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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93880	The teachings of Christ in the soule. Opened in a sermon before the Right Honble House of Peers, in Covent-garden-Church, upon the solemne day of their monthly fast, March 29. 1648. / By Peter Sterry, M.A. sometimes fellow of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge: and now preacher of the Gospel in London. Published by order of that House.	Sterry, Peter, 1613-1672.	1648 (1648)	Wing S5486; Thomason E433_30; ESTC R204205	36,001	61

THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST IN THE SOULE OPENED In a SERMON before the Right Hon ble House of PEERS in Covent-garden-Church upon the Solemne Day of their Monthly Fast March 29. 1648. By PETER STERRY M. A. Sometimes Fellow of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge AND Now Preacher of the Gospel in LONDON Published by Order of that House LONDON Printed for R. Dawlman and are to be sold at the Signe of the Crowne and Bible at Dowgate neer Canning-street 1648. Die Lunae 3 0 Aprilis 1648. ORdered by the Lords in Parliament assembled That M r Sterrey one of the Assembly of Divines is hereby thanked for his great paines taken in his Sermon Preached the last Fast before their Lo ps in the Covent-Garden Church And he is hereby desired to cause his said Sermon to be printed and published which is to be done onely by Authority under his owne hand IO BROWNE Cleric Parliamentorum To the Right Hon ble the House of PEERS Assembled in Parliament Right Hon ble I Have principally endeavoured in this Sermon to search What that is to Which we may Trust our Soules and What Foundation we are to Lay in our Religion If we were once Established in this maine Point concerning the Next World we should Enjoy our selves with much more Setledness and Security in This World For how quietly should we repose our Selves for this Outward Short Life in the Body on that Power to Which we commit the Care of our more Excellent and Immortall Part What Difficulty would there be in Trusting to Him for our Preservation from Death to whom we trust our Selves in Death for Eternity Our Lord Jesus seems to this End to be Shaking Heaven and Earth Church and State all Outward Powers and Inward Principles in Both that the True Foundation of Heaven and Earth may be Discovered Saint Paul saith Other Foundation can no Man lay than that which is laid Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 3. 11. God Hath laid no other Foundation neither May we neither Can we On This alone hath God built the World His Church His Glory He hath made All Things by Jesus Christ Coloss 1. 16. On this alone must we build our Belief and Obedience in Divine Things our Wisdome and Power in the Things of Man For All Power is given to Him in Heaven and Earth Mat. 28. 18. Whoever raiseth any Outward or Inward Frame of Things upon any other Ground-worke he makes a Lie he works the Works of the Devill whose End is to be Dissolved to Vanish into Ayre or Perish in the Fire S. Paul Divides Man into Three Parts Spirit Soule and Body 1 Thess 5. 23. The Body is an Outward Image made of Dust Gen. 2. 7. God formed Man of the Dust of the Ground The Soule is a Breath of Life Inclosed in This Image Clothed with It and Giving Life to It He breathed into his Nosthrils the Breath of Life and Man became a Living Soul The Spirit is the Fountain of Life which flowes forth from God to Feed and Maintain the Breath of Life in the Body When the time of Death Comes This Spirit draws back to Their Head again Those streams of Life by Which It went forth into the Body Then the Outward Image falls to the Ground and moulders away Thus doth the Dust return to the Earth as it was and the Spirit returns to God that gave it Eccles 12. 7. Now of These Three the Higher lives In the Lower and Above It. The Lower lives by the Higher And the Highest of all Three the Spirit of Man hath a Higher than That by which It Self lives even the Spirit of the Lord Jesus who is the King and Father of Spirits Our Saviour reasons after this manner Is not the Life More than Meat and the Body than Rayment Mat. 6. 25. My Lords We are all well assured of This that Nothing can Give More than It Hath These Bodies of ours which have a more Noble Image and Life than any other part of this Outward World in which they are cannot receive Either or continue in Either by any Inferiour and Outward Thing but by a Soule which dwells in the Body as a Silk-worm in her Work which lives in the Body as a Fire in the Flame Food and Rayment may be the Fuell by which the Soule maintains the Flaming Appearance of this Bodily Image But the Vertue goes forth from the Soule Our Saviour again teacheth us that Nothing which comes from Without can make the Soule Miserable or Happy Clean or Unclean This is done by that which comes from a more Inward and Higher Principle from the Spirit of Man In like manner this Spirit it self derives Its Life from the Right or the Left Hand of Jesus Christ His Love or His Wrath. From Hence our Spirits convey Life into our Soules and thorow them into our Bodies Thus our Bodies live not by Bread alone but by that Vertue which comes forth from our Soules Our Soules live not by their Counsels and Courages alone but by every Stream of Life that descends from our Spirits upon them Our Spirits live not by their own Eminencies but by Every Word that comes forth from the Mouth of Jesus Christ S. Paul said The Head of the Woman is the Man The Head of the Man is Christ The Head of Christ is God 1 Cor. 11. 3. So the Head of the Body is the Soule the Head of the Soule is the Spirit the Head of the Spirit is Jesus Christ as He comes forth to us in the Ministery of Angels Therefore let us have a Covering over our Heads a Power over our Soules and Spirits holding them in Subjection for these Angels sakes Amongst Which and By Which Jesus Christ the Head of our Soules and Spirits doth now raigne over us Our Lord Jesus calls Himself the Sun of Righteousnesse O that men did once Know that there can be no Right Judgment made no true Distinction or Discovery of Things but by the Shining out of Jesus Christ in their Hearts Are there not Invisible Things as well as Visible Have not They also Their Sun The Sun the Brightest Body is the Foundation and Fountain of all Light Vertue Forme and Being in this Globe of Bodily Substances If the Sun be quite hid all Shapes are lost in an Utter Darkness The Lord Jesus among Spirits and Spirituall Things is the onely Foundation of Truth Life and Power All Truth and True Life is lost in Doubt Uncertainty and a Spirituall Death to those Spirits in which He withdraweth Himself Why is the Heaven of our Religion darkened with Clouds of Dispute with so much Diversity such Uncertainty of Opinions that he begins to seem the Wisest among us who is most of all a Sceptique that is a Scorner or an Atheist How comes our Reason to such a Losse that She cannot Find or Know Her self She can give no Cleer or Constant Account of Her self in any One Man or in any One Particular Thing Doe not These things

our selves our Saviour Shall not the wrath of the one and the sufferings of the other make us sore amazed and exceedingly heavy unto death even the death of all our fleshly delights It is witnessed of Christ 1 Pet. 3. 18. He was put to death according to the flesh and quickned in the spirit S. Paul teacheth us 1 Cor. 5. 5. that after the same example every Humiliation should be for the destruction of the flesh and the saving of the Spirit Who calls himselfe a Christian and yet can forbeare in these times to sigh forth such language as this Lord Jesus thou art our Master we will learne of thee to die with thee Make thou these Calamities which our eyes see our eares heare our hearts feele and feare on every side of us to be our Crosses set up by thy Crosse on thy right hand like that of the good Thiefe We have had power pompe pleasures after the flesh But now let all these languish on these Crosses till they bow downe the head and we give up the Ghost of all earthly strength and hope Thus we will dye and our death shall be sweet unto us as the Spring of a better and more blessed life My soule breathe thou forth thy griefes and feares into the bosome of thy JESUS after this manner My dearest Lord All these miseries round about me shall be thy Crosse to me Here will I lay me downe on this Crosse in thine armes who hast been crucified upon it before me This shall be my rest in the day of trouble For here will I lay me downe and dye for ever to the world that I may rise againe in thy bosome to a new hope to sweeter and surer Joyes But for what shall we mourne We reade in the Gospel of a people that said of Christ We will not have this man to rule over us For this the Lord Jesus determines to go up and slay them Have not we refused the Lord Jesus for a Master to rule and guide us Is it not for this that he hath made these slaughters upon us Let us try our selves concerning these foure Masters Out Humour Our Lusts Our Passions The Examples of men 1. Our Humour God complaines Esay 52. 3. My people have sold themselves for nought How often have we sold our selves our soules our Saviour for nought for a Humour Let us thinke and weepe that many a time the Lord Jesus hath dropt upon our soules the precious discourses of life peace and immortality like the dew from the wombe of the morning that is from the eternall Fountaines of light and truth Yet we have cast it off without consideration meerly because our Humour lay that way to be carelesse of these things O stiffe-neckt spirits Jesus Christ hath come to us eating and drinking that is filling himselfe with immortall strength and truths with divine sweetnesse and joyes that he might flow forth on us and feed us with the same bread and wine of Heaven O hard-hearted Spirits He who is the Beloved of God the Beauty of the Godhead comes to us neither eating nor drinking but weeping and dying testifying the greatnesse of his love by the greatnesse of his sufferings teaching us to hide our selves from griefes and death in his wounds and through them to passe into Paradise Yet we suffer all this to run waste making no entrance into our eares or hearts and that for a weak empty Humour for an inclination without reason because we are listlesse to such things and have no pleasure in them But now let us fall downe before Jesus Christ and say Lord thou art the Wisdome of the Father None Teacheth like thee Thy love and wisdome have overcome me Many Masters many Hamours have reign'd over me besides thee But I bring my stiffe neck to thee with a halter upon it till thou please to take it off and put on thy yoke which is light and easie I bring my hard heart to thee and lay it broken at thy feet till thou gatherest it into thy breast and make it whole there 2. Our lusts These are our second Masters Psal 12. 13. God saith of Israel I gave them up to their owne hearts lusts And then afterwards O that my people would have heard my voice Lusts lead us away from Jesus Christ and suffer us not to heare his voice Let us try our selves concerning this thing What in all the course of our life hath put us on the frequentest or chiefest actions of our life Have the Spirituall appearances of Jesus Christ within us conspiring with his Word before us been the Oracle with which we have consulted Or have our lusts prompted us and thrust us on Have our eyes been upon the Eye of Christ to guide us or on some Wedge of gold or the Babylonish garment of some power office or honour What is it in the great action of this Reformation that hath put us to travaile so far about by the way of the Wildernesse of a Warre to meet with so many fiery Serpents What is it which now hath cast us into this feare that we shall waste a weary life and drop our Carkasses in this Wildernesse before we see the Land of Rest Have we not loath'd Manna and lusted after Quails We have found no Savour or Relish in the discoveries of Beauty Sweetnesse Rest in the Spirit and Person of our blessed Saviour But have been longing for the Bravery Ease and pleasures of the Flesh Doe we thus requite Jesus Christ He hath spared no losse trouble or paine to make his way to us to make known Himself his Father and the Glory of Heaven to us Yet now every motion of Ambition Vanity Covetousnesse or foule Desire hath more power to perswade with us than the Life and Death of Jesus Christ than all his Words Teares and Blood Let our Saviour speak by his Providence as loud as Thunder let him speak by his Promises with the tongue of an Angell to our eares and affections let him speak by the power of his Spirit with the voice of God to our Spirits we cannot heare him But let a Lust whisper onely from out of the ground of our sensuall part we heare it with ease and speed Shall we not be ashamed and grieved for these things 3. Our passions You have an admonition from the Apostle Ephes 4. 27. Let not the Sun goe downe upon your wrath To that he addes ver 28. Neither give place to the Devill Passions are Devils come up into our spirits with the fire of hell burning hot upon them and flaming from them These are uncleane Spirits which for the most part haunt the high places of Power and the desolate places of Warre When Passions are loud God himselfe cannot be heard by the best men as we see in the example of Jonah What griefe is it to thinke that we should refuse the Prince of Peace for a Counsellour when we take our passions in his stead that Jesus Christ

speak two or three and let the rest judge Ver. 30. If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by let the first hold his peace Ver. 31. For ye may all prophesie one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted A Prophet is the Oracle of God for the delivery of Divine Discoveries to men And in this sense God speaketh of Christ Hebr. 1. 2. God hath spoken in these last times by his Sonne Glorious truths laid up in God concerning Himselfe and the Heavenly estate of things are revealed first to Jesus Christ and by him to us The Lord Jesus is God-man God and Man in Vnion As God he possesseth eternally all Divine Truths in Himself then by vertue of the Vnion he drawes forth these Truths out of the Depth of the Divine nature into the Humane as it were to the top of the water that they may be visible there Divine Truths can live no where but in the Divine nature neither can they appeare to us but in the Humane nature Therefore can there be a Spirituall Discovery no where but in Jesus Christ where he goes along with it and carryes it on in his owne Person Because in Him alone is the Vnion betweene both Natures Object But you may say May we heare no Person in Divine things May no man speak to us the things of God besides Jesus Christ Were there not Prophets before his Being in the flesh Have there not been Prophets and Teachers in the Church since his fleshly comming Ans You shall have an Answer to this Objection from the mouth of an Angel Rev. 19. 10. Saint John would have worshipt the Angel which ministred to him the revelations of Jesus Christ But he forbade it in these words See thou doe it nor I am thy fellow-servant and of thy Brethren that have the Testimony of JESUS worship God For the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophesie Prophesie is a Discovery of Divine things by a Divine light This is that which is called a Revelation Ephes 1. 17. The Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation in the Knowledge of Him that is Jesus Christ And 1 Cor. 14. 30. If any thing be revealed to another let the first hold his peace Nothing can come to us in a Divine light except it come in Christ and his Appearance For this is that which makes the Day in Divine things Ye are Children of the Light and of the Day We are to take nothing for a Divine Light a Prophesie or a Revelation except the Lord Jesus give his Testimony to it by his Appearance in it Worship God saith the Angel I am a servant who beare the Image of the Living God which is the Appearance of Jesus Christ in me I am no more than the Precious Stones were under the Law on which a Light from Heaven shone forth to give answers from God I am onely the Lanthorne that carry the Light in me which sends forth its Beames to you The Prophet saith To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to these they have no Light in them Esay 8. 20. This he speaketh of the Prophets No Light that is no Morning All Prophesies or Spirituall Discoveries before Christ appeared were as Morning light which flowes from the Sun though that be not yet seene it selfe All since Christ are as Beames falling from his Face S. Paul calls all Gospel-discoveries The Glory of God in the Face of Christ 2. Cor. 4. 6. Thus much for the Answer to this Objection and the Reason of the Point The Application Use 1 FOr Humiliation Right Honourable Can you weep with your Saviour one houre You have set this Day and many your Saviour hath set this Yeere and many such Yeeres apart to this end Long did our Lord Jesus pipe to us with the sweet sounds of Peace Plenty Pleasures But we danced not to the Musick of his Love Now he hath long wept to us he comes forth cloth'd with red garments riding on the pale horse of Death in the midst of us If we now mourne not to him it is a Rebellion as the sinne of Witchcraft it is to make merry with Devils and exalt our selves with Lucifer My Lords If a sense of your Saviour's frownes and the sorrowes of your people have wrought your soules to a mourning temper I humbly beg two things of you One that you would mourne seriously the other that you would mourne spiritually 1. Mourne seriously The Lord Jesus is our Master He sets us serious Lessons of Sorrow Let us raise our Spirits to their Watch-tower to a wakefull temper What doe we now see The Lord Jesus making three Kingdomes in a view as three Wine-presses Himselfe treading them where the Grapes are men the Wine the precious blood and the deare lives of many thousands of men Yet his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still Still he seemes to be gathering together under his feet the remaining Clusters to tread them into streams of blood till there be none left till the dry land of Peace or Hope be no more to be seene but a deluge of blood swallow up all But What doe we see The Lord Jesus making three Kingdomes as Bottles filling them first with the winde of Vanity and Pride then with the Wine of their owne Fury and his Wrath so dashing them in pieces one against another till they become as broken Pot-sheards Yet his anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still Still he seemes to be hissing fot a troupe of fiercer spirits from the darke and fiery corners of hell below to enter into these Pot-sheards that they may make a more confused and crueller Warre each with other Are these things Dreames and Fancies or are they seriously thus We reade of a Law which God made among the Jewes Levit. 23. 29. that if any one afflicted not himselfe on a solemne day of Humiliation that soule should be cut off from his people O God! let not this curse fall upon my Spirit or upon any Spirit here present this day to be so far cut off from being a living member of Jesus Christ or a naturall member of his native countrey as to mourne but in shew or slightly now when the Lord Jesus riseth upon us in such a Cloud of deepe and reall Sorrowes If any man at this time regardlesse of that storme which he sees in his Saviour's face or of the sufferings of his Brethren shall make himselfe red with Wine and Laughter when Jesus Christ is red with anger and blood is it not O God because thou hast made the heart of that man fat for a sudden Slaughter Let us then mourne seriously 2. Mourne spiritually Imitate Jesus Christ make him your Master this way in your Griefes We reade of him Mar. 14. 33 34. He began to be heavy and sore amazed And he said My soule is exceeding sorrowfull even unto death Alas our Brethren our Country

their owne Spirits while they are one Spirit with Jesus Christ Many such lessons Jesus Christ teacheth us but they all are easily learn'd and practised when we thorowly understand those two great Lessons of the Lovelinesse and Love of Jesus Christ He that looks upon the Lovelinesse of Jesus Christ as he looks will feel himself by degrees transform'd into the same Spirituall beauties 2 Cor. 3. 1. Beholding the glory of the Lord we are chang'd into the likenesse of the same Image He that dives into the Love of Jesus Christ will feel himself irresistibly drawn and forc'd by it to answer and imitate it 2 Cor. 5. 14. The Love of Christ constraineth us The Lovelinesse and Love of the Lord Jesus fall both into the same Path. He that hath found one hath found both This is the shortest sweetest plainest and perfectest way to Heaven What shall I now say to conclude this Exhortation If the Lord Jesus have been working with me this day confirming the words which I have spoken outwardly to your ears with his words spoken inwardly to your hearts then I know your Hearts have been powerfully touch'd and some one among you sweetly affected with Jesus Christ begins to say I have hitherto sought my Honour in the Glory the Sweetness of my life in the pleasures of this world But doe thou thus still teach me ô my Iesus Make me to hear from thy mouth the sound of thy Loveliness and Love in my Spirit Then shall I have more joy in these things then ever I have had when my Corne and Oyle have abounded the treasures and delicacies of the Flesh Use 4 Direction You shall know the Teachings of Jesus Christ from all other by these Properties 1. Love 2. Life 3. Power 4. Perpetuity 5. Infallibility in his Person 6. Demonstration of his Doctrine 1. Property Love The teachings of Christ fell upon the Soul like the Soft rain upon the tender grasse The Touchings of men have much of their own humours and passions mingled with them which often nip the young 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the breathings of Christ are soft and gentle not quenching any heat though never so weak and dark but fanning the least smoke till it be a flame As the Eagle bears her yong ones upon her Wing and so teacheth them to flie thus doth the Lord Jesus train us up to Spirituality bearing our infirmities 2. Property Life Jesus Christ speaks quickning creating words As he instructs he infuseth a Principle suitable to his Doctrine He holds forth a Light and makes a seeing Eye He utters divine Mysteries and makes a hearing Eare. He presents love riches joy strength and gives a heart to receive it 3. Property Power Jesus Christ speaks not Words but Things You have not so learn'd Christ if you have been taught of him and have learn'd the Truth as it is in him Ephes 4. 20 21. Christ doth not teach by signes but the sabstance it self He presents the Excellencies of which he discourseth He shews them to the life in his own Person He plants them and sets them in the Soule to grow there Christ so teacheth that he makes his words Spirit and Life Iohn 6. 63. one Spirit and Life with Himself and you He makes these three one Spirit the Teacher the Truths taught the Disciple that learns them 4. Property Perpetuity 'T is said of God that His work is for ever Eccles So are the teachings of Christ for ever He gives us his Spirit to be a Treasury and a Remembrancer of all Truth to us He shall bring all things to your mind Iohn Thou hast the words of everlasting life Iohn The words of Christ will live in your Spirits as long as ye live in your death eternally 5. Property The infallibility of his Person Let God be true and every man a lyar Rom. 3. 4. Nay man is not onely a Lyar but a Lie Surely men of low degree are Vanity and men of high degree are a Lie to be laid in a balance they are altogether lighter than Vanity Psal 62. 9. Man is nothing more than an empty appearance If he pretend to be or appear any thing he makes himself a Lie The wit strength excellency of man serve only to make a strong delusion Man hath infallibity no more then he hath immortality But Jesus Christ is more than man He is God too God neither tempts any man nor can be tempted James 1. 13. Jesus Christ cannot deceive any man nor be deceived If He appear His appearances are true If Jesus Christ say It is I the winds of temptation the waves of doubt obey and the greatest storm in the Soul is silenced into a Calme There remains now only the last Property of Christ's teachings which is the Principall one I shall therefore be somewhat the larger upon it 6. Property Demonstration of his Doctrines Saint Paul testifies of himself 1 Cor. 2. 4. And my Preaching was not in the enticing words of man's Wisdome but in the Demonstration of the Spirit and of power When Paul preached with an infallibility it was not Paul but the Lord Jesus that spake and gave a Demonstration of that which he spake 1 Cor. 7. 10. Saint Paul makes a three fold Opposition 1. Oppos Between Words and Power 2. Oppos Between Enticing words and Demonstration 3. Oppos Between Man's wisdome and the Spirit Enticing words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perswasive words such as are able to beget a humane faith to the highest The Demonstrations of Christ in his teachings are above not the Rhetorick only but the Philosophy of man They are more then words fancy wit reason or wisdome it self so far as man or any meer Creature is capable of them There are four Questions which being propounded and answered will give much light to this Scripture and this Property 1. Quest What is a Demonstration 2. Quest What is the Spirit 3. Quest What is the Demonstration of the Spirit 4. Quest How this is appropriated to Jesus Christ 1. Q. What is a Demonstration Answ A Demonstration is the Evidencing of things by an irresistible light and clearness of conviction The Philosopher teacheth us from the Principles of reason and nature that a Demonstration must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by such Truths as are the First truths in themselves and most immediate in respect to us The truths by which you will demonstrate any thing must be 1. First truths 2. Immediate truths 1. First truths Such as have none above none before them on which they depend for Certainty and Clearness Demonstrating truths must be absolute unquestionable such as no understanding can resist when they are presented That which manifests is Light Ephes 5. 13. That which makes clearly manifest without any deniall or doubt is Light in which there is no darkness as S. John speaks of God 1 J. 1. 5. Such a Light must that be which carries a Demonstration along with it It must be the originall and measure of all Truth as Light is