Christianum Hieren Ep 1. We feel the burden of the Office that is upon us and call to mind our great Account and study the Conversion and not the Applause of Men. The Sin and the Impenitency of our Charge are our shame and sorrow We mourn over those who chose Death and anxiously enquire into our selves whether we be not guilty of their Death This consideration of our Danger makes us Sigh and Pray and we daily recommend them unto the Mercy of God who are perhaps our Enemies because we tell them the Truth and call upon them to Amend But All that we can do by a whole Life of Study and Prayer and Care and Diligence is that we may save some and that after we have preached unto others our selves may not be cast-away (r) 1 Cor. 9.27 Thus we spend our Days and our Selves in Fears and Labours and are transported with Joy when we find we do any good unto those Souls which are redeem'd by the Blood of the Son of God If those who belong unto our Charge knew how much sollicitude for them fill'd our Hearts they would almost out of Pity to us Hearken that their Souls might Live But whether Men will Hear or whether they will forbear (s) Ezek. 2.5 7. the Obligation abides upon us and we must bear with the Indiscretion and ill Usage of the most Perverse lest we harden them in Sin by Ours Thus we take heed unto our Selves and to our Doctrin and continue in it that so doing we may if possible save our selves and those that hear us (t) 1 Tim. 4.16 2. We must be Humble to our Brethren and look more upon the Labour than the Dignity of our Vocation as the Apostle did when he said we are your Servants for Jesus sake Herein we follow too the Example of our Master who took upon Him the form of a Servant and came not to be ministred unto but to minister (u) Mat. 20.28 He presided with the Power of a Lord not as over Slaves but as over Disciples and being Gracious and Gentle He loved them as Brethren saith S. Cyprian (x) Discipulis non ut servis dominicâ potestate praefuit sed benignus mitis fraternâ cos charitate dilexit Cyprian de bono Patient p. 199. This Meekness notwithstanding must not hinder that Severity which Faithfulness obliges us to For we must sometimes Rebuke sharply when need does require and when Good can be done thereby Like Chirurgeons who are really most Tender when they seem most Cruel as S. Jerom says (y) Putridae carnes serro indigent cauterio nec est medicinae culpa sed vulneris Cum clementi crudelitate non parcit medicus ut parcat saevit ut misereatur Hieron Ep. 147. We cannot perform this Office without Honour but 't is not Honour which we seek in the performance of it we design the Profit of those we preside over and value our selves by their Improvement (z) Ecclesia mihi credita cujus utilitatibus servio cui non tam praeesse quam prodesse desidero Aug. Ep. 160. This made the Great Apostle say Though I be free from all Men yet have I made my self Servant unto all that I might gain the more (a) 1 Cor. 9.19 'T is no Humility in Him who is properly a Servant to Act as such or to suffer himself to be used as such by his Master But where Mens Education and Office are a Dignity 't is a voluntary and Christian Abasement to do and suffer any thing that They may be Useful Such an Education is necessary to Us who Minister about Holy Things And while any sort of Learning is thought considerable Ours will be so Our Office is like unto our Education and that under a double consideration as Human and as Divine If it were no other than a Human Institution yet were it an Honourable Employment to teach Men Wisdom and Virtue And so long as those Perfections of Men are had in just Esteem our Office cannot be despised But our Office is not only Excellent but also Sacred and in this performance We are the Immediate Servants of the Most High God and our Saviour Whosoever therefore has any Reverence for Religion must own that there is no small degree of it due to the Ministers of Religion And if God be Venerable it cannot but be a high Honour to be his Priests (b) 1 Sam. 9.6 We are therefore advanced by our Character that we may descend by our Humility and He that humbleth himself shall be exalted (c) Luc. 14.11.18.14 We have this Obligation and Encouragement and Necessity for Abasing our selves in doing good unto the Souls of Men And if we should be ill used we must not render Evil for Evil but remember the Example of our Lord Jesus who endured the contradiction of Sinners against Himself who when He was reviled reviled not again when He suffered He threatned not (d) Heb. 12.3.1 Pet. 2.23 Those very Persons who scorn or hate us are part of those whose Souls we are charged with and we must upon peril of our Souls Discharge our selves Let us therefore Mourn for those who sin and Pity those who are miserable Let us remember they are our Brethren by Nature and Religion and let us stoop to any thing that they may come to Repentance and be saved Christ humbled Himself unto the death even the death of the Cross and We imitate Him but very faintly when we willingly suffer any Indignity pursuant of his Design to save a Soul from death (e) Jam. 5.19 20. Thus the Doctrin of the Text may be applied unto the Ministers of Christ's Spiritual Kingdom for the persuading them 1. To be Faithful in their Office and 2. Humble towards their Brethren Secondly This Doctrin may be applied to the Subjects of this Kingdom for the persuading them 1. To Reverence their Guides And 2. Live their Religion 1. The Subjects of Christ's Spiritual Kingdom i.e. the Professors of his Religion must be persuaded to Reverence the Guides of their Souls As there is a God to whom our Services are due and upon whom our Interest depends so is it necessary we should Worship that God and be Instructed how we may be in Favour with Him There must therefore be such as Minister about Holy Things and the reason of all Mankind hath taught them That such Persons are necessary and venerable Aristotle in his Politicks enquires how many things there are without which a Nation cannot subsist among others he says The Fifth and Chief thing is The Care of Holy Things which is call'd Priesthood (f) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist Pol. l. 7. §. 41. The Designation of such he says is manifest That no Plowman or Artificer ought to be a Priest because the Gods ought to be Honoured by the Nation (g) Id. §. 43. The Office is sacred and the Persons ought to be so and care must
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tatian contra Gr. p. 166. the Divine Philosophy (n) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Justin M. Ap. 1. and the Lord's Philosophy (o) Magis duruâ— secularis Philosophiae pravitate quam Philosophiae Dominicae lonitate pacificus Cypr. Ep. 1. l. 1. looking upon it as the Institution of a Religious Man and that delivered in the Divine History of the Son of God The Doctrin of True Religion is the Image of God in Records and the Practice of Religion is the Image of God in Life and then Men are most properly subject to when they are Imitators of God (p) Eph. 5.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 11.1 The Perfection of Religion is in a peculiar sense this Divine Kingdom And as by Baptism Christians take upon them the Profession of and Obligation to it so by the Lord's Supper they continually set Him before their eyes who is the Author and Pattern thereof Instruction and Persuasion are the proper Means to make men Wise and Good and the Addresses to that purpose are made effectual by the Spirit of God on the Souls of Men. Thus is the Kingdom of God set up in Individual Persons and the Society of all such Persons is the Catholic (q) Act. 10. â—â— Church or Universal Kingdom of God on Earth entituled from its Nature The Kingdom of Heaven For as the Blessedness of Heaven is the highest perfection of Religion so the Religion of Christ has the nature of that Blessedness on Earth Beatitude and Piety are the same in the accounts of the Gospel (r) Mat. 5.3 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist and Truth it self and every Man is so far truly Happy as he is truly Religious This Institution is Eternal and Divine such as continues after Death and raises the Souls of Christians to the state of Angels So this Kingdom of God over Men which shall never end is begun here and as the Nature of that Kingdom is intirely Spiritual so it is most Excellent and Glorious The External Polity of this Religious State is Temporary and Secular and is such a Defence for Christianity the Spiritual Kingdom of God as Worldly Government is for Moral Virtue his Natural Kingdom Among degenerate Christians this Secular Polity and the Worldly Advantages of it are their chief Design Religion is made by them subservient to their Greatness Wealth and Power Christianity is made a Carnal Religion and the State of it is made a Worldly Empire (s) Vid. Erasm Annot. ad Matt. 11. Jugum meum suave ad Matt. 5. Omne malum But this Antichristian Cheat is not to be run down by depriving Religion of all Secular Protection and Encouragement from Laws but Christian Constitutions must favour Piety as the Civil Constitutions have favour'd Justice which is also Divine and an Essential part of Religion (t) Jus à Jove This then is the Nature of Christ's Spiritual Kingdom The Perfection of Religion in the Souls and Lives of Men promoted by Spiritual Means and Influences Of this there is an External Polity by which it is guarded against the Violence and Craft of wicked and unreasonable Men who have not Faith And so Kings are the Nursing Fathers and Queens the Nursing Mothers of the Church (u) Is 49.23 2. I am to give an account of the Glory of the Supream Lord. The Archetypal Idea of this Spiritual Kingdom is the Nature of God himself and so far as God is manifested to Men his Kingdom is come among them But as Plato observed the Eyes of Men are not able to bear the Rays of Divinity (x) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato Soph. p. 119. and the Image of the greatest things cannot affect Human Sense or descend to Human Capacity (y) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato Civil Yet it is necessary that there should be in Men a right and stable and lively Opinion of Wisdom and Virtue and such an Opinion is a Particle of Divinity in whomsoever it abides (z) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato p. 137. The True God provided a glorious Expedient for this when He caused the Divine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the brightness of his Glory and the express Image of his Person (a) Heb. 1.3 to assume the Nature of Man and in it to perform the Works of God This Sacred Person Consubstantial (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Athan. de Syn. Arim. Sal. Ep. p. 928. 937. Niceph. l. 8. c. 22. to the Most High God was Incarnate The Word was made Flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth (c) Joh. 1.14 Thus God exhibited Himself to Men in the person of his Son and He appeared in the Shape and Form of Man familiarly to Men. The Human Nature of the Son of God was consecrated into a Living Temple by his residence in and Union with it And God the Word so acquainted Himself with Mortal men by the Instrument of a Body as Eusebius says (d) Euseb Orat. ad Tric. Const c. 14. He demonstrated His Divine Perfections in the using of our Nature as an excellent Musician discovers his Skill by using an Harp whose Nature is altogether unlike and inferior to his Such a Nature as ours which is Rational and Material was fit for the Eternal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for God the Word to shew Himself in to Men and when He shew'd himself He shew'd the most High God for He is God of God as the Rays of the Sun are Light of Light Therefore he said He that hath seen me hath seen the Father (e) Joh. 14.9 and He that seeth me seeth him that sent me (f) Joh. 14.45 Thus was God gloriously and sensibly manifested unto Men when He came down to Men in the likeness of Man and in our Nature discovered his own For in Jesus Christ dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead Bodily (g) Col. 2.9 And when he appeared in Human Nature He discover'd Himself by Divine Works and His glory was disclosed by his Actions If any one look'd upon the Man Christ Jesus there was no sensible Glory about his Head that might distinguish Him from Others but there was an Intellectual Lustre which Wisdom and Goodness adorned Him with His Words and Deeds were such as meer Man never did exhibit and upon his Speeches and Actions there were Marks of Divinity visible His Miracles were such as no Power but that of God could do and with them He entertained and astonished the Minds of Men who expressed their Admiration saying What manner of Man is this (h) Matt. 8.27 Besides these Miracles were all Acts of Love and Men were affected at them as at the observation of Greatness and Goodness (i) Mar. 7.37 Act. 10.38 At the fame time the obliged and amazed Multitude were entertained by the Divine Reason with Discourses full
of Wisdom and Virtue such as were most worthy of God and most profitable to Men (k) Joh. ◠46 Those who heard Him speak such Wisdom as never Man spake saw Him Live such Virtue as never Man lived and Celestial Holiness cloathed the Son of Man with Glory He was thus a Living Law of Virtue and the substantial Doctrin of Wisdom and a sensible manifestation of Power and yet a Man like unto Us in all things except those excellent Glories and except our vicious Infirmities Here then was Human Nature in view and Human Conversation observable But in all this a Divine Wisdom Goodness and Power did appear Here was the Life of God exhibited in the Nature of Men and the Invisible Divinity did appear veil'd in the sensibleness of Humanity His Conversation was familiar and yet stupendious and every appearance was Wonderful but not Terrible Such a manifestation of God there was as obliged Men to the greatest Veneration of Him and what the Son of God did was most God-like Such an One is He who is the Supream in the Spiritual Kingdom of God and none Other was either worthy or fit to be Supream but He who by his Appearance could shew us the Father and reconcile us unto Him Men had sinn'd against God and some Atonement was necessary for the expiation of Sin and reconciling of Sinners This was the common and true Opinion of all Mankind who were justly sollicitous how God might be appeased and their Pardon be obtained For this end they at first made their Sacrifices of Beasts but at length deeming them an insufficient Oblation they came to offer Men (l) Deorum maximè Mercurium colunt cui certis diebus humanis quoque hostiis litare fas habent Tacit. de mor. Germ. Caesar de bell Gall. l. 1. p. 129. Euseb Orat. in Constat Tric. c. 13. Plin. Nat. Hist l. 30. c. 1. Plut. de defect Orac. Their Superstition was a violence to their Nature and they sacrificed their Children (m) Psal 106.37 38. i.e. their own Bowels to their Idols This was the Law and the Opinion of the Gentiles for as Plato says The Law is the Opinion of the Country (n) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato Minos And he adds in the same place That the sacrificing of Men was according to the Laws of the Carthaginians it was Legal and Holy among them (o) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato Mino. This inhuman and horrid Custom shews how odious Sin was thought to be in the sight of God and how difficult it was to appease Him who was made our Enemy by our Sins This was the Reason of the Death of Christ That He might be a Holy Victim offered up to God as a perfect expiation of the Sins of Men. He gave Himself a Ransom for us (p) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Life for Life and died to deliver us from Death Through the power of the same Sacrifice He also destroyed the Diabolical Superstitions and saved Men not only from the Perdition of Hell but also from the tyranny of Satan upon Earth Through the virtue of this Death and the Victory he gained over Death He destroyed Him who had the power of Death that is the Devil and delivered them who were all their Lives subject unto bondage (q) Heb 2.25 So that by the Appearance and Doctrin and Sufferings of the Son of God Satan's Kingdom was abolished and as one Evidence of it the dead Bones of the Martyr Babylas disabled Apollo Daphnaeus from giving an Answer to Julian who consulted that Oracle (r) Evagrius lib. 1. c. 16. Socrates l. 3. c. 18. Of such Virtue was the Death of Christ for the good of Men for their Eternal and Temporal Salvation from the power and malice of the Devil After this the Son of God Incarnate shew'd Himself the Author and Pattern of our Happiness by his Resurrection and Ascension He who was the Divine Word and Power and Life could not so yield unto Death as not to be the Conqueror of it and this He was by Dying and Rising from the dead By this Resurrection of Jesus from the dead Men were led into the prospect of Eternity and enabled to look beyond the narrow limits of Time They saw a Life and Death in this World by Sense and they saw Life and Immortality in the other World by Faith Christians fear only that which is the Second and Eternal Death And to avoid that they take care how they live here but fear not to die and go from hence This which is their Reproach among the Heathen is their Wisdom While they fear to die after this Death they do not fear to dye this Death (s) Et dum mori post mortem timent interim mori non timent Minu. Fe. p. 26. The same Jesus who had promised Life unto Others by his Resurrection manifested himself the Lord of Life (t) Joh. 11.25 26. and no better or greater demonstration could there be of a future and blessed Immortality (u) 2. Tim. 1. 10. Of Old it had been common among Pagans to Deifie dead Men as Athanasius (x) Athanasius contra Gentes and others tell us and their Gratitude transported them into Idolatry But He whom we worship as the Son of God dwelt in Human Nature and was the Son of Man and shew'd by his Resurrection that his Nature was Divine (y) Rom. 1.4 After his Resurrection He ascended into Heaven in the Humane Nature and is Enthroned at the Right Hand of the Majesty on High and 't is in the Power of Him alone to give Salvation unto the Souls of Men and to bestow Immortality upon those whom He hath Redeemed This is the utmost Perfection which Human Nature is capable of and such a State as even that Nature must be improved that it may be capable of it But the Son of God is able to exalt us unto that place and state whither He is gon before Us and there We shall be for ever with the Lord (z) 1 Thes 4.17 and like unto Him (a) Phil. 3.21 1 Joh. 3.2 Thus is the Son of God the Author and Pattern of the Duty and Happiness of Men who was Born and Lived and Dy'd and Rose again and Ascended into Heaven There all Power is committed unto Him (b) Mat. 28.18 Phil. 2.6 c. Heb. 1.4 c. and He is the Supream Lord of that Kingdom which is established by the Gospel So Great is the Person of our Teacher and Redeemer and He is no less our Only Master than our Only Saviour (c) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazianz. p. 597 For his Doctrin is the Standard of our Faith and Himself is both the Subject and Author of the Gospel To the Conduct of Him we are to give up our selves And if Christ alone be to be heard we are not to regard what Any before us have thought but what Christ who was before all has