time for thy faith thy repentance they were transient acts such as do passe way but this Eternity abideth for ever So in that it is eternal the freenesse of it is necessarily implied What hath a cup of cold water given in the Name of Christ of condignity with an eternal reward Oh then that by faith we could fix our hearts upon this eternal life that we could say what do we here What is this life that we now live to that eternal life Why have I not this more in my thoughts and desires Why do I not rise and go to bed with hungrings and thirstings after this especially let wicked men who for to fulfill every base and unworthy lust lose this eternal life to go home weeping and howâ—ing and making bitter Lamentations For they for a lust that passeth in a moment undo themselves to all Eternity Thus you have heard the properties of it In the next place consider it comparatively with this present life and you will see what a Mole-bill is to the vast heavens that is this life to eternal life For 1. This life is but short fading and fleeth away as a shadow It 's not a life but a shadow of a life We live but in a dream We act a life upon a Stage There is but a life represented not really lived Hence the Scripture useth so many similitudes to expresse this nothing Sometimes this life is called a flower Psa 90. which though sweet for a while presently dieth Sometimes a Floud that makes a sudden noise and is immediately swallowed up in the earth Sometimes to a bubble to a vapour to a shadow to a threed Now why are all these expressions but to tell us This life is no life it deserveth not the name of a life and yet as poor and short as it is what an imbred desire have we to it Skin for skin and all that we have we would exchange for it how welcome then and desired should eternal life be which compared with this life is like the Ocean to a drop Now lay up both these lives together this fading moment and that enduring Eternity and admire the madnesse of wicked men who say Give me this life Let me here live in my pleasures and lusts though I be deprived of eternal life This foolish choice is made by every wicked man 2. This life as it is short so it is full of troubles and miseries Few and evil have my daies been said Jacob Gen. 49.9 though a godly man who had sometimes the presence of God immediatly refreshing him in this Pilgrimage It hath been the saying of some That if they were to live the life they have lived over again They would not accept of such an offer because the water of it hath been more then the wine the gall then the honey Hence Job saith Man that is born of a woman is for adversity as the sparks fly upwards Job 5.7 Nothing is so connatural and proper for man as to be miserable Compare then Eternity with this where all evil is done away Nothing but glory and fulnesse of abundance Eternal and happy may the Saints glorified say their daies are Yet here again is a great discovery of every wicked mans madnesse To have a few evil daies wherein thou hast more vexation then comfort thou wilt lose this eternal blessed life and if thou saist I hope not so I do not intend to do so that will not avail thee for this eternal life is vouchsafed to none but those that repent of and wholly forsake their sinnes Never then blinde thy eyes and delude thy self with vain hopes Thou for thy sinnes sake dost voluntarily refuse this eternal life 3. This life is full of fears We are obnoxious unto death from principles of corruption within as also from violence without So that if we could suppose an universal good in this life That we had mercies and no sorrow mingled with them yet the fear of losing them or our death no longer to enjoy them may justly be the death in the pot or the root of bitternesse in all our joys There is no ground we can shadow our selves under but a worm will arise either from it or from our selves or God will create one to destroy it so that when all things are to our hearts desire yet we are not able to say I fear not the losse of it neither death or the violence of man can deprive me of it but still we are subject every moment to an alteration set we then this eternal life by it and there we shall see how glorious that is comparatively for as there is an universal good so there is a quiet full and secure possession of it There is no danger from within or from without Adam though created happy yet was mutable The devil seduced him out of all his felicity but now there is a confirmation of the Saints in heaven if once in possession of glory there cannot be any to eject them unlesse there could be a stronger then God It 's not so much happinesse as security in happinesse that makes a man blessed Fear to lose it takes off from the enjoying of it but it 's not so with this eternal life There is all quietnesse all security and ease and certainly if the Apostle Rom 8. even in this life can make such a glorious charge Who shall separate us from the love of God through Christ Neither death nor things present nor things to come How much more shall they in heaven triumph after this manner If those that are tossed up and down in the Sea have such security what may they have who are in the haven Upon this account it is that our Saviour bids them treasure up that wealth Mat. 6.20 where theeves cannot break through and steal By that he means no secret craft or open violence can get away that treasure Here again we see the madnesse of wicked and earthly men They venture their souls and God and heaven and all to get this uncertain wealth these uncertain pleasures which when they have they may fear every moment that voice from heaven Thou Fool this night thy soul shall be taken from thee Thus they do when a secure certain and permanent treasure is to be tendered to them It 's a rule which all commend for the wisedom of it Tene certum dimitte incertum and this they will keep too in earthly affairs but then for heaven and eternal happinesse there they are devoid of all understanding 4. This life is measured by time as are all the things therein There is a succession of comforts we cannot have all comforts together All these things in the world are in a swift motion and nothing stands still The comforts we had the last year or the last day or the last hour they are gone we cannot have them any more Thus every thing in this world being measured by time is in a continual flux There
Ghost is also requisite to Eternal Life appeareth in that we are baptized into his Name so that it 's a principle and Foundation to be instructed about the holy Ghost as well as the Father and the Sonne We reade that the Apostle doth in most of his Salutations pray for grace and peace from God the Father and the Lod Jesus Christ yet none may from thence gather the Spirit is excluded for 2 Cor. 1.13 14. There is the communion of the Spirit added to the love of God and the grace of Jesus Christ 3. You may demand If the Knowledge of those things be enough to eternall Life what then needs the Ministry or Preaching to a man that knoweth these If a man have these is he not above Ordinances and the Ministry This indeed some have arrogantly thought But 1. There is no man knoweth as much about God and Christ as may be known The Apostle that was lifted up to the third heavens yet he saith We know but in part 1 Cor. 13. If Paul then knew but in part what must others do We see the Angels themselves desire to have the Mystery of Christ made more known to them Eph. 3. so that it 's a foolish conceit to think thou knowest enough already for though our knowledge shall be perfected in heaven yet even there we cannot know God as much as he is known for the infinite object cannot be comprehended by a finite faculty 2. Suppose thou couldst not grow in knowledge which yet is impossible yet the Ministry is necessary for thy heart and affections The devils know more then any man but there will is obdurate and hardened in wickednesse So thou maist have great knowledge and understanding yet thy heart may need much quickening much mollifying and for this end the Ministry is appointed 3 If thou didst not finde a need of them either for understanding or heart which yet is more impossible then the former yet God having appointed such a way thou art only for obedience sake and to testifie thy submission to God to do it Christ needed not to be baptized for he wanted not the grace signified viz. remission of sinnes Yet to shew his obedience he did it Adam though created in a state of integrity yet had a command of triall to manifest his obedience and so though never so perfect yet thou canst not be exempted from obedience to Gods commands Vse of Instruction to the full self-righteous man that is not burthened and loaded with the sence of his sinnes whatsoever knowledge thou maist have yet thou canst not know any thing in a saving manner about Christ Till thou be affected with thy misery and the remedy thou art not yet a knowing man in Christs School or to those who labour and are greatly affected with their sinne They know sin They know the Law They know the terrors of an angry God but they know not Christ Consider how Paal was affected herein he knew nothing but Christ crucified 2 Cor. 2.2 All things were accounted dung and drosse for the excellency of this knowledge Phil. 3.8 Consider Eternal life is as well in knowing of Christ as in knowing of sin or what duties God requireth of thee SERMON XIX Sheweth how a Godly Life though it merit no good is a Ground of Comfort at the hour of Death JOH 17.4 I have glorified thee on Earth I have finished the work thou gavest me to do IN this Verse our Saviour addeth a new argument for that Petition mention mentioned v. 1. Glorifie me Why because I have glorified thee on earth I have finished my work Now his work is done he expects his reward These words our Saviour doth not speak out of ostentation and boasting but to shew the order God appointed that by his sufferings when perfected he should enter into glory In the words we have Christs profession of the end he intended in all things I have glorified thee on earth 2. The manner how or the means by which I have finished the work thou gavest me to do I have glorified thee though Christ as God had all divine glory due to him yet as Mediatour in the state of humiliation so he was inferiour to the Father and in this sence he did glorifie him To glorifie is either when really that glory is exhibited which was not before and so God glorifieth us or else when we celebrate acknowledge and declare that glory which is already possessed and thus we glorifie God For when we glorifie God we adde nothing to him we do not make him more glorious then he is indeed We cannot advantage him but our selves by serving of him as a man by seeing doth not profit the Sun but himself nor the thirsty Traveller by drinking refresh the Fountain but himself Christ then being by the state of humiliation made lower then God yea lower then Angels had this purity of intention in all that he did and all that he suffered to glorifie God Q. If you say Was not the redemption and salvation of these the Father gave him his end how then is the glory of God his end A. The Answer is the ultimate and chief end is Gods glory The proxime and immediate was the salvation of man and therefore in respect of the chief end this is the manner or the means of glorifying of God and this is intended when he saith He had finished his work 2. Consider the restriction or limitation of this glorifying of God from the place where I have glorified thee on earth That is mentioned because here only on the earth was he to be in a state of debasement here only he was to work in heaven he was to receive his glory The Schoolmen use to call a man while he was in this life the way to heaven viator and when he is possessed of glory they call him comprehensor Now they say That Christ was both viator and comprehensor together but if they mean that in this life he possessed all that glory which he should have in heaven that is false for we see him here praying for it and other places God promiseth it as a reward of his obedience and sufferings Indeed the humane nature of Christ was alwaies united personally to the godhead but there was a suspension of that glorious influance and happinesse while on the earth 3. Consider the time when Christ makes this profession at the end of his daies when he is to go out of this world This was the ground of his confidence in his Petition Now although we are not able in the same degree and perfection to say as he did yet for the main we ought to be like him in this when Death comes when our daies are to be finished to be able to say Lord we have glorified thee we have finished the work thou gavest us to do and of this particular I shall treat Obs That it is a blessed and most happy thing to be able at the time of
also There cannot be any more two meritorious causes of salvation then there can be two Suns in the Orb Christ will not have a copartner under any distinction whatsoever in the work of our Redemption As for the doctrine or thoughts of perfection let those be abandoned Let us walk humbly and lowly under our imperfections yet breathing after perfection Fifthly Because no works we do can be perfect hence at the end of our daies when we look over all our former life we may not put any trust or confidence in what we have done Paul that knew nothing by himself yet was not thereby justified The Pharisees are condemned for this that they trusted in their own righteousnesse yea the whole Nation of the Jews that they went about to establish their own righteousnesse and would not submit to the righteousnesse of Christ Rom. 10. Though self-righteousnesse be not a grosse scandalous sinne making men abominable and noâ—some in the world yet it is as damnable and as dangerous as those sins yea more damnable partly because it overthroweth all the principles of being cured None being more miserable then those who are so yet do not feel or think so This is like the Psalmists arrow that destroieth at mid-day and then partly because it doth so immediatly oppose Christ revealed as a Mediatour and Saviour for they that trust in their own righteousnesse are a Christ are a Saviour to themselves Lastly Though all this be true our godlinesse is no merit no ground of confidence yet a faithful zealous performing of those duties God hath required of us may as a sign and evidence wonderfully comfort and imbolden our hearts As the Rainbow is not a cause but a sign that God will never destroy the world more by water so this tendernesse and diligence of thine in all the waies of God are not a cause but a sure signe that Gods eternal love is placed on thee and that thou art in the number of those who are prepared for glory our rejoycing is this saith Paul the testimony of a good conscience 2 Cor. 1.12 and 1 Joh. 3.21 Hereby we are sure he heareth us if our hearts condemn us not Hezekiah and Paul did not mention their good life as a cause or means Neither did they put confidence in them only they took this as a comfortable signe they were in the favour of God and they looked upon these things as inseparable qualifications Even as Rahabs thred hanging out of the window was not a cause but a signe that she was in the number of those who were exempted from destruction and in this sence we maintain the doctrine That it 's a blessed thing at the end of our daies to have this testimony this cordial in our hearts Let us consider the grounds of this blessednesse 1. At the time of death all our earthly comforts they vanish away they continue with us no longer Now if thou think how rich thou hast been what pleasures and delights thou hast had this is so farre from comforting that it torments the more but a drop of this heavenly assurance of our endeavour to please God will be more precious then all the world Oh foolish people and unwise that do no more consider your latter end Can you but look on your body and say this face these arms this body will one day moulder in the dust Can you but look on your houses and habitations and say These dwellings will know me no more must every thing break thy heart thou lookest upon thy husband thy Children thy friends mourning by thee must there be such a sad and dolefull time and dost thou provide no comfort no hopes to encourage thee The Psalmist saith not as the horse and mule without understanding whose mouth must be held in by a Bridle Psa 31.9 Alas thou art worse here is a bridle put on thee to keep thee from rushing upon sinne any more and yet it will not stop thee If then all these earthly comforts will fail thee and thou shalt look back upon thy life and that torment thee that torture thee also thou art twice and thrice miserable 2. It 's a blessed thing to have this Testimony and Seal upon our hearts that we have glorified God and done his work because Conscience if ever is then awakened and the devil he is most busie to tempt and trouble He that formerly shewed only the pleasant bait of sinne will now manifest the hook He that before said you should not be damned now makes it necessary he that made pardon easie now makes it impossible and as the devil is thus a roaring Lion so conscience is a roaring witnesse within Thou hast stopt the mouth of it and muzled it a long time but now 't will speak and thou canst not make it quiet Indeed too many die like beasts rather then men They think not of their sinnes they consider not Eternity but drop into hell before they consider any thing but yet when death comes commonly there is some terrour and trembling upon the conscience and if ever any sinne did formerly sting it will then Oh then how blessed a thing is it to have such an argument in our mouths that shall quiet conscience and confound the devil when they tell thee there is no hope thou hast been an hypocrite thou canst bring this testimony out of thy bosome O Lord thou knowest though I was overtaken by many infirmities yet my heart was set to glorifie thee I was tender and careful to discharge all my work though I failed in many things this will make thee like Adamant and marble how much did the consciousnesse of the integrity which Job had strengthen him under those powerfull storms and blasts that fell upon him 3. It 's a blessed thing to be able to say thus upon just grounds because of the terrour of death to flesh and bloud We cannot be willing and ready to die all the while the worms of conscience are gnawing the soul before worms be gnawing the body When Simeon had seen Christ and taken him in his arms then he saith Lord let thy Servant depart in thy Peace Luk. 2. When Paul hath thus discharged his trust then I have fought a good fight and there is laid up for me a Crown of glory It hath been the case of many good men to have uncomfortable sicknesses and an uncomfortable death and what makes it sometimes so but want of this assurance this good testimony about themselves oh their life troubles them such sins and such barrenesse They know not what to do Their hearts are within them They think of death and their soul is troubled so that it 's a most desirable thing to have this in thy heart when thou art dying Oh thou thinkest Would I might have such a Minister such a Friend by me when I am dying I tell thee this is the best friend It was Augustus his wish that he might have an 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a quiet easie death without pangs and torment but this is the easiest the comfortablest the best dying Oh that we should preferre any thing before that Oh that thou shouldst not cry out of every sin This will trouble me when I am dying 4. It 's a blessed thing to go out of the world having done Gods work because we are immediatly to appear before him No sooner is thy soul gone out of the body but it appeareth before God he either for thy sinne adjudgeth it to hell or because thou art a member of Christ appoints thee to eternall glory oh then when there is but such distance between God and thy soul how comfortable is it to have been all thy life time glorifying God Thou hast been glorifying God and God comes now to glorifie thee Thou hast been doing his work and now he is giving thee the good things promised Oh Beloved how should this prevail with you there is but a step between my soul and God how will God look on me who can endure his frowns and displeasures Doth not the Apostle say It 's a fearfull thing to fall into the hands of the living God Heb. 10.3 And now I am falling into Gods hands either the hands of a merciful Father or provoked enemy Well then while thou art in these conflicts and agonies what support is it to have this sure evidence O Lord in my life time I lived for thee and to thee now I come to live with thee O Lord In my life time I knew thee I did thy work but I was at a vast distance now I come to the immediate injoying of thee Reas 5 5. It s a blessed thing to have this evidence because it 's of that good which will be eternall Canst thou truly say thus then it 's an immortall Crown of Glory that is laid up for thee no more deaths no more changes no more fears or tears thou art made for ever But of this heretofore Vse of Admonition Let every one attend and give all diligence to get this evidence Oh the terrour and horrour that must take hold on thee if thou hast been dishonouring of God all thy life long if thou hast been doing the work that sinne and Satan tempted thee to why art thou so devoid of all understanding will thy health and strength alwaies hold Art thou exempted from the stroke of death Is not thy time running on sit down then and consider what thoughts will at thy death possesse thee What testimony have I that I have done the work of the Lord Oh doth not thy life accuse thee Is it not all over bloody Canst thou think of what thou hast been with any content Is thy life at present such that thou canst say O Lord I am doing thy work Oh the amazement and astonishment that should take hold on such men SERMON XX. Sheweth who they are that cannot at the close of their daies take comfort in this That they have finished the work God gave them to do As also what things if not avoided will much diminish the comfort of the Godly ones at that day JOH 17.4 I have glorified thee on earth c. THe Doctrine observed was That it is a most blessed and happy thing in the close of our daies to be able to say upon good grounds We have finished the work God gave us to do You have heard particulars illustrating it and the grounds of the point I shall now amplifie this and in the first place shew Who they are that cannot with any comfort or very little be able to say thus For although this truth in the general be very terrible yet in the particular it loseth its edge because every man is a self-flatterer Every one is apt to think I have done Gods work and therefore it will be well with me If therefore it be possible my endeavour shall be that this arrow of Gods truth may enter in at the joynts of thy armour seeing it cannot any where else Consider then who they are that may say they are dogs and not children so that this bread doth not belong to them And first All those who daily and constantly are doing the clean contrary work to what God requireth such whose conversation is a perpetuall reproach and dishonour to God these do not at all glorifie God These have cause to tremble and quake when death approaches and their accounts must be made and is not this the condition of most Look generally upon mens lives are they not doing the devils works are they not dishonouring God all the day long by their ungodly conversation If there be any that are tender and consciencious are they not like gleanings after a Vintage here a man and there a woman otherwise for most men you would think they thought hell and the day of judgement to be but fables and such a truth as this to be a meer bugbear But God will not be mocked neither can mans greatnesse or atheism or prophane scoffings put off these things Oh then be at last perswaded that that life thou livest will be little comfort to thee one day Oh how speechlesse and confounded wilt thou be when God shall enquire into all thy words into all thy actions and there is nothing but sinne appeareth when every thing will be turned into blood as the Egyptian punishment was into the bloud of thy soul When God looked over all his works he had done he saw them exceeding good and so blessed the seventh day but thou wilt look over all thou hast done and finde it exceeding evil and curse both the day of thy birth and the day of thy death Oh that men would be wise that they would consider their later end What wilt thou do when God when thy conscience when the law when devils will accuse thee Where wilt thou hide thy self Remember Jacob Gen. 32.13 when his brother Esau was to meet him who was enraged and provoked against him how carefull he was by Presents and humble deprecations to mitigate his anger Remember the unjust Steward Luke 16.8 who knowing he must be called to account taketh all the subtill waies he can to make himself friends when he shall be cast out of his office our Saviour speaks that parable to this purpose That when God shall say to every one of us Thou shalt be no long or steward in this relation in that condition I will have an account of all that then we manage all things so that we may be able to have some comfortable refuge 2. Those have nothing of this texts comfort who though they do not contrary work yet do different non-required work It 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though they do not male yet they do aliud agere a servant though he do not contrary to his Masters work yet if he do not the same he is commanded he is obnoxious to his Masters wrath And this is
Scripture that cals these torments everlasting torments a fire that cannot be quenched a worm that cannot die That if this be all thy hope thou maist roar out in horrour and wish thou hadst never been born so that if wicked men would set judgement on work they would see nothing abides them but a fearfull expectation of the vengeance of God all Opinions all Doctrines shut them out If there could one come and bid thee Go on merrily in thy sins be as prophane as thou hast been never think of cries and tears for thy sins because Christ hath died to save thee howsoever This man indeed might make thee run into excesse of all riot and to say Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die and so be saved But the Scripture is so plain against this that all may be perswaded of it without any difficulty Shall we sin that grace may abound saith Paul God forbid Rom. 6.1 And he makes the damnation just of those men who gather such consequences Think then with thy self that in what sence soever Christ died yet thy sinnes make a great gulf between thee and Heaven God hath set a flaming Sword to keep thee out of Paradise therefore cry out I have no hope as yet Oh my condition hath no comfort I cannot meet with any sound Doctor that dares give me any comfort while I love and live in my sinnes Why then wilt thou embrace those lusts that are such a present poison and ruine to thee Hereafter thou wilt be perswaded when too late That sinne hath been thy only Enemy when God shall bid thee Depart ye Cursed then wilt thou bid thy cursed lusts Depart but then it will be too late Vse 2. of Instruction To teach the godly what a sad aggravation there is in every sinne they commit That it 's against the special love of Christ in dying for thee This bloudy circumstance is in thy sinnes which cannot be in the sins either of wicked men or devils Excellent is that Meditation of Eusebius Emissenus Though aith he the devils should be damned for many sinnes and I but for one yet that would exceed the devils Impiety for the devils never sinned against a God that became an Angel for them They never sinned against God that died and was crucified for them but miserable and wretched I pro animâ meâ cur non liquefio cum haec cogito have sinned against a God made man for me Against a God dying an ignominious death for me Against a God leaving me such an example of love and holinesse Indignior sum Lucifero indignior sum daemonibus I am more unworthy then the devils more unworthy then Beelzebub Oh that we could all both think and speak so that not only our tongues may utter it but our hearts be inwardly affected that we might as Bernard said linguam in sanguine cordis tingere Oh then let this special love of Christ to thee more then many thousands wotk in thee more special love and thankfulnesse then others have Take heed of sinne for thy sinnes have this special aggravation in them which wicked men have not Christ hath shewed thee so great love that he himself could not shew a greater and therefore who shall excuse thee if thou sinne for all this Here is then no doctrine of carnal Security in this Point Here is no door set open for Licentiousnesse but as Christ said from a Parable She loved much for much was forgiven her The same should be in all the godly much hath been given and forgiven them therefore they ought to love much and this was set upon Pauls heart even Christs peculiar and special love Gal. 2. Who loved me and gave himself for me Vse 2 Vse 2. Had Christ a peculiar and special love in his praier and death for some only then here we see what is the Thesaurus Ecclesiae not any Popish Indulgences or imagined heaps of superfluous merits but even the death of Christ that and that only doth inrich comfort and make happy all the people of God If therefore thou art one who canst upon true grounds gather thou hast a propriety in Christs death thou art not to be afraid neither living or dying what man or devils shall do unto thee Rom 8. The Foundation of all justification sanctification and glorification is upon this Christ died Who shall condemn It is Christ that died Therefore there cannot be any accusation or condemnation because Christ died Therefore the main Question is What Evidences thou hast for an Interest in Christs Death for if that be once granted unspeakable and innumerable are the priviledges that belong to thee Therefore encourage and strengthen thy heart with the comfortable fruits of Christs Death Let us consider whether thou hast the qualifications of such to whom Christs death is made profitable and advantagious And 1. They that have an Interest in Christs Death they are dead to sin Christs Death and sinnes death go together So the Apostle As Christ died once so should we to sinne and live to Righteousnesse Rom. 6.10 11. and Gal 5. He that is Christs hath crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof If Christ be crucified for thee the lusts of sinne are crucified in thee For the end of Christs Death was not only salvation and happinesse but to kill all the spiritual Enemies we have of this happinesse and sinne is the main for Death had no sting no neither could hell be hell or the devil a devil to thee did not sinne put power into all these Be not then presumptuous but fear and examine thy self Thou speakest much of Christs Death This is in thy month I trust in Christ that died for me But is Christs Death the death of thy sinnes Canst thou see those lusts which like Pharaoh and the Egyptians did once rule over and oppresse thee now drowned in the Red Sea of Christs bloud This is necessary if thou wilt have any comfort because Christ is dead see whether thou art dead to sinne or no Art thou as a dead man who in respect of all pleasures and delights findes no Inclination thus it ought to be with thee The Scripture speaks often concerning this that the godly are dead to sinne sinne hath not that dominion and power once it had Oh but how many as the Scripture distinguisheth are dead in sinne not to sinne Though they have mountains of sinnes lie upon them Though the vengeance of God belong to them all the day long That whether they are eating drinking or sleeping they are an accursed people by the Law which is Gods own Sentence and doom yet for all that they are not afraid neither do they tremble Oh then examine thy self faithfully in this If Christ died for me how comes this sinne to live in me for Christ like Sampson when he died wrought the death of his Enemies When he died it was that those lively active lusts should die also 2. If thou
have been in this This was the bitterest cup he was to drink of Oh then the glorious priviledge of him who hath a propriety in the death of Christ he is thereby interested in all the Offices all the actions of Christ in all that Christ is or can doe for us 2. He that hath Interest in Christs Death hath a propriety in all the benefits of his Mediatorship Justification Sanctification Glorification Rom. 8. The Apostle hangs all these admirable benefit ultimately upon Christs Death Who shall condemn it's Christ that died So that Christ is that dead Lion wherein as Sampson we may finde so much honey not only for our selves but for the refreshment of all others This Argument cannot be denied at the Throne of grace It 's stronger then sin and devils O Lord I am one for whom Christ died Can Justice can the Law can the devil condemn Here was an atonement and Christs doing it once was enough The Apostle saith Heb. 10.14 By one offering of himself he perfected for ever all them that are sanctified The Apostle puts much in this one offering and that he did it once shewing thereby that if Christ had been crucified a thousand times over yet he could not have more perfected the salvation of the godly then he did by that once offering Say then when thou praiest for pardon for sanctification for the favour of God O Lord I ask not for such great things as thou hast done already I do not beg a Christ to die for me I do not ask a Christ to be crucified for me yet this thou hast done and therefore where the greater is granted the lesse will not be refused 3. Where we can prove an interest in Christs death there we may be sure no other good thing in heaven or earth shall be denied unto us And what can a godly man desire more If thou shouldst sit down to think and think again canst thou go beyond this Lord give me all things that are good for me Now the Apostle urgeth this Rom. 8. If he hath delivered up Christ for us how shall he not with him give us all things else all things There is nothing in heaven and earth but thou maist have from God as well as Christ and truly the argument is undeniable if God will give us his onely Sonne to die that ignominious death for us what gift can there be like to this God himself hath not a greater gift to bestow upon us There is nothing in heaven or earth can be paralleld to him if therefore thou hast Christ thou hast enough whatsoever thou wantest it is not because God doth not love thee or because his merciful thoughts are not towards thee but because many good things are not absolutely good in themselves and so not wholly necessary for thee if thou couldst be no more without riches and honours then thou canst be without Christ thou wert sure to have all these things in abundance The Apostle himself who made this Conclusion yet he tels of the manifold perplexities and afflictions he was many times in He tels us that if the godly had hope in this life only they were of all men most miserable Though he had Christ and so might have all things thereby yet thus he speaks No wonder then if the people of God do or should rejoice under miseries and troubles they have this cordial to revive them 4. He that hath a propriety in Christs death may from this special love to him rather then others have an assured perswasion of his immovable state in grace here till he be removed to glory hereafter For how can it be thought that Christ will lose that childe of his for whose sake he endured all that misery and agony as he did after he hath suffered thus many things shall it be in vain No saith Paul from the consideration of Christs death Rom. 8. Who shall separate us Shall tribulation anguish shall things present or things to come Lastly They that are planted with Christ in his Death they have this priviledge to rejoyce in all tribulations and especially to be above the fear of death For Christs death took away sinne the sting of death See how Christ triumphs and giveth every godly man leave to rejoyce 1 Cor. 15. O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy Victory For that death could have no power over Christ but he brake the bands of it asunder therefore it is that the members of Christ enjoy the same priviledge Therefore under all temptations and fears run to the death of Christ It was the death of all afflictions and death it self all the nature of such things is turned by Christs death they are mercies they are inlets to glory SERMON XLVI Of Free-Grace opposite to Arminianisme Tending to raise the hearts of those that are Godly to Joy and Thankefulnesse JOH 17.9 I pray not for the world but for those thou hast given me for they are thine WE handled that dreadful passage I pray not for the world at which saith Gerard Mundus debet coherrescere sed existimat ludum ac jocum suo cum prestantissimo exitio We come to a second description of those that are included in Christs Praier and they are characterized by this They are given by the Father to Christ Certainly there must be much in this Consideration For our Saviour doth no lesse then five times use it in this Praier and Joh. 6. it 's used severall times I handled it before but then I considered it much as it did imply the trust and charge Christ had by this gift God the Father gave them to Christ as a faithful Mediatour he betrusted him with them as a people whose Salvation he should obtain and accordingly Christ was faithfull to make these a peculiar people and Gods precious Jewels They were given him as a King to govern as a Physician to heal as a Mediatour to save and as a Shepherd to feed and this propriety that both God and Christ hath in them is a great ground why God should hear Christs Praier for them But I shall now consider this phrase as it tels us the manner how they were made Christs and that is by meer gift and grace God did not see or foresee any merits or works in those Disciples more then others for all are alike corrupted in that common masse of mankinde but it was his meer and sole good pleasure For Gratia non est gratia ullo modo nisi sit gratuiha omni modo We see then here what is the womb that first giveth a being to all those thar are saved and that is Gods grace in giving some to Christ Now what is meant by this giving to Christ It cannot be any other thing but Gods Predestination and Election of some with the necessary effects of it in time as Vocation Justification c. It 's a phrase that is like an hard stone to the Arminians teeth it troubleth them exceedingly and
be full of blemishes yet when we present Christ by Faith then there is no fault to be found Lastly The vertue of this Sacrifice is to make us like Christ himself he thinketh it not enough to be King and Priest himself but he maketh us also Kings and Priests for ever We offer up Praiers and Praises to him and by him we conquer all our spiritual Enemies The devil and our lusts are subdued Such glory have all they that are partakers of this Sacrifice Vse of Terrour to all wicked and ungodly men who by their Unbelief and Prophanesse reject this Sacrifice The Apostle Heb. 10. cals it trampling upon the bloud of Christ and accounting it a prophane thing Oh how many thousand live that have no esteem and make no account of this Sacrifice Oh remember that this is the last and ultimate Sacrifice He that rejects this hath no more hope There remaineth no more oblation for sinne There is not another Christ or another Sacrifice if thou refuse this Vse 2. Of Encouragement to the Godly Come to this Fountain that is set open for Judah and Jerusalem to cleanse in Doe not say because Christ crucified is a stumbling block and foolishnesse to wicked men that therefore thou wilt disesteem him also There is no sore but this blood will heal and cure Oh let the blood of thy soul be stanched with this blood of Christ This blood speaks good and comfortable things better then that of Abel SERMON CI. Of Sanctification as the Effect of Christs Death Shewing That no man truly believeth in Christ for Justification that doth not also for Sanctification JOH 17.19 And for their sakes I sanctifie my self that they also may be sanctified through the Truth WE are now come to the end of Christs Sanctification which is two-fold the finis cui and cujus We shall put them both together for so they are conjoyned in the following clause That they might be sanctified through the Truth Wherein you have 1. The final Cause 2. The Manner of accomplishing it The final Cause That they might be sanctified and from this the Socinian would argue That Sanctification in the former clause was not meant of an oblation by way of Sacrifice because the same word is applied to the Apostles in the Text and they were not to be sacrificed for us To answer this First Some Expositours do expound it of their offering up of themselves by Martyrdom to confirm the truth for Paul professeth his willingnesse herein using the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 2.15 which was used of some kinde of their Sacrifices but we need not runne to that it 's no new thing in Scripture to use the same word in one verse in different significations and it 's a Rule Talia sunt praedicata qualia permittuntur à subjectis The Apostles then needing not such a Sanctification as Christ applied to himself but that for which he prayed in the former verse We must understand it in the same sense as there It 's true by Sanctification some also will have Justification comprehended and so speak of an imputed Sanctification but we need not stretch the word violently but understand it first Of making inwardly holy and then consequently A setting apart and dedicating our selves wholly unto God by living unto him and thence observe That Christ died not only for our Justification but Sanctification also He made himself a Sacrifice not onely to remove the guilt of sinne but to remove and subdue the power of it not onely to make us happy but also holy Let us consider What is implied in this That Sanctification comes by Christs death And First We are to know that Christ is the Cause of our Sanctification several wayes partly efficiently for not only the Father and the Spirit but Christ himself also is the cause of all the holinesse we have and therefore he is called the life because he gives all supernatural life unto his and is compared to the vine Joh. 15. because as the branch separated from the Vine can bring forth no fruit so neither is a man able without Christ to do the least holy action he is also called the Head and John 1. Of his fulnesse we are all said to receive Thus as God in the course of nature is the authour of every natural gift therefore it 's said In him we live and move and have our being Act. 17.28 So in the way of grace Christ is the authour and finisher as of our faith so of every holy work in us The Author Heb. 12.2 and therefore we cannot so much as begin or meet Christ he must prevent us and the finisher for although we have begun yet we have not the same manutenency and powerfull preservation what we have begun to build would immediately fall to the ground Thus Christ is the Alpha and Omega of our spiritual life 2. Christ is the meritorious cause of our Sanctification and therefore not only remission of sin but holinesse and zeal is made the consequent of Christs death And the Apostle doth not only Rom. 7.8 shew that we are justified by Christ but also that the body of sinne is mortified thereby Thus Heb. 10. what Sanctification that Apostate had is attributed to the blood of Christ Christ then hath as efficaciously merited holinesse as happinesse He died to destroy the workes of the devil now our captivity to him was not onely in respect of guilt but that bondage and slavery we were in to all lusts and therefore those two benefits are like Castor and Pollux one cannot be without the other 3. Christ is in some large and improper sense called the formal cause of the good in us an assistant form not informing that is Christ received and applied by faith doth in a most inward and intimate manner live in us and thereby strengtheneth us so the Apostle Gal. 2.20 I no longer live but Christ in me Here you see Christ liveth in a godly man for by faith we are united unto him and thus Christ becomes our Head from whom we have all spiritual influx Now an head is a conjoyned and united cause made one with the body and thus is Christ and his Church and therefore is that similitude of an Head and the Body so often used 4 Christ is the final cause of our Sanctification that is we are made holy to this end both that we might shew forth the praises and glory of Christ as our Redeemer as also that we should live to him and set all our affections and desires upon him desiring with Paul To know nothing but Christ crucified 1 Cor. 2.1 Secondly In that by Christs death we are sanctified there is implied That we of our selves are very impure and unclean that we are like so many noisome dunghils For our being unsanctified doth imply 1. Our filthiness or uncleanness this is the state of every man till sanctified by Christ he is like an unclean leper his
p 532. l. 35. r. antequam p 543. l. 32. adde of them p. 554. l. 30. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 579. l. 35. r. sapiens p. 581. l. 19. r. room p. 590. l. 14. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 600. l 40. r. Abailardus l. 53. r. Noveris p. 615. l. 21. r. darkness p. 617. l. 20 r. diligent p. 64â— l. 23. r. be loved p 644. l. 17 dele dayes of his suffering p 646. l. 39. r when p. 670. l. 19. adde nature p. 682. l. 17. r. shine l. 30. r. them p. 688. l. 5. r. Obadiah p. 690. l. 53. r. ancient p. 690. l. 53. dele we are THE CONTENTS SERM. I. JOHN 17.1 These words spake Jesus and lift up his eyes to heaven and said Father the hour is come glorifie thy Son that thy Son also may glorifie thee THe Necessity of adding Prayer to Preaching for its good effect Shewing also what kinde of Cause the Word is of Conversion and what are the requisites of Heavenly and Spirituall Prayer SERM. II. The transcendent excellency and efficacy of Christs Prayer in respect of the matter and nature thereof as being Mediatory his person and Relation c. held forth as a ground of unspeakable Comfort to Believers SERM. III. Sheweth how prevalent the Prayers are that are poured out to God as a Father and what disposition and frame of heart this compellation Father may breed in every one that doth fervently pray to God SERM. IV. Of Gods appointing an hour a set time for the dispensing his Mercies and Judgements in reference to particular persons and his Church and Churches Enemies SERM. V. Of the Nature and Manifestations of that Glory which Christ prayed for and is invested with And how comfortable it is to all his Members SERM. VI. Of Heavenly-mindedness Shewing that we should seek both earthly and heavenly Blessings chiefly for this end viz. That God may be Glorified SERM. VII JOHN 17.2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternall life to as many as thou hast given him The Text vindicated from Arians Ubiquitarians and Papists and the power and dominion of Christ observed and applied to the Comfort of his Disciples and Terrour of his Enemies SERM. VIII The Effects and Appearances of the Kingly power and dominion of Christ SERM. IX Christ under the notion of a Head applyed to the Terrour of his Enemies and Comfort of his Members SERM. X. Of Predestination or Gods giving some of mankinde to Christ not all for him to Redeem and what unspeakable grounds of Comfort to Gods people flow from thence SERM. XI Treateth of Eternall Life in the Nature and Properties of it SERM. XII A Consideration of Eternall Life compared with this present Life and with its contrary viz. Eternall Death SERM. XIII Weighty Considerations upon Eternity SERM. XIV JOHN 17.3 And this is 〈◊〉 â—ternall that they might know thee the â—ly true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent The Necessity of Divine Knowledge and arraignment of Ignorance SERM. XV. More Reasons of the Necessity of Divine Knowledge and the Causes of Ignorance SERM. XVI Sheweth what saving Knowledge is in its Concomitants and Effects SERM. XVII Of the Knowledge and Worship of the One true God and the contrary thereto viz. Idolatry SERM. XVIII The Necessity of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus as well as of God the Father SERM. XIX JOHN 17.4 I have glorified thee on the earth I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do Sheweth how a Godly life though it merit no good is a ground of comfort at the hour of Death SERM. XX. Sheweth who they are that cannot at the close of their daies take comfort in this That they have finished the work God gave them to do As also what things if not avoided will much diminish the comfort of the Godly ones at that day SERM. XXI Of Gods being Glorified by mans Salvation Christs chief end in what he did for man was the Glory of God which bespeaks both our imitation and unspeakable Consolation SERM. XXII Of Christs Finishing the work he undertook with the end and properties of it and the great Comfort of iâ— to Beleevers SERM. XXIII JOHN 17.5 And now O Father Glorifie thou me with thine own self with the Glory which I had with thee before the World was Of a holy working life the Excellency Equity and Necessity thereof in order to Glory SERM. XXIV Of vain Tautology in Prayer and what Repetitions in Prayer are such and what not shewing also what things are absolutely necessary to a good Prayer SERM. XXV Of the Promises and of Prayer SERM. XXVI Of heavenly Glory as opposed to earthly and how the hopes thereof earnestly sought and prayed for will comfort a man against the fear and in the midst of all trials and afflictions SERM. XXVII The Eternall Deity of Christ proved and whence it comes to pass that there are any so vile as to deny it shewing also what sins do much provoke God to give men up to such Blasphemy SERM. XXVIII Proveth That the world was not from Eternity but had its beginning in time and reduceth that Consideration into Practice SERM. XXIX JOHN 17.6 I have manifested thy Name unto the men which then gavest me out of the world thine they were and thou gavest them me and they have kept thy word Of Divine Knowledge its Excellency and Rarity Shewing that God is truly and properly known only by the Godly and wherein their Knowledge of God differs from the knowledge that others have of him SERM. XXX The great End of the Ministry and what should be the End of both Ministers and people in their Preaching and Hearing SERM. XXXI That Gods people are not of though in this world Wherein is also shewed the vast difference between them and the men of the world SERM. XXXII Of the peculiar propriety Gods people have in Him and He in them SERM. XXXIII The truly Godly man only is obedient to Gods Word Or the great Character of a Christian SERM. XXXIV JOHN 17.7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee Of Growth in Grace the Duty Necessity and Glory of it SERM. XXXV Of Faith in Christ the Mediatour with the Ingredients or Concomitant acts of it SERM. XXXVI JOHN 17.8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me and they have received them and have known surely that I came out from thee and they have believed that thou didst send me Of Obedience to all the Commandments of God shewing That that only is truly Obedience and the property of a Godly man SERM. XXXVII Sheweth That Gods people are ready and willing in Obedience Whence it is that they are so Tending to rouse men up from dulness and formality in Gods service SERM. XXXVIII Of the Excellency and Necessity of Beleeving in Christ as a Mediatour That it 's acceptable to God as well as Obedience to
for the dispensing his Mercies and Judgements in reference to particular Persons and his Church and Churches Enemies JOH 17.1 Father the hour is come glorifie thy Sonne c. THE next Argument in order that is in this full and pithy praier of Christ is from the time and seasonablenesse of the mercy he praied for The hour is now come God is to help now or never If this opportunity be neglected all other help will come too late The word hour hath severall significations and applications in the Scripture sometimes it 's taken properly for that measure of time we call an hour Thus we have the first the second and third hour The learned dispute about the distribution of a day into hours amongst the Jews and the Romanes but I passe it 2. Hour is used for a short but indefinite time Joh. 4. you did for a season for an hour in the Greek rejoice in his light 3. It 's used for those things that are to be done in that hour or time it doth not only signifie the mensura but the res mensurata Mar. 14.35 Christ praied that hour may passe from him viz. those afflictions and that bitter suffering to be in such a time 4. Which is a very frequent and the most common use it signifieth any particular set time that is a fit occasion for the doing or suffering any thing The peculiar time God hath appointed either for doing or suffering by his people is called the hour and concerning Christ we reade of these hours attributed to him First There was a peculiar time when he was to begin his Miracles he lived some years privately ere he manifested himself though when twelve years old he argued with the Doctors but as the Tradition is it was about thirty years of his age ere he undertook a publique Ministery and did miracles For as for those Miracles in Popish Legends attributed to him while a childe they are nothing but impudent lies The first Miracle he ever wrought was at Cana in Galilee Joh. 2.4 where because his Mother was over-hasty for him to do a Miracle he reproveth her saying My hour is not yet come That time was not then come of manifesting himself the Messias though it was presently after for he did turn the water into wine immediatly 2. Christ had an hour of suffering and passions so that all the endeavours to take away his life could not prevail till that time came yea and Christ himself before his time came hid himself and went from place to place to avoid death whereas when that hour was come he willingly gave up himself to be a Sacrifice Joh. 7.30 They sought to take him but no man laid hands on him because his hour was not yet come So Ioh. 8.20 Lastly There is the hour of his glorification upon his passions and sufferings and that is meant here Father the hour is come glorifie thy Sonne although indeed this hour may comprehend both his Sufferings and his glory Doct. That God in his wisedom doth appoint times and seasons both of his childrens afflictions and their mercies They fall not out by chance they come not at unawares but God hath decreed the particular times and seasons before which they cannot come and in which time they are sure to come The time of Israels Captivity was seventy years Though all the godly on earth had praied to God there would not have been a shortning of that time Again when those years were expired all the power in the world could not stop or hinder their deliverance Their very enemies procure it for them Therefore that of the Psalmist is very pertinent Psa 102.13 The time to favour her yea the set time is come Hence you have in the Prophecies of Daniel and Revelation the determinate fixed times for the great troubles and great deliverances of the Church though expressed obscurely A time and half time as also so many daies putting daies for years Let us first consider this as relating to Christ and observe the speciall times and hours God had appointed concerning him and then treat of it more generally And 1. The time of Christs coming into the world was wholly determined by Gods wisedom and his good pleasure Why Christ did not come sooner or later who is able to give any other reason but the good pleasure of God Hence it 's called Rom. 5.6 a due time and Gal. 4 6. the fulnesse of time There was no such convenient time as that appointed by God and it 's observed as one reason that then Christ came rather then at another time because the devils power was so great over men We never reade in any age of so many possessed by devils as was while Christ abode upon the earth If therefore the wise man observe a time appointed by God for every work and purpose under heaven then must this much more be true concerning that great and master-peice of all Gods works The sending his Sonne into the world our Saviour judged it a blessed thing to live in those daies and see those times wherein Christ lived doing the work of a Redeemer Luk. 10.23 24. It was Austins desire to have seen Christ in the Flesh but though it was so happy a thing to have seen these things therefore Simeon desired to depart as having happinesse enough when he had seen Christ the salvation of Israel yet unlesse also they did behold him with the eye of faith at the same time they are so farre from being the more happy that they were the more miserable as appeareth by what is said to Chorazin and Bethsatha 2. To take up what was hinted before There was an hour and time for Christs discharging the work of a Prophet and doing such Miracles as might confirm him to be a Messias as you heard Joh. 2.4 and certainly in that Christ did not before publish himself to the world but staid till Gods call came till the time appointed by him This should teach all especially those that undertake a publike Ministery to follow his example in humility and modesty Christ himself though endowed with all wisedom took not his own time but Gods time and Paul would not have a novice taken into the Ministry lest he should be puft up with pride and fall into condemnation of the devil 1 Tim. 3.6 We may justly wonder what Christ did all that time as some have What God did before he made the world and although the Papists have feigned many things yet we must conclude he lived a private life following the trade and profession of his Father which made them say Is not this the Carpenters Sonne Mar. 6.5 And it 's good to observe how diligent our Saviour was while he had this hour to work I must work while I have day the night cometh and none can work Joh. 9 4. Thus we should be like Bees gathering honey while we have the Spring get Manna in the morning while it falleth 3. The third hour
these do accuse thee say if a discharge had not been fully made how could Christ be glorified 2. It makes much to our eomfort because of that near relation which is between us so miserable and afflicted here and Christ our head now glorified What can be a greater cordiall then in the midst of all those exercises and trials and reproaches the people of God are debased with then to think they have a glorified head in heaven Though they be contemptible he is not This is but a conformity to him in his sufferings that we may also resemble him in glory 3. It is much to our comfort and advantage to hear of this because his glorification is a sure and effectual cause of ours so that our hearts may greatly rejoyce at this truth For as the Apostle argueth from Christs Resurrection If he be risen then shall we also certainly rise So doth the Argument unavoidably follow if Christ be glorified then shall we also be glorified with him so that when those innumerable Objections do arise how shall these vile bodies ever be made glorious How shall these corrupt and weak souls ever be made happy and blessed The answer is easie What is already done to Christ glorified will in time be fulfilled to us Death and the grave had no dominion over him no more shall it have over us Hence it is that the Scripture saith We are already set down with Christ in heavenly places Eph. 2.6 because he is our head Fear not then such a glorified head will not forget his members He said He went to provide a mansion place Joh. 14.2 It cannot then be but that Christ will set you on Thrones of his glory as well as he himself is set So that this doctrine is wholly for thy comfort 4. It may much rejoyce us to hear that Christ is glorified because in this state of glorification he is mindeful of us and pleading for us So that howsoever the greatest parts or effects of our mediation were seen in the time of his humiliation by his life and his death The Scripture attributeth all the mercies we do enjoy yet since he ascended into heaven and is partaker of all this power he maketh intercession for us his daily will is that the priviledges he purchased should be applied to us He daily acts as a King subduing our lusts conquering our corruptions applying his comforts and consolations to his people Well then Christ is glorified not for himself only neither is he exalted for his own honour meerly but it is for our glory as well as his for our honour as well as his As Joseph was lifted up in Pharaohs Court not for himself meerly but for his brethren to succour them in their necessities And as the glorious effects of the Sun are not so much for it self as for us the Creatures below oh then let thy soul cast off all unbelief and trouble when it heareth of Christ glorified for in all this glory he doth not forget thee he is not ashamed of thee Lastly This advantage the soul may make of this Truth thereby to lift up our hearts to heaven and to desire to be there where our glorified head is Thus the Apostle he longs to depart to be with Christ Phil. 1.23 and the Church longs for and hastens the coming of Christ from whence we look for Christ saith the Apostle Phil. 3.21 Who shall change our vile bodies into his glorious body Oh this should make us draw off all our affections and desires from other things Christ glorified should be the loadstone we should not be at ease or quietnesse till we come to him which made Austin say That as there were some men who needed patience to die so there were others who needed patience to live for the love and desire after Christ did so burn in their hearts that having tasted of this honey they judged every thing else gall and wormwood so that this Truth may be like fire burning in our bones In the next place let us consider the nature of this glory which Christ praied for And 1. There were three degrees to it The first and immediate beginning of this glory was upon his Resurrection After the black and dismall clouds this Sunne had been in the first glory of it began to appear in its Resurrection from the grave By this he was conqueror of death and the grave By this he judged the Prince of the world Till this was in all mens thoughts Christ seemed to be overcome in all appearance he was now brought under the power and command of death and Satan He was judged weak till this power discovered it self and this resurrection being not only by the Fathers power but his own He being the Sampson that brake the barres and bonds of death it was thereby made manifest to all the world that he was the Sonne of God Resurrection is such an impossible thing to humane reason and so incredible that Paul was cried down for a vain babler Act. 17.18 in promulging such doctrine and only in the Church of God Was ever such a thing heard of But this Resurrection was remarkable in Christ who not only raised himself from the dead but also caused many others to rise with him here was the first degree of his glory 2. The second degree was his ascension into heaven and this did exceed his Resurrection for though he was risen yet he conversed with his disciples did eat and drink with them occasionally so that he was to partake of greater and fuller glory when he ascended into heaven This Ascension of his into Heaven was great matter of wonderment and astonishment to his Disciples They all stood admiring when he was carried up thither Act. 1. 3. The last and chiefest degree of this glory was sitting down at the right hand of God By which expression is meant that great and wonderfull honour which God put upon him he sitteth at the right hand that demonstrateth a full and compleat victory over all his enemies and a quiet possession of this glory In these three things lieth all the glory Christ praieth for Resurrection Ascension and sitting down at Gods right hand all which immediatly followed his passions and sufferings and God had appointed such an order that one must be before the other and such a way God also doth take with his people They must have a Crown of thorns before they have a Crown of glory In the third place let us consider some of the most eminent and chiefest particulars wherein this glory of Christ doth manifest it self And 1. It lieth in that spirituall command and authority which he hath in his Church This is expressed when he saith All power is given to me in heaven and earth therefore go make disciples and baptize Here you see the Institution of Sacraments is founded upon that power given to Christ and from this it is Eph. 4 That upon his Ascention He led
Jew after the Spirit would farre esteem the latter Thus it is here No power or works are judged great but what are temporall visible and in civill outward things we are apt more to look upon Alexander the great or Constantine the great because of their civill power then Christ who is the King of Kings and Lords transcending all these but in a spirituall way 1 Tim. 6.15 Christ hath this magnificent Title King of Kings and Lord of Lords It 's observed by Drusius a Learned man that those Titles were usually given to the great Kings of Persia then which there were none assumed more to themselves then they did yet the Apostle attributeth this to Christ to inform us that as God hath exalted Christ above all earthly power so we should magnifie and glorifie him accordingly certainly if we Christians did put forth our faith and meditations about the greatnesse of this power it would work great joy and confidence in us It would work an holy fear and trembling The Apostle Eph. 1. Phil 2. Col. 1. is even transported with the expressions about it Now this power of Christ is no where more glorious then in sanctifying and preparing an holy people for himself To give them of the same Spirit with him They that were dead and noisome in sinne to make them live in holinesse and to adorn them with all the graces of his Spirit Oh then let not the people of God be dismaiâ—d or discouraged with the apprehension of their own weaknesse and impotency how can they love God bear afflictions die in hope and comfort Alas thou thinkest on thy own weaknesse and not Christs power Remember Of his Fulnesse thou art to receive A thirsty man need not doubt whether the whole Ocean hath water enough to revive him Christ we reade gave wonderful power to his Disciples and other beleevers to work miracles This amazed and astonished all the world but certainly this power of changing mens hearts and reforming their lives is farre above this To open the eyes of the minde is more then to give bodily sight to say Ephatha to the heart is more then to say so to the ear To raise from the death of sin is more then to command out of the grave Austin said To make a man holy is more then to create a world Conversion is not usually called a Miracle yet it 's a greater wonder then a Miracle Let that soul then which hath found Christ thus powerfull upon him admire the unsearchable greatnesse of his Christ wonder at it as the most admirable expression of Gods power to thee Secondly Christs power is seen in that he doth not only give grace but he is able to bestow all that glory and happinesse the Scripture promiseth Now the reward or fruit of grace is either that inward peace and joy of heart here or eternal happinesse hereafter both which are in Christs power and munificence It was alwaies a flower in the chiefest power to be able to remunerate those that did great service and this is part of Christs Jus Regale For the first the peace of conscience and joy which accompanieth well-doing is exceeding great insomuch that if there were no heaven hereafter yet godlinesse brings a present sweetnesse and delight with it It hath present pay Now all this peace and comfort especially between God and the soul is wrought by Christ only who is called the King of Peace Isa 9. yea our peace Eph. 2.14 because he reconcileth God and man If those Peace-makers be blessed that make man and man to agree how much more is he that brings God and man to agreement But this Christ worketh Alas the heart troubled for sinne rageth and is like an hell till Christ bids it be quiet and still Hence he promiseth to send the Comforter and it 's his Spirit which is sent into our hearts making us to cry Abba Father Gal. 4.6 Oh then let the grieved and perplexed soul through the guilt of sin that can finde no rest no ease go to him that hath power indeed to command these waves to be still See with what love and power Mat. 11.28 this is expressed Come to me ye that are heavy laden and I will ease you Christ will give ease See how imperiously he speaks Let your sinne be never so terrifying your conscience never so disquieted The devils never so much troubling and tempting of you yet I will give you ease You shall finde rest for your souls No earthly power in the world can say thus truly Therefore this is to direct the godly in their black temptations They cry out It cannot be I should have peace I should have joy There may as soon come fire out of water as peace and quietnesse out of my heart Oh remember this Text The power Christ hath over all flesh Is thine excepted Christ can ease and quiet every mans heart but thine Be ashamed to think thy weaknesse more then Christs power Thy guilt more then his consolations The other fruit of a godly life is Eternal happinesse and this Christ doth also bestow upon those that are his At the day of judgement we reade of him putting them into possession Come ye blessed of my Father inherite the Kingdom prepared for you Mat. 25. Heb. 5.9 he is called The authour of eternal salvation he cals himself the bread of life he that eateth on him shall never die more so that all that happinesse and blessednesse which is in the life to come is attributed unto Christ both the purchase and authour of it It 's he that will say Well done good and faithfull Servant enter thou into thy Masters joy For those Parables that speak of a great King employing his Servants in such work and then so abundantly rewarding of them is Christ This should be a great encouragement in Christs service What a glorious and powerful Master do ye serve one who is able to requite thee with eternal glory and everlasting happinesse If we suffer with him we shall reign with him Rom. 8.17 The greatnesse and bounty of the Master doth quicken the Servant Haman was glad of Ahashuerus his emploiment because he could put such honour upon him But oh how should our hearts be enflamed to work for Christ what cannot such a Master do for us Ask any thing in earth or heaven he can bestow it on thee How unworthy is it when we grudge at the work Christ requireth when we repine at the Crosse he would have us take up This is not to attend whom we serve how great our Master is what Treasuries he hath out of which he can bountifully reward us Thirdly Christs power is seen in that he can forgive and pardon sinne Which is acknowledged by all that God only can do it Mar. 2.7 You have this power of Christ particularly opposed by his enemies but vindicated by him and that he hath power to forgive sinnes he proveth by his power to work Miracles Not that
Thou saist I have no power I shall never be able to go through this condition or that but hath Christ no more There is power in his Death and power in his Resurrection Every thing of Christ hath power The Prophets dead body gave life to one how much rather shall Christ crucified Oh but you will say These are words These are Fancies Though Christ hath all this power I am not a whit stronger I am as unable as any I answer Thank thy self for thy unbelief All things are possible to the Beleever Christ hath power but the fruit of it is to him that beleeveth You see all the cures he worketh all the wonderfull works he did it was still beleeve and it shall be thus to you according to thy faith so be it to thee If the Fountain be never so full unlesse you come with your vessell you may be scorched with thirst You see then how all this power and greatnesse of Christ may be yours There is nothing in him but it may profit you and that is by relying on him putting confidence in him because of his promise and if thou saist how can I beleeve that is also by Praier to God Even Christ he giveth this also viz. to beleeve SERMON X. Of Predestination or Gods giving some of Mankinde to Christ not all for him to redeem And what unspeakable Grounds of Comfort to Gods People flow from thence JOH 17.2 That to as many as thou hast given him he should give Eternall Life THis latter part of the Verse containeth the use and exercise of Christs Power which he had from the Father and therein you may consider 1. The Fruit and benefit of it 2. The Subject on whom this is to be bestowed The Fruit is described in the nature of it 1. It s Life As Death is the King of Terrors so life must be the King of joys 2. The Property of this Life it 's Eternall This naturall life in the midst of the joys that may accompany it hath this bridle and check It 's but for a short uncertain time In the next place you have the manner of obtaining it It s given There is no merit no antecedent worth but it 's given O this is the benefit The Subject who is to partake of this gift is limited and restrained by this qualification To as many as the Father hath given him So we translate it regarding the sence otherwise if it should verbatim according to the Greek it would be hardly sence to an English ear For thus it is That every thing which thou hast given him to them he should give Eternall Life Neither indeed is it pure Grecisme but an Hebraisme where sometimes the Nominative case beginneth the sentence and then the sence is so cast afterwards that it quite loseth its Verb as here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is also the Neuter gender for the Masculine Or else it 's used emphatically to shew that not so much totus homo as the torum hominis the every thing of a godly man is given to Christ not his soul but his body also This phrase is severall times used especially Joh. 6.37 where it is said All that my Father giveth me cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out and will raise him up again Where that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every thing implieth body as well as soul because it 's said he will raise him up Now when the Father is said to give some of mankinde to Christ that is not to be understood of his divine nature for so he hath all things as God but as a Mediatour and Redeemer so that the sence is God the Father gave some of Mankind◠to Christ committed them to his care and trust that he should be their Mediatour and obtain everlasting Salvation From whence Observe That not all but some only of Mankinde are given by God the Father to Christ to be a Mediatour for them Though Christ have a sufficiency and fulnesse in him to obtain Salvation for all yet some only are given to him intentionally by Gods Decree to be their actuall Saviour and Mediatour To as many saith the Text as the Father hath given him This place doth batter to the ground that pleasing opinion of Universal Redemption for by that not some but all are given to Christ by the Father and if so then all must be saved for mark that place Joh. 10.28 29 speaking of his Sheep They shall not perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand for my Father which gave them me is greater then all We need not a cleerer place for these two things 1. That there are but some that the Father hath given Christ 2. All those that are given they are sure to have eternal life because none is greater then the Father So that those two dangerous doctrines Universal Redemption and the total and final apostacy of the true Saints are evidently confuted by that place This is so clear that we need not matter their many distinctions to obscure the truth That there are some whom the Father hath thus committed to Christ to be their Mediatour appeareth by this expression us'd at other times The forementioned place Joh. 6.37 39. is considerable The occasion of that expression was from the unbelief of the Capernaits who though they had seen Christs wonders yet beleeved not but it was no wonder for saith he All that is given me of my Father shall come unto me If you had been thus given to me you would beleeve Now because it 's invisible and altogether a secret known only to God who they are that are given to Christ he sheweth a sure and certain fruit of this They will in time come to him i. e. beleeve in him and receive him so that we may invert the Saying all that do truly beleeve in Christ they are given unto him of the Father and for their encouragement he saith He will in no wise cast them out a Metaphor from the Master that takes a Scholar though dull and weak yet he will forbear and not cast him out and lest it should be thought that though it be well with them thus for the present yet for the future they may be undone he addeth v. 39. It 's the Fathers will of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but raise it up again at the last day Oh the divine and unspeakable consolations that are here treasured up for the godly So Joh. 10.29 which you heard before One place there is that may be a stumbling-block and seem to weaken all Joh. 17.12 Those that thou gavest me I have kept and there is none lost but the Sonne of Perdition But the answer is The Apostles are said to be given to Christ in a twofold respect 1. Of sanctification and glorification and thus Judas was not 2. In respect of their Office and calling as when he said Have not I chosen twelve and one of you is
he part with his bloud and wilt not thou with a sinne which will breed nothing but torment hereafter Though it be now honey in thy mouth yet it will be gravell in the belly 2. This supposeth the security and safety of the godly Nothing can hinder them of this salvation Our life is hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 They must pull Christ out of heaven overthrow the power of God the Father ere they can be destroied and their security stands upon a twofold bottome 1. His faithfulnesse to discharge his trust What doubt may be made seeing Christ hath undertaken the work of thy salvation Not that thou shouldst live in ease and eat and drink and take no care for thy soul This is to adde hony to poison but in respect of the meritorious and satisfactory part so Christ hath undertaken all when thou art required to believe and repent it is not to merit to satisfie it 's upon other grounds Now then will it not be blasphemy to say Christ will be found unfaithful in his trust To say that Christ should lose any of those jewels that were put into his custody indeed if our salvation and happinesse were in our keeping we should be prodigal of it every day we are found unfaithful in every temptation but so is not Christ As he is yea and Amen the same yesterday and to day and for ever so is thy salvation sure to be It must needs be sure because of the power of Christ Joh. 19.30 I and my Father are one said Christ even to this particular Now none is greater then my Father None can pluck them out of his hands Consider that they are in Gods hands he keeps them alwaies as a precious jewell and he that will destroy them must pluck them out of Gods hands whether he will or no he must be stronger then God that can do this It was Caesars boast that he had ten Legions of such valiant Souldiers that could vel ipsum coelum diruere pull down even heaven it self a vain and wicked boast but no power of men or devils are able to take these treasures out of Gods hands Vse of Examination Try whether thou art one of those that are thus given to Christ and in this I mean not thou shouldst climbe up into heaven see whether thy Name be written in the Book of Life but know this by the infallible property of him who is thus given to Christ and that is to come to him What my Father hath given me will come to me and the Father will draw him Now coming to Christ is not pedibus but affectibus Dost thou take him for thy Lord and King Art thou willing to renounce all those lusts and sins which have had dominion over thee Dost thou cry out and say Oh blessed Lord my sins my oaths my pride my uncleannesse have kept me from thee Conscience bid me come the Word of God bid me come but still this sinne or the other kept me back But now Lord I have broken all the snares here I am to do what thou wilt have me oh it 's to be lamented with bitter lamentations to see how few come to him though he giveth such encouragements SERMON XI Treateth of Eternall Life in the Nature and Properties of it JOH 17.2 That he should give eternall life to as many as thou hast given him HAving dispatched the Subject to whom this fruit of Christs power is to be vouchsafed we come now to the Fruit and benefit thereof and that is Eternal Life In which we will also comprehend the manner of obtaining it viz. by way of gift He will give The greatnesse of the gift though it may be apprehended yet it cannot be comprehended Though we had the tongue of Angels and the understanding likewise yet we should but speak as a childe and think as a childe when this matter of Divinity is our Theme Every thing is inviting Its life No rich man no poor man but desireth this It 's Eternal Life and so can be much lesse rejected and it 's by way of gift Nothing can be more welcome It 's life there is the necessity of it It 's eternal life there is the excellency of it It 's given there is the freenesse of it so that this gift here supposed is not within this Horizon nor is it made for this Meridian but it extends to the world to come The wisest of the Philosophers were in a misty darknesse about this matter It was much debated whether any happinesse did remain after this life and although sometimes confused thoughts did work on them as on that man who reading a Book of Immortality was so transported that he killed himself immediatly to enjoy it yet these were but generall indigested notions only the Scripture doth give us a distinct and accurate account of this blessednesse after our lives in this world so then we see here an unspeakable priviledge and that most certainly to be bestowed on them whatsoever their lives be here though poor though miserable though afflicted though troubled yet they shall have an eternal life Obs That Christ will give to those that are his Eternal life I shall not enlarge my self according to the vast nature of this Subject which cannot be well understood but by the fruition of it and if you should ask what it is we should desire time still to expresse it as he did what God was yet I shall limit my Discourse to a threefold general head 1. To speak of it positively what it is 2. Comparatively to this temporal and present life 3. Oppositely to eternal death And these three particulars will tend to manifest the greatest excelleneies of it Though when we have fully satisfied you with this bread it will so multiply that many fragments may be taken up First therefore positively This Eternal Life doth essentially lie in the immediate fruition and enjoyment of God This the Scripture doth often call seeing of God for howsoever it be disputed by the Learned whether the bodily eye shall be elevated so supernaturally that it shall be able to see the divine essence though spirituall and immaterial yet so farre as seeing doth imply enjoying and immediate fruition of God so farre they are sure to partake of it Now then consider how great a mercy this is To have God the Object of all our love joy and delight For he only is that universal and infinite object which can satiate and comfort the heart All these earthly comforts they are too narrow too little for the soul Divines say The soul of a man hath an infinite appetite it desireth this and it desireth that and nothing but God is such an universal good that can fully replenish it Now David even in this life he saith Whom have I in heaven and earth but thee Psa 13.35 how much rather will this be true in heaven God is the center of the soul it is unquiet and
Holy Lord God of Hosts And this is that which makes wicked men so carelesse about it They rather desire a bruitish sensuall life Let us eat and drink as if they were so many Swine but as the life of a Beast is not comparable to that of a man so neither are the pleasures and joys of the flesh like those of holinesse Hence it is that those who live holily have a taste and firstfruits of this eternal life He that beleeveth hath eternal life Joh. 6.54 He hath it already both in respect of a sure Title and interest as also of the taste and pledges of it in his soul Wonder not then if you see men given up to their lusts no waies diligent to obtain this life The holinesse of it is no motive to them no more then a Pearl doth affect a Swine They must be holy who desire such an holy life 5. It 's a spirituall life that differs from the former because it 's opposite to that animal life we live here The body is made a spirituall body we shall there no more hunger or thirst no more eat or drink All those civill and natural actions will be done away No more delight in Father in Wife in Children for the soul is wholly swallowed up with the love of and delight in God As when the Sunne ariseth we cannot see the Starres so when God shall come to fill the capacity and potentiality of the soul no more earthly comforts can be discerned by us It 's a true Rule that spirituall delights are farre more transporting and affecting the heart then any bodily can be As those who are in an extasie and rapture they minde no worldly thing Paul did not know whether he was in the body or out of the body yea the delight in study did so transport Archimedes that he was drawing lines when Syracuse the City he was in was taken so that as David said of prevailing grief some Philosophers could say of their delight in study They forgat the time to eat their bread Now spiritual delights must needs elevate higher then all these Hence it is that Divines say The beatificall vision or fruition of God makes it impossible for the Saints to sinne They cannot leave God so excellent and full to cleave to any creature As a man that hath tasted honey doth not like the taste of other things or as he who hath long gazed on the Sunne hath his eyesight taken away to behold other things The Apostle tels us 2 Cor. 4.15 that while we behold the glory of the Gospel we are transformed into his Image If faith in God in this life is so able to assimilaâ—e us unto God that he purifieth himself as God is pure If Moses by speaking with God face to face had such glory communicated to him that the people were not able to behold the glory of his face what a Transmutation will that immediare beholding of God make in us We see the Disciples in a transient sight of this were so transported that they said It is good for us to be here let us build Tabernacles They would never have gone to their former lives again If a drop do thus work what will the Ocean do Vse Of Instruction to Inform us That true happinesse which is Eternal life cannot be had on this side heaven It 's said the desire of happinesse is imbred in all No man can refuse the desire of it Ask every man in the world what he would have he will answer you happinesse Only here is the miserable corruption in us we mistake where it is we seek for it where it cannot be had The voluptuous man would have it in his pleasures The Ambitious man in honour and earthly greatnesse All seek for it in this world But how do you like the blinde Sodomites grope and feel after that which you cannot finde Go home and say I am not yet happy I am rich but not happy I have worldly comforts but this as no more happinesse then a Landfloud is to the Sea yea for all this happinesse thou hadst better never have been born Every worm every toad is happier then thou art Oh then perswade thy self thou art not yet in the haven Thou art in the Wildernesse not yet in Canaan Nulla verior miseria quam falsa laetitia and such joy such comfort such delight is all thou hast who hast not God SERMON XII A Consideration of Eternal Life compared with this present life And with its contrary viz. Eternal Death JOH 17.2 That he should give to them Eternal Life ETernal life in the nature and some properties of it hath been treated on There remains one more which I shall mention viz. that in the Text Eternall Therefore take the best wine at the last That which crowneth all and without which whatsoever happinesse or glory might be had it would in time fall as the leaf from the Tree and this is Eternity And here again we must be more in our acclamations and divine amazements at it then descriptions of it The Schoolmen they tell us that Eternity is like a fixed starre now whose whole is altogether There is no succession no former or latter in Eternity but all is together I shall not perplex you with such intricacies Eternity it self being only a fit space to know what Eternity is This only take notice of That a thing may be said to be eternal in a twofold sence 1. Absolutely and simply so that it hath neither beginning or ending and thus only God is eternal Thus Deut. 33.27 God is called the Eternall God Or else Eternal is used for that which had a beginning but never shall have an end this is called Eternum a posteriori and so this blessed life is called eternal for although it had a beginning yet it shall never have an end but after millions and millions of imaginary years they are to continue in this life as if it were the first moment Let us then consider as much as we are able what an infinite and incomprehensible happiness this is which shall be for ever Then shall we be with the Lord for ever saith Paul 1 Thes 4.17 Who is not put into extasies and raptures while he seriously meditateth on these things Alas in this life if we had the confluence of all desirable comforts yet because our life is short and uncertain our joy also can be no longer But there whatsoever glory thou dost once partake of thou shalt never lose it It will be thy Crown for ever thy Kingdom for ever thy glory is ever lasting glory O the depth and unsearchablenesse of this grace and love of God well might Christ say he would give it and Paul call Eternal Life the gift of God Rom. 6.23 For who can think that these duties which we do here are meritorious of such eternal glory for grant they were perfect and had no drosse in them yet there is no proportion in the
is the first and the second and so still all is passing and what is past we have not and what is to come we do not yet enjoy so that there is nothing but the present advantages that we are properly said to possesse now put eternal life to this and it 's the clean contrary even as Eternity is to time for whereas time is in a continual transient being Eternity is an whole and full possession of all together There is no past present or to come in Eternity but Eternity comprehends all these things together even as the greater wheel comprehends at once all the motions of the lesse wheel within it and certainly this consideration is able to swallow us up Thy comforts do not flow and reflow They do not passe and others come but thou art in a stable permanent way of enjoying all happinesse together Thou canst not be lesse happy at one time then at another Thou canst not expect greater joy then thou hast neither canst thou wish for any joy that is past so great a matter is Eternity In the Last place This Life is full of dissatisfaction even in the vertical Point of all its blessednesse The heart of a man morally as well as naturally is alwaies in motion never lieth still It 's alwaies hydropical the more it drinketh the thirstier it is still Solomon you heard that made it his study and endeavour to have content in this world yet it could not be he may as soon think to make an Oistershell hold the Ocean as that these earthly things can fill the heart What man is there who liveth a meer earthly life that can say he is satisfied he desireth nothing Indeed we reade of Paul Phi. 4. saying I have all things and abound but that is through grace because enjoying of God otherwise the Air can as soon fill the hungry stomack as earthly things the appetite of the soul But compare this eternal life hereto and there is all fulnesse and satisfaction They never desire a change they cannot wish it better with them We see Peter but in a taste of it yet cried out It 's good to be here Let us dwell here he would not have parted with joy The soul in heaven is arrived at its haven it 's come to its journeys end it 's now fallen to its center it cannot go any further It now cryeth out Here is enough Lord here is enough yet this fulnesse breeds not nauseating as they were weary of Manna No it exciteth desire and yet filleth it It provoketh love and yet satiateth it so that this particular likewise proclaimeth the madnesse of all wicked men for why is thy soul like the devil compassing about the earth seeking out for this comfort and then for another Even as children cry for this thing and then quickly weary cry for another and in the mean while doth neglect that which would be instead of all Thus have we handled it comparatively the last way is to consider it oppositely for that is an old Rule contraries put together illustrate one another the more The Sunne is most glorious after the breaking out of a black thick cloud Now the contrary to Eternal life is eternal death so that we may apprehend the good of the one by the evil of the other and indeed man is so slavish and bruitish that fear doth more prevail then love Therefore though we propound all the joys of heaven and invite to this eternal life yet few make that Question as he did to Christ Master what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life but if we speak of eternal death in all the terrour of it then fear may for a while at least awaken them Let us then consider wherein the contrary to this eternal life consisteth And 1. That is in the deprivation of God and an utter departure from him and this privative part of eternal death is the great aggravation of it At the day of judgement that dreadful doom runneth thus Depart from me Mat. 25. 41. That is worse then the eternal fire they are cast into you have heard that God was the fountain of all good every creatures goodnesse is but a stream from that Fountain At thy right hand said David Psa 16.11 are rivers of pleasure for evermore So that this eternal death takes thee from the light of his countenance Thou art never to be admitted in his presence and when God departs all comfort all hope departs with him Oh that wicked men would lay this to heart you that now bid God depart from you you will have none of his knowledge none of his commands God will requite you in your own kinde he will then command you to depart from him Were it not that Athiesm and unbelief did reign in your hearts this truth would make your ears to tingle and your heart to tremble while you hear it Was it not death to Absalom to be kept from his Fathers presence Why do ye not kill me saith he to Joab rather then let it be alwaies thus yet he was but an earthly Father he could not give peace and joy to the consciences of men but this heavenly Father is a Father of spirits whom he bids Depart from him all terrour and horrour immediatly seizeth on that man There is no quietnesse in his bones Michah had lost but an Idol-God Judg. 18. and he wringeth his hand and crieth out bitterly Oh but what roarings and yellings when we shall have lost the true God and his favour for ever 2. This eternal death brings all the positive evil that can be feared or imagined upon a man For as here we told you was not one kinde of comfort but an aggression of all therefore the Scripture delights to represent it under severall desirable good things so neither is hell one kinde of misery one kinde of torment but the Scripture represents it under every thing that is terrible Because death is so much feared therefore it 's called death because fire and brimstone are so terrible in burning it 's called that Because a dark dungeon and prison with chains in the darknesse are so miserable It 's resembled to that because men in extremity of pain and misery do use to weep and wail and gnash their teeth therefore is hell set out by all these dreadful things so that as the glorified in heaven have every thing they can desire there is no good they want Thus the damned in hell have every thing they fear There is no torment or pain imaginable but they partake of it and this they are filled with having not the least ease or respite Dives desired but a drop of water to cool only the top of his tongue and he could not obtain so much Oh that men who give themselves up to the pleasures of sin would remember these torments These howlings to all Eternity What are we preaching follies and fictions to you If you beleeve the
Scripture you must beleeve those things to be the portion of every unreformed sinner O what a vast difference will there be between thy pleasures here and eternal torments hereafter and not to have a drop of ease in all thy misery 3. This eternal death as it hath fulnesse of torment so likewise Eternity For heaven and hell have no period There is no time set when the fire of hell shall go out called therefore unquenchable fire So that these two properties easelesse and endlesse might startle and amaze every ungodly man Why wilt thou buy these eternal torments at so dear a rate for a moments pleasure to have everlasting woe So that here are two Eternities before thee an Eternity of happinesse an Eternity of misery Sinne saith and the devil saith taste of the honey of sinne God saith There is eternal gall for this Now which wilt thou beleeve either sinne tempting or God threatning Was not Eve at first undone because she would hearken to the devil against God What fruit or profit had Judas for thirty peeces procuring to himself eternal horrour and trembling Thus you have seen eternal life in the contrary to it We have been upon the Mount of Blessing and upon the Mount of Cursing If good things will not allure let dreadfull things astonish and terrifie Only you must know the grand difference between eternal life and eternal death in the manner of coming to it So you see in the Text it 's given by Christ and it 's called the gift of God but eternal death comes by desert It 's the wages of sinne Rom. 6. ult Our sinnes deserve hell but our graces do not heaven and whereas it might be thought an unjust thing in God for a transient sinne to inflict eternal torments yet that is no wonder For 1. We see amongst men that Malefactors for a crime committed by them which was acted in a very short time do yet suffer death which as to this world is their eternal destruction they can never come back to live here again 2. All sinne being committed against God who is of infinite glory hath thereby an infinite guilt and so deserveth eternal damnation Hence it is that Dâ—vines say Omne peccator punitur citra condignum Even hell it self is not a punishment adequate to the nature of sinne for Gods honour is more worth then ever our sufferings can make up again And lastly There is no injustice because all those torments can never make any satisfaction For hence it is that thy misery is eternal because thou canst not pay the utmost farthing Thou art never able to discharge the debt therefore thou must for ever lie in prison Thus there is justice in every mans damnation and there is only mercy in every mans salvation For 1. Those graces and good works thou dost have no proportion to this Eternal and glorious reward The Apostle did not account his suffering which seem to be the most efficacious for salvation any whit comparable to that eternal weight of glory If a man should have the whole world given him for lifting up a straw that is not so great a disproportion as to give heaven for Martyrdom the highest act of love to God And 2. It 's only of grace because he who giveth the Crown giveth us legs and strength to runne in the race Coronat dona sua non merita nostra so that we are so farre from meriting by good works that the more we do the more we are beholding to the grace of God Vse Of Invitation Who is there of you that hath heard of the nature and properties of this eternall life that is not brought in love with it Who is there that hath heard of this pearl that will not sell all throw away every sinne to enjoy it If there were nothing but this it might work on thee Hast thou any lust that will be equivalent to eternall life that will be in stead of that to theâ— What wilt thou do when a mortall disease hath surprized thee thy friends weeping thy children crying and thou dying Will these lusts then help call to them and see if they can give thee eternall life What wilt thou be worse then Balaam he wished Oh that I might dye the death of the righteous and his later end might be like his And shall there be not so much as a desire as a sigh though if there be no more if thy life be not the righteous mans life thy death cannot be his SERMON XIII Weighty Considerations upon Eternity JOH 17.2 That to as many as thou hast given him he should give Eternall Life ETernall Life is the glorious gift mentioned in the Text and though I was concluding this verse yet the consideration of this glorious matter shall make me once more endeavour throughly to possess your hearts therewith It was the fault of one of the Kings of Israel that he did not strike arrows often enough to the ground 2 King 13.19 for then he should have obtained more victories It shall therefore be my endeavour if possible that the arrows of this truth may be stricken often even through and through your hearts And that I may further quicken you hereunto consider these particulars as so many effectuall conclusions upon this subject And first The chief and most principall and necessary question which every one should seriously propound ought to be that Luk. 18.18 What shall I do to inherit eternall life Not indeed upon such a corrupt opinion as he did who thought by his own works meerly to obtain this eternall life No that cannot be it 's the gift of God and when we have done all this eternall life is of grace not merit but in a right sense viz. what way ought we to walk in what is to be done that at last we may not eternally perish This I say is a most noble and necessary question if this were more studied and practised it would advantage the soul ten thousand times more then other unnecessary and impertinent disputations The best method in morall Philosophy is to begin first with the end because that is the chiefest there must be first a knowledge and desire of that Now all Divinity agreeth with morall Philosophy in this it 's wholly practicall The first thing then in your thoughts and meditations should be What is that end for which I was made how may I obtain that eternall life for which I came into this world Oh why are we busie in unnecessary things for what end and purpose were you made Was it to heap up wealth To satisfie the lusts and pleasures of the flesh No it was at last to injoy this eternall life The Heathen did well call man the orizon of time and eternity for in respect of his body he partaketh of time in respect of his soul eternity So then the chief and more excellent part of thee that which makes thee differ from a beast it is that
It had been farre more easie to have been an abortive or that the womb had been thy sepulchre and grave then to live here and at last to dye thus eternally Shall Job and Jeremiah so passionately curse the time of their lives and wish there had been no day or sunne and only because of some temporall extremity which yet did not endure very long what outcries and wishes shall these have who are to dye eternally and yet shall never dye Job speaks of some that desire death Job 3.21 but cannot have it thus shall all those deprived of eternall life call to mountains and hils to cover them bite the tongue with madnesse and call for death to devour them but it cannot be Though Judas could make away himself out of this hell he had here yet he cannot out of the hell afterwards 7. Consider with thy self how unable thou art to bear any extream pain though it be but for a night or day what tossings and tumblings when it 's night wishing for day and when it 's day wishing for night Now if a moments pain be so grievous what is eternall If thou art not able to endure the sudden scorch of fire what then to be in everlasting fire Isa 33.14 Who amongst us shall dwell with the everlasting burnings Oh how should this meditation even swallow us up If we are not able to endure the rod how shall we the scorpion If the gout the stone be thus grievous what is everlasting torment Should not we judge him a mad man that to have one night of quiet rest and sweet sleep would all his life after be tormented with restlesse nights and terrifying dreams such folly is in all wicked men They to have this short life of pleasures and jollity which is but a dream will undo themselves for ever in this endlesse and easelesse wo Oh remember this eternity is so incomprehensible by thee that when thou hast thought and thought ten thousand millions of imaginary years yet it is to hold as long as at the first beginning Some have represented it thus Imagine say they that all that vast space which is between heaven and earth were full of sand and once in every thousand year no oftner a bird carry away one crum of it in her bill what a long while would it be ere this vast huge heap would be carried quite away yet if the damned in hell might have ease at the period of such a time though so infinitely long yet there would be some hope but now it 's everlasting fire it 's a fire that cannot be quenched but as long as God is God so long shall they be in their chains of darknesse God you heard was properly eternall because he had neither beginning or end therefore he was said by the Heathens to be a circle whose center was every where his circumference no where Hence the Heathens represented his eternity by a snake or a ring that hath no beginning or end The Romans built their Temples round and Pythagoras rule was when to worship turn thy self round Here they had confused notions about eternity but the Scripture doth most clearly affirm his eternity Now our life is eternall only because it shall have no end and so for the future it will abide for ever and never change What a great word is this never to change thy happinesse will never change thy misery will never change These things duly pondered will be of great use But thou wilt say this subject is indeed very necessary this eternity is a wonderfull and transcendent point oh that I could rise with it and walk with it how then shall I possesse my self with it how shall I be affected with it Do these things In the first place Exercise a firm and strong faith about it that there is such a thing This is a good and necessary foundation for as long as Atheism or unbelief is in thee and thou thinkest there is nothing after this life thou doubtest whether there be any such eternity or no as long as this wicked disposition is on thee there cannot be any good in thee Faith is the substance of things hoped for Heb. 11. so that this eternall life which is the great hope and expectation of the godly by faith is made really to subsist in the heart it doth as lively imbrace it as if it were already in eternity Oh then let a firm and divine assent over-rule thy heart say I do beleeve it more then any thing of sense or of reason more then that I breath or live For the Word of God is so punctuall and positive in afirming such a condition of eternity hereafter that faith must needs bear witnesse to it Now this Divine faith of such a thing would be like so many sparks of fire in our breast it would make us speak and live and do all for this eternity we do so certainly beleeve it And 2. Do not only beleeve but accustom thy self to frequent and serious meditations about it Meditation in the Word of God is made a blessed thing and certainly this is a duty though much neglected yet wonderfully necessary to set thy self to meditate and think over and over some main points of Scripture truth whereof this eternity is not the least Meditation is like the birds sitting upon her egges if she should not be constant upon them there would never be warmth enough to cause living young ones thus it is here It 's not a transient thought it 's not a sudden motion but it must be a constant serious meditation upon eternity certainly if thou wert carefull in this thou wouldst finde it raising up thy heart heating thy affections and making of thee earnestly desire this eternall life 3. Consider this that one great end why God hath thrown so many bitter roots in every thing here below why there are so many sad exercises and afflicting troubles it is to seek after eternall life Thou hast not perfect health thou hast not full content every day hath some evil or other and why is all this because eternall life should be desired by thee God seeth thy mouth cannot be brought off from sucking the breasts of the creatures therefore they are rubbed with wormwood to wean thee As God therefore suffered the Egyptians to afflict and oppresse the Israelites that so they might be weary of Egypt and long for Canaan thus it is here God makes this world a valley of tears and fears a valley of death there is no ground but some worm or other devoureth it and all this that thou shouldst long for an haven who art tossed in this restlesse sea of the world Look then upon all the afflictions pains miseries or whatsoever bitter thing it be that thou art to grapple with and say The Lord doth this to make me undervalue these things below it 's to make me esteem a better life If every thing were here as I would have it heaven would not
be so wellcome Had the Prodigall not met with husks and extream hardship he would not have resolved to go back to his Father again Think and practise these things so wilt thou be greatly affected with eternity And to encourage thee herein consider the blessed effects which a lively meditation of eternity accompanied with a firm faith will put thee upon For first Who so hath this eternity set upon his heart he will not be immoderatly and inordinatly desirous after these things below As the beams of the sunne will put out the fire so will the thoughts and affections about eternall things overcome temporall The Apostle 1 Cor. 7. presseth all upon an hard duty To marry as if we married not to buy as if we bought not Why so because the time here is short eternity is coming upon us And thus those holy Patriarchs mentioned Heb. 11. they accounted themselves pilgrims and strangers and they sought a City to come not built with hands Thou complainest thy heart is so full of deadnesse dulnesse so full of the world the cares and distractions thereof devour thee up there is nothing will help thee against this temptation then often thoughts and affections about eternity 2. As the thoughts of eternall life will thus moderate our affections so it will work in us 〈◊〉 longing for and hasting of the coming of Christ who then will bestow this eternall life upon us We wonder how Paul should be lifted up above all these earthly comforts as to desire to depart and to be with Christ Phil. 1. It seemeth very difficult to us that any hasten in their praiers and desires Christs coming but all this is because our hearts are not as full of hope and expectation of eternall life as theirs were Alas many of us know no better and so cannot desire any better then what may be had in this world and therefore the thoughts of death and the coming of Christ are unwelcome to us Whereas to The godly it 's the coming of the bridegroom and they are to lift up their heads with joy when that approaches Matth. 26. Let then that godly soul which doth so complain that it loveth life too dearly and feareth death too immoderately let that be strengthened and comforted with the sure hopes of this eternall life If an heavenly frame of heart were powerfull in us this very world would be a wildernesse it would be tedious to us to be kept so long from that home we have in heaven The Saints have a rest provided for them and who doth not desire to be at his rest Oh blame your selves more that you have not Davids exclamation and now Lord what long I for truly my soul waiteth for thee As the heart panteth after the water brooks so doth my soul after thee O God Psal 42.1 David spake this but of enjoying God in the Ordinances in this life Oh but how greatly must the soul be inflamed for the life to come 3. Powerful thoughts of Eternity will quiet and wonderfully calm the soul under any afflictions and troubles No such antidote as this Paul abundantly witnesseth that we account not the light afflictions of this life comparable to that eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4. so this Eternity made him not value or regard any temporary affliction It was this that made the Martyrs joyfully take the spoiling of their goods and the losse of their lives Thus in every affliction and exercise if sanctified to thee how sweetly and joyfully maist thou dwell in heaven while thou art on earth Thou maist be in heaven every day even while thy condition is beset with many troubles It 's thy sinne and unbelief if thou makest thy house a prison Thy self a torment to thy self if thou set faith on work about this Eternity it will put thee into heaven before thou comest to possesse it Eternal Life will give thee a better body a better house a better heart oh this Eternal life it 's the health of our bones the light of our countenance a continual Feast and a perpetual cordial Hence the godly even in this life are said to have Eternal life because of the right they have to it and partly because they have the beginnings and first fruits of it upon their souls Vse of Admonition Take this Subject more into your thoughts how many roving thoughts hast thou but if placed on Eternity it would be great profit How many thoughts hast thou unbeleeving disquieting and troubling if fixed on Eternity they would all vanish especially let the wicked man turn from all sinne saying There is an Eternity If it were only death that would not so much trouble thee but it 's Eternity after Death SERMON XIV The Necessity of Divine Knowledge And Arraignment of Ignorance JOH 17.3 And this is life eternall that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent IN the Verse before we had the great priviledge vouchsafed viz. eternall Life and the Subject to whom viz. Those that are given to Christ In this Verse our Saviour informeth of the manner or way how we may come to it For to speak of eternal life and not direct to the enjoying of it is to see Canaan but to want a pillar of fire to guide to it and although our Saviour had described such as should inherit eternal life yet because it 's a secret written in Gods Book which no man can reade who are given by the Father to Christ and who not Therefore it 's necessary we should be told the way and that is done in the Text. In the words you have then affirmed the way to this happinesse This is eternal life this will make you have eternal life None can ever attain it that take not this course for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may either relate to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or else after the manner of the Hebrews be put absolutely for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This phrase is like John 12.58 Now therein Consider 1. The way or duty enjoyned 2. The object of it The duty is To know Among other distinctions this is very obvious in Scripture to speak of a twofold knowledge 1. That which is meerly speculative and apprehensive If ye know these things happy are you if ye do them Joh. 13.17 2. Which is practicall and operative for it 's a known Rule that among the Hebrews Words of Knowledge are put for all the affections and effects that use to follow such Knowledge Thus God is said to know the way of the righteous Psa 1. That is so to know as to approve and preserve the righteous and in this sence To know the true God is taken so to know as to do all those things that are commanded by him and the reason why the Scripture comprehends all under knowledge is because this is the Introduction and gate to all practicall piety Although to know here is more particularly taken for beleeving for
worshippeth that which others doe where he liveth but whether it be God or an Idol that he understands not The Athenians had an Altar dedicated To the unknown God Act. 17.23 and Paul with much zeal doth reprove this their superstition and Idolatry telling them they were out of the way to heaven yea the more devout and zealous a man is for that worship he understandeth not the more swift he runneth in the way to hell so then where ignorance is It 's all one whether Christ or Mahomet be worshiped whether an Image or the true God So truly doth Seneca observe of the common people Eunt qua itur non qua eundem est They do and go not whither they ought but whither they see others before them yea by this means men come to worship the devil in stead of God Oh terrible and heavy aggravation Thou that thinkest thou dost worship God yet by thy ignorance going on in Idolatry dost worship the devils Thus Jeroboam is said to set up calves to the devil 2 Chron. 11.15 the people little thought so and so those that would be at the Idolaters Feasts they did partake of the cup of the Lord and of deuils 1 Cor. 10. Now although it be true that thou art brought up in that Religion where the true God is worshiped yet this is all one to thee who hath no knowledge of God or Christ for if it had been to Moloch to Baal or Ashtaroth had it been to Mahomet or to Images and Idols in every high way thou wouldst have done that as well as this for any true knowledge or understanding thou hast O pray then that God would give thee true knowledge As it is thus for the generality of Gods worship so in more special manner ignorance doth wholly overthrow praier unto God which is more necessary then food or raiment and is a duty to be performed to God every day Now saith the Apostle Heb. 11.1 He that cometh to God must beleeve that he is and that he is a rewarder of those that seek him but how can this be when a man by ignorance is in a confused chaos Oh that ignorant people would attend to this They say they pray yea they hope to be saved by their good praiers when alas thou that knowest nothing of God or Christ canst not pray at all Thou never didst pray acceptably to God all thy life time If a Parrot be taught to say the Lords Praier shall that be accounted a praier and is there not many that pray Gods Name may be hallowed his Kingdom may come and yet understand not at all the sence of their praier Thus in Popery they do sinfully nourish people in their ignorant praiers for seeing their praiers are in Latine it 's all one whether they pray good matter or blasphemy The Apostle 1 Cor. 14. doth expresly argue against praying in an unknown tongue saying for himself He will pray in the spirit and with understanding also What terrour then doth this proclaim ignorant people pray they cannot they do not no not when they pray If that Question should be put to them which Philip put to the Eunuch Vnderstandest thou what thou readest So Understandest thou what thou praiest Were they able to say one word of knowledge to you We may cry out Be astonished O Heavens and the Earth at the ignorance and blindenesse of many people and yet nothing will provoke them to get knowledge 3. We cannot do that great and necessary duty which is the substance of all Gods command viz. to love him with all our heart with all our soul and might neither the consequents of this love which is to desire after him to delight and rejoyce in the light of his countenance without knowledge for what a man knoweth not he cannot love Ignota nulla cupido Let ignorant people by this see the great gulf that is between them and heaven Thou canst not love God nor desire him as long as thou dost not know him so neither can you fear God if you know not his infinite Majesty the greatnesse of his power and his hatred against sinne What makes men so desperately wicked to commit sinne without any fear or trembling They know not God Hence is that frequent expression in Scripture when God saith he will bring such and such punishments Then they shall know that I am God 4. Those that serve God ought to be full of fervency and zeal For all duties without zeal are like a Sacrifice without fire a Bird without wings a Messenger without feet Now all zeal without knowledge is refused by God They have a zeal but not according to knowledge Rom. 10.2 Ignorant people may be very zealous as those that offered their children to Moloch That did cut and lance themselves in calling upon Baal but this fire of zeal was like that of hell calidus and not lucidus hot but not light Vse If Eternal life be to know God then this is eternal death not to know God This is eternal damnation to be ignorant of him It was Gods promise that all should know him from the greatest to the least Jer. 31.34 but how few finde the fruit of this promise How many Families how many persons are there who do all they do to the unknown God yet these hope to be saved yet these say They have a good heart when nothing can be good while ignorance is predominate neither a good faith or good love or good duties or a good heart and as ignorance is damnable of it self so much more when it is where the means of knowledge are where the Sun shineth where the Ministry is instructing Oh what wo and woe again will befall such men SERMON XV. More Reasons of the Necessity of Divine Knowledge And the Causes of Ignorance JOH 17.3 And this is Eternal Life to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent THe Doctrine observed was that without the knowledge of God and Christ there cannot be any eternal life obtained The first ground or reason of this was from those several duties that are required of us towards God which without some knowledge could never be acceptably performed The second ground shall be from those duties we owe to Christ And herein damnable ignorance will farre sooner possesse us then in the former for there are some common notions and dictates about a god which made Tertullian cry out O animam naturaliter Christianam But in respect of Christ we have not the least implanted notion about him so that the doctrine of Christ is far more supernatural then that about God for the hoti quod si Deus is I discovered by natural light but who he is and how to be worshiped this is meerly supernatural but concerning Christ both the quod sit and the quid sit That there is a Christ and what he is are both by divine manifestation So that whatsoever we have of Christ it must only be
by the Revelation of God and in this respect though most people may have some generall apprehensions about God yet about Christ they have none at all unlesse by hear-say It behoveth us therefore who are called Christians to know what that Christ is whom we worship and trust in for salvation and the great ignorance of Christ is present death He is the door he is the truth the way and the life Joh. 14.6 All that misse of him are carried violently to death and destruction For 1. Where this ignorance of Christ is there cannot be any historical faith which is the least degree of faith that can be and where there is no historical faith there cannot be any justifying for how can a man trust in Christ for salvation whom he doth not beleeve to be so that historical or as some call it dogmaticall faith whereby we beleeve that there was a Christ both God and man is the first stone that must be laid in our Christian building and without this we have not so much as learned the Alphabet of our Religion yet this is the case of thousands that have no explicit formal faith in this fundamental Point I grant they have a traditional forme whereby they say they beleeve in Christ but they have no expresse faith concerning the person and natures of Christ Now that traditional form is not a reasonable worship of God as the Scripture expresseth it Rom. 12. where we are commanded to give up our selves as reasonable sacrifices But here men are as bruit beasts in respect of any expresse formal faith insomuch that hundreds of people if they be asked what they beleeve concerning Christ they cannot give any knowing or expresse answer Oh how near are such foolish and stupid persons to the very brink of hellâ— and if you should say If it be Faith then it cannot be knowledge Vbi rides non est fides and by all faith and knowledge are opposed but that is to be handled afterwards viz. how that Faith doth necessarily require knowledge and yet there is some kinde of knowledge that Faith is opposite unto for the present we conclude that where there is not some knowledge of Christ there cannot be so much as a bare historical faith They have no faith that have no knowledge I know whom I have beleeved saith Paul 2 Tim. 1.12 2. Where grosse Ignorance is if there cannot be historical Faith about Christ much lesse can there be saving and justifying Faith a fiducial relying and resting of the soul upon him as the Mediatour appointed by God The Scripture doth often speak that we are justified by faith Rom. 5.1 that we have remission of sinnes through Faith in Christs bloud Rom. 3.25 So that Justification and Faith are inseparably joyned together but where ignorance of Christ is there cannot be any of this saving faith for can any man trust in that which he doth not know of yea though such ignorant men say they trust in Christ yet because they know not Christ these are but traditional and customary words They speak falsly and say they do not know what Philosophers say there is actio hominis and actio humana an humane action is that which comes expresly or impliedly from reason but actio hominis is that which is done by a man but not as a man as the moving of the foot or lifting up a straw which came from the imagination meerly So truly we may say there is actio Christiani and actio Christiani a Christian action is that which comes from knowledge and faith either directly or indirectly but that is an action of one that is a Christian in name and profession only that doth such actions as others doe but not from any knowledge or faith within only from custome and meer tradition if then knowledge be in all the historicall and justifying acts of Faith where shall the stupid and ignorant man appear 3. The grosse ignorant man cannot admire blesse and praise God for Jesus Christ the Medtatour This is evident he that knoweth not the nature office and use of Christ what he was and why he came into the world what was that which he did for us it 's impossible he should ever be affected with the love of God or with the love of Christ This made the Apostle pray that they might know the breadth and depth of the love of God through Christ Eph. 3. For without this knowledge all Gods love and Christs love is disregarded We reade of Pauls divine raptures and holy extasies because of Christ I desire to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified 2 Cor. 2.2 It is impossible in a lively manner to know this divine truth of God the Fathers love in sending his only begotten Sonne to die for us and not break out in heavenly praises and admirations but the blinde ignorant man seeth nothing of this admirable mystery As he said it fell out ill with Artificers when ignorant men judged of their works Thus certainly God loseth much of his glory-Christ much of his honour when ignorant men only speak of this Doctrine As Christ Joh. 4. said to the woman of Samaria If thou hadst known who it is speaketh to thee thou wouldest have asked for the water of Life So here if thou hadst known what is in this love of God and Christ if thy heart did meditate and study on it thou wouldst be more affected and enlarged in thy affections to Christ 4. Where grosse Ignorance is of Christ there cannot be any improving of him for all these blessed effects to which he is appointed by God Christ is of God unto us wisedom righteousnesse and sanctification 1 Cor. 1. Of his Fulnesse we all receive grace for grace Joh. 3. But the ignorant and unwise man cannot make any advantage of this The ignorant man knoweth not the vertue and good use may be made of such herbs as grow in the field but the wise Artist doth Solomon asketh Why is a price put into the hands of a Fool seeing he knoweth not how to make use of it If the man in the Parable that found a Pearl had not known it to be a Pearl he would not have sold all to have bought it So then let there be never so much fulnesse and sufficiency in Christ yet he is a Fountain sealed up and a garden enclosed to the ignorant man and this must necessarily exclude such from heaven because in Christ is all our salvation whatsoever conduceth to our happinesse is bound up in him now the ignorant man not knowing this treasure must needs perish in his sinnes 5. Where a man is ignorant of Christ he must needs be in a damnable condition because thereby he is also ignorant of himself he knoweth not his own sinfulnesse and misery and so cannot desire a remedy These two are necessarily known together or unknown Christ the Physician and sinne a desperate disease Christ a Saviour and the sinner that is lost But the
the like for us Heaven and eternal glory cannot be had without much working and suffering Rom. 8.17 If we suffer with him we shall also be glorified with him Hence are those commands and expressions Strive to enter in at the strait gate Mat. 7. Be in an agony The violent take the Kingdom of heaven That the righteous is scarcely saved Be not weary in well-doing because we shall have a recompence if we faint not Gal. 6.9 That implieth such labour and discouragements in the way to heaven that it is very hard not to faint not to be weary to give over all As the people of Israel in the wildernesse murmured and wished themselves in Egypt again because they found it so difficult to get into Canaan Hence Heaven is called a rest Heb. 4.9 There remains a rest What doth that imply but here in this world we are toiling and troubled and never have any rest but in heaven there is rest that also denoteth how sweet and excellent a place heaven is and how much we while in this world shold desire it and pray for it Whereas our desire to be in this world is as if a man should be willing to lie in a bed full of thorns pricking and gaâ—ling of him Thus hath God appointed a Fight before the Crown labour before our wages tempests and storms before the haven wearisomnesse before a rest Therefore in the 2d place Every Christian must up and be doing that doth expect Salvation Sluggishnesse and lazinesse will deprive of this glory Oh when such shall see themselves shut out of all happinesse and tormented for ever in those eternal flames then how will they cry out of their lukewarmnesse and unprofitablenesse what a terrible sentence is pronounced upon the unprofitable Servant Mat. 25.30 He is to be cast into utter darknesse where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth If Christ himself must first work and then look for a reward let not the Servant think to be above his Master We must not think to have heavenly glory as our Saviour saith Mat. 5. The Lillies of the Field have a greater glory then of Solomons yet they spin not they labour not No but the Scripture crieth out aloud to every one To work out his Salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2.12 Oh then that the consideration that Christianity is a work No work no glory would make us shake off slothfulnesse and negligence Do not think God will provide heaven for thee as he did a Wife for Adam in a deep sleep he thought of nothing he took no care about any such thing They that say Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die little think of the way and the work God requireth before happinesse Those that like Dives fare deliciously every day that live in ease and security let them think this Calm will breed a great Storm as they say before Earthquakes there is a wonderful stilnesse and calmnesse So all their pleasure ease and delight is but the forerunner of unspeakable torments and misery 3. Hence we see That good works and an holy active life is not forbidden but commanded by the Scripture To preach Christ or faith or grace or the benefit of the Sacraments so as that a godly exact and diligent walking and working is excluded is to preach another Christ another Gospel then we have received Our Saviour by those Parables of divers talents as also of the foolish Virgins and of the unjust steward Mat. 25. of hiring Labourers into the Vineyard did hereby commend the necessity of working Paul fought a good fight and all the godly Worthies commended by him Heb. 11. had an active laborious faith and they are accounted blessed that die in the Lord Why because their works follow them Rev. 14.13 yea at the day of judgement that judicial processe will be according to the works we have done or we have not done for omission of duties though there be no commission of sinne the sentence of condemnation will be pronounced so that concerning this duty of working there have been errours on both sides sometimes Satan hath so prevailed as to perswade men against working to fancy a kinde of notional faith that will not purifie or clense the heart a painted fire that will not burn Sometimes again when he could not prevail that waies then he hath set up working to overthrow beleeving to make Christ and his grace ineffectuall Take we heed then that we split not our selves at either of these rocks but conform our selves to Christ who was never idle but like a careful Shepherd went up and down seeking the lost Sheep This is the devils great temptation to tempt thee not to work or if thou workest to puff thee up with confidence about it and so to make thee â—un in vain The Popish Doctrines they have so infected men about works teaching them to put confidence therein that it was an infinite mercy to the Church when the true doctrine about Christ and the grace of the Gospel beâ—aâ—e to be published and by reason of some expressions there arose up the Antinomians and others who cried down working as if that were to bring the Law in again for justification but both these misse the mark both the Pharisee with confidence in his works and the Publican without his works are excluded this place of glory 4. There is therefore a necessity for many considerations while we are in our journey to heaven that we should be working all which are good to be laid to heart that so we may avoid all unprofitablenesse and at last to be able to say and now my work is done O Father glorifie me The first is from the command and will of God Every Page in the Bible presseth doing Gods will yea we are to be stedfast immoveable alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord 1 Cor. 15. So that if there were no other motive to excite us the command of God might be greatly provoking He who hath a command and a Soveraignty over all That commands the very inanimate creatures and they obey how much rather should we yeeld obedience to his will and the rather because whatsoever work he commands as it is good in it self so it 's good to us It 's good in it self When the devil and sinne tempt to that which is evil thou presently givest up thy self and shall God require that which is good and thou refusest it Besides It 's good for thee as well as good in it self It 's a work thou wilt never repent of it will never be matter of grief to thee Whereas for all other works of the flesh and the devil they will prove thorns in thy side There will be a horrour upon thy Spirit for them making thee to cry out Oh that I had never done this or that sin is called dead works Heb. 6.1 because they argue a man dead and devoid of spirituall life and so they also carry to eternal
death but these works of God they are living works partly because they proceed from a life of grace and partly because they will live for ever they will go to the grave with thee to heaven with thee they will never forsake thee 2. It 's our duty to work because God hath made them the necessary way to walk in if we will be saved Without holinesse no man shall see God Labour for the meat that perisheth not Hence if we consider every gracious work of patience love meeknesse we shall see blessednesse is promised to them Not that these justifie only the person justified cannot be without them They are the media ordinata ordained mean in the use whereof we are to arrive at eternal happinesse It 's faith only that receiveth Christ and his righteousnesse yet this faith cannot be separated from an holy walking It 's the eye only that seeth yet the eye cannot be separated from the other parts of the body and thus the Apostle doth immediatly oppose Rom. 4. beleeving working grace and works in respect of Justification yet he doth at the same time presse the Children of God to all holinesse and the fruits of righteousnesse 3. Working is necessary by way of gratitude and thankefulnesse to God and Christ If there were nothing else but this this might pour coals of fire upon thee for how many works of Gods grace hast thou been partaker of If Gods grace did not work all the day long for thee thou couldst not be a moment preserved out of hell and as for Christs working reade the History of his Life he was alwaies finishing the work of thy Redemption and Salvation he had nothing to do for himself all was in reference to thee Oh then how unworthy wilt thou shew thy self of all that love and kindenesse which God and Christ have done for thee If thou like the Sluggard let the Field of thy Soul grow full of briars and thorns Oh how can thy heart be so cold and slothful When thou considerest grace is working for thee all the day long if Christ had no more zealously and earnestly wrought my peace for me then I do perform his duties my soul had perished irrecoverably Lastly Therefore it 's necessary we should work Gods work because we have for a long time spent our selves in the Service of Satan and doing the works of the devil Oh this should be a perpetual goad in thy side this should be fire in thy bosome to consider that there was no hour no day no season but thou didst take the opportunity to satisfie thy lusts Thou never couldst have enough of sinne No thirsty man did more greedily swallow down water then thou didst sinne yea how active to draw on others to infect others with the same plague thou hadst I tell you this will lie heavy upon the godly soul If I were to live Methusalems age it would not be time enough to do God service for the dishonour I have put upon him Thy time is short and thou hast much to do because thou hast undone so much In the next place Consider That it 's lawful for the people of God in all the work they do for God to encourage themselves with this that there is an everlasting glory laid up for them Even as Christ had an eye to this glory so it 's lawful for us Thus Moses had an eye to the recompence of the reward Heb. 11. The godly Rom. 2. are said to be such as seek for immortality and glory Rom. 5.2 They rejoyce in hope of the glory of God and Paul accounted all these sufferings but light in respect of that eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 Indeed Gods glory is to be sought in the first place and then our glory so that it 's a shame if in all our doings and sufferings for God we are not full of joy because of that unspeakable glory apprehended by faith Faith makes it present as if we already were partakers of it So that whatsoever temptations and discouragements are in the work of the Lord this glory will abundantly make amends for it Are there reproaches and disgrace in the world All the while thou didst sin and the devils work thou hadst the love and good-will of the world but since thou hast betaken thy self to the service of God thou art the scoff and reproach of all O think of the glory God will crown thee with before all the world Again are all the works of God painful difficult and contrary to flesh and bloud thou must strive and wrastle much in praier be alwaies in a combat and conflict Remember this everlasting glory yea God therefore doth many times put his Children upon all exercises and sad temptations which make them ake at the very heart and all is to encrease their glory the more Thus Job thus Paul they had extraordinary trials that they might have extraordinary glory Furthermore is there self-denial required in Gods work Must thou part with thy pleasures with thy profit thy delights still remember this glory will make thee no loser for alas what proportion is there between these petty things thou leavest and those everlasting treasures God hath provided for thee In the sixth place That the glory of Gods people may be full he giveth them time and large opportunities of working for him and keeps thee in this world not for any earthly and outward advancement of thy self but to serve him in thy generation as it 's said David served God in his generation Act. 13.36 and God calleth Moses his servant Whatsoever thy relation thy place thy office be God hath appointed thee to work and therefore he prolongs thy life till thy work be done This is a comfortable consideration which all the godly may take that death shall not seize on them while thay have work to do for God and when that is finished then this summons to everlasting glory As for Infants this Truth reacheth not to them and if any like the Thief on the Crosse are called at the last hour and so are not able to work in the Vineyard yet even such have an habitual prepared heart for it if they had the opportunity But for others whose daies are prolonged they are thus to think with themselves I have this day this week longer to adde to my work God hath for me to doe Take heed of mispent time take heed of losing daies and weeks The night is coming when none can work Vse 1. How much comfort and joy the godly may take at the hour of death Their work is done now they have nothing but the Robes of glory to put on That fulnesse of glory they are immediatly to possesse should swallow up the fears of death and the love of the world With what joy should they cry out Farewell Friends Wife and Children welcome God welcome eternal glory Alas thou hast no glory here Thy body is a vile body thy soul a
by Adam so all shall be made alive Behold the Lamb that taketh away the sins of the world 1 Joh. 2. He is a propitiation not for our sinnes only but the sinnes of the whole world Thus in many other places the Scripture doth expresly affirm such an universality Therefore the Question is Whether this must be understood so generally as that it shall reach to all and every singular Man and Nation and that in all Ages or only indefinitely he died for all sorts So that now no Nation is excluded nor particular person as it was among the Jews and certainly unlesse we will make Scripture both ro contradict it self and experience We must take all those phrases indefinitely and not universally 1. Because we see the Scripture expresly limiting Gods love and Christs death to some only So that those places could never be reconciled without this distinction as Joh. 10. I lay down my life for my Sheep Rom. 8. Upon Christs death we are justified and saved and above all in this Chapter we see Christ often and often again restraining all his praier and Mediation to those that the Father had given him If he would not pour out a praier will he pour out his bloud If he would not shed a tear will he shed his bloud for them So that if we will keep up other places with this we must needs say That Christ died for all indefinitely not universally Even as when we have to do with the Anthropomorphites Those that held God is a body We grant that there are innumerable places of Scripture which speak of Gods eyes arms and his hands yet we say that Scripture may not oppose Scripture There are other places though few which describe him to be a Spirit therefore we are necessitated to say the Scripture speaks so to our condescension thus it is here Though many places of Scripture speak of Christs death in such an universal sence yet other places do plainly limit is to certain persons who are Elected and given by the Father to Christ 2. We must needs interpret it so because those places which are brought for this Universality speak of the actual benefit and fruit of his Death Now it is granted by all that none do actually partake of Christs benefits but the godly as 1 Joh. 2.2 He is a propitiation not for our sins only but the whole world He is a propitiation in an actual sence and he is so a propitiation for the sins of the whole world as the Apostle saith He is for ours viz. actual believers Now then if the whole world should extend to all makinde it would follow that all are actually pardoned and saved so 1 Cor. 15.22 As in Adam all died even so in Christ all shall be made alive By being made alive is plainly meant a Resurrection to glory as the next Verse sheweth Christ the first-fruits Then they that are Christs So that if all be taken universally it would follow all and every man should be raised to glory So in that famous place The Lamb that taketh away the sinne of the world that taketh it away in an actual sence and therefore to say Christ died for all and there is universal Redemption and yet to say all are not saved is to speak not only false doctrine but meer contradiction Indeed to say universal Redimibility by Christs death may have some colour but universal Redemption and yet not all actually redeemed Universal Propitiation and yet not all have their sinnes pardoned is to say the Physician cured such a man but yet he did not cure him or a Magistrate delivered such an one out of prison yet the man was not delivered Lastly We are necessitated to limit such phrases because of experience For if Christ died for all men intentionally how is it that in the Old Testament excepting some few Proselites the offer of grace was onely to some few and though since Christs time the Gospel be said to be preached to every creature yet how many Nations and much more particular persons have there been to whom Christ with his benefits have never been offered Now who can say that Christ died for those to whom he never discovered so much as the very Name of his death It 's true this should make us adore the goodnesse of God that gives us to live where this Gospel-grace is plentifully offered What are we more then all those Heathens and Pagans who sit in darknesse and have no light who never heard of a Mediatour but oh wretched and miserable if we neglect so great salvation SERMON XLIV Reasons why the Scripture speaks thus Vniversally about Christs Death when yet but some were intended Also what Benefits Reprobates have by Christ With some arguments Further proving the Point of Christs dying not for every man but some JOH 17.9 I pray for them I pray not for the world WE are explaining this Doctrine that Christs Mediatory Praier and so his death is not for all and every one of mankinde Many introductory particulars have been commended to you The last whereof was That though the word useth universal expressions about Christs Death as all men and the world yet we are necessitated both from Scripture reason and experience not to take them in a large universality but restrained and indefinite specialis quaedam universalitas est there is a special Universality as Austin said We shall go on to further considerations And 1. There may be very good reason given why the Scripture speaketh thus universally about Christs death Not that we should deduce an error from thence contrary to other Scriptures which restrain it to those the Father hath given him Joh. 6. and Joh. 17. But 1. It may be to shew that this great benefit purchased by Christ was designed for man and not Apostate Angels For Isa 9. It is said To us a Son is born to us a childe is given not to Angels and the Apostle doth amplifie this love of God Heb. 2.17 h at Christ took not on him the nature of Angels but the Seed of Abraham Hence it 's that the Scripture speaks of his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Seeing that God so loved the nature of mankinde that he gave his Son for those that should beleeve in him passing by innumerable Angels who might have done him more service It might well be said that Christ gave himself for the sins of the world viz. men the Inhabitants thereof 2. This might be in opposition to the Jews For a long time the means of salvation were only amongst them as Joh. 4. Salvation is of the Jews Therefore we see Peter would not so much as preach the Gospel to the Gentiles till from Heaven he was admonished that he should call no person unclean Act. 9. Seeing therefore that formerly to the Jews only were the Oracles of God committed Now that by Christs coming the partition wall is broken down and God doth not
and the merits of their own works eclipse Christ Hence they are like the Moon which though it receiveth all light from the Sunne yet is the only thing that obscures and ecclipseth it by its Interposition 3. To glorifie Christ is not thus only to acknowledge him and to rest on him for these are only internal acts of the soul and so a spiritual inward glory known by God only but it 's greatly seen in the outward confession and profession of him and that to the greatest reproach and danger which can be in the world Rom. 10. With the heart man beleeveth but with the tongue profession is made to Salvation He that will be saved must in the greatest danger and most scornful reproaches own Christ and his way Thus our Saviour Luk 12.8 Whosoever shall not confesse me before a crooked generation of him my Father and I will be ashamed Certainly in this particular the Disciples did highly honour Christ for we know Christ himself was both by birth and life in a most contemptible manner There was no comelinesse or desirablenesse in him and then at last was crucified in a most ignominious manner Now for the Apostles to look on him as the Messias to have such high and indeared thoughts of him when all the world held Christ wretched and accursed and would not upon any terms be of his followers this was greatly to honour him Therefore our Saviour said Blessed is he that is not offended at me Mat. 11.6 It was the greatest wonder in the world not to stumble at Christ We see the wise men the great men that lived then they were all offended at his meannesse Is not this the Carpenters Son Mar. 4. Oh how hard would it have been for us to have received him as the Messias if we had lived in those daies for those that followed Christ they were but a handful comparatively and they were of the more despicable sort and they were accounted illiterate and mad simple people that adhered to him 4. They glorifie Christ who receive him as a Lord and King to whose Laws they willingly submit themselves For the self-love of a man may make him glad of Christ as a Saviour but then to resigne up themselves in an obediential manner to all the commands of Christ in this they draw back Christ is not to be considered only as a propitiation for our sins but also as a King who doth govern his people by holy and spiritual laws and hence we may reade that he interpreted the Law in a more spiritual and strict way Mat. 5. then the Pharisaical Doctors had done and laid the axe to the very root of all corruption within us he forbids heart-lusts heart-passions these Embers in the fire though they never flame out he cals upon all to deny themselves to take up their crosse and to follow him To love him more then Father or mother If therefore we would honour Christ it 's our duty to forsake all those rebellions we are guilty of To lay down our opposition and enmity against his commands to take his yoke upon us and to think it light and easie What an honour was it to Christ to have men leave all their outward subsistence and earthly comforts to follow him Did they not hereby declare that they prized the service of Christ more then all the world and that they accounted more of his commands then the greatest Monarchs in the world So that all who walk disorderly and contrary to Christs command they say with those in the Parable Christ shall not reign over us Though he will reign over them maugre all their disobedience if he do not govern them with the Scepter of grace he will break them with a rod of Iron 5. Those that suffer and endure all persecutions willingly for his Name and Truth They do in an high degree glorifie Christ In a special manner did Christ take notice of his Disciples because they had accompanied him in his Temptations and the Apostle Peter doth at large shew how God is glorified when men suffer not for ill doing but as Christians That as they glorifie Christ so Christ makes a spirit of glory to rest upon them 1 Pet. 4.14 Those marks Paul did bear on his body They were so many Trophees Even as Souldiers count wounds a mark of honour they have received in fight for their commander When the Disciples went away rejoycing that they were accounted worthy to suffer any thing for Christs sake This did greatly redound to Christs glory Oh then let not the people of God be afraid or shrink at reproaches dishonours and troubles for Christs sake for wherein can they glorifie him more Or can the world say upon better grounds Behold how they loved Christ and his Truth better then their estates or their lives Those millions of Martyrs that have died for Christs sake brought an astonishing even to the very heathens No Emperour or Monarch No Master or Teacher ever had such a multitude of Disciples readily sacrificing their lives so that we mistake if we think the glory of Christ hath been in such an outward pomp as earthly Kings have been No by sufferings by revilings by the most cruell deaths that malicious men could invent they made the Name of Christ glorious through the whole world Even as Christ called his own death a glorifying both of himself and his Father so did the miseries and calamities of his Children redound greatly to his honour for greater love and esteem they could not shew then by laying down their lives for him 6. Those honour Christ and glorifie him who walk in an holy and worthy manner to that calling whereby Christ hath called them 2 Thes 1.12 That the Name of Christ may be glorified in them And how was that by walking worthy of their calling Even as on the other side when men live prophanely and wickedly they reproach Christ and make the Gentiles to blaspheme the Christian way Oh that this were sadly thought upon by most Is not every Town every Family full of cursing swearing drunken and unclean persons Now these are a Reproach to Christ they make the Christian Religion a scorn and the name of it even to stink Even as Salvian a zealous Writer against the prophane lives of Christians said The heathens by way of scorn might say Christiani sanctè vixissent si Christus sancta docuisset They thought the reason why Christians had no more sober chaste and godly lives was because Christ was not an holy Law-giver he did not give them holy precepts The loosenesse and prophanesse of a Servant is a disgrace to his Master and what dishonour must this be that those who call upon Christs Name yet should live according to the devils temptations that they should say they are for Christ and their lives for Satan 7. They honour and glorifie Christ who live chearfully and comfortably in the midst of all their troubles and exercises For
wrong one another Doth not the Apostle James tell them of their envyings and their devourings of one another Iam. 13.16 Why doth our Saviour above all things pray in this Chapter for the Disciples Vnity That they might be one but because of the pronenesse that is even in Gods Children to fall out with one another as Iacobs Children did Hence we see Beleever against Beleever Christian against Christian pursuing one another even to death It was Cyprians Complaint of old Madet orbis Christianus mutuo sanguine quod cum privati fecerint homicidium dicitur eum publice geritur virtus vocatur Oh what a sad thing is it not to see Sheep and Wolf but Sheep and Sheep devouring one another Doth not experience convince of this Are not many godly mens Enemies of the same house of the same Religion of the same Christian Faith with him Oh this is hard to bear if it were a prophane and wicked Instrument of the devil I could bear it but it is such an one with whom I have praied often humbled my self often They acknowledge the same principles of godlinesse the same experiences upon their souls yet are like Lyons 5. God hath made the world a troublesome world in all Conditions in all Relations so that none can finde this place any other then a Valley of Tears The Apostle 1 Cor. 7. sheweth the condition of Married Persons that they shall have trouble in the Flesh The Married Condition hath it's trouble the single hath its Trouble There is trouble in Husbands Wives Children in all Callings The Husbandmans The Citizens God will not let us have a Paradise in this world lest we do as the Reubenites that desired to sit down in a Countrey fruitful for Cattell and cared not to enter into Canaan It was Basils Opinion that the Earth before Mans Fall brought forth no Thorns or Thistles and that the Rose did grow without pricks But here is no such Blessednesse now Out of the same Fountain comes bitter and sweet From the same Root grow Figges and Thistles Grapes and Thorns There is no Mercy or outward Comfort but hath its Insufficiency and there are as many drops of Gall as there are of Honey Which made Job say That man who is born of a Woman is full of Trouble even as the Sparks fly upward Job 14. It 's as naturall as for the fire to ascend so that as it would be a miraculous and wonderfull thing to see the Fire descend downward no lesse would it be to see a man without some Trouble or other We reade of one Polycrates that never had any Adversity in his Life time and he endeavoured to put himself upon some Losse but could not for once he threw a Ring of a vast price into the Sea intending to lose it yet afterwards it was found in a Fishes Belly and he had it again But though he had no trouble for a long season yet at last he was taken by an Enemy and put to Death with most exquisite torments Though wicked men have the good things of this life yet these good things are not meerly and universally good They have a Sting as well as Honey They have Trouble as well as Comfort The Godliest men have acknowledged that their daies have been few and evil in this world Oh then expect not a Summer alwaies in this world God hath subjected all these created Comforts to changes after a Glorious day to have a dark Night Thou shalt have this Condition this Relation this Comfort thou desirest but thou shalt also have the burthen and the trouble of it which thou dost not desire Onus transit cum honore Lastly A mans Trouble doth arise from his own self If there were no devil no wicked men to trouble yet such is the Unbelief and the Discontents that are apt to rise in a Godly man that he would be a Trouble an Enemy yea a Devil to himself Doth not David often speak of the frettings and heating that his heart was in and who put him into it What made his Soul like a Foaming Sea Was it not his own diffidence his own froward heart Austin cried once Libera me Domine a meipso tanquam maximo hoste which holds true not onely in a sinfull way but in a troubling way Oh how many times doth a Christian raise up his own Fears his own Jealousies and his own Doubts So that as the Linnen breedeth the Moth that corrupteth and destroyeth it as the Tree the worm that eats it Thus from a mans own heart arise such troublesome Thoughts and Cares and Fears that he may be called a Mager Missabib Fear round about him We see then in how many particulars God is pleased to make this World a troublesome Place to us while we live and continue in it and also a very dangerous place That we should as much fear to be in it as in Sodom when Fire and Brimstone was ready to fall down from Heaven to consume it Let us in the next place Consider the Grounds and Reasons Why the world is thus made by God a disquieting and troublesome place to the Godly That they are but as Pilgrims and Strangers in it and therefore are little esteemed by it Reasons 1 And first That our Hearts may not be immoderately and inordinately cleaving to this world We see there are many strict Commands against the Love of it Now if we are so ready to love it though so troublesome what if it were nothing but content If saith Austin though it be Mundus amarus a bitter world thou lovest to eat and to feed of it what if it were dulcis a sweet world If it be Mundus periturus a perishing world and thou art so doting upon it what if it were Eternus everlasting If we can handle it with delight though full of pricks what if smooth and plain Certainly every Godly man should wean himself from these Breasts Seeing God hath rubbed them with so much bitternesse and affliction When therefore thou meetest with Crosses with Troubles with the Deceitfulnesse and Inconstancy of worldly Comforts say This is to instruct and teach me that I am not to expect an Heaven here The world is an Enemy thou must not love it though commanded to love our Enemies Here may be an over-loving an over-desiring Here the Rule is much more true then in Physicks Appetitus non est Regula Concoctionis Thou must hunger after these Earthly things no more then thou canst concoct or improve for Gods Glory and thy own particular good And let the Godly know Their greatest danger lieth in these inordinate Affections more then in grosse sinnes These Cares will grow up with Duties when open prophanesse makes a man wholly to despise them Reasons 2 Secondly The Lord makes the world thus full of Enmity to us that we might remember what our Condition is that we are but Pilgrims and Strangers and therefore are not to settle our abode here
whom yet they fastened many impious actions upon for certainly nature would have told them That was God quo nibil melius cogitari potest Thus the God whom Christians according to the Scripture doe serve is the onely holy and true God Thirdly He is holy in respect of his will command and approbation His word is an holy Word The Scriptures are holy Scriptures They command They approve They encourage and comfort nothing but holinesse David Psal 19. compareth them to Gold often refined that hath no drosse and Hab. 1. God is of purer eyes then to behold Iniquity viz. by approbation Therefore he is said to be angry with the wicked all the day long Oh then though other men love thee and thou art in love with thy own self yet if not holy God doth not God cannot love thee Fourthly God is holy efficiently He is the Authour and cause of all the holinesse we have Iames 1.17 Every good and perfect gift comes from him We are his Workmanship created to good works He made the Angels holy He created Adam holy yea he infused all holinesse into Christs humane Nature and therefore much rather must he cause all the holinesse that is in us Therefore Christ by praying that God would sanctifie his Disciples doth thereby teach that none can make holy but God alone Let then the proud Patrons of free-will be confounded at this They that cannot make themselves Creatures will they say ' they make themselves holy Creatures Minus est te fecisse hominem quam justum Fifthly He is finally holy That is all our holinesse is to terminate in him Holinesse doth properly respect God as the Object and therefore though a man praieth heareth giveth alms yea his body to be burnt and doth not with a pure and chaste Intention look at Gods glory in all this it is not holinesse Hence it is that many have low thoughts about holinesse and grosly mistake in it taking copper for Gold and Samuels Ghost for Samuel himself Thou art not holy till thou canst truly say in some Degree at least though with much opposition Whom have I in Heaven but God and none on Earth besides him In Heaven Heaven it self would not be heaven to a gracious heart but because God is there Sixthly God is holy exemplarily He is the Rule Pattern and Example of holinesse 1 Pet. 1.15 Be ye holy as I am holy Levit. 20.26 So that if we would know how we are to be holy it must not be as men think or as the world prescribeth but as God is holy Not that we can attain to an equality but to a similitude onely So that the principle of the world must fall to the ground They will doe as others doe or as most doe Oh but rather Consider that God himself hath set down a Form for thee and because there is such fulnesse in him as in an Ocean therefore we have a necessity of growing every day No man is as holy as the patern therefore still he is to be perfecting Holinesse and Righteousnesse in the Fear of God 1 Cor. 7.1 Thus you have heard that God is holy But in the next place know it is our Duty to improve this Attribute for our Good For so our Saviour doth not look upon it as an absolute property in God but as that which may be profitable unto his Disciples So that we are to make use of this by Faith And that first Because when God becomes our God by the Covenant of Grace he is wholly ours and all his Attributes are for our benefit and advantage I will be their God Now God is not our God nulesse his Wisedome be ours his Holinesse be ours that is for our benefit For we cannnot separate God and these Oh then what an unwise and foolish thing is it in a Christian when he hath such a Treasure and yet will make no use of it Such a Mine and yet improveth it not In God there is holinesse for all Angels and men much more for thee Secondly God being thus absolutely good he is communicating of it and it is a Rule The more any thing is good the more diffusive it is of it self As we see in God who though glorious and happy enough in himself yet he created a world and ordained many to Eternall Glory out of his meer good pleasure and Fullnesse not that he needed or wanted any Oh then it is very acceptable and well-pleasing to God that we should come with thirsting Souls unto this Fountain and draw Water out of it That we should suck plentifully at these full Breasts and be refreshed Vse of Instruction to the People of God who are greatly afflicted under this great Temptation They are not an holy People Oh they finde sinne captivating them sinne prevailing over them but where is an holy heart holy affections and holy aims in what they doe Oh they say Could they finde they were more holy though they were poor and afflicted yet they should rejoyce Let such Consider It is their Unbelief and want of earnest Praier if they be not richly supplied and furnished in this for God is infinitely holy and he delights to communicate it The larger the Vessell is the more willing he is and will be to fill it and there cannot be any Prayer more acceptable then to begge for this above all things Vse 2. Is God thus holy Then let the most holy be humble in all their approaches to him for he is of such pure Eyes that he findes spots and blemishes yea damnable matter in thy most holy duties Angels holinesse is not proportionable to him Thirdly Of Reproof to wicked men who deride scoff and maliciously oppose holinesse What is this but to rise up against God himself Is not Holinesse the Glorious Attribute of God And do the Beams of this shining in his People offend thee This argueth thou art of a perverse and of a devilish Spirit for thou shouldest rather reverence and honour it saying Oh that I might live and dye like such holy men Indeed there are many would like Balaam die like a Godly man but not live like him as One said He would live like Croesus but die like Socrates Yet this is impossible There must be an holy Life else there will hardly be an holy Death SERMON LV. The Great Lord-Keeper of Israel from inevitable Ruine both of Body and Soul extolled JOH 17.11 Holy Father keep through thy own Name those thou hast given me c. WE have dispatched the Introductory Compellation and now proceed to the Petition it self and in that Consider 1. The mercy praied for and 2. The Amplification of it The mercy praied for is Keep The amplification is 1. From the Subject described by their Election from Eternity And 2. Actuall donation to Christ in time Those thou hast given me This is often repeated by our Saviour as being a main Argument why nothing should he denied them that were thus
well as the rest which was a strong engagement to make him full of love to Christ and though he was admonished of it that he should betray him though he heard our Saviour say It had been better for him he had never been born yet from these admonitions he goeth immediately and consummates all iniquity From this man called here a sonne of perdition yet formerly as eminent as the other Apostles many worthy particulars are to be gathered but for the present I shall pitch on this That there are some men so resolvedly and obstinately given to damn themselves that let what will come in the way they will go on Even as Balaam in his purpose to curse the people of Israel sets forward with great resolutions driveth on his Ass though that speak to him which might have been a terrible astonishment yet for all that he pursueth his wicked design till God stop him whether he will or no Or as Saul was wretchedly bent to murder himself and therefore cals upon his Armour bearer to run him thorow which when he refused he desperately fals upon his own spear and kils himself Thus there are thousands of persons that do with as much obstinacy and desperate hardness of heart throw themselves into hell God commands a man To do no murder and self-murder is rare because the care of life and fear of death is implanted in men but self-destruction and self-damnation is very common for men neither have a love to their immortal souls nor yet a fear of eternal damnation No wonder if some persons are thus when we reade of an whole body of people or Nation ready to do this Matth. 23.37 Christ doth there in a melting manner weep over Jerusalem O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets c. How often would I have gathered thee and thou wouldst not This compassionate bewailing of them was enough to turn stones into tears but they would not It is not said they understood not they desired but other things hindred them No They would not There was a pertinacious wilfull obstinacy There are more remedies and means sufficient to have humbled them in sackcloth and ashes but they would not This cursed disposition was of old in them Jer. 18.12 when the Prophet had informed them of Gods purpose to bring evil upon them and that therefore they should return from their evil way See what an obstinate reply they make There is no hope or as some render it it 's a desperate case We will go every one in his evil wayes and after the imagination of our own hearts So truly did the Prophet say Hos 13.9 O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self That as it is from a mans own body diseases grow which afterwards kill him and moths are bred in that linnen which afterwards consume it Thus from a mans one self come those sinnes which tend to his everlasting damnation They will destroy themselves who can stop them or perswade them to the contrary To pursue this because it 's the case of many men who live under the means of grace Let us consider What are the causes that move men thus violently to damn themselves as if they could not do it soon enough And First There are many though glorying in the title of Christians that are prophanely Atheistical They do not believe there is a God or Heaven or Hell they do not firmly assent to Gods Word as true Now what good can all the preaching in the world do though the Ministers were as so many Angels and their voice as terrible as the sound of the trumpet at the last day if men be Atheistical they will not believe what any Minister preacheth They bless themselves in their wicked wayes and will not hearken to any thing Achitophel did not more resolutely go hang himself then those to damn themselves For as faith is the great instrument whereby the Word preached becomes effectual to salvation so unbelief is the great stop and obex in the way This is the door and barre to keep all off which made the Prophet complain Isa 53.1 and the Apostle afterwards alleadgeth it as the cause of mens destruction Who hath believed our report Hence Heb. 4.2 The Word did not profit the Israelites because not mixed with faith A Metaphor from the Physicians potion which doth no good because not mixed with such ingredients This is to be worse then the devils who believe and tremble but thou dost neither As long therefore as men abide in unbelief no Ministry no preaching will do them any good faith is the foundation without this there cannot be any building But though the promises are not made good unless we believe yet know to thy terrour that all the curses and threatnings in Gods Word will be fulfilled upon thee whether thou believe or not Secondly Another cause is Gross bruitish and stupid Ignorance When people have no knowledge or understanding in matters of Religion they fall as easily as blinde men that know not where they go Ephes 4.18 The Apostle speaking of some who gave themselves up to wickedness and were past feeling They had no remorse or sense of conscience as a dead hand though it be runne through with the sword yet feels no pain he makes the cause of this senslesness to be the darkness in their understanding and the blindness which was upon their hearts Thus Hos 4.1 2. when the Prophet complained That the Land was overthrown with swearing lying and murders he makes this the cause There is no knowledge of God in the Land and Jude v. 10. relateth some Who speak evil of those things they know not and what they know naturally they did as bruit beasts corrupt themselves with Is not this the character of many in these dayes Their hellish mouths are opened to rail and deride and so speak malicious words against those that are godly when they are sottish and ignorant in religious things having no knowledge but what is natural and with that they are like bruit beasts corrupting themselves The sottish ignorance and bruitish blindness upon many makes them to venture desperately Oh if their eyes were open Did they but see what the godly see they would not dare to step a step forward in that way which leadeth to death But as mad men feel no pain though instruments be thrust into them so neither do they Men out of their wits venture upon self-murdering practises and thus do those that are void of all spiritual understanding Hence Admonition is called in the Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thess 5.13 Paul commands them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to warn them that are unruly or to put a minde and wits into them as if they were mad and would destroy themselves not knowing what they did A third cause of such wilfull resolvedness to damn themselves is hardnesse of heart As long as the heart is soft and tender it trembleth at Gods word and is afraid
he for them It is as ridiculous as if a man should delight in childrens baby-clouts Oh do thou remember of whom thou art born and thou wilt take the best things to rejoyce in Fourthly Heavenly Joy surpasseth in the certainty of it The joy which God createth in the soul cannot be taken away by any but God himself Though sicknesse come though poverty come though afflictions arise yet all these cannot take away his joy yea in death it self many times he doth most abound and overflow whereas all worldly joy under such calamities are turned into wounds into howlings and tremblings so that they know not what to do Fifthly It surpasseth in the Vniversality and Extent of it Joy in God is all Joy because God is an Universall Good There is no want but he can fill it no misery but he is a peculiar remedy to it whereas the Creatures have their peculiar Joyes Health is one Joy Wealth another Joy but no one Creature hath all Comforts in it Sixthly It transcends in the Fulnesse and Degrees of Joy Solomon speaks of worldly Comfort That even in laughter the heart is sad Even Seneca could say Think you of those many that laugh any one hath true Joy Res severa est Gaudium Digge to the bottome of the heart of these merry blades and you will finde terrours and fears there Vse of Instruction Which is the way to get true Joy A life in Christ a life of holinesse Omnis vita est propter delectationem Judge not jolly bodily delights worthy the name of Joy These will turn to bitter howlings and gnashings of teeth Oh what a bitter alteration will death make upon you Now laughing then roaring now excessive in drinking then crying for a drop of water to quench those eternal torments SERMON LXXIX The Excellent Effects of Christian Joy JOH 17.13 That my Joy might be fulfilled in themselves IN the next place Let us Consider the Effects of this Christian joy and they are admirable First It doth dilate and enlarge the heart so that the Soul rejoycing is far more capacious then otherwise it would be Some have died they say for joy because of the too much dilating and dispersing the spirits The Saints glorified in heaven enjoy more then ever they could here of God because their hearts are more widened and prepared Our Souls are narrow and streightned within us till joy doth extend them A man of a joyful spirit is like a Vessell of a broad mouth that receiveth far more of God and Christ then a dejected unbeleeving person so that when we are commanded to set open the doors that the Prince of Glory may enter into us It 's joy that will thus prepare us It 's the complaint of many of Gods Children of their narrownesse and straitnesse of heart that they have no room for Christ Fears they fill the heart Worldly cares they also fill so that as men in a Consumption complain of a stopping and streightnesse in their breast they have much ado to fetch their winde Thus do the Children of God oh they have such stoppings upon their hearts that they have much ado to pray or to do any heavenly duty Now joy is an excellent opener That removeth these sinful obstructions so that this should make thee endeavour after a joyful life it will make thee dilate in all dimensions of grace Thou wilt be a Christian of a higher pitch or like Daniels Tree whose branches spread themselves abroad exceedingly 2. This Joy makes a man active and serviceable to God Neh. 8.10 The joy of the Lord is your strength Weak hands and feeble knees which are the Instruments of action and motion are attributed to fear as the cause of them Thus on the contrary Joy makes strong hands and firm knees The Incestuous person when almost swallowed with sorrow could no more vigorously serve God then a piece of wood whose moisture is not yet dried up would be useful for building Hence any service done to God that is accompanied with dejections and sorrow hath a kinde of uncleanesse in it as we have a notable expression Hos 9.4 Their Sacrifices shall be unto them as the Bread of mourners all that eat thereof shall be polluted Lev. 11.1 Persons that mourned for others that were dead were accounted unclean and thus doth all sinful sorrow and dejection it makes thy duty unclean it polluteth thee for God loveth not only a chearfull giver but chearfulnesse in all duties and therefore we reade of Gods severe threatning for the neglect of this Deut. 28.47 One great cause of all those heavy Curses there mentioned is because they did not serve the Lord with joy and gladnesse of heart Adde to this Deut. 12.7 12. as also Deut. 26.14 where the person offering Sacrifices was to make this Protestation that he had not eat thereof in his mourning If you say God is of such infinite purity and holinesse that I being full of infirmities have cause to tremble before him We grant it yet remember the Psalmists Advice Rejoyce with trembling Psal 2. That is the fat of the Sacrifice Oh then thou that complainest of thy dulnesse listlesnesse and lukewarmnesse in Gods Service whose duties look like Pharaohs lean Kine and though they swallow down many fat opportunities as these did the fat Kine yet remain withered and ill-favoured still Consider whether unbelief and sinful dejections are not like Ivy to the Tree or like rottennesse in the bones so Solomon cals Sorrow The bones which are the chief strength of a man if they have rottennesse in them how weak must that man be Consider then whether thy want of heavenly joy be not the cause of the evil upon thee whether that do not make thee a barren Wildernesse and a parched heath whether thou hadst not fulfilled all Relations and opportunities more fruitfully if this Joy had been fulfilled in thee 3. Christs Joy fulfilled in the heart doth consume and expell all carnall and worldly and sinful joys He that rejoyceth in the Lord cannot rejoyce in sin because the Objects are clean contrary no more then a man at the same time can with one eye look upward and with another downward A body may as well be in two places at the same time as the soul be intensly affected with two contrary Objects so that if thou complainest of the pronenesse of thy heart to rejoyce in earthly and worldly things Know there is no such medicine to cure this as heavenly joy as they say fire will drive out fire so joy will expell joy Joy in the Lord Joy in the world What made David professe so much joy in God but the heavenlinesse of his heart and this greater joy put out the lesse As the Sun-beams will the fire Seeing therefore a man cannot live but he must have joy in something Do thou pray and endeavour that the joy of the Lord may take up thy heart for when this Sun is in thy soul the Starres cannot
done It was a mystery to Nicodemus a master of Israel but it 's not only a mystery to natural men it 's that which they hated they cannot abide For Solomon saith Every mans way is clean in his own eyes Prov. 16.2 To come then to people and tell them you are all out of the way to Heaven There is nothing good in you unlesse you be new creatures even all new you cannot be saved new hearts new affections new thoughts Will not this be a two-edged sword in their hearts Shall they leave their former course Shall not they speed as well as others This is a Doctrine not to be born this is durus Sermo when indeed they are duri auditores and so let not the Word have that penetrating power it would 2. As it 's opposite to their natures so to their lives and conversations Ephes 2. Paul there describes what kinde of men the Ephesians were and that it might not be thought their peculiar wickednesse he saith They walked after the course of this world and therefore Rom. 12. The command is not to be conformed to the fashion of this world Can flesh and blood then endure that the Ministers of God should damn to hell The lives the manners the daily customs and practises that generally men live in When Moses did but in a fair way reprove two Israelites that were quarrelling how frowardly did they answer Who made thee a Judge over us Exod. 2.14 And so the Sodomites to Lot they judged it all Lordliness and domineering and is not the same stubbornnesse still reigning every where All reproofs all denunciations out of Gods Word are judged to be the pride the lordlinesse or the malice of the Minister Wonder not then if the faithfull preaching of Gods word meeteth with such violent opposition for they perswade a life a way directly contrary to what the world delights in 3. It 's opposite to that way of worship which men take up by natural reasonings The Prophets did not only reprove for morall impieties but Idolatry and superstitious Worship Who hath required these things at your hands And our Saviour his Doctrine was salt to the Pharisees it corroded and fretted their sore hearts he layeth the axe of his Ministry to the root of all their superstition and proveth that to be abominable which they did so highly advance before men Insomuch that Christs first coming into the world because of his severe Doctrine and reprehensions is Mal. 3. described to be as terrible as the day of Judgement Who shall abide the day of his coming And why Because he shall sit as a refiner to purge the house of Levi. Austin did much complain what a difficult matter it was to take off people from their superstitions and vain customs Veh tibi torrens moris humani quis resistet Certainly such will say no lesse to powerfull and faithfull Ministers then the devils to Christ Why art thou come to torment us before our time Again fourthly The preaching of the Word must be opposed because the powerfull obedience thereunto brings all calamity and persecution They shall be hated as well as the word is hated Now to be troubled reproached and despised is contrary to mens temper who loveth applause and glory Hence some though they are said to believe John 2. yet would not confesse Christ because they loved the praise of men more then of God And our Saviour saith How can ye beleeve who seek glory one of another Pride and love to be esteemed of in the world doth disdain all good preaching 5. The Word preached meeteth with opposition because the instruments are men subject to infirmities especially if faithfull So that though they do not hate them for their infirmities yea the more prophane and dissolute the Minister is they like it the better yet because the Apostle saith We have this treasure in earthen vessels they are men and not Angels therefore they quarrel and oppose Paul himself though an Apostle and giving mighty demonstrations of Gods Spirit in him yet he was despised and slandered though not so guilty of humane infirmities and that because he was faithfull Am I become an enemy because I tell you the truth Gal. 3. Oh this is it because we preach the truth because we meet with mens corruptions and cannot bear sin This is that which raiseth up malice Lastly The world hath not received the Spirit of God and therefore all the glorious and wise things of Christ are but foolishnesse and uselesse to them They have not that spiritual annointing they are not taught of God Hence it is that they rage and revile those things they know not or understand Therefore till God give them eye-salve and seeing eyes no other thing can be expected Vse of Instruction Wonder not if in all ages this be true the Word is purely preached and obeyed by some therefore the world hateth and rageth For what will a Tyger and a Wolf lay aside their natures Will the Devil cease to be a Devil But wo be to those that make Christ the foundation-stone to be a stone of stumbling and offence Woe to thee that findest light made darkness and life death to thee SERMON LXXXI Of Suffering for Christs Cause And how it engageth God to take care of such as so suffer Also the Duty of Ministers about Preaching Gods Truth JOH 17.14 I have given them thy Word and the world hath hated them c. A Second Observation may be That when the People of God suffer not for any Faults of their own but because they own God and professe his Truth This is a great obliging of God to take care of them For our Saviours Petition is founded upon this equitable and just Consideration The world hateth them But why Not for any wickednesse or injuries they have done but meerly because they have beleeved in thy Word If so be they had opposed and rejected the Word of God and had ordered their lives according to the course of this world They would have been the worlds darlings all men would have spoken well of them but now it was for Gods sake and his Gospels sake that they were thus maligned so that if we be hated in the world upon Christs account and because of Gods Interest we are sure to have his special care and protection To open this doctrine Consider these things First That it 's possible for those who acknowledge Christ to be hated and persecuted in the world not for their Christianity but for their other grosse impieties and if so then they cannot take that joy or expect that protection which God doth promise to his Therefore the Apostle Peter speaks excellently to this 1 Pet. 4.14 15 16. where having shewed how happy yea and how gâ—orious a thing it is to be reproached for Christs Name because the Spirit of Glory resteth upon them The world scorneth and despiseth them in their low estate but the Spirit of Glory resteth
accounts madnesse To be in spiritual desertions to have no sence of Gods favour to fear himself a damned Castaway to have no rest in his bones day or night To be assaulted with the devils buffetings to be filled with hideous thoughts These things the world also knoweth not and therefore they count them melancholy and mad Such as by their too much poring about Sermons and good Books put themselves out of their wits Lastly They are not of the world in respect of their Conversation Rom. 12. they are not conformed to the fashion of the world The one goeth Westward the other Eastward as it were Their words and language are different their actions are contrary What the Righteous man loveth the wicked abominateth and what the wicked loveth the godly man abhorreth Thus as they say of the heavens the primum mobile hath one motion of its own and the inferiour Orbes a contrary motion to that Thus the godly man he moveth one way toward heaven he presseth hard thither The wicked man he maketh as much haste to hell So as there were two strugling in the Mothers womb which encreased her pain Thus there are two striving upon the face of the world an Isaac and an Ismael a Jacob and an Esau the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent This enmity will not be extinct in this life Vse of Exhortation to the godly Remember what ye are Not of the world Therefore take heed of worldly affections worldly hearts For where your treasure is there will your heart be also If it be in God in Heaven there the heart will be If in Earth and in earthly things there it will be You tremble at the commission of grosse and grievous sins you think hell it self would immediatly devour you upon such sins Be afraid of the world Let it not be a Dalilah to thee a Judas to thee by kissing thee to destroy thee Consider therefore God hath put gall into all worldly comforts therefore every creature every condition in the world hath a sting in it that thy soul should be more on God Thou canst never live quietly till above the werld In heaven only there are no storms no waves no disquietings and this life thou maist attain unto He that is not of the world The troubles of the world hurt not him the losses of the world grieve not him The vexations of the world disquiet not him But because we are still of the world in part we are not compleatly and perfectly out of disquietnesse Therefore in this life we remain in a combating conflicting way that heaven may be the sweeter Doct. 2 Obs 2. That it is the honour of Beleevers that they are like Christ They are not of the world as he is not What a glorious condescention was this that he who is the God of all the Earth and hath all things at his command yet be in the world hated scorned and at last crucified That it shall be no better with him then it was with us Hence our Saviour added this as I am of the world both for consolation and information Information that they should look for such hatred misery and trouble as they saw him grapling with such a contradiction of sinners as he sustained and then also for consolation They could not think much if the Disciple were not above the Master so could they expect to be more loved of God then he Could they think to walk more wisely and holily then he did It must needs bring much comfort when we shall Consider that it can never be so bad with us but it was worse with Christ Are we hated so he Did he seem forsaken of God So may we be To open this Consider That there is a twofold conformity and likenesse to Christ The first is active the second passive An active conformity consists in the Imitation of Christ and resembling him in our lives That as Christ lived so we endeavour to do Although there be some things wherein it 's impossible for us to imitate him as in his actions which he did as God yet in those things which he did as being under the Law we are to conform to him We are to be humbles meek and patient as he was We are to do Gods Will and to seek Gods glory as he did Let the same minde be in you saith the Apostle which was in Christ Phil. 2.5 Christs life and death was chiefly satisfactory and meritorious but secondarily it was exemplary being as a Copy to write after Thus Paul bids them be Followers of him as he was of Christ Phil 3.17 Heathens have prescribed to have some grave sober man in our mindes alwaies to think him present but behold a greater then all men even Christ himself Check thy self when impatient discontented repining at sufferings saying Did Christ do thus 2. There is a passive Conformity of which the Text speaks To be like him in his Sufferings To have the same hard measure in the world as he had Rom 8. We are said to be predestinate to be conformable unto Christ in this very particular What befell Christ God hath so ordered that it should befal us Not indeed for the same end for Christs Sufferings were not for himself or because he had sinned but to make an atonement to God for us But our sufferings are for our sins not to satisfie Gods justice but to humble us and to make us in some measure to feel how much Christ suffered for us what the wrath and anger of God was he endured for us This passive resemblance then unto Christ in his state of humiliation God hath ordained all beleevers unto That as it behoved Christ to suffer and so to enter into Glory Thus it doth behove every godly man through many Tribulations to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven As he had a Crown of Thorns before a Crown of Glory as he must drink of the Brook and then lift up his head so it must be with all his Disciples and this is matter of Comfort though otherwise grievous to flesh and bloud For 1. Hereby we see that we may be never the lesse loved of God though greatly afflicted in this world For was not Christ though dearly beloved of his Father yet delivered up to the cruell mockings and rage of men Did not he cry out My God why hast thou forsaken me We may reade but of one Sonne of God without sin but not of one without chastisement even Christ himself drank deep of that Cup Do not thou then doubt of thy Sonship or Interest in the Fathers love because of the present afflictions that are upon thee Christ was a man of sorrows and yet God from Heaven said This is my well beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased 2. There is matter of comfort because hereby we are ascertained of our Conquest over them That no tribulation shall separate God and us for Christ hath undergone these conflicts as
so farre as their presence was comfortable and necessary to us we may grieve God would not have the old bird killed with her young ones and he that would have mercy shewed to the fowls of the air will much more shew it to his people It is true God in his wisdome many times takes his own children betimes out of the world even too soon for them we would think being in the prime of their service and too soon also for their children and dependents on them but therein God is even mercifull though for the present we do not perceive it For this you know God hath determined in mercy the time of our abode in this world Thou canst not follow me now said Christ to Peter but he should in his time John 13 3◠Lastly It 's not alwayes best to have the best good immediately but in it's time It 's true to be with the Lord to be freed from sinne is best in it self absolutely considered but then respectively if this and that be considered quoad hic nunc it 's not best God doth every thing beautifull in his season None could be more loved of the Father then Christ himself he came from the bosome of his Father yet till he had finished his course he is kept from him We say even the best and holiest thoughts or desires may come in unseasonably into our hearts and so not be best at that time As the childs duty is not to learn the best book at first but what he is most capable of Though Heaven and glory be best yet not at this time for thee partake of it So that when it 's best to go out of this world must be left to the wisdom of God But you will ask Is it never lawfull to pray unto God that he would take us out of the world May we not desire to die and to be freed from sin Are we not to pray that Christ would come To this I answer First It 's never lawfull to desire to go out of the world from impatiency or discontent because we have troubles and vexations in this world Thus Elijah sinned when he prayed to God to take away his life for this was through the discontent then upon him So Job when he breaketh forth into those dreadfull imprecations about himself expostulating with God Why life was continued to such who sought for death more then for hid treasures Look then to this that no impatient discontented thoughts make thee weary of this world Secondly Earnest desires to be with God and hearty affections for eternal glory are lawfull and a special duty Thus we are to pray Gods kingdom may come and thus the Saints are said to long for and hasten to the coming of Christ 2 Pet. 3.12 Thus if we speak abstractedly take the thing in it self Our hearts ought to be so heavenly that we are to be as pilgrims here longing for heaven our rest Thirdly It 's never lawfull absolutely and peremptorily to desire of God that he would take us out of this world though our hearts be heavenly but with submission and resignation If Lord I have done my work I have finished my course as we see Christ in this Chapter I have done the work thou gavest me to do therefore glorifie me Austin expresseth this disposition well when he said O Lord if I be yet necessary to my people I do not refuse to live not refuse because in another place he saith Some godly men have need of patience to live as others to die It must be alwayes therefore conditionally If you object Many Martyrs for I mention not those Circumcelliones that would force men to kill them hereby glorying in a contempt of death who willingly offered themselves to the persecutors when none accused them To this some say They were some Hereticks that did so not the true Christians But yet Histories record it of true Christians and then that was an extraordinary spirit in them which as we cannot condemn so neither must we imitate we must live by precepts not examples no not of holy men Vse Do not thou break out into impatient discontents about any exercise or temptation thou art afflicted with say not Why doth not God remove it from me or me from it Consider this in the Text I pray not thou shouldst take them out of the world What did Christ say when Peter drew out his sword Could not I pray for legions of Angels and the Father would send them to help me but the Scripture must be fulfilled So do thou say God could deliver me from all these troubles he hath thousands of ways to put me into rest but I open not my mouth because thou Lord dost it Indeed if they should never be taken out of this world if thy troubles were eternal as the torments of the damned in hell thou mayest justly cry out in the horrour of thy soul But God hath put a period he hath set his time for thy being in this world when thou art ripe thou shalt be cut down and carried into Gods barn When thy service is done then God will call thee to glory SERMON LXXXVI That it is a greater Mercy to be kept from Sinne and all Evil in our Afflictions and Troubles then from the Afflictions themselves JOH 17.15 But that thou shouldst keep them out of the Evil. THis is the positive part of Christs Explication of himself in his Petition for his Disciples viz. to keep them from the evil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sometimes this is applied to the thing or matter which is evil as in the Lords Praier Mat. 6.13 Deliver us from evil 2. To Persons Thus often in the Scripture Mat. 12.45 So it shall be to that wicked generation in that day Sometimes it 's applied to the devil as the Original of all wickednesse who also tempts to it So Matth. 13.19 Then comes the wicked one 1 Joh. 2.13 Ye have overcome the evil one Now there are some who limit this to the devil keep them from the devil because it is with the article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but that is not necessary as appeareth Matth. 5.37 Whatsoever is more then this cometh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So Mat. 5.49 Resist not evil 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that cannot be the devil for we are commanded to resist him but we may take the word generally both for sinne and the devil and sinful persons That the sence may be thus Though I pray not that thou should keep them free from all evil and afflictions yet I pray that they may be preserved from sinne thereby that whatsoever may befall them yet they may not sinne and here we see also that it's Gods gift to keep men in their afflictions that they sin not Otherwise they would undo themselves and through many tribulations they would go not into the Kingdom of Heaven but of hell from misery here to misery hereafter Obs That it 's a greater mercy to
them Thou thinkest with thy self Oh when will the hand of the Lord be over Oh that this burthen were taken off and in the mean time praiest not watchest not lest this should any waies distemper thee and make thee sinful Vse 2. How foolish they are that wil run into any sinne so they may avoid danger That will bow their knees to Baal worship the golden Image ere they will venture any misery What saith our Saviour to such They that will thus save their lives shall lose them God frustrates their earthly Expectations and then Oh the wofull horrour sinne will leave upon them They will finde a wounded Spirit worse then any calamity in the world They will wish O that they had been wracked and tormented in their bodies so that they had never committed such sinnes as wrack and torment their Souls David when he had lost all heavenly joy and all his desirable things did perish could then tell you that sins guilt upon the Soul was worse then all the miseries and troubles that ever he did undergo SERMON LXXXVII That God hath determined a precise time to every particular man in the world how long he shall live JOHN 17.15 I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world c. THough we have gathered the full vintage of this Text yet there remain some gleanings of which we may say with the Prophet a blessing is in it Two remarkable truths there are implied the first in the Negative the second in the Positive part In the first in the Negative I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world We may observe That God hath the dominion and immediate disposing of our being and continuance in this world When his day is come when his Decree is expired then none can withstand when he commands to return to the dust from whence we came or shall say This night thy soul shall be taken away there cannot be any gainsaying This truth is the more to be regarded because it hath been doctrinally agitated by learned men Whether there be an immovable term of life in this world prefixed to every man and then practically it is of great concernment as is to be shewed But to explain this truth consider First That God hath not onely determined a general or specifical time for all in the world but an individual and peculiar for every man or woman a general term of life God hath provided so that none shall live beyond it No man ever lived a thousand years In the beginning of the world then men were longer lived but in Moses his time we see him affirming the ordinary bounds of a mans life to be threescore and ten Psa 90. For in the wilderness by their wickedness they brought short dayes upon themselves So that all creatures have a general term of life There is the maximum quod sic though some live longer then others Thus men have bounds in the general they cannot out-live But this is not enough God hath appointed to every individual man his continuance in the world so that it is God that taketh him out of the world when his time cometh 2. Though God hath thus appointed our continuance in the world so that in respect of his providence none could live longer or shorter yet if we respect second causes and speak according to them so we may truly say such might have continued longer in the world Hence wicked men are said not to live out half their dayes and Solomon saith Be not over-wicked Eccles 7.17 Why shouldst thou die before thy time Wicked men many times by their wickedness drunkennes and uncleanness kill themselves and sometimes provoke God to destroy them But though they are said not to live out half their dayes yet that is to be understood in respect of second causes not Gods appointment for so it was their whole dayes 3. Though God hath appointed the times of our abode or removal out of the world yet this decree and appointment is brought about in the use of means We are not to apprehend such a decree in God that we shall live such a time let us do what we will eat or not it 's no matter for the use of the means This is wretchedly to dishonour God for though Gods will doth not uncertainly depend upon thy will yet his appointment is with great sweetness and condescention to second causes both natural and rational so that they are moved by him according to their natures Therefore when Paul had a revelation That none in the ship with him should perish yet he tels them that unless they continued in the ship with him they should perish Act. 27.31 4. Therefore though God hath appointed the bounds of our life in this world yet he hath kept it secret from us he lets none know unless by special revelation the times of their death And therefore there is a duty imposed upon all that they use the means of life Thou shalt not kill reacheth first to a mans self and then to another Hence to live chearfully to use the help of the Physician are duties Christ said The sick need the Physician Mat. 9.12 as for secret things they belong to God The souldier knoweth not whether he shall conquer such an enemy scale such a wall yet because his General commands him he is ready to obey and thus though we cannot tell such means shall prolong our lives in the world yet Gods will cannot be neglected without great sin 5. God hath determined the time of our being in the world out of justice and wrath to the wicked out of mercy and wisdom to the godly It 's anger to the wicked for all the while they live they increase their sin they treasure up wrath so that it had been well for them if they had been cut off by death long before They live to make hell the hotter for them when they die But to the godly the time of their abode is limited in mercy The righteous is taken away from the evil to come Isa 57.1 The shepherd driveth his sheep to a refuge before the storm ariseth The jewels are safely put up when the house is in danger when Simeon had seen and imbraced Christ then he had liberty to depart The word is used in Scripture sometimes of those that are dismissed out of prison or are dispatched when their errand is done or freed from a flux or such disease that is upon them and certainly in these respects it may be applied when God taketh his out of the world it 's because they have finished this work and death freeth them from this world that was like a prison to them yea and now a stop is put to all those lusts that were like a bloody flux running from them so that the time when God takes his out of the world is from much wisdom and great mercy They shall not go sooner nor yet later then he willeth and thus many
times they are like that happy man Cui sine lassitudine peractum est iter Now that it is God that continueth and takes out of the world appointing every one their set time appeareth by evident Texts of Scripture Job 14.5 where a mans dayes in particular are said to be determined the number of his moneths and his bounds beyond which he cannot pass he speaks here of every man in particular it is not worth while to answer the cavils against this place So that as God hath appointed a set time for governments and when that period is come then all the world cannot hinder a change as Dan. 5.25 God hath numbred thy kingdom and given it away Thus he doth also to every particular person Not that men may neglect means or do what they list but he hath ordained this in and by the use of the means Thus Act. 17.26 God is said to determine the seasons and the bounds of our habitation 2. God hath appointed the time of our abode in this world because he is the daily preserver and keeper of us Should not he continue the breath of life we should presently fall into the dust out of which we came Thus Act. 17.28 In him we live and move and have our being Thus we could not stir the foot nor move the tongue did not God inable us conservation is a daily creation Hence Daniel tels that great Belteshazzar though a mighty Monarch Dan. 5.23 that he did not glorifie God in whose hand his breath was If God do but blow upon the richest greatest and healthfullest man that is he is immediately scattered as when we blow upon a little dust yea neither food would nourish us or the creatures afford any sustenance did not God give a blessing to them as you may see Exod. 23.25 He will bless thy bread and thy water and take away thy infirmities from thee Thus when the pillars of the house are removed that must presently fall into rubbish so when God takes away his arm man runneth into nothing and be David be even to admiration so affected with Gods providence in his constitution shall not the same care be shewed to his dissolution Ps 139.16 he speaks there how curiously his body was wrought even like any tapestry or needle work and that all his members were in Gods book Solomon saith There is a time to be born and a time to die But as the one is from Gods appointment so must the other be 3. It 's God only that appoints the time of our being in the world because even those deaths that seem to be the most casual and so we would think not at all under Gods providence yet are expresly attributed to him All casual murders they are by the peculiar appointment of God though men that are instruments did not intend the death of such that God is the God of death as well as of life appeareth Ps 68.20 To him belong the issues of death if by issues be meant the evasions and escapes from death it asserts this truth That it's God only who appoints when a man shall die and when he shall not some are now taken out of the world some at another time and all at the meer pleasure of God But if you understand it as some learned men do in this sense To God belongs the goings out to death then it 's more plain and indeed this is more consonant to the text for the Preposition â— will perswade this and the use of the phrase Jer. 15.1 2. where some are said to go out to death and others to captivity so that the Psalmists meaning will then be To God belongs salvation which he will shew to his people but as for the wicked he hath many wayes to bring them to death Thus you see to God belongs the whole disposing of us the continuing or taking us out of the world To this we may adde a parallel place Psal 31.15 My times are in thy hand save me from mine enemies They cannot destroy me when and where or how they please that as it was with our Saviour he had his hour wherein he was to suffer so that till then all the power of men and devils could not apprehend him Thus it is with all men they have their hour Even those that by the greatest hap come to their death are yet said to be delivered to it by God himself Exod. 21.13 cum Deu. 19.4 5 6. If a man cutting of wood have the head of his hatchet flie off and kill another God there saith He delivered that man into his hand 4. We must acknowledge God doth set bounds to every mans life because the time of their death is called their day in a peculiar manner viz. that day God had appointed for them Jer. 50.27 Wee unto them when their day shall come that day wherein God had appointed them for slaughter and Ps 37.13 The Lord will laugh for he seeth that his day is coming That look as God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the whole world so he hath appointed a particular day for every man which is his particular day of judgement then he is adjudged either to hell or heaven Thus Nathan tels David When thy daies shall be finished and certainly this is of dreadful consideration to every wicked man Thou hast thy day of death appointed thy hour of dissolution is coming it 's thy day Now thou hast a day of jollity of mirth and quietnes but remember this thy day is coming Thou hast heard of the day of such a mans death and such an one and so thou hast thy day of death likewise 5. If Gods providence reach to the least and minute things that are much more to the taking of a mans life out of the world Mat. 6. The Sparrow fals not to the ground without Gods providence Not a bird is killed without his appointment and shall man die without it yea the hairs of our head are numbred and shall not an hair fall from an head without his appointment and shall the head it self This is so clear that we would wonder any learned men should deny a prefixed term of our life Lastly Our abiding in this world must be of Gods appointment because all the providential passages and works of God are subservient to his predestination So that our predestination might have been frustrated if God did not appoint all our lives in this world so Paul and Manasses and Austin with many others might have died before they were converted or else when converted but plunged into foul sins with David and Peter then they might die in them and not recover out of them but Gods predestination will prevent this because our birth our living and dying are to the godly effects of their predestination But let us come to the practical Use of this because it 's very fruitfull and as for the second Observation That the world aboundeth in wickedness
and so is ready to infect and damn every one therein that may be amplified in the following verse And Vse 1 1. Hath God appointed the time of thy going out of the world then labour and work hard in his vineyard He continueth thee here till thou hast finisht that service he hath appointed thee for Thus our Saviour would not have his Disciples taken out of the world till they had seasoned and inlightned it with their good doctrine If therefore God continueth thy life in this world because he hath more service and work for thee to do then take heed thou art not idle and negligent Oh it will be very uncomfortable to thee to have the night come on thee and thou canst work no more when yet thy conscience shal accuse thee This I have not done and that I was to do Our Saviour saith Blessed is that servant whom his master when he cometh shall finde so doing Luk. 12.47 Should you send your servant upon matters of life and death thy childe or friend lieth a dying and he in the way fall asleep or go to idle games and pastimes how unsufferable would it be How greater will thy guilt be for thou art commanded to strive to enter in at the strait gate to take the kingdom of heaven by violence thy soul lieth at the stake thy happiness is ingaged yet for all this thou livest unprofitably and unfruitfully Oh think how sad thy account will be Thou must go out of the world thou canst not stay any longer and thou wilt cry out Oh give me more time Oh give me longer space my soul is not set in order I have not done this or that service for thee Vse 2 2. Doth God appoint us our time in the world then we are not to be sinfully dejected about the fears of death either naturally or violently either in an ordinary way or from the violence and persecution of others for the time of thy departure is in Gods hand No power in the world can send thee sooner to the grave then God hath decreed Many of the servants of God have greatly laboured under the fears of death especially in times of persecution and rage from adversaries How prone have men been to fear men more then God Now whence did all this arise but from want of faith that to God belong the issues of death Nothing can destroy thee sooner then God hath appointed What care did Herod take to kill Christ yet that could not be and so Pharaoh to destroy all the male-children of Israel yet one must be kept that would be a means to destroy Pharaoh Live then above the fear of death say My times are in Gods hand it 's not as man will but as God wils Vse 3 3. Do not wilfully abuse this Doctrine to sinfulnes contempt of means or neglect of duties for this poison many have suckt out of this flower they would not hold That God hath prefixed a term of life for this they think would overthrow all use of means all neglect of praier whereas this supposeth and establisheth them rather for God who hath appointed the end hath also appointed and commanded the means and suppose we could not reconcile Gods providence and mans liberty in the use of the means yet seeing the Scripture revealeth the one and commandeth the other it 's good for us to rest therein Vse 4 4. Be content under the hand of God that takes thy dearest relations out of the world Imitate Job The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken Art thou the Judge of the world Art thou the preserver of men Why then dost thou murmur if God do what he pleaseth herein Vse 5 Lastly Let the jolly and wicked sinner know God hath appointed his day Thou shalt not be alwayes eating and drinking and making merry in this world Oh what a confounded man wilt thou be who hast no other hope or comfort but what is of the world SERMON LXXXVIII The Heavenly man much improved by much considering that he is not of this world JOH 17.14 They are not of the world even as I am not of the world OUR Saviour had immediatly before in the tenth Verse urged this Argument in his Praier for his Disciples and here we see within so little a space he repeateth it again Though therefore we have handled this already yet because it is repeated again and it is well observed that those things which our Saviour did more then once say they have some notable Excellency and deserve a second Consideration according to that old Rule Pulchra sunt bis dicenda And in the Hebrew there is often a Gemination of the Word for the more Efficacy and Certainty Because I say it 's thus repeated by our Saviour who had infinite Treasures of Wisedom within him who was the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and could not be streightned in words Therefore let us also have a second improving of it You see the Argument that it is twice repeated They are not of the world God is entreated to preserve them because they are not of the world even as Christ is not The Explication of this you have heard already Therefore I proceed to the Observation Obs That it 's good for the People of God often and often to meditate on this That they are not of the world This is a Truth that unlesse unfolded and drawn out We can never see the Excellency of it unlesse you rub and pounce this matter into powder you can never finde the sweetnesse of it if you do not as they did to the Sacrifice open it and cut it in peeces laying every part by it self methodicaly you cannot see the inward excellency of it The people of God are not of this world they are in it but not of it They are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sanctified and set apart from the common use of the world as in the Jews Pedagogy Vessels and Garments and Persons were set apart only for a sacred use Hence they are compared to Starres that shine in a dark night thus are they in a crooked Generation Phil. 2.15 As the Starres are not compounded of sublunary matter neither are they capable of such destructive alterations as sublunary and materiall things are So it should be with the Children of God Now there are two main Grounds and Reasons or Springs from whence the people of God should so often reflect upon this That they are not of the world And the one is of Instruction to duty The other is of Consolation and Comfort The due Meditation of this will abundantly instruct to duty in these particulars First It will make us heavenly-minded and take away that predominant earthlinesse in us which makes us incline downwards The â—one doth not more naturally fall to the ground then our Souls till regenerated move to earthly things Now the Apostle argueth to the People of God Col. 3.1 2 3. If ye
most powerfull means of grace are It was thus with the Jews Col. 6. who enjoyed besides the ordinary Ministry of their Priests the instructions of extraordinary Prophets and yet the truth of God did not sanctifie them But go saith God to the Prophet make their eyes blinde and their hearts hard and this our Saviour did apply to their posterity also who enjoyed Christ himself and saw all the wonderfull miracles he did This is a dreadfull and terrible thing to consider of when in stead of sanctifying God shall say Harden them blinde them and make them more wicked by the truth It 's not the Word worketh thus of it self but wicked hearers through their unbelief and unprofitableness provoke God to give them up to believe a lie and for the abuse of heavenly light they are given up to vile affections To many cursed sins which is a greater judgment then to be cast into the mouth of wilde beasts for they will only devoure the body but these will damn the soul Vse of Direction to all the people of God whose burden and grief it is that they have no more holiness who cry out like the horsleech It 's not enough and their souls refuse all comfort because they cannot climb up this hill to Heaven faster let such be directed to take the right way How willingly is the earthly man ready to hear how he may get more wealth and the languishing man how he may get more health and strength Why then shouldst not thou rejoyce to know which is the way to purifie the heart more Few know the divine efficacy of Gods Word but such who set themselves to get the vertue of it And that this may be instrumentall to your Sanctification In the first place Remember faith without which it can do no more good then excellent medicines if they be not applied set faith a work and then the word of God will powerfully work upon thee It 's with thee as thou believest Believe and those high mountains of lusts shall be thrown down 2. Bring an humble tender and trembling heart at the teaching of it Such an heart King Josias had and he is commended for it yea Ezra 9.4 it 's the character of the godly to tremble at his Word The hard heart no more then the hard Rock can receive the seed sown into it 3. It 's not enough to receive the Word of God at first but keep it there The Apostle Peter cals it the ingraffed Word the Word that turneth us into the nature of it that we are walking Bibles as great Schollers are called walking Libraries David said He had hid Gods word in his heart This is the leaven that will diffuse it self 4. Rest not in the bare hearing but joyn earnest and fervent prayer that the Spirit of God may teach inwardly while the Word doth outwardly Vse 2. Of Instruction How terrible a thing it is to see men grow more wicked and ungodly by how much the more plentifully they enjoy the Word that the Word should work contrary to it's nature upon thee that this light should put out thy eyes that this life should bring thee to death Oh the rivers of water that should run out of our eyes for this matter and yet is there any more common judgment then this Oh bewail and cry out for fear of it Lord every thing I take doth me more hurt SERMON XCII Of the Truth of the Scriptures JOH 17.17 Thy Word is Truth THis is a Description or Explication of what was meant by Truth Thy Word is Truth which is a Proposition Wherein you have 1. The Subject 2. The Predicate The Subject is described by its Name and Nature with the propriety thereof Thy Word The Word of God is sometimes called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and sometimes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It 's called Gods Word because spoken by him and that two waies Either 1. Immediately when God himself spake as unto the Patriarchs of old Or 2. Mediately when he inspired the holy Prophets and made them to publish his Word It 's called at other times 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All Scripture is given by Inspiration 2 Tim. 3.16 So Search the Scriptures and in many other places This is a Description of Gods Word from the accidentall form of it as it is put into writing Sometimes God did govern his Church by his Word as revealed only Thus it was with the Church at first In this latter Age he guides it by the Scriptures only There is no other Word of God but what is written In Christs time there was both for there were the Books of the Old Testament and they were Gods written Word and what Christ while on the Earth did with his own mouth speak to the Church that was the Revealed Word and Will of God We reade not that Christ wrote any thing but once upon the Ground and what that was though there are many and severall Conjectures yet none can certainly tell But what Christ spake and did the Evangelists afterwards being guided infallibly by the divine Spirit of God did commit to Writing Object If then you ask What Word of God it is our Saviour doth here mean I answer Both the Word that was written the Scripâ—ures that were the Oracles of God committed to the Jews and that Word which he did manifest to his Disciples of which he had spoken ver 6. Some indeed by Word understand Christ and it 's true that Christ is the Essential Word of God and so also the Essential Truth but the Context doth evidence it that he speaks of the Revealed and Preached Word Now this is called Gods Word because whether immediately delivered by God or commanded to be written It 's still Gods Word Speaking and Writing are but accidentall to it It 's the same Essentiall Word as it is the same man though he alter his Garment and the same wine though put in divers Vessels The Word of God written ought with as much Faith and Reverence to be received as if God did immediately speak it from Heaven and though it seem incredible yet our Saviour confirmeth it Luke 16.31 that he who doth not beleeve the Scriptures the Word of God written would not beleeve though there were miraculous waies of publishing it In the next place we have the Predicate its Truth Interpreters judge this to be taken out of the Psalm 119.151 They are therefore said to be Truth not true in the Abstract to shew the Fulnesse and Universality of Truth in them Obs That the Word of God is Truth This Doctrine if beleeved may work wonderfull changes in the mindes and lives of men for Certainly the Foundation of all Heresie and Impiety is because Gods Word is not received as true In the Scripture it is often called the Word of Truth Colos 1.5 2 Timoth. 2.15 James 1.18 And sometimes Truth in the Abstract 1 Peter 1.22 2 Peter 2.2 To Open this Consider That it 's not my purpose
state of men afterwards The former of these especially could never be discovered by natural light even Adam though created after Gods image yet needed a revelation of these We have no innate or acquired knowledge about them and though many worthy Divines have indeavoured to prove the Trinity by reason and humane similitudes yet the surest and most evident way is the Scripture so that we may say of them all which Austin speaks of one of them viz. Of Christs being God and man If you can give a reason it would not be mirabile and if an example it would not be singulare It 's true there are many things in Scripture which we know by natural reason as that there is a God but the knowledge by reason is nothing so evident and firm as that by Revelation so that the truth of God being in the chiefest parts of it supernatural It 's no wonder that the wisest Heathens became vain in their imaginations and that their greatest Religion was their highest impiety and within the Church The more men have forsaken Scripture and pleased corrupt reason in the doctrinal part and corrupt fancies in the worshipping part They have been very erroneous and absurd hence the truth of God is called a mystery and said to be revealed because mans reason could no more attain unto it then a dwarf can reach to the heavens Zacheus must get upon this Tree to see Christ Hence no others have been able to endure the glorious lustre of the Scripture because errours are natural the Scripture supernatural All heresies have runne up and down from one age to another like Cain fearing least every Text of Scripture should kill them Do not then judge of Scripture-truths by thy carnal reason The work is above thy natural understanding 6. It 's a godly holy Truth The holy Scriptures they are called and well may they be so called for nothing is a stronger argument to demonstrate the Divine Authority of Scriptures than the holiness thereof Take all the moral books in the world they do as much come short of the holiness of the Scripture as coals do of the glory of the Sunne Plutarch Seneca Epictetus these will teach you to have the clean skin of morality but not the inward life and sound vitals of holiness What transcendent holiness doth the Scripture teach us such as the men of the world know not Holiness in our natures first of all Regeneration neither the name nor the nature of it was known amongst the Heathens they knew not mans natural pollution neither did they see a necessity of such an internal renovation Again Such holy duties the Scriptures teach that not only the doctrinal but the practical part of it is a mystery to flesh and bloud such are faith in Christ love to our enemies self-denial and a readinesse to take up the Crosse Many of these duties are accounted folly and madness by wise men after the flesh It teacheth an heavenly life fellowship and communion with God to do all things from holy principles and to holy ends so that the holinesse that is in the truth of Scriptures should much affect us But oh how few reade and delight in the Scriptures because of the holinesse in them You reade them for dispute or to know the History and to be able to hold up Arguments but who is there that thinketh this the truths of Scripture are holy They are to make heavenly and pure they will forewarn of sin they quicken to grace they inflame to faith and love Oh minde this all Scripture-truth is for holiness As meat is not to be looked upon but eaten and digested 7. They are precious excellent Truths and therefore compared by David to fine gold and by Solomon preferred above all jewels Prov. 3.15 The Apostle also compareth true Doctrine to gold silver and precious stones 1 Cor. 3.12 and they are called precious promises as a precious faith 2 Pet. 1.1 4. These shew in what high degree and dignity the truths of Scripture should be with us Austin said Veritas Christianorum was incomparabiliter pulchrior Helenâ Graecorum If they did strive about her How much more ought we for the truth of God The Prophet complained of old None pleaded for the truth Isa 59 4. neither were valiant for the truth Jer. 9.3 The truths then of the Scripture should be more unto us then any earthly comforts whatsoever You see Christ makes this one main end of his coming into the world to bear witness unto the truth John 18 37. Ann thus the Martyrs they thought Gods truth more worth then their lives and how many millions have willingly endured the worst of deaths to bear witness to the truths of the Scripture So that it 's very strange how such a spirit of delusion should be upon men to make no matter of true Doctrine to think Heresies and Errours are nothing Certainly the godly Martyrs that burnt at the stake had other thoughts of it and the Scripture doth commend it as the great mercy of God unto a people Therefore God promiseth Jer. 33.6 He will reveal abundance of peace and truth and in many places truth is still joyned unto peace as if all the peace and earthly advantages in the world were nothing if we might not have the truths of God also Therefore the Apostle John told that elect Lady He had no greater joy then to see her children walking in the truth and the Spirit of God is promised as the greatest mercy we can have John 16.13 That he will guide us into all truth Natural truth is precious What pains and travel have many used to finde that out They have dispossessed themselves of their goods to finde it out yea they have been so ravished in the contemplation thereof that they have forgotten to eat their bread and have wholly neglected themselves and all pleasure Hence in their Sacrifices to Apollo whom the Heathens made God of truth they cried out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Truth is sweet Truth is sweet Truth is the natural food to the soul as meat is to the body but then divine supernatural truth which doth so immediately concern our salvation and eternal happiness how precious and dear should that be to us In other things ignorance is not damnable but here to misse of the truth is to fall into destruction It profits not a man to measure the heavens and the motions thereof To understand all the Laws of Nations with their cases thereupon or with Solomon to be able to speak of the nature of all things if a man want the knowledge of Scripture-truths Lastly This truth though precious yet because it 's opposite to a corrupt heart It 's very bitter and makes most men enemies to it It 's a truth requiring holiness hatred of sinne mortification of lusts and because it 's so therefore the vain corrupt hearts of men love errours and lies or deceits by the devil and sinne rather then the
minde The world was not in a greater Chaos and Confusion at first then we are naturally in our Souls Not knowing understanding or beleeving any thing of God Therefore the Apostle cals such Darknesse it self Ephes 4. And darkened in the minde That is the Eye the Sunne of the Soul and if that be dark all the body must be dark This Spirituall blindenesse and Ignorance upon every mans minde is that which makes him of himself incurable We pity corporally blinde men Oh but the spiritually blinde are lamentable every one is sensible oâ—â—osing their bodily Eye Lord that I might receive my Sight saith he to Christ But oh that there were such a tendernesse and a melting affection about thy Spirituall blindenesse Now Christ hath a Propheticall Office to cure this he doth not only teach by the outward Proposition of the Object but also by giving a Seeing Eye and vouchsafing Spirituall Illumination to the minde and the Understanding In the second place we were under the guilt of our sinnes The Curse of the Law did pursue us we were no waies able to expiate the Guilt of the least sinne Though Rivers of bloud had runne down our Eyes yet they could not have cleansed one sinne or spot away The Jews offered Thousands of Sacrifices but they could not obtain by the Efficacy of them any Remâ—ssion of Sinnes The Heathens sacrificed their Sonnes and Daughters to appease the wrath and fury of their Supposed gods but that could not prevail Oh when the Conscience of a man is arraigned for Sinne when Guilt burneth in the bowels as hot as fire Then a man will think of nothing but compensation Oh that I could satisfie God Oh that I could make amends again as man may do to man but this is impossible Therefore Christ becomes a Sacrifice for this end If we cannot redeem our naturall death much lesse our Eternall Without Bloud there is no Remission of sinne Christs Death ratified and confirmed the Promise and therefore the Covenant of Grace is also called a Testament because this was confirmed by the Death of the Testator Look then as it was with those Israelites when the Destroying Angel passed by if the Posts were sprinkled with bloud then they escaped the destroying Angel so if we be watered and cleansed in the bloud of Christ then we do escape the destroying vengeance of God and thus there is his fitnesse by his Priestly Office 3. We were by sinne in a miserable bondage and captivity to sinne and Satan The Israelites bondage in Egypt or in the Babylonian Captivity was nothing to this Spiritual slavery It 's not indeed so terrible and grievous to flesh and bloud yea they like those Chains and cords of vanity well enough but when Paul is once awakened by the Spirit of Regeneration and that the power of Grace hath prevailed upon him then for those very Reliques of Corruption that are within he crieth out Oh miserable man that I am Rom. 7. Now Christ is fitted with Kingly power to conquer and destroy the power of sinne and Satan There is no lust no Corruption that is too bigge for the King of Glory to overcome Thus as the Jewish Priest represented Christ in his Priestly Office So Joshua the Sonne of Nun did Christ in his Kingly Office as the Apostle insinuateth for Heb 4.8 Heb. 7 2. as no Ogs or Sonnes or Anak the greatest Giants and warlike men in the world were able to stand before him but he did bring the People of God unto their Rest Thus also will Christ who is both the King of Righteousnesse and King of Peace subdue all our Spirituall Enemies and establish us in Everlasting Rest He will first be a King of Righteousnesse and then a King of Peace he will first conquer thy lusts and then give thee a Crown of Glory Oh then admire this fitnesse of Christ to be thy Mediatour See how admirably there is a proportionable fullnesse in him for every emptinesse of thine In the Fourth place Christ is Sanctified or prepared for this work of Redemption If you do regard the peculiar and proper benefits that accrew to us by this Sanctification It would be infinite to reckon all Consider 1. Remission and Forgivenesse of our sinnes that is often attributed to his bloud Now how great a mercy this is David will tell us Psal 32. when he saith Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne Blessed It 's the inbred appetite of all to be blessed But they mistake in what it lyeth Therefore the Psalmist telleth us The rich man The great man the prosperous man is not blessed but he whose sinnes are forgiven And indeed though a man had Solomons abundance yet if sinne be not forgiven how can he be blessed You see Cain in the midst of his Cities he was building yet he had no quiet because sinne was not forgiven yea David in the midst of all his Kingly glory did not take any rest but he was disquieted with roaring in his bones all the night long because sinne was not pardoned 2. Christ is sanctified to sanctifie us This is plain in the Text Christ died not only to take away the guilt of our sinne but to make us an holy people zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 Therefore the garments of the Saints were made white in the bloud of the Lamb Revel 7.14 Do not the Godly groan under the power of Corruption but Christ will sanctifie them as he sanctified himself to that end 3. Peace of Conscience and boldnesse at the Throne of Grace Through him we have free accesse The Apostle hopeth because of him to go boldly unto God This hand-writing against us this gulf is taken away 4. We glory in Tribulations in Afflictions because by Christs Death the sting of them is removed yea we are raised above the fears of Death Christs Death doth take away our Death O Death where is thy sting 1 Cor. 15. SERMON XCIX Sheweth further what is implied in that phrase of our Saviour I sanctifie my self Handling chiefly the Priestly-Office of Christ in Opposition to the Socinians and for the Comfort and Direction of Penitent Sinners JOHN 17.19 I sanctifie my self for them c. WE are demonstrating what is implied in this phrase I sanctifie my self for them There remain more particulars which are as follow First This signifieth That Christ was wholly set apart for us that he had no other work or imployment but to minde our good and procure it for us In the Scripture phrase to be sanctified is often used for to set apart and dedicate to such a work that if it be otherwise imployed there is a kinde of prophanation and pollution so if the vessels dedicated to Gods service and sanctified were imployed as Belshazzar did in any common use this was the polluting and defiling of those vessels In some sense it holds here Christ was made man and made under the Law not for himself
for our comfort that every believer though yet unborn was in Christs purpose and intention when he laid down his life as if they had been existent in the land of the living In the sixth place By this intention of Christ in his prayer and death it will inevitably and immutably be brought about that they shall in time be converted they shall believe and be brought into communion and fellowship with Christ For seeing as we have heard Christ could not but be heard in what he prayed for and the Father alwayes granted his Petition therefore it cannot be but that all those who are given to Christ shall one time or other be wrought upon by the Word Thus it 's said They believed Act. 13.48 as many as were ordained to eternal life and the Apostles were to go and preach in such places because God had much people there Act. 18. and Rom. 9. the Apostle doth fully shew That Election is the cause of all mercies vouchsafed in time and those who were not elected they were hardened and given up to a spirit of slumber Oh then the admirable love of God to those that are his there shall not be one of them but the Word of grace will finde them out They that were not his people shall be made his people Joh. 10. I have other sheep saith Christ that are not of this fold and those he will bring home Hence Rom. 8. we have that golden Chain which all the Arminian subtilties can never dissolve Whom he hath predestinated he hath called and whom he hath called he hath justified and those he hath justified he hath glorified To expound calling only of vocation to afflictions and to the cross and Justification only of the vindicating of their persons and cause against the calumnies of the world is too dilute and repugnant to the scope of the Apostle in that place we may then absolutely conclude of the conversion and believing of such who belong to Christ and that the Word preached will sometimes or other be effectual upon them In the last place It 's plain from hence That Gods Election and so Christs dying for us is not conditional or upon the supposition of our believing but our belief is the true and genuine effect of Election and Christs death For whereas Christ here prayeth for those who shall believe The Question may be Whether this belief be supposed as a Condition Antecedent to Election and Christs death or as an absolute Effect of both so that Christ doth not only pray for believers but also that they may be believers There is a great Controversie between Arminians and the Orthodox for they say God elected some such persons to eternal life indeed and gave them to Christ as a Mediatour but it was upon a supposition and fore-sight that they would believe and persevere in that faith to the end But the Orthodox do more consonantly to the Scripture and to the greater exaltation of Gods grace and magnifying of Christ affirm That God by one single act of the same time did elect a man both to grace and glory both to salvation and faith So that God did not elect us because he foresaw we would believe but he did elect us to believe as well as to salvation So that faith is not a condition but the effect and fruit of our Election This is a necessary truth to be proved and therefore the next day it is to be considered for the present I take it for granted That those who shall believe are such not who by their own power shall either believe or dispose themselves to it but who by the grace of God shall be inabled thereunto For the present consider the aggravation of this love of God in Christ to us before we had a being And 1. There is remarkable freenesse in it of grace if positively and absolutely considered For what could there be in us to move God to this mercy when we could not think or cry or pray or do any thing for our good even then God set his love upon us It was nothing in us seeing we were in the womb of nothing 2. This freeness is aggravated if comparatively considered for it 's the grace of God that makes some to believe and leaveth others in their natural corruption The Apostle considered this discriminating love of God to Jacob and Esau Rom. 9. before they had done either good or evil Oh then sit and admire the depth of grace the unsearchable riches of grace for what art thou to so many learned and noble men in the world to so many of thy own kindred and family that God hath past by yet took compassion on thee Didst thou not lie equally in the same mass of corruption and bondage to all sin 3. There is the Eternity of this love it was before the beginning of the world So that we cannot imagine any moment of time wherein Gods thoughts were not upon thee Lastly The unchangeablenesse of this love for the Councels of God and his purpose are immutable There is no change or shadow of change in him and therefore if once loved alwayes loved he predestinated thee before the world called thee out of the world justifieth thee in the world and will glorifie thee after the world Vse What infinite cause of praise and glory the people of God have Well mayest thou call upon thy soul and all within thee to praise God Well may this be the burden of every Psalm For his mercy endureth for ever yea if thou hadst the hearts of all men and Angels this were not enough neither can Eternity be long enough to glorifie God in this particular SERMON CVI. Of both the Moving Cause and Effects of Election and of Christs Prayer and Death Against Arminians and others JOH 17.20 But for them also who shall beleeve in me through their Word WE come to a Second Observation from the circumstance of the future tense Who shall beleeve in me For as was intimated there may be a twofold sence of these words 1. That this future Faith is mentioned as an effect and fruit of being given to Christ as also of Christs Prayer and Death for them So that he doth not only pray for them which shall beleeve but also that they may beleeve and in this sense the Orthodox interpret it Or 2. It may be interpreted as if Faith were here supposed as a condition on our part antecedaneous both to Gods Election and also Christs Intercession and death So that the sence should be These were given to Christ and Christ he praied and died for them because it was foreseen by God that such would beleeve upon the means of grace offered and others not In this sence Meisner a Lutheran urgeth it and thus all Arminians and others must take it who hold that we were Elected from a foresight of our Faith and perseverance therein But that this cannot be the meaning of our Saviour is evident because the ground of
Faith is not wrought by the Spirit of God neither is it upon divine motions but experience and manifest conviction They feel in part the torments of hell and therefore it 's experimentally evident to them that there is a God who is also just and terrible in his vengeance But the historical faith in an unsanctified man as it is the gift of God so it works some inclining disposition to God yea in the temporary believer who goeth beyond a meer dogmatist it works as appeareth Mat. 3. Some reformation and some joy so that the word makes some hopeful ingresse into him though at last it passe away as our lives even as a tale that is told having no setled continuance 6. This historical faith as it is wrought efficiently by the Spirit of God so the motive of it is Divine Authority and Revelation That as by the light of the Sun we see the Sunne so by God we come to know every thing of God This divine motive of faith is freely acknowledged to be in the Thessalonians by the Apostle 1 Thess 2.13 They received the word not as the word of man but as the word of God Hence the Prophets begin with Thus saith the Lord and Paul discovers himself to be called by God So that every thing hath but a weak ineffectual operation till it hath a maker a divine stamp upon the soul Oh when we once believe a threatning as it is Gods when we once believe a promise as it is Gods it must bear down all before thee What if the world come What if Satan come What if thy companions come telling thee this and this Oh but saith the believing soul God that cannot lie saith the contrary And truly herein is discovered that in Religion we have but an humane faith yea not so much for an humane faith will make great changes in our life when yet our divine faith doth not If a man tels thee of such danger of such evil in the way doth it not presently make thee turn out of that path But now when Gods word tels thee there is death and damnation in such paths that doth not at all move thee SERMON CXXI Of Dogmaticall Faith the Properties of and Contraries to it JOHN 17.21 That the world may believe thou hast sent me WE are discovering the nature of faith in the General as it is carried out to Scripture-truth because of Divine Authority We are to adde more particulars to clear this And First Though this Faith be not a peculiar saving grace yet it is a common grace of Gods Spirit It 's a common grace of God to be inabled to believe How many Pharisees and Jews saw the miracles of Christ as well as the Apostles yet did not believe so much as a Simon Magus did It 's the grace of God that makes a man to have a sound minde in Religion witnesse the many heresies and blasphemies divers are fallen into yet it 's a common grace not peculiar common I call it not in that sense as some plead for an universal grace which indeed is no grace but because an unregenerate man may have it as well as a regenerate so that no man may conclude this is enough for his salvation that he doth believe such and such principles of Religion unlesse also he hath that peculiar effectual purifying work of faith upon his soul As therefore those extraordinary gifts of Gods Spirit to work miracles to cast out Devils were common to such who yet were workers of iniquity Thus it is with this ordinary gift of Historical faith many men may believe the truth of those things the goodnesse whereof they never felt upon their hearts And many may maintain the Doctrine of Regeneration orthodoxly who never felt the power of it experimentally upon their own souls There is a faith that is common to the elect all the children of God have the like precious faith Tit. 1.1 in regard of the essentials yet there is a faith common to elect and reprobate so that no man may conclude his salvation because he is no Jew no Pagan no Papist Secondly Although this dogmatical Faith be common to the regenerate and unregenerate yet it 's the foundation of our conversion and in the regenerate when improued doth wonderfully provoke the increase of grace And this is good to be observed for though we make it not saving faith yet it is the foundation of saving faith He can never believe on Christ for his Mediatour that doth not believe Christ to be a Mediatour Therefore the Apostle describing the general nature of faith saith Heb. 11. He that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those that serve him No spiritual building can be made without this foundation as it is thus the foundation so if improved it doth wonderfully promote justifying faith The general acts of faith if vigorously prosecuted do mightily strengthen the peculiar and proper acts of it The more strongly we believe Christ to be a Mediatour the more will this help that he be so to me and therefore it 's observed that our Saviour put them so often upon the trial of their very historical faith Dost thou believe that I am able and doest thou believe that I am the Messias Partly because that was the great Question then Whether that individual Person was the Messias or no and partly because if it was believed that he was the Saviour then there was no such cause of doubt Whether he would be a Saviour to them that truly sought to him Insomuch that it may be questioned Whether it be a greater act to believe Christ to be a Mediatour or to believe him a Mediatour to me Although indeed there are more Objections against the latter for there are not only Objections against the truth but against the application of it because of the many sins and infirmities which I perceive in my self yet we would think the harder task were then over when the soul could believe such great things and transcendent to humane reason for when a man believeth that Christ is both God and man united in one Person whose office is to redeem the oppressed sinner may not then he conclude easily that he will redeem him For which is greater to believe such a Person God and man or that this Person whose Office it is to save will save thee Howsoever if we do not make comparisons between these acts of faith yet certainly the more strong and powerfull thy acts of faith are about the truths of Christ the more will they conduce to apply him to thee Even as in man the more vivid his senses are which do accompany his common nature with a beast the more strong and quick are his rational acts likewise So that this Dogmatical faith is the root as it were which if not thriving those peculiar acts of faith will wither Distinct III Thirdly The general properties of this faith are
to be considered And they are these 1. It lifteth a man up above his natural reason It addeth many cubits to his stature As reason directs and corrects sense as we see in Astronomy so doth faith direct and correct reason As Zacheus because of a small stature went up into a tree to see Jesus Thus the reason of a man being too low in it self must ascend up to the Scriptures that it may behold divine things so that they wholly overthrow faith and change the nature of it who made it with Abailadus of old to be imagination or with the Socinians strength of reason Certainly Julian and the Heathens of old confound Christian Religion upon this ground because it was faith it was not a science 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was Julians upbraiding now the Christians they gloried in this and Austin to confirm the Christian under many captious doubts saith thus Nomini te esse fidelem not rationalem To bring then divine truths to reasons comprehension is to put the Sunne under a bushell or to think to fit Goliahs shoe to Zacheus his foot 2. Though this faith lifts up reason yet it doth not contradict it When we say faith cometh by revelation not by reason flesh and blood cannot make such things known to us yet when once this revelation is discovered in the Scripture then reason doth wonderfully help to propugn and maintain this truth revelation must lay the foundation and then reason will build upon it so that inlightned reason and instructed reason out of the Word is of excellent use to explicate and clear divine mysteries Even as the Gold-smiths hammer is usefull to dilate and diffuse his golden mettal in many formes and this use all our learned Divines make against all Heretiques They doe by the help of reason and arguments out of the Scripture illustrate and confirm the Doctrine to be believed 3. This general nature of faith hath two excellent properties put together in one place Heb. 11.1 It 's there called The substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen It 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We shall not dispute Whether this be a definition of faith it 's enough that two differential marks are given of it And First It 's the substance of things hoped for concerning which word learned men say divers things but it may comprehend these particulars First that Faith is not an empty flying fancy for so Aristotle useth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as opposite to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some manifestation meerly as the colours of the Rainbow or of birds feathers when the Sunne shines These have but an intentional being there is no reall solid being in them but faith is the substance of things hoped for and certainly this is greatly to be endeavoured after that thy faith be a reall substantial thing how many mens faith are but fickle fancies and uncertain notions and therefore with their dogmatical faith they are like the Apostle James his man without faith tossed up and down with every wave Jam. 1. The Apostle Ephes 4.14 saith Be not carried about with every winde of Doctrine that denoteth the levity and emptinesse of a thing Trees that are well rooted are not blowne up and down like feathers What then is the cause of instability and uncertainty of many mens Religion It 's because they have not faith wheresoever that is it is a solid substantial bottoming of the soul 2. The word substance doth imply that it makes the things hoped for though afarre off yet present to the soul and even to subsist in the soul for faith is not hindred in its actings by distance of place for that receiveth Christ enjoyeth Christ though in Heaven and he that believeth hath eternal life Hence we are said to be already translated from death to life John 5.24 because to faith these things are as sure as if they were already done Thus Paul you see him by faith speaking as confidently as if he were in Heaven already Rom 8. Who shall separate us from the love of God shall things present or things to come Shall life or death c Hence faith is called The beholding of things not seen 2 Cor. 3. Faith makes God present Heaven present Christ present as really and truly as bodily objects are present to sense and truly for want of this it is that we are so cold languishing dejected we doe not by faith make these things present if we did they would more divinely affect us and as it is the substance of things hoped for So of things feared likewise Noah by faith moved with fear prepared an Arke Heb. 11.7 Thus faith makes hell and damnation present it doth not look upon hell as a farre off but is affected as if it did see and hear those dolefull howlings in hell and so dare no more sin then if it were in hell already Oh what a mighty change would faith thus realizing things work upon us 3. The word comprehends Assurance Confidence and so indeed is hypostasis used both in Scripture and by humane Authours now this confidence of faith and assurance is seen in the knowing and assenting acts of faith as well as applicatory witnesse those resolute and confident deportments which the Martyrs had Had not they strong assurance of the truth who could endure such exquisite torments against subtil opposers And certainly the Martyrs in Queen Maries dayes are more to be admired then those in the primitive times for they suffered upon undoubted and clear points which only the Heathens gain-said But now these suffered by them that acknowledged a Christ and pretended the Glory of Christ as well as they So that this heavenly confidence and satisfaction of the soul that they care not for further disputing and doubting in the matters they do believe is a great property in faith And this manifesteth there is little faith now in Religion wherein men are apt to think all Religions alike and that one may do as well as another In these dayes to have such a substantiating reallizing and confident assurance is a great wonder The next word describing the generall nature of it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that doth imply First That the things believed bring an objective light with them As the object that is seen brings a visibility though faith in respect of humane reason be obscure and supernatural Arguments be inevident yet compared with the light in the Word it hath much evidence Hence the word of God is so often compared to light and that illumination which God worketh in the minde is partly faith as well as any other grace The things that are believed bring an evidence with them to the soul as the Sunne brings a visibility with it to be seen Therefore this believing is said to be by the Word set home in the demonstration of the Spirit and hence it is a man in some sense is passive
on Earth she conflicts with desires after Christ hence are those vehement Petitions Come Lord Jesus come quickly The Spirit and Bride say Come Rev. 22.17 20. If then these desires be turned into actuall enjoyments and it 's no longer Come Lord Jesus but he is come then there must needs be all matter of joy and rejoycing he that drinketh of this living water in this life shall never thirst more Joh. 4. viz. with a total thirst So as to be weary of Christ and desire some other Object how much rather will this be true in Heaven Then it 's impossible to be weary to be desirous of something else besides God for there love is joyned to the Object as fully and as nearly as possibly it can be As Philosophers say the matter of the Heavens desireth no other form whereas in sublunary things it constantly doth and all because of the actuality and perfection of that form Thus it must be with the glorified Saints in Heaven They can never be glutted never complain as they did of Manna by the constant use of it but God is as richly as delightsomely enjoyed by every Saint in Heaven to all Eternity as at the very first entrance into Heaven But you will say May not I then desire Heaven as a place of happinesse Is it hypocrisie and insincerity to desire that state of glory Must it be Christ only there The Answer is That is in the principall and first place to be desired but yet secondarily Heaven as it is our happinesse and our glory may be fought after for which many Texts might be brought Vse of Exhortation To moderate all thy desires to this life and the Comforts therein What makes Death so grievous but to part with so dear a Husband so dear a Friend so sweet Children Oh remember Christ is above all and dearer then all So that if Faith were lively in representing Christ to us we should need even patience to live as you see it was with Paul we should finde it to be to our great losse to be enjoying Friends while we might enjoy Christ But on the contrary the wicked mans misery is to be trembled at for there Christ saith Father I will that where the devil and his Angels are to be tormented to all Eternity that those also be with them SERMON CXXXV Of an humbled Christians improving in his Prayers the sweet Appellation of Father JOH 17.24 Father I will that those whom thou hast given me be where I am ETernal glory we heard our Saviour prayed for all those that should believe in him which is expressed thus indefinitely To be with Christ where he is He doth not name the place because this is it which makes heaven to be heaven that we do enjoy Christ there From this we proceed to other things considerable As 1. The Compellation Father This our Saviour useth three times as being a name denoting the most intimate and sweet relation as also causing the greatest confidence why Christ cals God Father hath been discussed already against Socinian glosses he is not a Father to Christ in the same manner as he is to believers neither did Christ use this Title to subdue and overcome any unbelieving and doubting thoughts in him or to quicken up his confidence which otherwise might fail but hereby to demonstrate the near relation between them as also his dependance upon him So that from Christs example herein we may observe That it is a necessary duty in a Christian in his approaches to God to think on those attributes and relations in him which may excite and stir up holy confidence and boldness When we come unto God we are to draw nigh to him as our heavenly Father whose bowels do exceed all parents affections in the world if they were put together Therefore it is our Saviour in that rule of prayer directs to that title and compellation of a Father To open this Consider First That no wicked or unregenerate man is in a state or condition fit to pray or approach unto God upon these termes If God be thy Judge thy enemy and thy adversary then it is not for thee to call him Father As God expostulates in Mal. 1.7 If I be a Father where is mine honour It 's true there is a paternity by way of creation and thus God is the Father of all but we speak onely of that paternity which is by Adoption and the Covenant of Grace Let therefore every wicked and ungodly man conclude that while he abideth so he cannot pray acceptably he may not come to God as a Father It 's blasphemy for such prophane wretches to say to God Thou art my Father The Scripture tels us That such are of their Father the Devil See then if the Devil thy father will bless thee if he will make thee happy Oh that wicked men would but consider what a wofull condition it is to lie in that they cannot pray that they cannot call God Father Thou doest but blaspheme with thy tongue all the while what God the God of wicked and prophane enemies to him No he is a Judge and a consuming fire to all such Secondly It 's of great consequence and advantage for the humbled Christian in his prayer to improve this relation of a Father To such all the sweetness out of this honey-comb To improve this Meditation till it be like fire in his bowels For 1. To the tender heart humbled for sinne it is the greatest temptation that he conflicts with to be perswaded God is his Father Such are the discoveries and experiences of his own sins and infirmities that he concludeth though other may call God Father yet he cannot Is not this the great dispute in the breast of a godly man Whether God be his Father or no Doth he not argue against it from the several corruptions that are in his soul Oh how can this and this be in me if God be my Father As also from the many sad afflictions and exercises he meeteth with more then others If God were my Father would he thus break and bruise me more then many in the world making me the Butt against which all his arrows are delivered So that you see it 's necessary to compose the spirit against this temptation which doth so naturally breed in the heart of a tender Christian Insomuch that to call God Father cordially and upon sincere grounds is a great mercy 2. It 's necessary to be perswaded of and call God Father because Satans great temptation is against this if he overthrow this all is gone if once he can tempt thee to this that God is not thy Father What horrour and what confusion yea what an hell will not presently overwhelm thee You see the devil working with this engine upon Christ himself knowing this was to set the axe to the root of the tree If thou be the Son of God do thus he would have him put that to the trial and
prayed to Christ they said Master we will But seeing this prayer of Christs is from him as a Mediator we may well acknowledge that there is more then a meer humble supplication such as meer men make but some powerfull declaration of his will that he will have it so For to this purpose he speaks Joh. 12.26 Where I am there also shall my servant be Christ by his own power and authority will cause it to be From whence I shall touch only on this Doctrine That Christs prayer for his people will certainly and infallibly prevail for them I will saith Christ that they be where I am Though we may many times doubt of the efficacy and successe of our own prayers yet there is no cause at all to question the successe of Christs Intercession and the grounds are these 1. Because he hath merited and purchased at Gods hands those benefits he prayeth for Therefore though whatsoever God doth to us be of grace in respect of us yet it is of justice and right to him so that it can no more be that Christs prayer for us should not speed then that God should be unjust and that not in respect of promise only to Christ for he hath likewise promised to us but of justice So that now Christ may well say Father I will their glory and happiness because I have purchased it at so dear a rate 2. Christs prayer must needs be effectual because it lieth in his power also to do that and accomplish for us which he doth desire Though therefore as man he prayeth yet as God he can fulfill and bring about what we stand in need of If therefore Christ saith Father I will that they be sanctified that they be glorified who shall withstand this 3. Christs prayer will alwayes take effect because his will and the will of the Father are the same So that as Christ argued None could take his sheep out of his hand because he and the Father are one So also it followeth Christs will in prayer cannot be gainsaid or hindred by any because the Father and he are one if indeed the Father had one will and Christ a contrary will to it then we might justly doubt of the successe of it but it is not as Christ wils the Sanctification and glorification of his people so doth the Father also So that all our confidence is to be in Christs prayer and not ours Vse 1 Vse of Consolation and comfort to the children of God who mourn under the sinfull imperfections of their prayers yea are ready to cry out that God shutteth out their prayers Oh let them remember what a glorious treasure is here laid up for them Though their own prayers are weak yet Christs are not Look therefore again and again see the things Christ hath prayed for and then doubt not but they will be accomplished in thee Oh let not thy heart sink and be troubled within thee when thou seest such a remedy provided for thee Urge Christs name urge Christs prayer Vse 2 Vse 2. Of Terrour to wicked men who have no interest in Christs prayer or intercession If it were so terrible a judgement not to have Samuel or Jeremiah pray for some persons it argued their incurable condition how much more may it strike horrour and amazement into the hearts of all wicked men as Christ minded thee not in his death so neither in his prayer I pray not for the world But into the hardned and impenitent heart no terrible woe can enter SERMON CXXXVI Of the State of Glory Shewing what it is to behold Christs Glory in Heaven JOH 17.24 That they may behold the glory that thou hast given me IN these words is contained the final cause or end of our Saviours Petition in behalf of his Disciples He praieth that they may be with him in Heaven and why That they may behold the glory which the Father hath given him In which words take notice of the Act the Object and the Cause of it The act is that they may behold ut videant saith Austin non ut credant because Eternal vision in Heaven is the reward of faith here on earth Here it 's believing in Heaven it's beholding Although there are some that limit the sence to this life as if here they were by the experience of Faith to behold the glory and majesty of Christ as Mediatour but the context doth principally relate to the enjoying of glory in Heaven Others they observe Non dixit ut habeant sed ut videant he did not say That they might have but that they might behold for Christs glory is incommunicable but the word is not to be limited for it comprehends 1. To behold and see and that immediatly opposite to the way of faith and knowledge which we have of God in this life which is but darkly 2. It denoteth fruition and enjoyment of this glory for we shall be glorified with Christ and thus the word videre is often used for frui To see life is to live To see death is to die To see the Kingdom of Heaven is to enjoy it So that the godly shall not be meer idle Spectators of this Glory but they shall be taken into fellowship with it 3. It denoteth all the effects and consequents of such a beholding of this Glory which are infinite delight and joy Immortality and Eternity So that there shall never be any end of it all this is comprehended in seeing but the greater Question is about the glory that is mentioned What is understood by that and some relate it to that infinite and incomprehensible Glory which he hath as God but generally it 's understood of that Glory which he hath as Mediatour for so the Father after his sufferings did infinitely exalt him and give him a name above all names So that Christ as Mediatour is glorified in a transcendent manner by God So that Christ hath his essential glory as God and his Mediatory glory as Mediatour Now these two kindes of glory do not differ really but only in several waies of administration for he that is Mediator must needs also be God Obs That the great end of our being in Heaven is to behold and enjoy the Glory of Christ As the Queen of Sheba took a long journey to behold the glory of Solomon which did so ravish her that her spirit even fainted within her which yet was but a temporall fading and earthly glory how much more transcendent and ravishing will that heavenly Glory be to us when we shall behold the Majesty and Greatnesse that Christ shall then be in sitting upon his throne at the right hand of God To behold and to be ravished with this glory of Christ is the great work we have to do to all Eternity for our Saviours will to have us where he is is not for any want or necessity that he had of us Christs glory would have been admired by Angels though we should never be
all its idolatry impiety and that it is indeed wholly at the will of the devil And this suggests a 2d Demonstration that the world doth not know God because the devil is the immediate Prince of it He that is called the Prince of darknesse is likewise said to be the god of this world This is fully expressed 2 Cor. 2.4 where the god of this world is said to blinde the mindes of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine into them Therefore you have a notable description of the devils from the Soveraignty and power they have Eph 6.12 where they are called principalities and powers and rulers of the darknesse of this world how wofull then is the condition of the world of ungodly men who are thus made captive to the devils and are ensnared at their will That as they themselves are reserved in chains of darknesse so do they keep all their vassals they are chains of darknesse such as those who are in a dark dungeon and such as they cannot break neither have the wicked any desire to do it and therefore they never say to the devils chains as the ungodly do to Christs dominion Let us break his bonds asunder and cast his yoke away Psal 2. As long then as this strong one keeps the house for the whole world is his house no wonder if he make it like hell it self yea he makes the world by his ruling in it worse then hell in some sence for in hell he is tied up in some degree of torments but in the world he is let loose to infect and damn others though not without his torments 3. The world must needs be without all saving knowledge of God from the defect or absence of those causes which do alone cause saving knowledge So that as the world at first when it was a confused Chaos without form and void could not make a glorious light to appear upon it but that was Gods work whom the Apostle doth therefore describe as him that worketh darknesse out of light 2 Cor. 4 6. alluding to the work of grace which is now upon the world So neither is the world wallowing in its filth and thick darkness able to create the least light of saving knowledge but must for ever perish if God vouchsafe not his grace Now these causes are wanting which necessarily infer ignorance in the world Even as the absence of the Sun makes night 1. There is not the external Revelation and propounding of the doctrine to be believed unless God in much mercy send it Hence you may see that once in Judea only was the true knowledge of God and the whole world besides groped in more then Egyptian darkness and now though God hath commanded this light to shine over the whole world So that it is not limited to any one Nation yet a great part of the world still is heathenish So that they are darkned and become foolish in all their imaginations The denying of the Gospel is a greater misery then if the Sun should be denied to shine to such a people Now it 's God only that makes this light to shine in one place leaving the other in its darkness Even the Pelagians of old did acknowledge this grace of God necessary viz. a revelation and proposition of the object 2. Besides this external light the world wants that internal light of illumination without which the Gospel though never so gloriously preached is but like the Sun shining at noon day to a blinde man for this is made the work of Gods Spirit only Joh. 16.8 to reprove the world of sin and of righteousnesse Till the Spirit of God doth illuminate in both these the world doth not understand the horrible guilt and aggravation of sin the damnable estate and condition it is in thereby Neither doth it know what is that righteousnesse which only can justifie and where it is to be had so that the world even the wisest and most learned thereof are but like so many blinde moles digging constantly in the earth Neither affected with their disease or with the remedy till Gods Spirit doth wonderfully convince them and this is evidently seen in the Christian world For doth not the glorious light of the Gospel compasse men about yet they are like owles the blinder because of this light Insomuch that such blindenesse of minde is not amongst heathens as amongst impenitent and hardened Christians for besides the natural blindeness which they have common with heathens there is a judicial blindenesse that God smiteth them with for unfruitfullnesse and contempt of the Gospel Thus they are twice blinde as some are said to be twice dead Is it not matter of astonishment that a people living many years under constant and powerful preaching should yet he as brute beasts and understand nothing of their misery and the remedy Surely all this is because that judgement is come upon Israel even blindeness of minde and a veil upon their hearts 3. The world knoweth not God because it hath not that ultimate and compleat cause of all saving knowledge which is the spirit of regeneration and the work of a new creature upon their souls for till God give this heart of flesh and remove an heart of stone all the illumination and strongest convictions which men have upon them is not enough to make them know as they ought to know The Apostle Tit. 1.1 speaks of an acknowledgement of truth after godlines now that is only when a mans heart is mollified as well as his minde is enlightned It 's true the Scripture speaks of some 2 Pet. 2.20 who by the knowledge of God did escape the pollutions of the world but that was only in respect of external conversation for they were in their natures Swine still and not sheep It cannot then be that the world should know God and Christ as long as there is that corrupt enmity and spirit of rebellion and contrariety in it to what is holy Christ told Peter that it was not flesh and bloud which had revealed Mat 16.17 that glorious Confession of faith unto him If then the world be thus without the spirit of God enlightening and converting how then can it in any saving way acknowledge God Vse of Instruction Concerning the terrible condition of the perishing world whether within or without the Church yea it is most terrible to those who are the world really but the Church nominally You are shut out from the face of God and Christ You are without hope in the world Oh your greatnesse your pleasures will not avail to keep you from destruction This is Eternall life to know God and Jesus Christ This then is eternal death not to know him 2. That no knowledge of God or Christ which is not practical and saving deserveth the name of Christian knowledge The world though both by nature and supernatural revelation may know much of God yet because lying and living in
some while he was here on earth or mediately and that is by the discovering of the work of grace upon our souls whereby we gather Gods love toward us and this is the ordinary safe way that we are to take otherwise under the pretence of immediate revelations we may fall into sad delusions and this way the Scripture suggests viz. that by our love to the brethren by keeping his Commandements we may gather that we are loved of God Do not then expect as if thou shouldst hear a voice from heaven in a glorious manner as Christ did Thou art my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased but begin at the work of grace and Sanctification in thy heart by which thou maist certainly conclude of Gods love as by the Sun-beams we may conclude the Sun risen yet this must be necessarily added that we can neither discern of the work of grace in us or have such full perswasions of Gods love thereby but by the spirit of God as in Rom. 5.5 we of our selves through the sight of the imperfections of our graces would run from the presence of God only it 's the spirit of adoption given unto us which makes us have an Evangelical boldness before him Lastly This love of God perceived and felt by the godly is of a transcendent and incomprehensible nature So that if we should spend our whole life in the meditating of it yet we are never able to go to the bottom of it This is admirably expressed Eph. 3 19. that ye may know the love of Christ which passeth all knowledge from whence followeth that we are filled with the fulness of God for this love to us is the same in kinde though not in degree with that whereby he loveth Christ himself Christ and his members are comprehended in the same act of love what an unspeakable consideration is this to a poor believer Again the love of God is such that he gave his only begotten Son to the vilest and most ignominious death for them which the Apostle puts also upon it Joh. 3.16 God so loved the world and this love was to us while enemies while adversaries and it 's not to bring about a temporall mercy for us but eternal even everlasting glory and lastly this love is immutable and unchangeable God will never alter his love or cease to love such Certainly such a love is that which the heart of a man can never sufficiently comprehend must needs inflâ—me the soul there cannot be any cold Ice under this torrid Zone Therefore in the next place let us consider the great advantages that a believer hath which hath this powerful sence and feeling of Gods love within his heart And 1. It doth in a wonderful manner encourage and embolden the soul and that under the thoughts of death and the day of Judgement If so be this were to be the next moment if this voice were heard Arise and come to judgement yet the experimental feeling of Gods love would keep the heart so far from being dejected and perplexed that it would rather rejoyce a man and make him lift up his head 1 Joh. 4.17 Herein is love made perfect that is not our love but Gods love to us as the Greek intimateth that we may have boldnesse in the day of judgement That day which is so terrible to the wicked the very name of it is dreadful to them that bringeth much comfort to him who is loved of God Now what a desirable life is this who would not give the whole world to enjoy it viz. that he may walk in such powerful apprehensions of Gods favour that though death come though the day of judgement come yet his heart is not terrified within him The Apostle John speaks of Gods love perfected in us 1 Jo. 4.12 that is in respect of manifestation and discovery as Gods power is said to be perfected in our infirmities or faith to be perfected by love which sheweth that though God doth love us yet till this be manifested and discovered to us his love is not perfected to us 2. The sence and feeling of Gods love doth make us patient and contented yea even rejoycing under all tribulations the more grudgings and discontents thou art assaulted with under any exercises it 's an argument thou hast the less feeling of Gods love upon thee for if this did diffuse it self thou wouldst be more then a conquerour in all these things and certainly if Calvin said gravely from the former consideration out of the place mentioned in John That so far a man is proficient in faith as he is well composed in his heart for the expectation of the day of judgement We may also speak in this particular that so far a man hath profited in Christianity as he can from the sence of Gods favour rejoyce and be above all tribulations whatsoever This the Apostle mentioneth Rom. 5.5 the cause of all those glorious graces mentioned viz. patience and glorying in tribulations as also hope which will not make ashamed all cometh from that love of God shed abroad in their souls and Rom 8 It 's the love of God which he felt in his soul that made him triumph in so glorious a manner that he challengeth all things as not able to hinder him from this love of God 3. This sence of Gods love is a notable inflamer and quickner of the heart unto all godliness to all holy duties How dull how cold and lukewarm are all such performances that flow not from this fire within All is but formality and a meer outside in Religion till we have some apprehension of Gods love toward us yea those that are truly loved of God but yet not assured of it how heavily do they move in any holy duties how sad and divided with unbelieving thoughts how prone to yield to such temptations that because God doth not love them therefore it 's a vain thing to seek his face any longer but if once God let this love shine in upon his heart then it 's like oyl to his bones then it 's like Ezechiels spirit in the wheels then many waters cannot quench this love So that any duty performed out of the apprehension of Gods love is in some respect worth a thousand of those done without it Oh therefore labour to keep this fire alwaies upon the Altar of thy heart 2 Cor. 5.14 the Apostle there saith that the love of Christ constraineth him the word is thought to be used of those Prophets who being immediatly wrought upon by the spirit of God could not keep in what they felt but they must deliver it and thus it is with a man strongly possessed with the feeling of Gods love he cannot keep it in he is in an holy extasie and ravishment he praieth he heareth he doth all things with all his might 4 This apprehension of Gods love will make us wonderfull heavenly It will take us from all things here below As a man on
infirmities 529 That such is Christs care to Believers that they are remembered in his prayer and death before they had a being 532 This truth is full of consolations ib. The aggravation of the love of Christ to Believers 535 God the Father loveth Believers even as he loveth Christ Vide Loveth 642 It is an indearing respect of Believers to God that they do own him and cleave to him when the whole world goeth quite contrary 685 Propositions clearing the point 686 Believing The Believing of Christ being sent into the world is the foundation of our conversion to God 595 Distinctions premised about Believing 596 Blessed It 's a Blessed thing truly to say at death I have glorified God and finished the work I was to do 103 Introductory particulars about Blessednesse 103 104 The Grounds of this Blessednesse 105 Bloud Christs Bloud washeth away not only the guilt of sin but the filth of it 512 C Call A Lawfull Call in those that preach is necessary and profitable both in respect of Minister and people 494 Children Children of God are of two sorts 226 Christ How Christ being God could pray 8 All the godly are under Christs Mediatory prayer 8 The matter of Christs prayer in four things 9 The nature of Christs praier by way of Mediation 10 The dignity of Christs person praying ib. His relation to God the Father ib. Q. Whether Christ was heard in every thing he prayed for or no 11 Qualifications of Christs prayer ib. The condition of Christs prayer ib. Christs prayer sanctifieth our prayers 12 How Christ who is God can be glorified 24 Christ hath power over all men 36 Six particulars to clear the nature of Christs prayer ib. The dominion of Christ appears in nine particulars 38 c. Christ compar'd to many things 45 Six practical inferences from Christs power 47 48 Three Consolations thence 49 Christ had that glory he pray'd for with the Father before the world was 149 Christ had an eternal being proved by three Arguments 150 151 Whence it is that any deny Christ to be eternal 152 Christ hath all things the Father hath 262 This appeareth in seven particulars 262 263 How all Christ hath is the Fathers 264 Christs protection and preservation to eternal life is to be improved 344 This Doctrine is opened in a fourfold principle ibid The effects of this preservation 346 Christ though God yet as man did pray unto the Father 519 Vpon what grounds Christ who was God as well as man did pray 520 The difference between Christs prayer and ours 521 What advantages believers have by Christs prayers 521 Christ is said to be in believers several waies 620 That Christ is in believers and believers are in him ibid. How Christ lives in believers 621 How Christ is in his people more particularly 624 The fruits and effects of Christs being in his people 626 As Christ is in us so the Father being in Christ is also thereby in us ib. How the Father is in Christ ib. How the Father and Christ can be in believers and yet they have such great remainders of sin in them 630 Christs prayer for his people will certainly and infallibly prevail for them 660 Christ is the original and fontal cause of all the knowledge that believers have 681 Propositions about the point 682 Church Christ is the head of his Church 45 Four things implied therein 46 c. There is a great difference between a Church under persecution and not constituted and a Church constituted 495 Church-office Christ hath a peculiar love of those that are in Church-office according to his rule and way 485 In what particulars this love is shew'd ib. The Grounds of this particular love 486 Comfort The Comfort of being like Christ in suffering 438 Condition Reasons why God sometimes changes his peoples Condition from better to worse 332 It is a very sad thing to fall into such a Condition that draws out our peculiar corruptions we are most prone unto 383 This is opened in several considerations 383 c. Try your Conditions 384 Conformity There is a two-fold Conformity to Christ 437 Conscience Often rebelling against the light of Conscience 368 Conversion Conversion is a greater wonder then a miracle 41 Corporal There is no Corporal improvement of Christ 334 Wherein mens proneness appeareth to know Christ after a Corporal manner 335 D Damn THat there are some men that are wilfull set to destroy and Damn themselves c. 364 The inward Causes that move men to Damn themselves 365 The outward Causes 371 Damnation The everlasting Damnation of men is determined 51 Dangers The greater the Dangers are Christs people are in the greater is Christs care of them 272 This is opened in four particulars 272 273 The godly mans life is full of spiritual Dangers 277 This is explained in eight particulars 278 c. Day Day of grace is to be improved 24 Day of Judgement The Day of Judgement is the greatest day that ever was or shall be ib Death Christs Death is in it self sufficient for all yet he gave himself a ransome for some only 241 Four grounds for it 242 Christ by Death went to his Father 289 The particulars implied in the point 290 Whether it be lawfull to pray for Death 442 Vide Blessed Delusions vid. Sins Depend Depend on Gods gracious power only in the way to heaven 313 Devils Devils are in subjection to Christ 3â— The Devil may foretell some things to come 395 Divisions Divisions are the fruit of the flesh 570 Remedies for preventing and healing Divisions in the Church 575 What those proper sins are that Divisions among the godly are apt to breed in the world 393 Doctrines Free-will and merit are dangerous Doctrines 125 Dying Why the expressions of Christ Dying for All is to be taken indefinitely and not universally 235 236 E Elected THat none of those that are Elected shall perish 349 Introductory Propositions to clear the same ibid. Election Election is the gift of God 250 Four Reasons of it 251 End What things do diminish the comforts of the gody at the End of their day 109 c. The End Christ propounded in his doing and suffering 116 Errours Men are prone to be lead aside to Errors 318 Errors of judgement are damnable 318 Eternal Death Eternal Death 65 Wherein it consisteth 65 66 The difference between Eternal Death and eternal life 66 It is Eternal Death not to know God 77 Eternal Life Christ gives it to those that are his 56 What it is 57 It consists in three things 57 58 It hath six properties 57 60 Eternal Life compared with this present life 63 Conclusions upon this subject 67 68 Helps to be affected with Eternal Life 70 Examples We are not to live by Examples but by precept 379 F Faith FAith in Christ as Mediator is acceptable to God 211 Why Faith is called the work of God ibid. Five Grounds why Faith in a Mediatour should be pressed 223
everlasting glory laid up for them 129 God gives them a large opportunity of Working ib. Put no confidence in your Workes ibid. World The World was not from Eternity 155 Proved by Scripture and four Reasons 156 That God made the World in time is usefull seven wayes 157 159 Gods people are in the World but not of it 170 The several significations of the World in Scripture 171 231 The people of God are called out of the World 172 Seven Demonstrations of it 173 c. Three Reasons of it 175 Worlds great enmity against those that be godly 283 What it is to be of the World 434 How Christ is said not to be of the World 435 The not being of the World is that which makes wicked men hate the godly 435 What it is not to be of the World The World is ignorant of God in a saving manner 678 Demonstrations of the Point ib. FINIS A CATALOGUE OF THE Chiefest of such BOOKS as are Printed FOR THOMAS VNDERHILL By Col. Edw. Leigh Esquire A Treatise of the Divine Promises in Five Books The Saints Encouragement in Evil Times Critica Sacra or Observations on all the Radices or Primitive Hebrew words of the Old Testament in order Alphabetical Critica Sacra or Philological and Theological Observations upon all Greek words of the New-Testament in order Alphabetical By Samuel Gott Esquire Novae Solymae Librisex Sive Institutio Christiani 1. De Pueritia 2. De Creatione Mundi 3. De Jnventute 4. De Peccato 5. De Virili Aetate 6. De Redemptione Hominis Essayes concerning Mans true Happiness Parabola Evangelicae Latinè redditae Carmine Paraphrastico varii generis Morton His Touch stone of Conversion Mr Hezekiah Woodward Of Education of Youth or The Child◠Patrimony The Lives and Acts of the good and bad Kings of Judah A Treatise of Fear A Thank-offering Mr Samuel Fisher A Love-Token for Mourners being two Funeral Sermons and Meditatitions preparatory to his own expected Death in a time and place of great Mortality Mr Herbert Palmer and Mr Daniel Cawdrey A Treatise of the Sabbath in four parts Memorials of Godliness and Christianity in seven Treatises 1. Of making Religion ones Business With an Appendix applied to the Calling of a Minister 2. The Character of a Christian in Paradoxes 3. The Character of visible Godlinesse 4. Considerations to excite to Watchfulness and to shake off spiritual Drowsiness 5. Remedies against Carefulnesse 6. The Soul of Fasting 7. Brief Rules for daily Conversation and particular Directions for the Lords-day His Sermon entituled The Glass of Gods Providence toward his faithfull ones His Sermon entituled The Duty and Honour of Church-Rest Mr William Barton His Psalms His Catalogue of Sins and Duties implied in each Commandment in Verse Mr Vicars Chronicle in four parts Mr Samuel Clark A General Martyrology or A History of all the great Persecutions that have been in the world to this time Together with the Lives of many eminent Modern Divines His Sermon at the Warwickshire mens Feast entituled Christian Good-fellowship Mr Kings Marriage of the Lamb. Mr Shorts Theological Poems The French Alphabet Jus Divinum Ministerii by the Provincial-Assembly of London Mr Thomas Blake His Answer to Blackwood of Baptism Birth-Priviledge Mr Cook His Font uncovered Dr John Wallis His Explanation of the Assemblies Catechism Mr Langley's Catechism Mr Austin's Catechism Mr Vicars's Catechism Mr Pagit's Defence of Church-Government by Presbyterial Classical and Synodal Assemblies Mr Tho. Paget A Demonstration of Family-Duties Mr Anthony Burgess Vindiciae Legis or A Vindication of the Law and Covenants from the Errors of Papists Socinians and Antinomians A Treatise of Justification in two Parts Spiritual Refining Part 1. or A Treatise of Grace and Assurance Handling the Doctrine of Assurance the Use of Signs in Self-examination how true Graces may be distinguished from counterfeit several true Signs of Grace and many false ones The Nature of Grace under divers Scripture notions viz. Regeneration the New-Creature the Heart of Flesh Vocation Sanctification c. Spiritual Refining the Second Part or A Treatise of Sinne with its Causes Differences Mitigations and Aggravations specially of the Deceitfulnesse of the Heart of Presumptuous and Raigning Sinnes and of Hypocrisie and Formality in Religion All tending to unmask Counterfeit Christians Terrifie the ungodly Comfort doubting Saints Humble man and Exalt the Grace of God His CXLV Sermons upon the whole 17th Chapter of St John being Christs Prayer before his Passion The Difficulty of and Encouragements to Reformation a Sermon upon Mark 1. vers 2 3. before the House of Commons A Sermon before the Court-Marshal Psal 106.30 31. The Magistrates Commission upon Rom. 13.4 at the Election of a Lord Maior Romes Cruelty and Apostasie upon Revel 19.2 preached before the House of Commons on the 5th of November The Reformation of the Church to be endeavoured more then the Commonwealth upon Judges 6.27 28 29. preached before the House of Lords Publique Affections pressed upon Numb 11.12 before the House of Commons Mr Richard Baxter Plain Scripture-proof of Infant-Baptism The Right Method for getting and keeping Spiritual Peace and Comfort The Unreasonableness of Infidelity in four Parts 1. The Spirits Intrinsick witnesse to the truth of Christianity with a Determination of this Question Whether the Miracles of Christ and his Apostles do oblige those to believe who never saw them 2. The Spirits Internal witness of the truth of Christianity 3. A Treatise of the Sin against the holy Ghost 4. The Arrogancy of Reason against Divine Revelation repressed The Christian-Concord or The Agreement of the Associated Ministers of Worcestershire with Mr Baxters Explication of it A Defence of the Worcestershire Petition for the Ministry and Maintenance The Quakers Catechism An Apology against Mr Blake Dr Kendal Mr Lodovicus Molineus Mr Aires and Mr Crandon His Confession of Faith The Saints everlasting Rest The TEXTS Explained and Vindicated in this TREATISE Genesis Chap. Vers Pag. 49 6 609 Deuteronomy 3 8 362 25 2 363 1 Samuel 20 31 363 2 Samuel 2 7 362 1 Kings 8 27 7 2 Chronicles 33 13 85 Psalms 10 17 139 17 89 301 19 1 159 68 20 451 69 11 176 103 14 528 119 6 201 Proverbs 28 9 141 28 14 358 Ecclesiastes 5 2 132 7 17 449 8 11 369 Isaiah 4 5 6 395 8 6 490 33 14 70 40 6 383 57 1 450 61 3 414 65 9 20 357 Jeremiah 32 39 358 50 27 451 Ezekiel 37 16 22 566 Hosea 9 4 413 Zechariah 14 9 56◠Malachi 1 7 657 Matthew 5 48 263 6 20 64 6 7 135 11 27 38 13 37 182 16 18 360 21 32 545 23 9 257 24 36 363 26 14 375 Mark 9 50 321 9 24 530 13 22 357 Luke 1 70 322 12 29 554 22 13 284 John 1 16 40 1 3 150 1 10 606 6 29 211 6 39 349 7 7 435 8 55 151 10 28 349 14 6 37 14 12 291 15 2 375 15 11 400
come to Christ 5. This throws all merits to the ground II. In respect of Christ 1. A demonstration of the transcendent love of Christ 2. It shews the safety of the godly Vse Doct. Christ will give to those that are his Eternal life Eternal life considered I. Positively what it is 1. It consists in 1. The immediate fruition and enjoyment of God He is an universal and infinite object He is the Universal good He is an unmixed sincere good And a proper peculiar and convenient good 2. It consists in the perfect sanctifying the souâ—â—nd body thereby siâ—ting a man for the enjoyment of God 3. In a quick and lively apprehension of this happinesse And it hath these properties 1. A continued life of happinesse 2. It hath in it all desirable things 3. It is a glorious Life 4. A holy Life 5. A spiritual life Vse 6. It 's an eternall life II. Eternal Life considered comparatively with this present life 1. This life is but short 2. Full of troubles and miseries 3. Full of fears 4. Measured by time 5. Full of dissatisfaction· II. Eternal life considered oppositely to eternal death Eternal death lieth 1. In the deprivation of God 2. It is seen iâ— that it brings all the positive evil that can be feared or imagined 3. To all Eternity Life a gift death is deserved Why God for a transient sin will inflict eternal torments Vse 1. The great question that all ought to put is How may I have eternall life 2. We must take the right way to answer that question 3. Consider upon this little moment we have here depends all eternity 4. That most shall misse of eternall life 5. Desire such thoughts now as if thou wert already in eternity 6. Better a man had not been born then to misse of eternall life 7. Consider how unwilling thou art to bear any extream pains Helps to be affected with eternity The effects of lively meditations on eternity accompanied with firm faith 1. A low esteem of the world 2. A longing for the coming of Christ 3. Calm the soul under any troubles Arians and Socinians collection from the Text. The Text vindicated Observ 1. All men naturally ignorant of God in a saving manner 2. Imbred knowledge may be encreased by the contemplation of the creature 3. True knowledge to be had only within the Church 4. All true knowledge is not presently saving 5. Without knowledge no Salvation 6. The great ignorance of most to be lamented 7. We must have personal and explicit knowledge and not beleeve as the Church beleeves Reasons Why knowledge is so necessary to Salvation I. In respect of some duties we owe unto God which cannot be acceptably performed without knowledge II. From those duties we owe unto Christ III. Because grosse Ignorance is immediatly opposite to the means that bring the soul to God and Christ Obj. Answ The causes of Ignorance 1. Internal 2. External Vse Motives Observ The effects of saving knowledge I. Internall II. Externall Why knowledge that is not thus accompanied is ineffectuall Vse Observ There is one true God only to be known and served by men Explicatory considerations I. Though many Gods constituted by mans vanity yet there is but one true God II. God is known three waies III. Our knowledge of God is very imperfect IV. V. The insufficiency of naturall and acquired knowledge to guide us in the worship of God and way to salvation Inferences The sinfulness of Idolatry Vse 2. Vse 3. Vse 4. Vse 5. Observ The knowledge of the true God is not enough to salvation without the knowledge of Christ The Reasons of the Point Obj. Answ Obj. Answ Vse Obj. Answ Doct. It 's a blessed thing at death truly to say Lord I have glorified thee Consider I. There is a day of judgement when God will call every man to account II. The meanest persons have Talents to improve as well as the greatest III. None are perfect discharges of their duty IV. No merit or causality of salvation in the best work V. VI. Grounds of this blessedness At death all comforts vanish Then if ever Conscience is awakened and the devil is most busie to tempt and trouble Vse Who they are that cannot take comfort in this that they have finished the work God gave them to do 1. Such whose conversation is wicked 2. Those whose works are though not contrary yet differing from the command 3. The slothfull and negligent 4. The luke-warm What things will much diminish the joy and comfort of the godly at the end of their daies 1. Immoderate affection to worldly things 2. Formality and slothfulnesse 3. The not zealously improving opportunities 4. The doing Gods work upon constraint and not from filiall and voluntary principles 5. The more hypocrisie the lesse comfort 6. Ignorance or mistake in some points of Divinity Vse Doct. That our Redemption obtained by Christ is a glorifying of God· c. Wherein God was glorified by Christs Mediation for us Reasons Vse Obj. Answ Quest Answ Observ That Christ did fully and perfectly finish that work the Father gave him to do Observe these particulars 1. 1. 2. A Covenant between God the Father and the Sonne 3. Christs work truiy and properly obedience Quest Answ 4. Christs obedience was meriting obedience 5. Christs work heavy and grievous 6. He finished his work Obj. Answ The properties of the work which Christ finished 1. Of infinite value 2. Mediatory 3. His works are our works 4. Consider the necessity of his work 5. The visibility of it Vse Observ None may look for glory until they have finished their work Consider the Point in reference I. To Christ Glory the reward of Christs merit II. Consider the doctrine as true in our selves 1. God hath appointed this order The necessity of continual working· I. From Gods command II. God hath made them the necessary way to walk in if we will be saved III. Necessary by way of gratitude IV. Because we have so long time spent our selves in the way of Satan It 's lawful for the people of God in all they do for God to encourage themselves that eternall glory is laid up for them Doct. That Repetition of rhe same matter in praier is not alwaies sinfull Tautology but very necessary To open the Point consider these things In praier we must diligently attend to these things Why we must use our tongue in praier When Repetitions of the same matter in praier may be useful Quest Answ When repetitions are forbidden Doct. Things promised must be praied for Reasons I. Generall and common II. More proper and peculiar Reasons Quest Answ Observ That all Gods people are earnestly to pray for their glory above all earthly glory Things implied in the doctrine I. The nature of this glory viz. with God himself which implies 1. It is in the hands of God 2. God is the object of this glory 3. It 's a glory which God liketh and approveth of 4. Opposite to earthly
seeing that Christ by his Death hath purchased justification for us this ought to cause great peace and joy in our hearts as Paul said Blessed be God who causeth us to triumph through Jesus Christ And why so because as afflictions so Consolations by Christ abound much more 2 Cor. 1.3 Oh then let the people of God who are apt to be dejected and cast down to walk in a discouraged manner to have their hearts pierced through with many thorny cares Remember what Christ hath done for them and how acceptable it is to him that we should walk comfortably and thankfully Is it not a dishonour to the Master for the servant to be dejected and grieved Doth it not proclaim to others that they account his service an hard uncomfortable condition Thus when men leave their former wicked courses and give up their names to Christ but after that are troubled grieved and have no comfort or encouragement These reproach the Lord Christ as if the world could give better comforts then Christ as if we had done for the worse by forsaking the devils service and resigning our selves up to the Lords Oh then consider that as in gross prophanesse and unrighteous waies there is a scandal to Religion so in all discouraged and uncomfortable dejections refusing to be comforted thou art a dishonour unto the Lord Christ as if he could not give manna to us in the wildernesse of this world Thus you see how many waies Christ may be glorified Now let us consider why it 's our duty thus to glorifie Christ First Because Gods purpose from Eternity was to put infinite glory on Christ God suffered Adam to fall and in him all mankinde to be lost that so the glory of Christ sent into the world for an atonement and a Mediator might breed amazement to all yea some Divines have said that the first Decree which God made was to glorifie Christ and that therefore he had been incarnated though man had not fallen Therefore say they all our Predestination Justification and Salvation it 's not so much for us as in order to Christ Howsoever that there is a Church a people of God that they shall have such priviledges of glory the end of all is that hereby Christ should be honoured Joh 5.23 Christ was sent into the world that he who honoureth the Father should also honour the Son 2. The end of Gods Spirit in appointing a ministry and giving gifts to them as also accompanying of them with his spiritual presence is to glorifie Christ We are appointed for the work of the Ministry for to glorifie Christ and all your hearing ought to be for that end Joh. 16.15 He shall take of mine and glorifie me and Ioh. 14. he shall convince the world of sin and righteousness in reference to Christ We see here what is the utmost end in preaching and hearing even that Christ may be glorified Insomuch that there is no greater pest to the soul of man then for the Ministers thereof to be given up to vain glory to seek their own glory from men for hereby Christ will not be exalted Oh it 's farre better for them to have it said Christ is glorified in our Ministry then that men give glory to us Lastly Christ will in time glorifie his therefore they may well glorifie Christ For what is our drop to his Ocean What is our glow-worm to his Sun It 's well he will accept of it we are of such polluted lips Vse of Instruction to live both doctrinally and really to the honour and glory of Christ doctrinally when we beleeve all such opinions as magnifie Christ the contrary whereunto Popery doth abound in This made the worthy Reformers first think of departing from that Church Christ was rob'd of his glory he had not that honour which did belong to him And then really by an heavenly holy and unspotted conversation Oh the patience and mercy of Christ that he should suffer the earth to bear so many prophane wretches that are a reproach to him and all Christianity Did the Disciples call for fire because the Samaritans would not receive Christ how would their zeal have kindled to see so many crucifie the Lord Christ again You glorifie the devil and exalt the waies of sin but in time you will feel how dear this will cost you SERMON L. Of Christs tender care of all his People in the greatest of their dangers and afflictions JOH 17.11 And now I am no more in the world but these are in the world and I come to thee THis Eleventh Verse begins a new and special Reason why Christ is to be heard in his Praier for his Disciples Whereas the former Arguments some of them were taken from the person of the Father some from the person of the Apostles themselves some from the Person of Christ In this Verse the Person of the Apostles and Christ are conjoyned together Now the efficacy and force of the Argument lieth 1. From the Condition of Christ 2. From the Condition of the Apostles The present condition of Christ is described thus I am no more in the world 2. Of the Apostles But these are in the world Let us explain the words that relate to Christs condition and then see the pith of the Argument For the first Christ may be said to be in the world two waies Either 1. Invisibly in respect of his divine nature and operations Thus Christ cannot go out of the world no more then God who is every where and in this sence he told his Disciples he would be with them to the end of the world Mat. 26. Or 2. Visibly and corporally in respect of his humane nature and thus he was to be with them no more so that this is a strong place against Transubstantiation and Consubstantiation Though they would gladly evade the dint of it But why doth Christ say I am no more in the world in the present tense seeing while and when he said it he was in the world I answer This Apostle as is observed by the Learned of all doth most abound with Hebraisms and with them it 's ordinary to use a participle of the present tense for the future as might be shewed And besides our Saviour was very shortly to go out of the world by his sufferings and it 's ordinary with all to speak of a thing as done which is immediately to be done as Heb. 11. Abraham is said by faith to offer up his Son Isaac when yet he did not offer him up but was prepared for to do it immediately Lastly Observe the difference between being in the world and of the world When our Saviour saith I am no more in the world it supposeth he had been in it but now he never was of the world as he saith v. 16. For to be of the world is to partake of the wickednesse and ungodlinesse which reigneth there The whole world lieth in wickednesse And therefore Christ could not