider two parts first what it is that is said heere God deliuered vp his Sonne to death secondly that if hee giue him hee will giue all things else In the first consider two parts first the person of him that was giuen vp it was his owne Son secondly who the persons be for whom hee is giuen vp namely for all the faithfull In the first which is the person of him was giuen vp to death doth appeare the wonderfull loue of God that would vouchsafe to bestow vpon vs rebels and runnagates no woorse thing then his owne Sonne Great was the loue of Abraham toward God Gen. 22.8 that so commaunded his naturall affections as to offer vp his sonne Isaac at the Lords commaundement vnto death hauing but one sonne and he giuen him by a speciall fauor to comfort his age and him whom he loued being vertuous and religious when he had no hope to haue any more sonnes and this being the sonne of the promise in whom both himselfe and the whole world should be saued that this child should not bee banished from him but put to death and killed not before his face but with his owne hand this was a great loue for flesh and bloud to fall into But yet farre greater is the loue of God toward vs who louing Christ a thousand times more then Abraham could loue Isaac Ioh. 3.15 because betweene heauenly and earthlie things there is no comparison that God should deliuer him vp not to the whip but to the gibber not by commandement as Abraham did but of his meere and voluntarie loue and motion not into the hands of them that sorrowed to see him afflicted but into the hands of butchers that cared not how cruelly they dealt with him and this not for his friends as Abraham did for he was called the friend of God but for traitors that would haue pulled the Lord foorth of his owne seate and not to death onely as Abraham did his sonne who by the losse of his life should presently haue gained heauen but to a most cursed death and detestable and this to bee performed not in a mountaine or secret place where there should be sew beholders as Abrahams was to haue beene done but euen before the face of all the Iewes to hang as a most odious and notorious sinner to suffer his accusation to bee no lesse then for blasphemie to haue him so debased as to haue Barrabas who for an insurrection and murther was cast into prison Lu. 23.18.19 Mat. 27.22 in the choice of the people preferred before him who not onely was condemned by Pilate prosecuted by the malice of the Iewes conuinced by false testimonies scorned at by them that bad him helpe himselfe when he was in such extremitie as hee could scarce speake but that euen God his Father should arraigne him in heauen hauing all the sins of the world cast vpon him that pressed him at one time to the highest and lowest part of hell Whereupon consider that for the sinnes in our person all the horrors of hell did compasse him and all the torments of the damned did seize vpon him Reu. 19.15 and God for the time accounted him his enemie and brought him to that exigent and extremitie as he was forced to crie Father why hast thou forsaken me for if he had not bin the Sonne of God it had bin impossible to haue sustained or endured it and yet being the Son of God he was driuen so low as an Angel was faine to be dispatched from heauen to comfort him and all this to befall him who in himselfe was not in any one particular sinfull being cleane by birth and holy by conuersation True it is the high Priest was angrie with him because he tooke him as an offender in his owne person but God was angrie with him as esteeming him a sinner in our person that he which had not deserued being smitten wee that had deserued might
brethren and the malice of the Iewes in the apprehension and death of Christ were wicked and euill in themselues though God turned their ends contrarie to that they were intended For the last point If he giue him he will with him giue all things obserue that no man can partake of the benefites of Christ but first hee must partake of Christ himselfe and therefore they that holde wee doe in the Sacrament of the Supper onelie partake of the benefits of Christ his death and not of Christ himselfe doe grossely offend for wee doe eate spiritually the verie bodie and doe drinke the very bloud of Christ and by this wee are made partakers of his soule and by consequent of his humanity and by this of his diuinity for they are neuer separated and by this of Christ God and man and by consequent of all his benefits for these benefites be like an c. in the end of a sentence that implieth a necessary addition of many things not expressed and yet must needs be vnderstood as depending vpon the former So that if we haue Christ he commeth not naked nor alone but he bringeth all he hath with him his puritie his obedience his sacrifice his power and whatsoeuer else may make a Christian man perfect Secondly obserue hence that no man can partake of Christ but with him he must likewise partake of all his benefites answerable to that speech of the Euangelist Mat. 6.33 When we haue the kingdome of God other things shall be added for saluation neuer commeth alone And therefore damnable is that opinion that a man may eat Christ really and indeed and yet not partake of his benefits because he doth not eat him effectually for this should argue there is no life in the flesh of Christ contrary to that Ioh. 6.54 He that eateth of the flesh of the sonne of man must needes haue life Thirdly obserue hence that all is gift and no merit and a gift purposed of God to be bestowed before euer we deserued any thing for though we in dutie must labour in the course of mortification yet in vaine doe we wash our selues thinking to be accepted for our cleanlinesse for it is God that giueth the beginning in his Ioue and the increase in his spirit and the end and perfection in his Sonne And therefore he that leaneth to himselfe shall surely fall for if flesh be thy arme and thine owne works the ladder whereby thou thinkest to clime to heauen when thou art passed the ground then shall the rounds breake and thy fall shall be to thy confusion for in the gift of Christ alone we are beloued Vers 33. Who shall laie any thing to the charge of Gods chosen It is God that iustifieth verse 34 Who shall condemne It is Christ which is dâ—â—d yea or rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and maketh request also for vs. The Apostle hath before proued that if any thing should make vs tremble and stand in feare of damnation it should bee one of these two first either the sinfull imperfection of our nature or secondly the ineuitable necessity of affliction Now that we being in Christ the remainder and relikes of that corruption which we shall onely shake off in death cannot make vs subject to the curse of God he hath proued from the first to the seuenteenth verse going before Secondly that the rod of affliction resting on our backs is no argument of the wrathful face of God but onely the chastisement of a Father he proued from the 17. to the end of the 32. vers Hauing proued these two points he now maketh a most comfortable conclusion demanding a question by way of a challenge and doth most confidently himselfe answer it Who can lay any thing to our charge If Sathan shall accuse the brethren Zach. 3.2 whom the Lord notwithstanding will reproue yet who dare condemne and giue sentence against vs since Christ for our sakes is dead secondly is risen thirdly sitteth at the right hand of the Father fourthly and maketh intercession for vs. First for his death how this saueth vs from damnation it is two waies first in respect of the grieuousnesse of his death secondly in respect of the worthinesse of his person that did sustaine and indure it The grieuousnesse of it resteth in these two first that visibly he was nailed to the crosse and there was a separation of soule and body secondly that inuisibly the markes of the wrath of God were vpon his soule he suffering for a time so may torments of hell as euer all the damned shall doe The worthinesse of his person appeareth in this that he was the Son of God by eternall generation who for his obedience and humbling of himselfe in the shape of a seruant to so cursed a death might worthily haue merited the saluation of a thousand worlds So that as death came in by sinne which stingeth a man to damnation and whereby the diuell raigned ouer all so by the death of the sonne of God was death ouercome sinne abolished and the diuell vanquished and as by sinne came in death so by death went out sinne Hereupon we beholding Christ crucified by a liuely faith 1. Cor. 15.21 wee shall be freed from the impoysoned bitings of the old serpent euen as the Israelites were healed of their wounds and stings Ioh. 3.14 Num. 21.9 by looking on the brasen serpent in the wildernesse For the second which is Christ his resurrection we haue this comfort that no sinne is vnsatisfied or vnexpiated since he is deliuered from the power of darknesse and of death vnder which he was kept and still should haue beene kept vntill all our debts had beene paied to the vtmost farthing Heeeupon we beleeue that Christ caried all our sinnes with him into the graue but what became of them afterward we know not nor need not to inquire for he rose without them And this was represented in the scape-goat Leuit. 16.21 who hauing all the sinnes of the people laid vpon him was sent into an vninhabitable place where he was neuer heard of againe set downe to be in the wildernesse by the hand of a man appointed For the third consider two things first what is meant by his sitting at the right hand of his Father secondly what benefites we reape by his sitting there For the first vnderstand it is a translated or borrowed speech for can we thinke that God hath a hand whose power is diffused through all creatures and being an infinite spirit hath no definite place And as heere Christ is said to be sitting so else where he is said to be standing as Act. 7.56 Stephen saw the Sonne of man standing at the right hand of God In which there is also a borrowed speech for we must not thinke he either fitteth or standeth at a certaine place but the phrase is fetched from the custome of great Princes who vse to set them on
then conquerers two waies first in respect of our selues secondly in respect of others We are conquerers in respect of our selues three waies first in the afflictions that goe before death secondly in the very suffering of death thirdly that sometimes there comes a speciall deliuerance and the wicked are made a ransome for the godly Prou. 21 1â— The first of these appeareth in that wee chuse to suffer rather then to admit any ill condition in seruing God as rather then the three children would stoupe to the worship of the beast they embraced the fire Daniel 3.22.23 And though through the sharpnesse of the trouble oftentimes the outward man trembleth and decaieth yet are wee strengthened and renewed in our soules and consciences that wee are not carefull to answer the greatest tyrant vpon the earth that that God whom wee serue is able and will deliuer vs from the sting and poison of any torment yea though sometimes the Lord strangely handleth them that suffer for the Gospel so as their soule is troubled and cannot apprehend any comfort but euen feele the iustice of God vpon them for their sinnes and in the instant of their dissolution they seeme to be void of inward heauenly power to strengthen them and do find a heauy vnaptnesse and vnapt heauinesse to sustaine the triall and that though they haue poured foorth their soule with teares vnto the Lord yet they cannot finde that resolution in any comfort to take the cup but as it is held to their mouths yet at the last being for the cause of Christ they may be sure he will send his spirit to quicken them and dispatch such a comforter from heauen as they shall find euen in the flames such alacritie and delight as if they had rather receiued a pardon from death then any power to bee thrust on to death for the Lord will comfort the abiect bring light out of darknesse and as 2. Cor. 4.11 make the life of Iesus manifest in our flesh by our being deliuered vp to death for his sake For the second that we are more then conquerers in death we haue many examples in the booke of Martyrs and elsewhere how some haue protested they haue sate in the flame as easilie as in a downe bed some haue lifted vp their hands when they were halfe consumed verifying this speech in Esay 43.2 Neither shall the waters drowne thee nor the fire burne thee nor the flame kindle vpon thee meaning thereby that the Lord shall make the most bitter drinke pleasant to them whom he hath called by his name Thirdly wee are more then conquerers in our owne person by the Lords sending of some strange deliuerance and by seeing our enemies consumed in our stead and this is two-fold either extraordinarily immediate or extraordinarily mediate The first appeareth Act. 5.19 Peter cast into prison had the dore opened by the Lords messenger was brought forth in despite of his enemies the same Peter was whipt and being Act. 12.6 a sheepe appointed to the slaughter lying fast bound between two souldiers the prison doores being watched the Angel of God smote him on the side and his chames fell off he was brought through the first and second watch and the praiers of the church did disappoint the purpose of the tyrant whose hands were not yet washed from the blood of Iames whom he had killed with the sword So vehement also were the praiers of Paul and Silas Act. 16.25 that an earthquake shaked the foundation of the prison and loosed the bands of all the prisoners and the Lord put it into the hearts of authority to send Paul foorth in peace and when hee would not standing vpon the law of the Romanes Act. 22.25 that no man should be scourged before he was condemned his enemies were glad to intreate him to goe Of which examples wee must make this vse that if the Lord saw it good for his glory he could doe as much now for nither is his power abated nor his loue diminished Exod. 16.15 Deut. 8.3 For in that he fed the Israelites with Manna he shewed that he can make a man liue without bread in that he blessed the small quantity of meale which the widow of Sarepta had he sheweth that our life standeth not in abundance 1. Kin. 17.16 and he that made the three children dance in the fierie fornace Dan. 3.22 when they that put them in were killed with the heat of the ouens mouth he can and will cheare vs and make glad our hearts in the vale of death For it is he that strengtheneth Dauid to ouerthrow Goliah and his power shall support vs to ouer come death 1. Sam. 17.45 Now for the deliuerance which is extraordinary mediate wee haue example in Saul Act. 9.25 who by the Disciples was put thorow the wall and let downe by a rope in a basket when the Iewes watched the gates to kill him Wee haue likewise our owne Prince Queene Elizabeth on whom many waters did beat and ouer whose head many flouds haue runne and when euen in her sisters time she was as a lambe to be led foorth to the shambles it pleased the Lord to snatch her out of the mouthes of the mighty and to set her seate farre aboue their reach and then were they sory they had cur downe the branches and suffered the stocke to stand Secondly we are more then conquerors in these afflictions in respect of other and that two waies either in the conuersion of others in seeing the Lords power in the midst of our perplecities or else in the confirmation of others they being emboldened by the Lords hand on vs to assure themselues he will not leaue them destitute in the like extremitie Examples of the first wee haue Act. 4.32 and 5.14 how in the heat of the disciples afflictions and when it was counted little better then insurrection to flocke to sermons the people sold their possessions to buy a good conscience and to know the fruit of Christ his death and how the number of them that beleeued grew more and more and how out of the blood of that constant Martyr Stephen there sprung vp daily fresh and new Christians Examples of the latter wee may see in the testimony of Paul who said his bonds were famous in the Court of the Emperor Phillip 1.13 and by that others were taught to preach more boldly and 2. Tim. 2.10 I suffer as an euill doer euen vnto bonds but the word of God is not bound therefore I suffer for the elects sake meaning thereby that his example of captiuity and patience did sundry waies confirme the Church in the hope of a better life For this is the property of the Gospell to grow highest where it is troden downe and to spring fastest where it is killed For when Ahab and Iezabel thought they had not left a Prophet of the Lord but had destroyed all but Eliah and him had they sought for as with
sense that all the sonnes of God are not yet reuealed for part are in heauen part in earth and part of them not yet borne Secondly touching the sonnes of God on earth they are not all yet reuealed in regard that the Lord calleth daily and maketh as it were a fresh addition to his church by the power of his word as he did in the Apostles time Peter by one sermon Act. 2.41 conuerting three thousand soules to Christ Thirdly they are not all yet reuealed on earth because the wicked cannot discerne them for as Christ was visible heere with vs yet was not knowen to the Scribes and Pharisees their eies through ignorance and malice being so shut as they could not see him euen so though the members of Christ are visible in themselues yet to the malitious and vngodly they are inuisible because they haue not the eies of faith to spie them out Fourthly the sonnes of God here on earth are not yet reuealed to the children of God for Elias 1. King 19.14.18 thought there had beene none left but himselfe to serue God when the Lord vnknowen to him had reserued seuen thousand that had not bowed their knees to Baal Fiftly there are many hypocrites among vs in which respect the sonnes of God on earth are not yet reuealed but at the latter day when the Angell shall come to make a separation then shall the fish be knowen from the frogges the sheepe from the goats and the sincere professor from the dissembler for then there shal be two in one bedde the one receaued the other refused who before were so linked in fellowship as it was vndiscernable that in their deaths they should haue such seuerall ends Howbeit the better sense for these words When the sonnes of God shall be reuealed is this When the sonnes of God shall be receaued vp to glory for then shall they know as they be knowen and then shall the restitution come when the sea and the graue shall yeeld vp all their dead and all the creatures receaue as it were their first robes of puritie and goodnesse wherein they were created Now vers 20. the Apostle setteth downe the reason why these insensible creatures doe thus waite for mans glorious libertie because they themselues are subiect to vanitie wherein wee are to consider two things First to what they are subiect Secondly by whom they are made subiect That the creature is subiect it is not to be stood vpon because it is granted of all men but this is no willing nor voluntarie subiection but by force and constraint for the horse must haue his rough rider or else the snaffle will not hold him in and the oxe must haue his yoke on his necke and his goad in his side or else he will not draw well and the mule as Dauid saith Psal 32.9 must haue his mouth bound with the bitte and bridle lest hee come neere thee with his heele Now that which the creature is subiect to is heere saide to be to vanitie and vers 21. to the bondage of corruption that is to a vanishing and fleeting estate and they are said to be so in three respects First in respect they haue lost their first comelinesse and order their first beautie and their first perfection in which they were created for as there is great difference betweene that gold that hath beene tried seuen times in the fire and that which is taken out of the veines of the earth mixt with other mettals betweene that sword that is newly varnished and that which hath line so long by as it is eaten through with rust betweene the shining of the sunne in his brightnesse when it is eclipsed or shineth in a gloomy day so is there as great or greater difference betwixt the heauen and earth all the host therein which then were made for the furnishing of Gods house toward the entertainment of Adam his sonne in paradise and the heauen and the earth which now are left vnto vs poisoned by the curse of God for Adams sinne with thornes and thistles barrennesse and vnholsome smels that the very corruption in the aire killeth both them vs. Secondly they are subiect to vanity in regard the wicked do enioy them and the godly oftentimes abuse them for the rust of the money which the vsurer hoordeth vp crieth in the eares of God because it is deteined by the vniust owner the gay apparell of the proud and ambitious do fret as it were themselues that they should hide the shame of them that are so shamelesse to snatch at the maiestie of God to shake his seate by their sinne the wine which is swilled in by the drunkards doth boile as it were in wrath that it was pressed out of the grape to heate their stomacks that deserue only to be inflamed by the fire of hell yea and euery morsell that falleth into the mouths of gluttons and wicked persons the Sunne that shineth on the vniust and the raine that lighteth vpon the fields of the oppressors and all creatures else that come within their fingring are grieued and doe wait with feruencie for the end of all flesh that they may no longer be forced to serue and sustaine the enemies of their maker for the sinnes of the wicked are so heauie and burdensome and their abuse of the creatures so intollerable that the earth groneth that it cannot swallow them vp as it did Korah Dathan and Abiram Numb 16.32 or otherwise bee disburdened of them though to her owne desolation as it was in the vniuersall floud Gen. 7.21 And againe if we that are sanctified vse them otherwise than they are ordained of God as that the Sunne should giue vs light to wander out of the way of holinesse that we should otherwise be clothed then as becommeth Christians or any further refreshed by recreation then to make vs the fitter for the ranging of our selues within the compasse of our callings heerein do we also make them subiect to vanitie because wee should vse the world as if we vsed it not with such moderation and comelinesse as not to snatch at any of them or to profane them for it is against the law of truce when we are at league with any either to surprise them or abuse them and wee through Christ are at league and peace with all the creatures as Iob saith Chap 5.23 Thirdly they are subiect to vanitie in regard those shal die which haue life in them and the rest shall be cleane melted and dissolued for this heauen and earth we now see shall heereafter be abolished as it is said Esay 65.17 I will create new heauens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into mind and Psal 102.25.26 The foundation of the earth and the heauens are the works of thy hands saith Dauid to the Lord they shall perish but thou shalt endure they shall waxe old as doth a garment and Reuel 21.1 I saw saith Iohn a new
to her wallowing in the ruire Some will say True it is the spirit may bee quenched in 〈◊〉 hypocrite but neuer in the elect as 1. Iohn 3.9 Hee that is borne of God sinneth not And whom God loued once hee loueth alwaies This is true but then looke that thou stand vpon good and sound euidence when Sathan troubles thee for thou knowest how the burning lampes went out how the seed in the blade came to nothing and it is certaine that a man illuminate may sinne against the holy Ghost and therefore see that thou hast good title and groundest vpon good interest when thou shalt bee vexed with temptations For Rom. 8.13 if wee liue after the flesh wee shall die and as many as are led by the spirit of God they are the sonnes of God and who hath this spirit looke 1. Iohn 3.14 We are translated from death to life because we loue the brethren for hee that hath a soule must needes breath and he that hath the spirit must needs fulfill the fruits of the spirit Secondly albeit the elect haue receiued an euerlasting spirit whereof the Lord can neuer repent and which can neuer vtterly be quenched yet let vs feare and tremble for in the elect it may so bee obscured and ouerwhelmed that some of the graces of Gods spirit nay most of the graces yea the chiefest of the most nay all almost of Gods graces may in them be quenched as Dauid praieth Psal 51. Lord create in me a new spirit and yet he had it in him for in the same place he saith Lord take not thy spirit from me So as this exhortation not to quench the â—â—â—rit hath a double fruit in the hypocrite to make him vnexcusable in the elect to make them more circumspect and carefull in their conuersation for we must not be secure in as much as albeit the spirit of God in those that be his cannot bee absolutely quenched and wholly put out yet there may bee a great abatement of the spirit as not to be recouered without great touch and terror of conscience For first while a man feeles the presence of this spirit there is giuen him such ioy and with that a singular peace in the inward man and such securitie of his saluation that he feeles the loue of God spiritually to do him as much good as his meat and vpon this assurance he doth as it were behold the heauens open for the Lord to embrace him liuing or dying and he knoweth himselfe to be sealed vp in the blood of Christ vnto eternall life Now if this spirit be gone absenteth it selfe in spirituall operation together with this is our former ioy abated and the foundation of our hope begins to be shaken and being weake of our selues we are surprised with many feares and suspecting our selues to bee cast from the feare of God and our sinnes arising and flying vp like smoake in our eies we almost are brought to the case of Cain Gen. 4.12 to thinke that whosoeuer meeteth vs will slay vs. Secondly as vpon the enioying presence of the Lords spirit there springs an vnspeakable ioy and comfort in our hearts and we find that the Lords loue breedeth in vs an heauenly assurance of eternall peace and filleth our hearts with a mutuall and reciprocall loue of God our loue streaming and flowing from the well head of the Lords loue then it followeth that the lesse we feele the Lords loue toward vs the lesse we loue him againe and then we droope and languish in our selues our praiers be faint our meditations cold and when we should watch we with the Disciples fall asleepe and we feeling not the life of the spirit Mat. 26.43 we are greatly abated in our loue of holy and Christian exercises and we then only keepe a generall course in our profession and performe euery good thing as it were tedious vnto vs like Eutychus Act. 20.9.10 who came to heere Pauls sermon but was ouercome with sleepe Thirdly when the spirit is abated by the diminishing of the Lords loue towards vs and the withdrawing of our loue from him then because we haue grieued the spirit the Lord suffereth vs to fall into fearefull and presumptuous sinne as hee did suffer Dauid to fall into the sinne of whoredome with Bathsheba aggrauated with the murder of Vriah wherein hee lay frozen by Satans subtilty nine monthes at the least before he confessed it to God for it appeareth 2. Sam. 11.27 that the child was borne before Nathan the Prophet came to him and howsoeuer no doubt he could no more escape the pricke of conscience then he could stay the panting of his heart yet before that time not a word to God of any serious humiliation for his adultery So as neuer any of Gods children sinned more grieuously then he Mat. 26.70 except Peter who was not so much kindled at the fire of the high Priest as he was cold in his soule for first he lied in that he said hee knew not Christ secondly burst foorth into swearing and thirdly gaue himselfe to the diuell if it were he that was with Christ which the Lord most iustly suffered to befall him as a great chastisement since he neglected the louing forewarning of his master and though hee was neuer so much elect yet would the spirit neuer comfort him till he had with drawne himselfe to bewaile his sinne bitteâ—â— All which is liuely expressed Cant. 3.1 In my bed by night saith the church I sought him that my soule loued I sought hâ—â—â—â—â—t I found him not I went and rose and walked about the citie and by the streeâ—s and by open places I sought him but found him not thereby to declare that when the Lord once withdraweth his face from vs how hardly we shall win his fauour againe Fourthly when the Lord hath suffered vs to fall thus farre as we shall euen seeme to be swallowed vp of hell already though in the end he will restore thee yet first he will suffer thee to beare the shame of thy sinne in this life Gen. 9.23 1. Sam. 15.14 as Noah for his drunkennesse to be a scorne to his owne children and Dauid for his adultery to bee thrust out of his kingdome by his owne sonne which was such a griefe to him as all the ioy of his sonnes life did not so much comfort him as the sorrow of his death did wound him he mourning for Absolon 2. Sam. 19.33 as if he had doubted of his saluation But happy is hee that hath the thornes in his sides in this life and that is afflicted heere for though the Lord will neeuer take his louing kindnes from thee yet he will scourge thee not for any satisfaction of his iustice for Christ hath paied all but onely for a chastisement Lastly besides all this when the spirit is gone and abated it shall be such a terror to thy conscience such smart and vexation to thy whole minde as thou wert better bee almost
in a holy conuersation Heere will be obiected since workes are so precisely vrged what say wee to the faith of the theefe vpon the crosse what workes did he and by this example many betray their soules in presuming of the like grace Wee answer that this was a particular priuiledge giuen to that theefe euen as a pardon may bee giuen to a man vpon the gallowes and if any embolden himselfe heereupon perhaps the rope will be his hire and it is not good to put it vpon the Psalme of Miserere and the necke-verse for sometime he proueth no Clarke And for this theefe the Lord neuer did it but to one that none might presume and yet hee did it to one and did saue one in the exigent of his life that none might despaire Secondly this was a worke reserued for the manifestation of the power of the Sonne of God that he should beleeue in his fellow sufferer and desire him to saue him that when the Pharisees denied him to be the Sonne of God yet a poore wretch and a theefe should confesse it Thirdly we must not regard the shortnesse of his confession but consider the time and circumstance when and before whom this confession was made euen then when no man durst defend the innocencie of the Sonne of God when the Pharisees left him when all his Disciples were scattered and when Marie his mother that stood a farre off and knew him to be the Sonne of God and yet spake nothing in his defence whereby she finned against the first table She was his mother and saw him put to death vniustly and yet would not testifie of his innocencie whereby she bore false witnesse against him so sinned against the ninth commaundement being her sonne she did not comfort him vpon the crosse and so sinned against the fift commaundement yet when all these either doubted of his diuinity or despaired the poore theefe did confesse him to be that Christ the Sonne of God who â—â—d Paradise to dispose Lastly know that he was such a wretch that he neuer knew God before and therefore was it no maruell though he committed felonie but as soone as the Lord knockt at his heart first he confesseth Christ to be God and to die an innocent Luk. 23.41 We suffer righteously but this man hath done nothing amisse wherein he wrought a worke of the first table secondly he reprooued his fellow who raned on Christ wherein he wrought a worke of the second table So as this example of the theefe is no warrant to deferre or trifle off our repentance till the last houre for hee wrought as soone as hee was called If therefore the Lord hath offered vnto vs the riches of his mercie let vs in the acceptable time embrace it and not abuse his long suffering by growing more leane and ill-fauoured by these many yeeres wee haue had of religious peace and plentie but let vs returne vnto him while he is in the way before darknesse too fast ouer-grow our soules and before death snatch vs away into the graue For the similitude which is vers 26. obserue onely that it agreeth not in all points for the soule is the cause of the life of the body but so are not good works the cause of faith but only an effect and fruit of it for faith giueth life to good works and faith worketh by loue in the person instified for we must as hath bene said first be good before we can do good and we are made good spiritually by our regeneration in Christ and we being ingrafted into him then we do good so as the meaning only of the Apostle is by this similitude to shew that when a dead man being dead can speake which is impossible then faith which hath no workes and so is but a dead faith shall iustifie and saue vs. 1. IOHN chap. 3. vers 9.10 verse 9 Whosoeuer is borne of God sinneth not for his seed remaineth in him neither can he sinne because he is borne of God verse 10 In this are the children of God knowen and the children of the diuell who so doth not righteousnesse is not of God neither he that loueth not his brother THE Apostle in the beginning of this chapter first setteth downe that God the Father by his euerlasting loue in his Sonne hath bestowed vpon the faithfull this priuiledge to be called the sonnes of God in the sonne of God Christ Iesus Secondly that this dignity to bee the sonne of God and so to be called is not to be discerned by the men of the world because they haue not knowen the Sonne hauing not his spirit for spirituall things cannot be discerned by them that haue nothing but fleshly policy Thirdly as this cannot be discerned of the world so it is impossible our selues should sufficiently conceiue of it while we remaine in the tabernacle of this life because there is another glory we expect vers 2. Fourthly he setteth downe an effect inseparable from this adoption As many as are the sonnes of God and haue this hope of future glory they striue to reformation of life not to be equally pure but to bee like pure to the Lord Iesus This hee prooueth first from the institution of the law God neuer ordained the law neither after our creation nor after our redemption but to bee kept and the reason is thus The breach of the law is a disparagement swinge and sinne it perfect strength Thirdly the godly eâ—e said not to sinne be 〈◊〉 he laboureth to walke in all the commandements of the Lord. Now he that walketh in the right way may somtime fall but if hee doe heâ— striueth to regaine it by greater carefulnesse and speedier passageâ— but the wicked goe cleane out of the way as if heauen stood at hell gate Lastly because in the godly there is a combat for there is two men in them in the inward man they would faine please God and by the outward as Saint Paul saith they are made captiue to sinne Rom. 7.23 but in a meere naturall man there is nothing but flesh and so no combat for where all is one there is no diuision and if there be any strife in him it is betweene his conscience and himselfe in iudgement conuincing him that it is sinne and not betweene his conscience and his affection misliking it as it is sinne for this is easily seene by his often relapse into the same sinne Now for the reason hee doth not sinne because the holy Ghost which is the seed of our second birth remaineth in him neither can he sin and this is proued by two places of scripture first Rom. 8.1 where the Apostle proueth these two graces inseparable iustification from sinne and sanctification from sinne thus There is no condemnation to him that liueth a spirituall man this is proued vers 5. by contraries They that liue after the flesh sauour the things of the flesh but he that is borne of God cannot doe so for then