places of the Newe Testament as namely 2. COR. 12.4 where PAVL speakes of his rauishing to Paradise and also REVEL 2.7 But to leaue the vvordes and to come to the meaning This Paradise signifies none other thing but that House of the Father in the which is manie mansions as wee saide in the foureteenth Chapter Nowe woulde yee knowe the place of it PAVL saies It is farre aboue these visible heauens where Christ himselfe ascended EPHES. 4.10 It is the place of the Throne of that Majestie of that Glorie and of that euerlasting rest of the Kirke of Iesus Christ and of His Sainctes where they shall rest in a wonderfull glorie euerlastinglie The vvorde is borrowed from that Paradise that Parke of pleasure in the vvhich ADAM and EVAH vvere planted to liue in a vvonderfull pleasure for euer if they had stoode vvithout sinne But to come to the matter First in this answere that the Lord makes to the penitent Thiefe yee may see a vvonderfull readinesse in Christ to heare the petition of a miserable sinner for hee hath scarcely spoken the worde when the Lord makes an answere and no maruell for Hee that preuentes thee with grace ere thou thinkest of grace Hee will followe after with grace Hee who giues grace to begge grace Hee will giue a gracious answere ROMAN 8.26 The Spirite of GOD interceadeth for vs with sighes vnspeakeable That is the first grace Then hee subjoynes The Lord who searcheth the heart knoweth the sense and meaning of his owne Spirite There is the seconde grace Thou shalt not so soone open thy mouth to speake to Him with the Spirite but Hee shall as soone heare thy vvorde thou shalt not so soone haue a meaning but it shall as soone touch the heart of the Lorde as it touches thine heart because it is not thy spirite but the Lordes Spirite who speakes in thee So all the difficultie and hardnesse is to gette the first grace to praye there is no difficultie of the next And there are wonderous fewe vvho gettes this grace to begge to sigh to sobb c. yea where one hath it ten wantes it and when this is once gotten the other followes of its owne will for if thou askest spirituall graces of necessitie thou shalt gette thy petition graunted And if wee aske earthly thinges either shall wee gette our petition or else the Lord once shall shewe vs why Hee will not graunt it and so wee shall haue contentment to vndertake His will and shall heartily thanke Him There is more yet in this answere Besides this easinesse to heare marke an abounding mercie and exceeding liberalitie of the Lord passing aboue the petition The Thiefe onely prayed the Lord to remember him when He came in His Kingdome The Lord aunsweres Beholde euen I giue thee more than thou requirest for thou shalt be with me this day in Paradise so thou needest not to feare that I forget thee The Thiefe seekes but a little thing the Lord giues him more than hee can seeke the hande of the Lorde is not so scarce Wilt thou seeke a litle thing the Lord shall giue a thousand times more than thou canst seeke the Lord hath neither scant nor want Brethren the glory which we shall finde one day shall bee greater than we can looke or hope for in this world No things Heauenlie which He shall giue surmountes further aboue our capacitie than the Heauen does aboue the Earth Yea if thou speakest of earthlie things findes not many by experiēce that they get such an estate in the world as they would neuer haue looked or hoped for I sought but life saies Dauid Psal 21. 5 yet the Lord gaue me to be a king that is He gaue me not only a priuate obscure life but a glorious life in the sight of the people Besides this easinesse and liberalitie of the Lord to grant to a poore man aboue that that he durst presume He prescribes no time but this same day I know not if he durst haue bene so bold as to haue sought such a time that same day Marke further here a wonderfull power in the Lord at that time when Hee was in a most vile and ignominious death which was the image of Hell to pull a man quicke on the Crosse to breake Him on a Crosse The Lord is weakned the Iewes thought more of the dirt they trode on than of Iesus yet ye see what a wonderfull power which strikes out from Him to the thiefe this is the power of a King This day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise What Emperour durst speake this Yea He vtters the power of GOD Himselfe This promise is proper to GOD only to promise participation of that heauenly Kingdome What Angell durst doe this None but the eternall and immortall GOD. It is true the LORD Iesus whilst as Hee hang vpon the Crosse was wonderfully weakned and that glorious Godhead that dwelt in the humane Nature kept it selfe closse for a time and held in the beames of His glorie for a time within that vaile of His bodie for if Hee had not kept closse that Glorie of His Godhead the world could not haue crucified Him yet He kept Him not so closse but in the Crosse Hee manifests Himselfe Hee does the part of a King and fought a fiercer battell than all the Kings in the world Hee fought against all the enemies and in the ende Hee triumphes in that Crosse as in a Chariote and leades them all as thieues before Him And if there were no more to shewe that Hee was a King than this hastie conuersion of the thiefe it may tell you if Christ had such a power whilst as Hee hang in such weaknesse on the Crosse What power hath He now when He is in the Heauen exalted in the Throne of glorie If it bee so that wee feele not CHRIST powerfull in vs to life as the thiefe felt Blame not IESVS as if Hee wanted power sufficient nowe in glorie who had such power in His humilitie but blame thy selfe Thou wants that which the thiefe had thou wants Faith in Christ glorified the thiefe may shame thee who beleeued in Him whē He was in extreame ignominie Then to end all this y t hath bin spokē of this answere in a word Seeing y e Lord of lords y e Lord Iesus is so readie Neuer was there King so ready to heare a subject as Iesus is if thou werest the vilest bodie that goes a Thiefe a Harlot c. yet if thou wilt saye this Lord remember on mee and giue mee a part of thy Kingdome if thou prayest to Him from a penitent heart with confidence and assurance I promise vnto thee Heauen and Earth shall goe together ere thou vvantest thine asking Seeing our Lord Iesus is so liberall then seeke more than enough more than a Kingdome and thou shalt get more The only cause why we want is in vs we haue no hearts to seeke it And last Seeing He is so
greater wonder to see a regenerate man from whome that scroofe is taken away than that all the rockes should rent This for the first wonder now followes the second The Earth quakes No doubt but with the quaking of the earth there was a sore dinne whilst the soule of the Lord separated from the body O! what a thing was it to draw the soule of the Sauiour of the world from the body No the renting of the rockes was nothing in respect of that drawing of the soule of the Mediatour from the body The Earth is holden vp by the mightie hand of the Lord and when it shakes the mightie hand of the Lord shakes it When the Lord begins to shake His arme all the mountaines shakes it is no jesting for if Hee hit thee Hee will bruse thee in pieces although all the world were about thee What is miserable man doing that will not knowe the power of the Almightie God This shaking meanes a threatning to this people and the earth threatens to swallowe them all vp for their indignitie they wrought to their Lord their Maker If thou dishonourest thy Maker the earth shall open and swallow thee vp as it did Core Dathan and Abiram who withstood Moyses No it is a wonder that the earth should beare men No I protest I would not wonder so much if the earth opened and swallowed some men as I wonder that the Lord in His long suffering patience spares them and holds His hand and Iudgement off them It is a wonder that the houses fall not downe on the blasphemers and the chambers where they commit their filthinesse should not smoother them But Hee shall cause an heauier thing fall on the body and soule than a thousand mountaines were tumbled on them thou doest nothing but heapes vp wrath as the Apost sayes against the day of wrath No wrath and heauie wrath shall be heaped on them So the earth threatens thâ—m for the indignitie they did to their Lord. Yee see that after the earth quaked it will swallow vp townes and people but shee swallowes them not vp now but the earth vomites them out as not worthie to beare them in her bellie No she thought them ouer bitter to be within her who had dishonoured her Creator but afterward looke what came on them The earth will reuenge that foule thing done to her Lord the land of Iudea spued them out and the earth will not let that cursed kinde haue a foot-breadth of her O! what is it to haue battell with the Creator when He begins to arme the earth or any creature against thee we would thinke that this shaking of the earth should haue mooued them yet tâ—ey take no thought for it At the voyce of the Lord the earth did shake but did the Priests and the Scribes shake Are they mooued at the dinne and shaking of the earth So againe I say there is nothing so vnmooueable No not the earth as thine hardened heart will be at all the denunciations that will come from Heauen or Hell saue thy selfe from a reprobate sense or else thou shalt neuer bee wakened till thou bee thrust into hell where thou shalt bee tormented vvith endlesse vexation without any hope of comfort This for the second wonder Nowe let vs come to the clieuing of the Mountaines This followes on the former as the earth opened to swallow them so the mountaines cloue to tumble vpon them The mountaines will not suffer them to dishonour their maker What mooued this the Iewes Euen as much as the other two No question it was a great and terrible noyse when the mountaines cloue Woe to a senselesse heart The mountaines may clieue and shiuer and quake but if thy soule bee giuen to induration the stones mountaines shall bee mooued and broken but thine heart shall neuer breake Woe againe to a senselesse heart which is not mooued at the word of God that Scepter of yron whereof ye reade 2. Psal shall light on thee bruise thee in pieces Therfore cast away that vaile froÌ„ thine heart and striue to keepe light in thy soule conscience and walke in sobriety till thy God call on thee and then thou shalt see a blessed ende Nowe wee come to the last wonder which was wrought The graues doe their duetie they forget not their maker but in their manner they glorifie their Lord God and honour Him yea death it selfe with the graue doe Him homage and honour But miserable man will not honour Him The graues laye open from three a clock after noone for about three a clock the Lord gaue vp the ghost and they lay open all that day all that night all the daye following and the next night till the morning that the Lord rises and then the bodies of the Sainctes also arole by vertue of His resurrection and went into the Citie The graues will tell the miserable people that the Lord Iesus had loosed the bandes of the graue by His death By death He slew death with her owne sword He slew her as wee speake Shee would teach them that the bodies in that Great day shall rise vp by the vertue of that resurrection of Iesus Christ This question may bee asked What became of those bodies which arose went into the City Did they lay them down againe in the graue or ascended they to Heauen I will not bee curious in this purpose But in my judgement they were taken vp to the heaueÌ„s with Iesus Christ to be an argumeÌ„t of our resurrection going to the heauens This was a faire lesson but this miserable people was not moued Woe to a stonie senselesse heart the graue may open but nothing will open a senselesse soule Therefore I beseech you striue to get a soft and mollified heart The voyce of Iesus made the earth to quake the rockes to rent the graues to open the deade to rise but the voyce of the LORD opened not their heartes then He opens the graues It is an easier thing to raise a dead body out of the graue than to raise thy soule if it bee once haâ—dened it is more wonderfull to raise a deade soule and to see that soule get a sense of Heauen than to see all the bodies of the Church-yard rising Nowe to compare these wonders There are two of them The first and the last that teach this people The other two the second and the third that threatens them The quaking of the earth and the renting of the rockes threaten a damnage and destruction to them and in this temperature of His wonders As the power of God so the wisdome of God appeares wonderfully He threatens this people for the indignitie that they had done to the LORD of glorie with Hell and death yet Hee holds vp His handes O! how vnwilling He is to strike but if He light on thee Hee will cause thee squeele He is ayming Hee is shaking that terrible arme and threatning them in the meane time
soule and body so vvee shall keepe all the naturall povvers and faculties of them Nothing shall bee lost in the Resurrection We shall keepe all but after another manner all these povvers nowe are infirme and weake all are vile vvithout glorie then all shall bee glorified facultie of eating and drinking shall bee glorified and made spirituall Wilt thou then desire meat wilt thou hunger as thou doest now vvill thy stomacke desire meat as it does now No all thy naturall povvers shall be filled vvith GOD. 1. Cor. Chapter 15. verse 28. God shall be all in all Hee shall bee meate and drinke and all thinges to thee In the 21. Chapter of the Reuelation and the 22. verse Hee shall bee the Temple Thou shalt not neede to goe to the Church Thy God shall be a Temple Thou shalt not neede Sunne nor Moone or a lanterne or a candle Thy God shall be all in all to thee So long as we are here we hunger we thirst we haue this meat and that meat and we must haue the Sunne by day and the Moone by night and a candle all this necessitie importes an imperfection Eatest thou drinkest thou all is an argument of imperfection and albeit God filles thee in a part GOD beginnes to fill thee in this world and thou wilt feele His sweetnesse yet He giues vs heere in this life but a litle taste GOD is not all in all to vs and therefore so long as vvee are heere we must eat and drinke but after that once GOD shall fully possesse vs and replenish our soules when vve shall see our Lord againe vve shall neuer hunger nor thirst there shall neuer be want againe there shall be fulnesse not of perishing joy but a fulnesse of such glory as no tongue can expresse and all the povvers of thy soule shall be replenished with an vnspeakable pleasure the vvorlde knovves not vvhat this meanes and vvhen it is spoken to them they thinke it vanitie To enter heere curiously about this meat and to dispute What became of this meat vvhether it vvas digested and turned to nutriture and vvhether it vvas auoided againe I thinke it needlesse But to speake it in a vvorde It vvas an easie matter to the LORD IESVS CHRIST vvho made all of nothing vvho made thee of nothing vvho made thy meate and drinke of nothing vvho made that piece of fish of nothing and vvho made that honey combe of nothing to turne it into nothing againe without a concoction or digesting in the stomacke Novve to goe forvvarde to the second part of the Text and to come to His svveet Sermon No question He deliuered it at great length but Luke hath summed it shortely Heere IESVS CHRIST preaches after His glorious Resurrection yee heard many of His preachinges before His suffering in Iohn heare this now after His Resurrection The first thing Hee does He informes His Disciples of a necessitie It behooued Christ to die it behooued Him to rise againe after His buriall the third day there is a necessitie Hee prooues this What euer thing sayes Hee vvas vvritten of mee in Moyses first in the Prophets next and in the Psalmes last all behooued to bee accomplished euery jote of it of necessitie vvould the LORDE say must bee accomplished Heauen and Earth must passe avvay ere one jote of that vvhich is spoken of Mee passe avvay but all must be fulfilled To touch this Hee takes vp all the vvhole Olde Testament into three partes First the bookes of Moses Secondly the Prophetes Thirdly the Psalmes of Dauid Commonly wee vvill heare the Olde Testament diuided in two partes First the bookes of Moses Next the Prophetes novve He makes the Psalmes the third In the Psalmes vve haue continuall prophecies of CHRIST yet I thinke this is the principall cause of it because the Psalmes are songs vvhich Dauid sung vnto GOD and thereafter put in vvrite and this is the chiefe purpose of the Psalmes It is true that in the Psalmes there are Prophecies contained concerning CHRIST and therefore the Psalmes vvere before rekoned vvith the Prophecies and Dauid counted amongst the Prophets Luke Chapter 24. verse 15. Yet the chiefe purpose of the Psalmes is to sing vnto the LORD and then hee prophecies hee standes as a viue and expresse type of CHRIST wherein he differs from other Prophets vvho in their prophecying vvere no types of CHRIST But to returne What euer thing sayes CHRIST is written of Mee it behooued that to bee accomplished But so it is all these thinges haue beene vvritten and foretolde of Mee my suffering and my Resurrection Moses the Prophets and Dauid haue foretolde them Ergo of necessitie I behooued to suffer and to rise againe the third daye Yee see then vvhat Hee is doing Hee is binding the Faith of His Disciples to beleeue of Him that Hee vvas risen vrging them vvith such a necessitie that they could not escape It is not so easie a thing as the vvorlde thinkes it to beleeve Aske at a vvanton companion if Hee beleeues He vvill answere Why beleeue I not vvhen in the meane time His ovvne mouth nor His heart hath no more smell of Faith than the thing Hee touched neuer and yet the blasphemous knaue vvill say He hath Faith but to get Faith of all things thou shalt finde that it is the moste hard and difficill thing and ere euer thou beleeuest thou shalt be straitted The soule shall be so forced and constrained to beleeue that thou canst not say othervvise Well Brethren vvee haue done vvith it and vvee haue made shipvvracke of saluation if vve beleeue not this Gospell and this Historie of the death and Resurrection of IESVS CHRIST Beleeuest thou not that IESVS CHRIST hath died and hath risen againe for thee thou shalt neuer see Iesus to to thy comfort But ere euer thou or I beleeue that this is true that is written of CHRISTS suffering and His glorification ere euer thou beleeuest the Historie of the New Testament of the Passion and rising againe of Christ done and ended thou must be perswaded there is a necessitie that all these thinges that are spoken in the Olde Testament behooued to be done if then thou wouldest knovve the necessitie of these thinges cast thine eyes to the Olde Testament and cast it ouer Beginne at Moyses and then come to the Prophets and lastly to the Psalmes of Dauid Reade the Old Testament and that write shall shewe thee such a necessitie of these things that more possible had it bene that the world should haue vanished away than that these thinges should not haue come to passe and then vvhen yee take the New Testament and sees these things which are foretolde to bee accomplished yee will not beleeue with how great joy the heart will rest vpon Iesus and it will saye I vvill beleeue this that Christ hath suffered and is risen for mee then thy pleasure vvill be to turne ouer the Olde and Newe Testament that thy Faith may be the more
they saw Him they worshipped Him What made them to fall downe and worship Him What sawe they into Him No question they sawe in Him a glorious Majestie By all appearance at this time He has shewed himselfe in greater glory than Hee did of before So beholding His glorie on the one part and their owne vnworthinesse on the other as Hee approaches vnto them they humblie fall downne and worship Him This their behauiour teaches vs that wheresoeuer the Lord of Glorie is present there He should be worshipped and adored His presence requires adoration Seest thou the Lord present with thee Then in humilitie fall downe and worshippe Him But thou wilt saye I cannot see Him how then can I adore Him Th'Apostles saw His glorious presence with their eyes therefore they ought to haue worshipped Him but as for vs who liue in these dayes after His ascension to Heauen we see Him not and therefore how can wee worship Him But I answere thee It is true thou seest Him not nowe vvith the eyes of thy bodie but thou seest Him with the eyes of thy soule thou seest Him with the eyes of faith thou seest Him in the vvorde and Sacraments first crucified and then glorified And if thou wilt not worship Him when thou seest Him here present in the worde and Sacraments thou wouldest not haue worshipped Him if thou haddest seene Him with the eyes of thy body face to face These profane bodies vvho vvill not vvorship Him nowe vvhen they see Him present in the mirrour of the Gospell they vvill neuer gette leaue to worship Him in the Kingdome of Heauen Thinkest thou not that the Lord is seene present in His word What meanes Paul then vvhen he sayes that an vnlearned man comming into the meetinges of the faithfull where manie are prophecying finding himselfe rebuked and judged of all and the secrets of his heart made manâ—fest that hee will fall downe on his face and worshippe GOD and saye plainlie That GOD is among them indeede 1. Corinth Chap. 14. vers 24. and 25. What sees the vnlearned man among them that makes him to fall down and giue such a confession No question but the glorious light of the GOSPELL shines into his soule and Christ offers Himselfe present to bee seene by the eye of faith The faithfull this daye by experience finde in their meetings this same presence of the Lord And therefore it becomes vs in all our meetinges euer to vvorshippe the Lord and to sit vvith feare and reuerence to heare the worde and to prepare our heartes to receiue the Holie Spirite whome the Lord promises and offers with the preaching of the worde to all His Chosen Againe this their behauiour teaches vs what force and power there is in the glorious presence of Christ Iesus His presence is powerfull to humble and bowe both the bodie and soule of the creature This made Paul to saye that at the Name of IESVS euerie knee should bowe both of thinges in Heauen and thinges in earth and thinges vnder the earth Philipp chap. 2. vers 20. For that sublimitie and highnesse vvhereunto the Father hath exalted Him is so effectuall and powerfull in all creatures and of all sortes that either sweetlie willinglie it mooues them to worship Him in all humilitie or else it breakes bruises them with fearcenesse and violence and compels out perforce obedience of them The sight and sense of this sublimitie and highnesse makes the blessed Angels in Heauen in all reuerence to worshippe Him The sense of this sublimitie makes the Sainctes on earth when either they speake or heare of Him reuerentlie and in humilitie to bow both their bodies and their soules vnto Him And by the contrarie The sight and sense of this same sublimitie raises vp in the Deuill and his angelles such horroures and dread as cannot bee expressed The sense of this sublimitie makes the wicked howe proude and jollie soeuer they bee in their owne conceite oft times when they heare of Him to quake and tremble The Euangelist Matthew notes That notwithstanding of their worshipping of Him yet some of them doubted But who were these that doubted Euen some of these who before worshipped Him And what mooued them to doubt Apparantly that same that before moued them to worship Him moues them also now to doubt to wit that extraordinary vnaccustomed majesty and glory wherein Iesus appeared to them which scarcely they could haue deemed to bee so great wonderfull And certainly the glory of the Lord sitting this day in the HeaueÌ„s at the right hand of the Father is so exceeding great woÌ„derfull that if it were permitted to vs to behold it as it is with our bodily eyes such is y e corruption of our nature we could not but doubt whether He were y e Christ who vvas so far humbled abased in y e earth of whom we heard before in y e Gospel Beside this cause y e difficulty to belieue this article of the ResurrectioÌ„ of y e dead seemes likewise to haue furthered their doubting for indeed amoÌ„g al y e articles of our belief there is none more coÌ„trary to nature nor harder to belieue thaÌ„ this article of y e ResurrectioÌ„ of our bodies froÌ„ y e dead Nature can neuer be perswaded y t a dead body y t has bin a prey to worms is resolued in dust ashes can rise vp againe to life But as of all articles there is none harder to be belieued so there is none more necessary to saluatioÌ„ nor none that brings greater consolation And therefore the Lord that vve might haue the more full assurance and perswasion thereof tooke great paines vpon Himselfe and for the space of fourtie dayes Hee remained vpon the earth after His Resurrection and sundry times shewed Himselfe to His Disciples and manie other of the Faithfull that all occasion of doubting might bee remooued and so their joye and comfort might bee the greater Nowe this doubting of the Disciples lets vs see vvhat is the disposition of the heartes of the Godlie euen in their best exercises For euen their best exercises are euer accompanied vvith a piece of doubting of vvant of infirmitie c. their vvorshipping of GOD is vvith doubting their prayer is vvith infirmitie and vvauering of the minde their meditation falles from GOD and spirituall things to carnall and earthly things their hearing of the word is euer with some piece of loathing their Faith is mixed with infidelitie so that before they can come to any great measure of grace they must striue and wrestle through many infirmities and ouercome many difficulties and tentations so that the best man euen in his best workes hath no matter of rejoycing if the Lord would enter in judgement with him Yee haue heard the disciples behauiour now look how the Lord meetes them First He drawes nearer to them and then He enters in communing with them for it is said Iesus came and spake vnto them He
might giue out the sentence Yet there is some accusation heere that he is an euill doer Is that sufficient vvhen a man is deliuered to the Iudge to say This man is an euill man No hee must qualifie it in particular wherein he is euill and hath failed if they had found anie they woulde not haue passed by it in their owne judgement seate they coulde get nothing to say against Him Nowe when they came to the judgement of Pilate and striuing to accuse Him they can saye nothing but in generall This is an euill man Then this I marke thorow this whole processe that the Lord will alwayes haue these two thinges to bee seene manifestly First the innocencie of Christ for looke the whole processe yea when He is slaine dead vpon the Crosse His very enemies themselues are constrained to testifie that He is an innocent man as the Centurion did The next is the wrongfull dealing of the Iewes against their consciences Now Brethren as it was in this matter of Iesus Christ so it hath beene since in all the Martyrs The Lord hath made both the innocencie of the Martyrs to appeare clearly and also He hath made the crueltie and tyrannie of their enemies to appeare Reade the bookes of the Martyrs and yee shall finde these two So Brethren it is well for them that will suffer for a good cause and chiefely for the cause of Iesus Christ yea although it were but in this That the Lord will haue their innocencie appearing What and if all the worlde condemne thee so the Lord Iesus justifie thee for albeit thou die yet thine innocencie dieth neuer And this is our comfort indeede that albeit this bodie shoulde bee burnt yet the daye shall come that our innocencie shall appeare for at the glorious comming of the Lord Iesus thou and thine innocencie shall stand vp to shame the Tyrants of the world Thus for their answere Pilate sayes againe Yee haue a lawe take and iudge Him after your lawe Albeit Pilate seeme to speake these thinges tauntingly to mocke the Iewes speaking one thing and thinking another to represse their pride yet the Text following testifies that he spake it in earnestnesse as he would say Before that I should condemne any man this way without an accusation for your pleasure I had rather renounce of my right and permit judgement to you condemne and doe as ye will Well then it is to be marked I see here that ere Pilate had judged the Lord wrangously he had rather haue giuen ouer his right and the judgement of Capitall crimes and well had it bene for Pilate if he had stood to this sentence and it had bene better that he had giuen ouer his right that the Romanes had albeit that hee should haue immediatly beene taken and hanged by the Emperour for it Alas the miserable man lost himselfe by the malitiousnesse of the Iewes yet albeit he be an Ethnicke hee is a man of better conscience than the Jewes were The light of a naturall conscience in this Pilate surpasses all the knowledge of the Iewes And the Lord at this time did set vp that light of Pilates on a Skaffolde as a lanterne and light to condemne these Iewes that had no cōscience The very words of Pilate are a lanterne to let the Iewes see that they had no conscience God in his wisdome from time to time vses to doe so Hee will make the Paganes to stand vp like light to shame the professours of the Gospell whose conscience is as it were burnt vp with a hote irone Is it not a great shame to thee when the Lord will raise him vp to be a light vnto thee who should bee a light to him and as in this worlde Hee will make men without God to stand before the Professours in this world to shame them So in the world to come He will raise them vp to shame and to condemne them Sodome and Gomorrha shall rise vp to the judgement of many in this age who professe Christ Yee shall see howe Pilate although he was a very euill man yet hee pities the Lord Iesus wil not for their importunity cōsent to his death They say It is not lawfull for vs to put any man to death They require not that power to bee giuen them that the Romanes had for fourtie yeere before the destruction of the towne and Temple of Ierusalem they lost all authoritie to judge on Capitall crimes they spake truely And heere they would appeare to gratifie Pilate when they would acknowledge him to judge in capitall crimes but in effect they take the power of a judge from Pilate when vpon their sentence onely without accusation triall or verdict they will haue him to condemne Christ But better had it beene a thousand times for Pilate that they had taken that power to themselues for they inuolued the man in their guiltinesse by condemning Christ Iesus And I say more it had bene better for the Priestes that they had taken the whole judgement vnto themselues because that blood of Pilate lies vpon them This is a true thing the moc thou drawest to communicate with thy sinne thy damnation shall be the greater It were better for the Princes of this worlde who are like as many slaues to the Pope the Emperour the King of Spaine c. to renounce all the right they haue of judgement to the Pope when he and his crue haue condemned on innocent of Heresie to execute him rather than to be the Popes Burrio It had bene better for Sigismundus the Emperour that hee had resigned all authoritie to the Pope in burning Iohn Husse and Ierome of La Prage than breaking promise and oath to haue executed the Popes malice vpon them it had beene better he had neuer seene that councell and one daye the Princes of the earth shall curse the time that euer they were executers to the Pope And it were good for the Pope also that hee inuolued not these Princes in the same guiltinesse for their blood lies vpon him Would God their eyes could bee opened to see that deceiuer To returne againe It is not they that must condemne the Lord no but it must be Pilate hee must doe all that they may bee cleane and when the Lord is slaine are they cleane no Brethren let Pilate condemne Him and put Him to execution yet the Priestes and the Iewes are greater murtherers of Iesus Christ than Pilate was indeed Pilate hath his part in that woefull action woe vnto him that euer he medled with it and now hee findeth that hee hath his part therein But those High Priests those Iewes are the greatest murtherers of Iesus Christ Ye know the Papistes vse to say when a man is put to death It is not we y t slay the man it is the ciuill sword of the secular power Who burnt Iohn Husse and Ierome of Prage but the Emperour The Pope is holy and his handes are cleane and these sinnes
of His owne goods Howsoeuer they esteemed of Him yet Hee vvas innocent Next they doe Him shame in stripping Him and setting Him naked vpon the Crosse in the sight of all the worlde And last of all they despite Him and contemne Him in taking His garmentes and parting them in His owne presence vvhere He Himselfe might behold it So they did Him vvrong shame and despite But Brethren as in all other circumstances conjoyned with the Passion I looke not so much to men as to the Lord So heere I looke not so much to these executioners in parting of these garments as to that Heauēly Iudge His Father to His justice in this matter for whatsoeuer bee their part and howe vnjust soeuer they bee that Heauenly Father is just and that burthen of our sinne vvhich Iesus Christ tooke vpon Him deserued all this as suretie for vs Hee demerited all this Nowe to examine more narrowly euerie one of these to wit the wrong shame and despite wee shall see howe justly all is done if yee will looke to His Father and first consider the wrong done vnto Him in taking His cloathes Hee was wearied of His garments because Hee was cledde with our sinne Nowe woulde to GOD that wee could feele in mercy this weight of sinne which our Mediator did beare vpon His backe for vs for then wee woulde not runne on so wantonly as wee doe And it telles vs this That a sinner that is not in Iesus Christ vvho hath not put off sinne but yet beares the burthen of sinne hath no right to weare so much as a moste vile garment yea though it were but a bratte of a sacke to hide his shame from the sight of the worlde let bee Golde Siluer or precious rayment and if it shall fall out at any time that hee be reaued and spoyled of his cloathes let him take it to bee of the just judgement of GOD whatsoeuer bee mans part therein And though the Thieues bereaue him yet the GOD of Heauen is just in punishing of him whatsoeuer part man hath in the action Yet it telles vs more for I tell you still that this judgement of Iesus Christ is the image and figure of the latter judgement for such processe as is vsed heere shall bee vsed in the latter judgement Then I saye it telles vs that in that latter daye a reprobate and sinner vvho shall not bee founde in Iesus Christ shall bee depriued and spoyled of all the creatures made for the vse and ornament of man and there shall neuer a one of them bee left him neither shall hee haue so much a foot-breadth of earth or the meanest commoditie in the worlde yea albeit hee were a king let him haue possessions kingdomes and the whole earth now but then there shall not bee any thing in this worlde that hee shall possesse at that daye but shame in the Hell for euermore Where by the contrary they who shall bee founde in Iesus Christ shall not onelie bee cladde with incorruption and glory in Christ but also shall be put in possession of a newe Heauen and newe Earth to reigne with their Head and Lord Iesus Christ for euermore Yee see then what happinesse it is to bee founde in Iesus Christ at that Great daye O the misery of him vvho shall bee founde out of Him Nowe to come to that shame which Hee suffers on the Crosse The Father thorowe His nakednesse heerein also is just Hee vvas cledde on the Crosse with our sinnes It telles vs this that among all the punishmentes of sinne this is one to wit nakednesse to set the body naked in the sight of the worlde Yee reade in Esay 3.17 where the sinfull women are threatned for their pride that the Lord IEHOVAH shall make naked and discouer their secret parts to the world But to speake of the latter day beside all the rest of the punishments of the reprobate the nakednesse of their carcases shal be a punishment they shall rise with foule bodies whereas the Elect shall rise with glorified bodies and the reprobate shall stand vp in the sight of all men Angels with naked bodies that their shame may be seene they shall crie to hide their shame on the mountaines to couer them and on the hilles to fall on them Now last to speake of that despite that Hee suffered They parte His garmentes before Him in despite of Him They goe not to a backside to deale them Looke to Gods dealing heere this is a just thing with God that hee who is a sinner and who in contempt and despite of God hath sinned that he be contemned againe and suffer despite openlie And Christ among all other punishmēts bare this punishment of contempt vpon the Crosse Then if contempt be done vnto thee who art a sinner not in Iesus Christ not cledde with His justice in respect of God it is due justice if thy goods be taken and pulled from thee before thine eyes if thy sonnes bee slaine in despite of thee or thy virgins destored thy selfe looking on take it for the just judgement of God In the latter daye beside all the punishmentes that shall fall vpon a reprobate despite shall be done to them If it were but this that the persons whome they disdained contemned and spitted vpon shall bee glorified in despite of them So to ende this This teaches vs howe good a thing it is to bee in Iesus Christ and howe blessed that bodie shall bee vvho is founde in Him And as for thee who art out of Iesus Christ woe shall be to thee suppose thou were an Emperour Nowe to goe forwarde After the Hang-man and after their despite followes the part of the people vvho gazed on Him they beginne and wagge their heads Dauid foretelles of that in the 22. Psalme vers 7. They had mee in derision and made a mowe and nodde their heads and they said Is this the man who saide hee would destroy the glorious Temple of Hierusalem and builde it after in three dayes Come downe from the Crosse and saue thy selfe They mistooke the LORD for the LORD vnderstood of the Temple of His bodie which after three dayes by His glorious resurrection hee should reedifie and builde vp againe so the opprobrie that they cast vp to Him is this He was wount to say He would cast downe the Temple and builde it vp againe in three dayes But this is a thing impossible and their ground they take from His present infirme estate that inhabilitie He was in on the Crosse So they gather of that Seeing He could not free Himselfe that the other was impossible Before I marke or obserue any thing on this place I shall followe out the scoffing rayling and mocking of others After the people came in the Princes of the people as High Priestes Scribes Pharises Elders and Rulers and they raile on Him saying This man tooke on Him the Name of CHRIST let vs see if He can saue Himselfe As
fourth part they called the ninth houre This much for the diuision of the daye and night after the fashion of the Iewes To apply this to our purpose In this Historie of the Passion of Iesus Christ yee shall finde mention of all these foure partes of the first the third sixt and ninth In the first houre or in the morning the LORD IESVS was led into the Common-Hall to Pilate to bee accused His accusation continued the first three houres and much of the third houre or second quarter as wee counted it His accusation continued about the space of fiue houres Then alitle after the sixt houre in the ende of the thirde houre as IOHN in his nineteene Chapter sayes The doome and sentence of damnation was giuen out against the Lord In the same third houre as MARKE in his fourteenth Chapter sayes The Lord Iesus was crucified so that He was both condemned crucified in the end of the third houre So betweene eleuen and twelue a short space passed betweene the sentence of damnation and the execution In the sixt houre which was the thirde part of their day yee see there falles out a fearfull and terrible darknesse on the face of the earth and according to our account the darknesse remaines from twelue houres to three in the afternoone the space of three houres for so long hang the Lord vpon the Crosse Then yee haue mention here of the ninth houre the fourth part of their day The Lord then vttered His complaint to His Father My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee This is according to our account when it was three after noone and hastily after this Hee yeeldes His blessed Spirit in the hands of His Father So the Lord Iesus died and yeelded the Spirit betweene three and foure houres afternoone Now this shortly for the better vnderstanding of the Historie Nowe to speake of this wonder and darknesse His heauenly Father would testifie by this darknesse that whilst His glorious Son was humbled on that vile ignominious Crosse as Paul to the Philippians 2. sayes Whilst as He was weakned and made of no reputation at this time His Father would testifie not onely of His innocencie as Hee was man but also of His glorie as He was God In humbling of Him the Father would glorifie Him But will yee looke to the Sunne and the senslesse creatures of Heauen and Earth the very Sunne and senslesse creatures would testifie that they were addebted vnto that glorious Creator they would testifie that sorrowe that they had that the Lord of glorie should suffer such an ignominious death The senslesse creatures were moued the Sunne gloomes hides his face at that wicked action the earth shiuers and quakes readie to swallow vp and deuoure those miserable persons and the Sunne and the senslesse creatures beginne to teach that senslesse and hardened people with whom they had to doe Not with a man but with the Lord of glorie but teach what they would teach heere is a miserable example of induration this miserable people for all this darknesse was not moued they would not turne So Brethren see what it is once to be giuen to a reprobate sense if the LORD giue thee vp to a reprobate sense the earth shall not be so senslesse as thou and though the earth should stand vp and teach thee thou shalt not heare nor see what it sayes Of all judgements that falles on the soule this reprobate sense is the heauiest and most dangerous and if thou continuest in it it were a thousand times better for thee when thou werest made a man or a woman to haue bene made a stocke or a stone for if there be not a wakning in time out of so dead a sleepe ere euer thou beware the wrath of God from Heâ—uen shall ouertake thee when thou criest peace then shall the wrath come thou shalt not get leasure to thinke of mercie The Lord waken this senslesse generation for there was neuer a generation more senslesse than this generation is notwithstanding of so many voyces sounding not only voyces of men but of the heauen the earth and senslesse creatures I will speake sparingly of this darkning and as the Philosopher calles it the ecclipse of the Sunne for it serues not much to edification Onely thus far that yee may see the greatnesse of the wonder and that ye may wonder at the Lord Iesus hanging on the Crosse This Ecclipse was not naturall for the naturall Ecclipse of the Sunne falles out when the Moone is in the changing at the which time there is a concurse and conjunction betweene the two Planets the Sunne and the Moone The Moone goes vnder the Sunne and takes away a great part of the light of the Sunne from the Earth But this Ecclipse falles out in the full moone The Law commanded the Passeouer to be celebrate in the moneth of March the fourteenth day of their moneth in the which time the Sunne and the Moone are as far asunder as they can be the one beeing in the one side of the Heauen the other on the other side so that betweene them the whole Globe of the Earth is cast in But in this Ecclipse against Nature the Moone which was now opposite to the Sunne turnes her suddenly about and comes vnder the Sunne and hides the sight thereof and brings on a terrible darknesse on the world So that as yee will read in prophane writings during that darknesse the starres were seene at the Noonetide as at Midnight And to be short it is written that the Philosophers in Athens marking this Ecclipse endeuoured to search the cause of it could not finde out the naturall cause and one Dionisius Areopagita saide It behooued to be that either the God of Nature suffered or els the worlde should suddenly be dissolued and be lied not The Lord Iesus the GOD of Nature suffered and they raised vp an Altar then and wrote on it To the vnknowne God whereof ye read in the Actes 17. This for the wonder Nowe let vs come to that that fell out in the ninth houre that is our three houres afternoone Marke This serues for our edification ye heard the Lord Iesus was in extreame agonie and anguishe in His soule and also Hee suffered great paine in His bodie yet all was nothing to that extreame bitternesse that Hee felt in His soule when as Hee hung on the Crosse Nowe in this agonie Hee vtters this voyce with a crie Eli Eli lamasabachthani that is My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee These are the first wordes of the XXII PSALME for Dauid beeing the Type of Christ and feeling that vexation of spirit in some measure which Christ felt out of measure hee cryes out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me This place these words minister occasion vnto vs to speake of the inward conflict passion that Iesus had in His soule And that yee maye vnderstande this matter the better I
superstition that moued them they were to celebrate the Passâ—ouer and this was the day of their preparation they were preparing them by crucifying the innocent the Lorde of glorie Was this an holy preparation This was the Fryday and the morne was the Paâ—che Iohn sayes that was an high day or a great Sabbath because they kept two holy dayes together both their owne ordinarie Sabbath and the extraordinarie Passeouer and this they did contrarie to the ordinance of GOD for they should haue celebrated the Passeouer on Thurseday as the LORD did for He celebrated it that night that He was betrayed by Iudas and led away captiue by the Iewes So they did cast in the two Holy dayes together according to their custome for when y e Passeouer fell to bee on Thurseday they vsed to delay it vntill the Satterday which was their Sabbath day lest y t if these feasts which are so neare other had bene both kept the people should haue wearied and if Christ the other had not bene taken downe thaâ— y t Holy exercise wold haue bin defiled So they thought if they had bin taken down from the crosse and put away they had bene holy eneugh And vpon that same pretence when they were to accuse Christ they would not enter in the common Hall lest they should haue beene polluted They were Hypocrites they polluted the world and defiled the earth that they tread on A polluted body who hath no sanctification in Christ there is nothing that he touches meat or drinke yea the earth he walkes on but he defiles all yet these foule Hypocrites thought that if Iesus who sanctifies the Sabbath and sanctifies the heart had beene taken away they had beene holie eneugh An Hypocrite is a foule body defiles all that he handles All his religion is outward standing in bodily exercises and when he hath polluted all yea the very earth he treades on he will say Handle not touch not taste not that will pollute thee Coloss 2.21 There is his religion When the foule body defiles the aire the earth the Heauen hee bids thee touch it not lest it defile thee when he defiles all that he touches Nowe they get the request granted them and gets a commandement of Pilate and so The men of warre came forward and brake the legges of the one first and then they came to the other and brake his also They brake both their legges with great paine and torment Now will ye see these 2 thieues they are like in their death both are crucified in end both their thighes are brokeÌ„ yet for al this the one of them is a vessell of glorie and he had a promise of glorie and an assurance of it in his heart the other had none So Brethren take heede though the death of the wicked and the godlie bee alike yet they are not alike in condition Iudge not of mens estate by the outwarde miserie measure not Heauen and Hell by the outwarde death The Elect and the wicked will be oft times alike in death and oft times the Elect will die in the greatest torments Who suffered more painefull deathes than the Martyres did Beware that thou say as the Papistes who are enemies to Christ say They teach albeit that in Iesus Christ thy sinne be forgiuen yet the paine is not forgiuen and they say that the paine that the godly suffer in death is a satisfaction for sinne They say that the paine of the penitent thiefe was the punishment of his sinne but they lie and the Lord shall justifie it The Elect suffer no paine for sinne torment them as they will burne them scalde them all is but a mercifull chastisement and death to them is a faire port to Heauen He makes darknesse to be light to His owne Well this for the execution of the two thieues They come to the Lord to see whether He was dead or not they are not rash they finde Him dead they finde no sponke of life in Him therefore they offer not to breake His thighes See how the word and prouidence of God takes effect The Lord had said One bone of Him should not be broken and therefore to preueene the breaking the Lord miraculously tooke the Spirit from His Sonne His death was miraculous as ye heard before by the strength of nature He might haue liued longer as that great and mightie voyce which he vttered last testifies and so His sudden death was a meane to performe the Lordes ordinance Hee would vse this as the ordinarie meane to execute the eternall decree of the Father It is a follie to thee to say thou wilt depend on the prouidence of God and in the meane time to leaue off meanes for by so doing thou temptest God who as He hath ordained the ende so He hath also ordained the meanes to the end As for example If thou wouldest goe to Heauen thou must vse the meanes the hearing of the word c. Yet many will contemne the meanes and yet bragge they are assured to come to Heauen they will contemne the preaching which is the instrument that God vses But I say to thee thou deceiuest thy selfe for I denounce if thou werest an Emperour thou shalt neuer see Heauen nor life who contemnest that meane and instrument which the Lord hath ordained to bee vsed to bring thee to Heauen which is the preaching of His trueth Now Brethren ye see here the testimonie of the death of Christ giuen by the buâ—rioes they preach His death as though they had said Marke all people This Iesus whom we haue crucified is dead and therefore in token that this is true wee will not breake His bones after that comes another burrio a man of warre and giues the last witnesse Hee smites Him with a speare so that out of the wound gushed out blood and water As though the knaue had said I shall let you see that Hee is dead that there is no life in Him and so hee smites Him to the heart with a speare The Lord would haue the death of the Lord testified sundrie wayes for thy comfort for the most shamefull thing that euer was is death except it be sanctified it is the greatest miserie that can come to man if thou gettest no remedie against it for that death of the body is a port to that death euerlasting It is no childrens play to haue the soule dislodged No it was an ignominie to the Lord of glorie to be holden vnder the bands of death and to be tread vnder the feete of death yet the Father will haue His death testified sundrie wayes First Hee will haue it testified with a cry when He cried with a loude voyce Father into thine hands I commend my Spirit Next Hee will haue the burrioes to testifie His death and then He will haue a speare thrust to His heart to testifie His death besides the testimonie that all the creatures gaue of His death Is this for nothing No for suppose
it The word of a King is much and of great might then how weightie is the word that comes from the King of kings Heauen and earth shall perish ere one jote of that worde perish or fall to the ground and as Hee forgets not so Hee will haue it called to the remembrance not only of the godly but also of the wicked but marke the difference When Hee brings it to the Elects memorie Hâ—e brings it euer with great joy as He did to these women But as to the wicked it is euer a dolefull and wofull remembrance with paine and griefe and this is no small part and cause of the paine of Hell that all the words which God spake to them whilst they liued and which they contemned shall bee brought to their memorie that booke of remembrance shall bee holden euer before their eyes that there they may see and reade all the wicked workes that they haue done in their life yea the least euill worde shall bee laide to their charge and then the conscience shall stand vp and accuse them euerlastingly No if thou bee out with Christ I say to thee terrible shall that sight bee that thou shalt see for the least euill thought shall bee laide to thy charge let be euill deedes and that forgetfulnesse of the worde of God whilst thou liuedst shall be a great parte of thy paine and griefe but the forgetfulnesse of the godly shall bee hid as all the rest of their sinnes shall be hidde in Him and in that blood they shall bee counted as cleane as if they had neuer sinned nor had forgotten Gods word Thus farre for the part of the Angell Now I returne to the women When the Angell hath spoken and informed them of the Resurrection They returne and tell to the Apostles what they had heard and seene Marke this lesson They cannot keepe it within their brest but they will communicate it to others they will tell the Apostles Brethren after that once a man or a woman hath conceiued that spirituall joy all the worlde will not holde their tongue put them in a fire they cannot but speake of it Many Martyres haue proued this to be true if it were but a woman she must preach it to others I say more if thou hast not pleasure one time or other to speake with joy of Christ to others to speake of His Passion and Resurrection thou neuer heardest with joy We all haue pleasure enough to talke with joy of vaine and prophane tales but of that pleasure of pleasures litle or no delite haue vve to speake I condemne not only the world but also the children of GOD and my selfe with the first Alas too litle pleasure haue wee in our heartes to speake of Christ and His Resurrection But to whome go they Goe they to tell the wicked people No that people was not worthie of it they steale in to the Apostles and them who loued Christ who were lurking in Ierusalem So the lesson is this A man that findes joy will not communicate it to the prophane man he will knowe well that he communicates it to such one as will haue joy with him if any man bee sad yee see they will not communicate it but to them that will bee sad with them so it is with joy they will not tell to euery man the joy but to such as wil haue joy with them Looke the twelfth Chapter to the Romanes and the fifteenth verse hee wishes them To reioyce with them that rejoyce and to bee sadde with them who are sadde Marke this thing also Is not this joye a precious thing Nothing so precious in the worlde as joye and maruell yee not that they shoulde bee so liberall of it And if thou hadst all the worlde it is nothing in respect of this joye and yet they are liberall of it Paul Rom. chap. 1. vers 11. hee answeres to this J long saies hee to come to you to impart some spirituall gift to strengthen you No this hurt not him for hee expones himselfe saying That I might bee comforted together with you through our mutuall faith both yours and mine So when hee commeth to giue grace hee gotte grace No it is a vvonderfull thing vvhen two holie bodies meete what joye the one vvill poure into the heart of the other Put all the Infideles together they cannot minister this joye one to another So in a word Communication of joye shall not empaire but it shall enlarge the joye in thee Whereto shoulde one stande vp to preach CHRIST but that by his joye hee maye minister joye to them that heare him Nowe the LORD graunt that both Preachers and hearers may finde in their heartes this joye which is in CHRIST Nowe I goe forwarde As they goe in the part where the Apostles lurked they finde before them that first companie of vvomen who had returned from the sepulchre Marie Magdalene and Marie the mother of Iames and Salome and as they enter in they finde them telling these same newes to the eleuen Apostles So that the eleuen Apostles wanted not witnesses women after women testifying that the Lord was risen Will yee consider this well and ye shall see that it imports a deadlie securitie in the Apostles alas it should haue beene they who shoulde haue come to the women to haue tolde them of the Resurrection of Christ When Hee sendes so vvomen after women it testifies that they were in a dead securitie and so it testifies a great mercie of the LORDE vvho vvill not let them sleepe in that carnall securitie Brethren this same mercie of God towardes His owne abideth as yet for in vs is nothing but sleeping and if thou feelest it not thou feelest nothing Pastors people and all sleepes in securitie as the Apostles did And I saye to thee that if the LORDE vvoulde let thee alone and vvoulde sende to thee no vvitnesses to vvaken thee and to saye to thee Sinner vvake and arise No there is none of vs but wee woulde sleepe to death So looke to the LORDS mercy in this thy miserie He sendes men to thee He sendes crosses and troubles to vvaken thee Take men awaye take awaye these cloudes of vvickednesse take awaye câ—osses I giue the vvorlde their doome no exception from the King to the Begger and if thou vvantest vvitnessing that CHRIST died and rose againe thou shalt sleepe to destruction Thou thinkest that this needes not to bee preached but thou shalt see one daye that there vvas neuer anie thing so needefull in the earth as this preaching and thou shalt curse the time that euer thou vvast sette in the vvorlde except thou compt this preaching the greatest earnest that euer was So this is a token of great mercie towardes them and yee will vvonder that they shoulde bee so sluggishe vvho hearde him so long and that nowe they cannot bee vvakened Alas they were not as yet so vvell skilled that Heauenlie vvit vvas not as yet in their
that came out last will sometimes bee first at the marke and get the crowne Marke this well it lets vs see that to be true which Paul writes in the ninth Chapter to the Romanes and the sixteenth verse It is not in the hands of him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in the handes of the Lord that sheweth mercie when the Lord holdes His hande to thee thou wilt run and when Hee takes His hande from thee thou wilt stay behinde and hee that dragled behinde vvill bee before thee this is the course we keepe to that marke wee should not thinke that all men should runne alike and suppose thou seest a dragling person thinke not that person will neuer come to the marke Peter gets the sight first Iohn suppose he gote it not first yet hee gets it and it is said in the Text Hee saw and hee beleeued Marke the lesson Albeit there be many changes by the way yet hee or shee that vvill perseuere in dragling shall not vvant the crovvne as vvell as they that ranne speedily and came first It stands not so much in the fast running as in the perseuering it is not said he or shee that runnes fast shall be crowned but hee or she that continues to the end shall be crovvned looke ay thou pereseuere if thou may not runne goe yet if thou may not goe fall downe vpon thine hands and feete and creepe as it were a snaile or vvorme albeit it vvere but two foot in the day as euer thou wouldest be safe ly not still it stands thee vpon life death thou must weare away and night and day thou goest euer to this ende and if this outvvard man decay grovv in the invvard man and as thou grovvest vveake in this life striuâ— to grovv strong in that heauenly life that thou art to goe to Paul in the second Epistle to the Corinthians the fourth Chapter and the sixteenth uerse sayes As the outwarde man decayed dayly so the inward man grew dayly So to end this in a word As euer thou wouldest see Heauen goe either fast or else softly to that life Well it is saide They were ignorant of the Scripture that tolde Hee should rise againe from the dead and so because he saw hee beleeued hee should haue beleeued because he heard it for hee had the Scripture for his vvarrand hee and Peter should haue grounded their Faith on the Scripture Take heede to this The Apostle sayes Wee liue by Faith and not by sight yet hovv euer it be that man or vvoman beleeue they are blessed and blessed art thou man or vvoman that beleeuest either for hearing or seeing and suppose thou feelest him by the hands and beleeuest in Him as Thomas did that felt Him thou art blessed but that is an euill thing vvhen thou hast the vvorde and yet suspends thy faith vntill thou seest It vvas an euill thing in Peter and Iohn that they let the vvorde passe and beleeued it not it vvas an euill thing in Thomas that hee beleeued not vntill hee felt Christ and I say to thee it is a sure thing if thou refusest to beleeue vntill thou seest thou aduentourest and hazardest thy life and saluation and I say to thee if thou contemnest this word and say this I will not beleeue vntill I see Him I giue thee thy doome thou shalt neuer see Him to thy comfort nor saluation Therefore if He say to thee and if Hee promise Hee vvill giue thee Heauen beleeue it and lay holde on it although thou vverest dying and if Hee say to thee that Hee vvill giue thee life depend and sticke by His promise Thou honourest thy GOD in beleeuing and depending on His promise for thou canst not doe Him greater honour than to beleeue His promise And albeit thou see litle appearance outvvardly and if thou beleeuest the vvorde vvithout doubt thou shalt get a sight of Him one day to thy comfort and endlesse consolation Depend and waite on patiently with Abraham and euer sticke and lay holde on the promise and I promise to thee in His Name beleeue the promise of life and thou shalt see life beleeue in Him and thou shalt see Him one day Blessed are they vvho beleeue in Him and yet see Him not blessed are they who walke by Faith for one day they shall vvalke by sight Striue to beleeue in His vvord and looke on Him and Heauen and earth shall perish ere thou wantest that sight of Him one daye Yet I maye not passe by the vvordes of IOHN I see in him a wonderfull plainnesse and singlenesse of heart which of vs will bee contented that another registrate our faultes that anie other might reade them This man sinned this waye and that waye Then who will write vp his owne faultes with his owne handes as hee does Hee sayes hee was ignorant So then if there were none other argument to tell vs that this Booke is dyted by the SPIRITE of GOD and that it is the worde of GOD this singlenesse of vvryting their owne faultes without affection or selfe-loue which euer woulde entise vs to honoure our selues telles vs sufficientlie But naturallie rather than thou haddest thy Parentes or thy kinsfolke ashamed thou wouldest rather haue GODS glorie and justice smoothered and defaced But see if MOYSES spared to register the faultes of LEVI of vvhome hee was descended see if hee spared AARON See if hee spared himselfe No hee telles his owne fault hee telles his owne infidelitie And againe see if DAVID spares himselfe settes hee not downe his owne adulterie and murther IOHN registrates his owne ignorance Let GOD bee glorified and all creatures ashamed for to that ende were wee created for except Hee had respected His owne glorie wee shoulde neuer haue beene made Shoulde vvee not then seeke His glorie although it were with our owne shame IOHN learnes vs heere another good lesson howe often soeuer vvee faile through ignorance Alas vvee faile often through ignorance and misbeliefe and ignorance bringes on infidelitie And therefore vvhensoeuer vvee faile through ignorance laye not the blame of thy blindnesse vpon the Scripture In paine of thy life say not I am ignorant because the Scripture is obscure and darke as the Pope his shauelings blasphemouslie alleadge but I affirme that it is so perfect that all thinges appertaining to thy saluation are contained therein And I say in despite of the Pope thou vvho sayest it is obscure one day thou shalt not bee challenged so much for thine ignorance as for thy blasphemie against GOD when thou vvilt stande vp and saye The Scripture of GOD is not perfect but obscure and vvanting I tell you one daye these blasphemers for all their out-crying shall haue their mouthes sowed vp and they shall make an offer to speake and to saye The Scripture of God was not perfect but the conscience of them shall so strike them with feare and terrour that they shall not be able to answere one word Woe
and feele sensibly vvith mine hand a body then shall I beleeue otherwise no Papist will cause me beleeue that I eate CHRIST really and bodily with my mouth no more than the disciples would beleeue that CHRIST was a body till they felt Him and sawe Him I will be of the Faith of the disciples Beleeue them who will I shall neuer beleeue them by the grace of GOD. Let mee see a bodie not the roundnesse and whitenesse of the bread and let me feele this that CHRIST let His disciples feele if thou vvilt not let mee feele that I will neuer beleeue thee holde thee content and I am not bound to beleeue thee yea more if I beleeued thee I vvere faire in the wrong I should sinne against the LORD and against the trueth of His body Why If I beleeue thee neither seeing nor feeling such a thing then I should beleeue the body of Christ to be vnuisible and vntractable and to beleeue that is to beleeue the body of CHRIST to bee no bodie That bodie that is not seene nor handled is not a body these properties beeing taken avvay from a bodie there remaines no bodie yea sight and feeling are such vnseparable accidents of the bodie that the verie glorified bodie cannot be vvithout them The Papists cast vnto vs a friuolous distinction betwixt the glorified body of CHRIST and His vnglorified bodie No the verie glorified bodie is as vvell visible and tractable as an vnglorified bodie The godlie in the latter daye shall see whether it be visible or not Goe thy way with thy bodily presence thou debarrest thy selfe from that presence that the godlie shall see one daye to their consolation Furthermore Brethren There is another thing to be marked I see IESVS CHRIST after His glorious Resurrection to haue kept the markes of the wounds Hee shewes His handes and His wounded hands Hee shewes them His feete and His wounded feet He shewed His side to Thomas when he would not beleeue made him to put his handes in His side Yee woulde maruell that Christ rising vp in glorie shoulde haue kept the markes of infirmitie When the Lord rose it became Him to shake off all infirmitie and the markes of His woundes are a part of infirmitie See ye not howe it hath pleased the Lorde to humble Himselfe for our cause to the ende that vvee should beleeue Not onelie rose Hee and appeared vnto them but also after He rose Hee keepes the marks of His vvoundes that no vvayes they shoulde doubt but fullie beleeue that it vvas Hee and none other It is a vvonderfull thing to see the humilitie of Christ for our cause as all His life vvas but an humbling of Himselfe so after His Resurrection for thine exaltation vvhen Hee should haue gone to glorie Hee abides fourtie dayes to cause His Disciples beleeue Art not thou who art dust and ashes bound to humble thy selfe for Him seeing that Hee who is so glorious humbled Himselfe so low for thee Now whether the Lord keepe these markes or no or vvhether vve shall see Him come vvith them or no in that great day I vvill not be curious but this I knowe the fresh memorie of the vvoundes and of the Crosse shall neuer vanishe out of the hearts of the Elect and in the Heauen thou shalt remember a thousande times better than in the earth vvhen thou shalt see Him as Hee is when thou shalt beholde Him vvhom thou hast pearced thorowe thou shalt mourne sayes the Prophete Zacharie There is the remembring of the vvoundes And as that Crosse shall neuer goe out of the eye of the Father for it is as present now before the eye of the Father as it was that houre that He was crucified So vvhen thou shalt come to Heauen alwayes thou shalt haue a memorie of the Crosse And in this respect He is called an euerlasting Sacrifice and an euerlasting Priest And as the sight of that Crosse pacifies the vvrath of GOD vvere it out of the eye of the Father the flame of His vvrath vvoulde deuoure and consume thee for the pacifying of the vvrath standes in the sight of the Crosse So the joye and peace of thy conscience in Heauen shall stande in an euerlasting remembrance of the Crosse and His bloodie vvoundes There are two groundes of our Eternall joye and peace in Heauen First our joye and peace standes in the sight of that present glorie of Christ in Heauen Next after the sight of that glorie they stand on a remembrance of His by-gone Crosse These shall bee the two pillars of the euerlasting joye and happinesse vvhich the Sainctes shall haue in Heauen So Hee shall stand in as good stead to thee in the Heauen as Hee did in the earth Learne to seeke Him to embrace Him and to bee homelie with Him for in Him standes thy joye euerlastinglie and euer thou bee happie thou must bee vvith Him Now this for Christs part Hitherto hath Hee taught them by the senses and thinges sensible But looke vvhat this vvorkes in them It is saide That for joye they coulde not beleeue and they fell out in a wondring There is the effect that it vvrought There is something heere vvrought to vvit a joye and a vvondering Yet the thing that they shoulde haue is not as yet vvrought that is Faith for joye and wondring by appearance stayes their faith So harde a matter is it to cause a man to beleeue It is an easie thing to thee who knowest not what Faith is to saye I beleeue but when thou art put to the proofe thou wilt finde howe harde a thing it is to cause thee to beleeue There is as great contrarietie betwixt our nature and faith in Christ as is betwixt water and fire And if thou beleeuest there must bee as great chaunge in thy nature as to change water into fire and fire into water Nature must bee turned into grace But howe comes it to passe that joye and wondering shoulde staye Faith Consider it That which one would faine haue comming to passe yee knowe hee cannot easilie beleeue it when one telles him that it is come to passe And that which least wee woulde haue comming to passe we most easilie beleeue that it hath come to passe A man that feares euill will credite an euill report readilie but hee that earnestlie wishes a good thing will not so soone credite a good report hee will thinke it almoste impossible But yet when a man heares tell of a thing which hee would faine haue comming to passe although hee beleeue it not yet the heart will leape for joye This was the disposition of the Apostles The thing that fainest they would haue cōming to passe was a sight of IESVS And if thou were acquainted with Christ as these men were if Hee were taken out of thy sight thou wouldest gette no pleasure till that thou sawest Him as PAVL sayes I desire to be dissolued and to bee with CHRIST Hee had such a thirst to
it not saide The violent take the Kingdome of Heauen by force Matth. Chap. 11. vers 12. And doth not the Lord recommend importunitie and earnestnesse in crauing by the Parable of the widowe who importunated the vnrighteous Iudge To this I answere It is lawfull indeede to seeke continually the increase and growth of knowledge as well as of all other spirituall graces yea it is a thing that the Lord recommends vnto vs commands But of what knowledge should we seeke the increase Only the knowledge of these thinges that are reueiled and set downe in the Olde and New Testament it is the Lords will that wee euer grow in knowledge of these thinges and that we goe from knowledge to knowledge But this increase of knowledge is farre different from curiositie in seeking new reuelations besides the thinges that are reueiled in the writes of the Prophets and the Apostles The Lord likes well growth of knowledge but Hee mislikes curiositie yea I say to thee if thou seekest a clearer and more ample reuelation than that which is alreadie set downe in the Olde and New Testament thou offendest highly the Majestie of God for by so doing thou deniest that Christ when Hee came into the world brought with Him a full and perfect reuelation of all things necessarie Read what the Apostle Paul sayes Rom. 10.6 Now to end shortly In the last wordes of our Text wee haue set downe the Conclusion of this appearing of Christ whereof we haue spoken wherein hee telles that it was the third in number for hee sayes This nowe is the third time that Iesus shewed Himselfe vnto His Disciples after He was raised againe from the dead I thinke he calles it the third in number not absolutely but in respect of the Disciples and so the words import for it is said This is the third time that He shewed Himselfe vnto His Disciples for if we number precisely the particular appearing of Christ after His Resurrection vnto this time whereof wee haue any mention made in the Scripture we will finde that this is the eight in number He shewed Himselfe first to Marie Magdalene Next to other certaine women Thirdly to the two Apostles who were going to Emmaus Fourthly to Simon Peter Fifthly to lames as we may read 1. Cor. 15.6 Sixtly to the Disciples assembled together in Ierusalem Thomas only being absent Seuenthly to the same Disciples assembled together Thomas beeing present with them Eightly He appeared vnto these sâ—uen at this time when they were fishing Nowe it was not without cause that the Lord reueiled Himselfe so oft after Hee rose againe No question Hee did it not onely to confirme the Disciples of the trueth of His Resurrection but also for our cause that wee might haue stedfast faith and full assurance that Hee is risen againe for our comfort And it is the Lords will that when wee reade that there were so many that saw Him with their eyes heard Him spake with Him handeled Him and haunted with Him wee should bee fully perswaded and assured of His Resurrection But I will not insist in this matter because I haue spoken of it alreadie Nowe seeing the Lord has had such a great care of our faith that by beleeuing we might haue comfort seeing so oft times and to so manie Hee appeared the LORD make these meanes effectuall to worke and to encrease faith in vs that both in our life and especiallie in the houre of death wee may haue matter of rejoycing in Him To vvhome vvith the Father and the Holie Spirit bee all praise and honour AMEN THE L. LECTVRE OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP. XXI verse 15 So when they had dined Iesus said to Simon Peter Simon the sonne of Iona louest thou me more than these He said vnto him Yea Lord thou knowest that I loue thee He said vnto him Feede my lambes verse 16 He said to him againe the second time Simon the sonne of Iona louest thou me He said vnto him Yea Lord thou knowest that I loue thee He said vnto him Feede my sheepe verse 17 He said vnto him the third time Simon the sonne of Iona louest thou me Peter was sorie because hee said to him the third time Louest thou mee and said vnto him Lord thou knowest all thinges thou knowest that I loue thee Iesus said to him Feede my sheepe WEE haue hearde these dayes past Beloued in the Lord Iesus of the third generall appearance of the Lord Iesus after His glorious Resurrection The place we heard was by the Sea of Tiberias The persons to whom He appeared we heard were seuen in number The manner how He appeared was by miracle by wonderfull working He shewes a miracle in the Sea by taking of many great fishes there Then by land by the extraordinary preparation of meat fire to His disciples comming off the sea to the land To this He joyned y e third miracle in keeping whole the net so that there was not a threed broken notwithstanding of the great number of fishes taken therein Thereafter as He manifested Himselfe in His Godhead diuine power in working of miracles so He comes on more familiarly manifestes Himselfe in His humane nature lets theÌ„ see y t He was a maÌ„ ate drunk with theÌ„ as other men therfore He sits down dines with them Hee eates Himself giues them to eat also Then hauing dined He enters in conference with Peter which conference we haue to entreat of this day as God wil giue vs grace The end of His conference with Peter was not to make him an Vniuersall Bishop His Vicar here on y e earth as the Papists speake that is to say To make vp a Popedome for the Papists make these words relatiue to that promise which they saye He made to Peter before Matth. 16.18 I say vnto thee Thou art Peter vpon this Rocke I will build my Kirke That was not the end but y e end of it was to restore him again to his own rowm of th'Apostleship from the which he fell for Peter had made a foule defection froÌ„ his Lord he denied Him thrise so by this defection threefold denial he depriued himselfe of his rowm of th'Apostleship wherunto he was called Looke how verily Judas fell by his traitorie as verilie did Peter fall for he that denies the Lord Iesus vnto the time he bee restored againe he cannot be a Christian man let bee an Apostle or Minister So in a word the ende of this conference was to restore Peter again by taking out of his own mouth a threefold confession of his loue to the Lord of the hatred of that foule sin which hee committed by denying of the Lord. Indeed it is true at Christs first meeting with His disciples at HierusaleÌ„ in a maÌ„ner he was restored because he got a dâ—rection with the rest to go foorth preach the Gospel where Christ sayes As my Father sends me so send J
Prophetes and Apostles vvhich containe exactly the doctrine of Christ necessarie to saluation Nowe let vs consider in order the promises vvhich the Lord joynes vvith this commission that He giues to His Apostles the first two are set downe in Marke the third in Matthew the first promise is of euerlasting life and saluation to all that beleeue by their Ministerie and are baptized by them Hee that shall beleeue and be baptized shall be saued This promise of life and saluation that Hee subjoynes to the preaching and baptizing of the Apostles was no doubt to mooue and allure men vpon the consideration of so faire and great benefiâ—es that they should receiue them the more willingly to beleeue in the Lord Iesus With this promise to them that beleeue He joynes a denunciation of judgement against all those who would not beleeue by their Ministerie He denounces eternall death and damnation against them Hee that will not beleeue sayes Hee shall be condemned So that as on the one part He promises a faire reward to mooue men to beleeue so on the other part Hee threatens a fearfull judgement against them that beleeue not but despises the Apostles doctrine to make men to abhorre and detest that abhominable sinne of infidelitie Vpon this promise of reward and threatning of judgement first we learne this lesson The Ministerie of the Gospell is euer effectuall and powerfull in men either one way or other for seeing this Ministerie of the Gospell which from the Apostles dayes continues and shall continue to the ende of the world is grounded vpon that incomprehensible power that filles both heauen and earth howe is it possible but it must bee mightie and powerfull It must be powerfull either to life and saluation or els to death and damnation to life to them that beleeue to death to them that beleeue not Therefore Paul sayes that alwayes they triumphed and were victorious in Christ and that they were a fauour to God both in them that are saued and in them who perish In them who are saued they vvere the sauour of life vnto life but in them who perish they were the sauour of death vnto death 2. Cor. 2.14 The Apostle in these wordes le ts vs see that the preaching of the Gospell is euer powerfull and effectuall in all sorts of men Alas men count too lightly yea despise contemne and scorne this preaching as if it were a matter of none effect and the worde of man and not of God but take heede how thou hearest the Gospell for thou shalt finde it to be the most powerfull thing that euer was and if it bee not powerfull to worke life and saluation it shall worke death and damnation in thee Next we learne out of these wordes that Faith Righteousnesse Saluation and all spirituall graces are so tied and bound to this Ministerie of the Gospell that whosoeuer submits himselfe to this Ministerie and conformes himselfe to the Gospell hee shall attaine to Faith Righteousnesse Life and Saluation and by the contrarie whosoeuer contemnes this Ministerie hee shall neuer get any spirituall grace no Faith no Righteousnesse no Life no Saluation but by this Gospell But yee will say We should not tie nor binde the grace of God to those externall things Wee should not restraine Gods working to the outward Ministerie Indeede I grant the grace of GOD is not so tied to these ordinarie meanes and outward helpes which are dayly vsed in the Church but that yee may worke without them and that ye may worke immediatly by His owne Spirit in whome and when He pleases but it is as true that whosoeuer contemnes those outwarde ordinarie meanes which the LORD hath ordained to bee vsed he shall be depriued of all spirituall grace of Faith of Righteousnesse of Saluation For Faith sayes Paul is by hearing and hearing by the worde of God preached Rom. Chapter 10. verse 17. Many foolish men with-draw themselues from the outwarde Ministerie from the meanes of grace and are exercised in pastime in drinking in harlotrie and yet they will say they will come to Heauen as soone as the best of them but they deceiue themselues for if thou contemnest these outwarde meanes which the LORD hath ordained thou shalt neuer get no grace the gates of Heauen shall be closed on thee thy portion shall bee with the Deuill and His Angels Thirdly we may marke out of this promise an excellent and worthie effect of Faith to wit Saluation and eternall life for Hee sayes Hee that beleeueth shall be saued But we may not thinke that this effect proceedes from the force power worthinesse and merites of Faith No but this effect of life and Saluation proceedes only from the vertue power and merite of Christ which the soule apprehendes for this Life and Saluation stayes and abides so plenteously and in such abundance in Christ that as soone as wee put out the hand of Faith and takes holde of Him so soone will we finde that life of CHRIST conueyed into our soules His life is made ours by Faith In Christ there dwelles such a marueilous and glorious light that when wee approach to Him by Faith by the beames of His brightnesse He shines in our hearts that we may get the light of the knowledge of the glorie of God in the face of Iesus 2. Cor. Chapter 4. verse 6. By Faith His light is made ours in Christ there is such a wonderfull and incomprehensible glorie that as soone as with open face with the eye of Faith we beholde Him in the mirrour of the Gospell as soone are we transformed in the same Image from glorie to glorie 2 Cor. 3.18 by Faith His glorie is made ours when wee shall see Him face to face wheÌ„ Faith shall be turned into sight He shall perfect our glorie Hee shall change our vile bodies that they may bee fashioned like vnto his glorious bodie according to the working whereby hee is able to subdue all things to himselfe Philip. chap. 3. vers 21. Seeing then so excellent and worthie are th'effectes of faith wee ought both carefullie to vse th' ordinarie meanes vvhereby faith is vvrought and also pray earnestlie that the Lord vvould giue a blessing to them and by them vvorke faith in our heartes that so vvee may enjoye all these graces and benefites Fourthlie vvee see in this promise of life and saluation that the Lord joynes Baptisme with faith in Christ For sayes Hee hee that shall beleeue and bee baptized shall bee saued Wee may not vnderstand this so as if Baptisme vvere eyther simplie a cause or an halfe cause of saluation No it has no respect of a cause in the saluation of man but it is joyned to Faith as a signe and an outwarde marke to testifie and beare vvitnesse of the cause to wit Faith in Iesus Christ and in such sorte it must followe vpon Faith and bee conjoyned vvith it that hee vvho beleeues vvould vvishe to bee baptized it is not possible that
retuâ—ne to Hierusalem with great joy when they come there they goe vp to an vpper chamber but they stay not there but they goe to the Temple remain there continually praising lauding God and last they went out preached the Gospel euery where and the Lord gaue them a good successe for He wrought with them and confirmed the word with signes that followed Luke in th' Acts telles vs that while they looked stedfastly toward heauen as he went behold two men stood by them in white apparell As they were worshipping Him the Lord sent incontinent from His Heauenlie Throne Legates Ambassadours And who were they eueÌ„ Angels two in number and in forme outward shape like to men therefore they are said to be two men and were clothed in white and glorious apparell Marke the lesson in a word Christ sits no sooneâ— down at the right hand of the Father but He makes His disciples whom Hee left in the earth behind Him not only to know y t He had a kingly power whereby He commands the very Angels themselues but also to know that singular care affection that Hee caried to them which He testifies by sending these Angels from heauen for their cause for their consolation This kingly power of Christ this care that He hath of His own continues eueÌ„ this day in the Kirk euery of y e faithful find the proofe experience of it to their great joy comfort Now let vs see what these Angels say to y e Apostles in their speech to them First they reprooue then they comfort them first they said Ye men of Galile why stand ye gazing vnto Heauen they reprooue them because they stood idly gazing looking to the heaueÌ„ whereas the Lord had coÌ„manded them to returne to Jerusalem that there they might wait for the Spirit that was promised them that hauing gotten the Spirit they might goe out to the world preach the Gospâ—l to euery creature as the Lord had commanded them This reproofe of th'Angels imports that they contented themselues too much w t idle looking gâ—â—ing that they were too vnmindfull of that great high calling whereunto the Lord had ordained them Of this reproofe we learn this lessoÌ„ it is not the Lords wil that any maÌ„ should be idle in the world nor that he content himselfe w t a bare idle contemplatioÌ„ of y e creatures of God No not of y e best of them it is not the Lords will y t we stand idly gazing vpon the very heauens whereunto the Lord hath ascended now is in glory No it is His will that all men all their dayes be painfully exercised in some calling wherein they may both glorifie God doe good vnto men Indeed it is true it is the Lords wil that men should alwaies haue their affectioÌ„s set aboue their hearts lifted vp to heaueÌ„ that they haue their eyes set vpon God vpon Christ vpon that glory which is to be reuealed but in the meane time while men are thus exercised they should be exercised likewise in some honest lawful calling Th' Apostle Paul by his practise lets vs see what should be the behauiour of a Christian While hee looked not to the things that are seene but to the things that are not seene 2. Cor. 4.18 While he choosed to remoue out of the body to go dwell with Christ 2. Cor. 5.8 While he minded not earthly things but had his conuersation in heauen from whence he looked for his Sauiour euen the Lord Iesus Philip. 3.20 contented hee himselfe thinke ye with this speculation Was he in the meane time idle had he not another calling Yes hee was very diligently exercised in the Ministry For sayes he we couet that both dwelling at home remoouing from home we may be acceptable to Him for we must all appeare before the Iudgement seat of Christ that euery man may receiue the things which are done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or euill therefore knowing that terrour of the Lord we perswade men bring them vnto the faith 2. Cor. 5.9 10 11. So Paul wheÌ„ he was looking to heauenly things he was in the meane time diligeÌ„tly exercised in his Apostleship in bringing men to Christ eueÌ„ so it becomes euery faithfull man so to haue his heart his affections set vpoÌ„ heauen heauenly things y t in y e same meane time in some honest lawful calling he may be doing some good in y â— earth on the other part wheÌ„ he is busie labouring exercised in his calling he shuld haue his eyes lifted vp to God should haue his heart his affections conuersatioÌ„ in y e heauens for except that in all things which we do we haue y e Lord His glory before our eyes it is not possible y t we can do any thing well vprightly Then in a word ye see here y e Lord by these Angels coÌ„demnes idle speculatioÌ„ coÌ„templatioÌ„ without any exercise in any lawfull calling This serues to coÌ„demne these idle bellies y e Monks of y e Romane Kirk who coÌ„tent theÌ„selues w t bare idle speculatioÌ„ hauing no regard in y e meane time y t they may be exercised in any lawful calling wherin they may either glorify God or do good to meÌ„ yea they are so far froÌ„ doing good y t by y e coÌ„trary they hurt y e Kirk of God exceedingly by bringing in their dreames faÌ„tasies y t they haue deuised in their idle braines to corrupt peruert mens minds y e Lord neuer allowed nor blessed such a life y e Lord abhors such idlenes if y e Angels reproue y e Apostles for gazing to heaueÌ„ where they saw w t their eyes y e Lord Iesus to ascend which by appearaÌ„ce to maÌ„s judgment was a very good exercise to haue their hearts fixed on Christ their eyes vpoÌ„ y e place whither He ascended what wold y e Angels say to these idle belly gods who withdraw theÌ„selues froÌ„ all honest callings liue vpoÌ„ y e sweat of other meÌ„s browes vnder y e preteÌ„ce of spiritual exercise now after y e Angels haue reprooued y e Apostles next in y e 2. part of their speech they raise theÌ„ vp coÌ„forts theÌ„ while they say This Iesus which is taken vp froÌ„ you into heauen shall so come as ye haue seene Him goe into heauen They comfort them by putting them in hope that Hee shal returne yea returne in glorie and such a glorie as they saw Him ascend vvith and so vpon hope of His glorious returning in that great daye they wil th'Apostles to comfort themselues against all trouble distresses that they might be subject vnto y e time of their remaining in y e earth Whereupon we may perceiue what is the ground whereupon the solide consolation of a Christian soule arises It arises euen