Spirit is sometimes lost but that the godly should retain no remnants of the Spirit in their worst declinings I cannot imagine John teacheth expresly whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin 1 John 3.9 a sin unto death for his seed remaineth in him neither can he sin because he is born of God David in his fall lost the joy of his heart the purity of his conscience and many other gifts which he desired to have restored to him but the holy Ghost he had not utterly lost for if so how could he have prayed cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me I have done with the manner of the Spirits mission SECT X. Of the measure of the Holy Ghost now given 4. FOR the measure what or how much of the Spirit was now given this question is necessary because we bring in the Spirits mission after Christ's ascension as if the holy Ghost had not been given before this time That this was the time of the coming of the holy Ghost is very plain but that the holy Ghost was not given before this time we cannot say certainly the Prophets speak by him and the Apostles had him John 20.22 not only when they were first called but more fully when he breathed on them and said unto them receive yea the holy Ghost So that if ye study the reconciliation of these things I know not any way better than to put it on the measure or degrees of the Spirits mission I know some go about to reconcile it thus that the holy Ghost was given before secretly with grace but now he was given in a visible shape with power Others thus that the holy Ghost was before given in respect of Grace and Ministerial gifts but now he was given in respect of vertue or Ghostly ability to work Wonders and to speak with divers Languages But we find that the Prophets and Apostles before this had not only Grace and Ministerial gifts but a miraculous vertue even the Spirit of powerfull and extraordinary operation only here was the difference that before this the Spirit was but sprinkled as it were upon them but now it was poured upon them before this they were gently breathed on and refreshed with a small gale but now they were all blown upon with a mighty wind without controversie a difference there is in the Spirits mission And that some lay down chiefly in these three things As 1. In the manner of the Spirits mission to the old Church the Spirit came usually in dreams or visions or in a low still voice or in some latent ways but now he came in power in evidence and demonstration and therefore it is called Eph 1.17 1 King 19.11 12. the spirit of revelation and knowledge At the apparition of God to Elijah it is said that the Lord passed by and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and break in pieces the rocks before the Lord but the Lord was not in the wind and after the wind an earth-quake but the Lord was not in the earth-quake and â—fter the earthquake a fire but the Lord was not in the fire and after the fire a still small voice and then Elijah wrapped his face in his mantle as knowing the Lords presence was therein the Spirit came not of old save in a vision or dream or in a still small voice but now the Spirit came in a rushing mighty wind in fiery tongues in earth-quakes in so much Acts 4.31 that the place was shaken where they were assembled and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost the Spirit now made choice to come in such apparitions as should have in them a self-discovering property which would not be hidden and here is one difference 2. Another difference is in respect of the Subjects unto whom he was sent before now he came only upon the inclosed garden of the Jews but after the assension of Christ The Spirit was poured upon all flesh now every believer is of the Israel of God every Christian is a Temple of the holy Ghost now we receive the Spirit too or else it is wrong with us for If any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8.9 Act. 10.44 45. At Peters Sermon to Cornelius it is said that the holy Ghost fell on all them which hear the Word and they of the Circumcision which believed were astonyed because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost It was some wonder at first even to the Apostles themselves but in this Sermon Peter acknowledges Act 10.34 35. Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of Persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him Mark In every Nation upon all flesh I will pour out my spirit Here 's another difference 3. One difference more is in the measure of his mission At first he was sent only in drops and dew but now he was poured out in showers and abundance The holy Ghost saith Paul was shed on us abundantly through Jesus our Saviour Tit. 3.6 As there are degrees in the wind aura ventus procella a breath a blast a stiffe gale so we cannot deny degrees in the Spirit the Apostles at Christs resurrection received the Spirit but now they were filled with the Spirit then it was but a breath but now it was a mighty wind And indeed never was the like measure of the Spirit given to men as at this time the Fathers before this and we and our Fathers since this have but as it were a hint of the Spirit to their Epha such a pentecost as this never was but this never the like before or since it was Christ's Coronation-day the day of placing him in his throne when he gave these gifts unto men and therefore that day was all magnificence shewed above all other days Thus for the measure of the Spirit now given to the Church of Christ SECT II. Of the Reasons why the Holy Ghost was sent 5. FOR the Reasons why the Holy Ghost was sent they are several As 1. That all the prophesies concerning this mission might be accomplished Isa 32.15 Isaiah speaks of a time when the spirit should be poured upon us from on high and the wilderness should be a fruitfull field And Zachary Prophesies Zach. 12 10. that in that day I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem Joel 2.28 29. the spirit of grace and supplication And Joel prophesies yet more expresly It shall come to pass that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesie your old men shall dream dreames your young men shall see visions and also upon the servants and upon the hand-maids in those days I will pour out my spirit and they shall Prophesie This very Prophesie was cited by Peter
sunt quia nomen Jesu non est in illis Aug. Si scribas non sapit mihi nisi legero ibi Jesum Si disputes aut conferas non sapit mihi nisi sonuerit ibi Jesum Ber. 1 Cor. 2.2 commended them for their eloquence but he passed this sentence upon them They are not sweet because the name of Jesus is not in them And Bernards saying is near the same if thou writest it doth not relish with me unless I read Jesus there if thou disputest or conferrest it doth not relish well with me unless Jesus sound there Indeed all we say is but unsavory if it be not seasoned with this salt I determined not to know any thing among you saith Paul save Jesus Christ and him Crucified he resolved with himself before he Preached among the Corinthians that this should be the only point of knowledge that he would profess himself to have skill in and that in the course of his Ministry he would labour to bring them to this he made the bredth length depth height of his knowledge yea doubtless saith he and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord Ephes 3.18 Phil. 3.8 In this knowledge of Christ there is an excellency above all other knowledge in the VVorld there is nothing more pleasing comfortable more animating enlivening more ravishing soul-contenting only Christ is the sum center of all divine revealed truths we can preach nothing else as the object of our faith as the necessary element of our souls salvation which doth not some way or other either meet in Christ or refer to Christ only Christ is the whole of mans happiness the Sun to enlighten him the Physician to heal him the VVall of Fire to defend him the Friend to comfort him the Pearl to enrich him the Ark to support him the Rock to sustain him under the heaviest pressures As an hiding place from the Wind and a covert from the Tempest Isa 32.2 as Rivers of Waters in a dry place and as the shadow of a great Rock in a weary Land Only Christ is that Ladder betwixt Earth and Heaven the Mediator betwixt God and Man a Mystery which the Angels of Heaven desire to pry and peep and look into 1 Pet. 1.12 Here 's a blessed subject indeed who would not be glad to pry into it to be acquainted with it This is life eternal to know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent Come then let us look on this Sun of righteousness we cannot receive harm but good by such a look Joh. 17.3 indeed by looking long on the natural Sun we may have our eyes dazled and our faces blackned but by looking unto Jesus Christ we shall have our eyes clearer and our faces fairer Prov 15.30 if the light of the eye rejoyce the heart how much more when we have such a blessed object to look upon As Christ is more excellent than all the world so this sight transcends all other sights it is the Epitome of a Christians happiness the quintessence of evangelical Duties Looking unto Jesus In the Text we have the act and Object the act in the Original is very emphatical 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the English doth not fully express it it signifies an averting or drawing off the eye from one object to another there are two expressions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the one signifies a turning of the eye from all other objects the other a fast fixing of the eye upon such an object and only upon such So it is both a looking off and a looking on On what That is the object a looking unto Jesus a Title that denotes his mercy and bounty as Christ denotes his office and function I shall not be so curious as to enquire why Jesus and not Christ is nominated I suppose the person is aimed at which implies them both only this may be observed that Jesus is the purest Gospel Name of all other names Jesus was not the dialect of the Old Testament the first place that ever we read of this title as given to Christ it is in Matth. 1.21 Mat. 1.21 Thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins Some observe that this Name Jesus was given him twice once till death Matth. 1.21 and afterwards for ever Phil. 2.10 the first was a note of his entering into Covenant with God to fulfill the Law for us to die for our sins the second was a note of so meritorious a person who for his humility was more exalted than any person ever hath been or shall be First Jesus was the humble name of his deserving grace now Jesus is the exalted name of his transcendent glory at first the Jewes did Crucifie Jesus and his name the Apostle did then distrust whether Jesus was the true Jesus but now God hath raised him from the dead Luk. 24.21 Phil. 2.9.10 hath highly exalted him given him a name above every name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth My meaning is not to insist on this Name in contradistinction to any other names of Christ he is often called Christ and Lord and Mediatour and Son of God and Emmanuel Why Jesus is all these Jesus is Christ as he is the annointed of God and Jesus is Lord as he hath dominion over all the world and Jesus is Mediatour as he is the reconciler of God man and Jesus is the Son of God as he was eternally begotten before all worlds and Jesus is Emmanuel as he was incarnate and so God with us Only because Jesus signifie Saviour and this name was given him upon that very account For he shall save his people from their sins I shall make this my designe to look at Jesus more especially as carrying on the great work of our salvation from first to the last This indeed is the glad-tidings the Gospel the Gospel-priviledge and our Gospel-Duty Looking unto Jesus CHAP. II. SECT I. The Duty of looking off all other things confirmed and cleared Doctrine 1 BUT first we must look off all other things the note is this We must take off our mind from every thing which might divert us in our Christian Race from looking unto Jesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first word or first piece of a word in my Text speaks to us thus hands off or eyes off from any thing that stands in the way of Jesus Christ I remember 't was writ over Plato's door 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there 's none may come hither that is not a Geometer but on the door of my Text is written clean contrary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No earthly minded man must enter here not any thing in the world be it never so excellent if it stand in the way of
black as jet and the Moon red as blood when the Stars of heaven shall fall and when the heavens themselves shall depart as a scroll when the Trumpet shall sound that will shake the Earth and every Mountain and Island shall be moved out of their places when the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief Captains and every bonds-man and every free-man shall hide themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the Mountains and shall say to the rocks and to the mountains fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand Will it not be terrible if the people were so afraid when the Lord came without such attendants to give the Law upon Mount Sinai certainly much more terrible must such a coming in this manner be when he shall come like a revenging judge to take an account of the world for the keeping or for the breaking of that Law In this respect I wonder not at some weak Christians that cry out O Lord thou knowest that I have not desired this woful day A wise Jew was wont to say from a deep foresight of terror of this day The Messiah will come but Lord let me not live to see his coming Now to conquer this fear and to abate such slavish terror in such souls oh that they would consider it in the whole notion of it not onely as it shall be a day of blackness and of terror but as it shall also be a day of rest and of release Some are apt to take it up in the half notion of it they look on it only as a day of judgment and a day of condemnation and so they fly from it as from a Serpent but if they would take it up again and look on the other side the Serpent would be turned into a Rod. The day which will be so dreadful to the ungodly and the beginning of their misery it will be as joyful to the Saints and the beginning of their glory But in what respect is this day of Christ so desirable a day I answer in these particulars 1. It is a day of refreshing Here the Saints work in a furnace his fire is in Zion Acts 3.19 Isa 31.9 and his furnace in Jerusalem but Christ in his second coming when all the world shall be on fire shall fan wind as I may say on his Saints to cool them to the wicked it is an hot day a day of everlasting burnings but to the Saints it is a day of cooling quickning reviving and refreshing 2. It is a day of restoring of all things Acts. 3.21 Every creature is now in it's work-day dressed all defiled with sin but at that day there shall be a restitution of all things all the disorders and ruins which sin hath brought into the world shall then be repaired and man himself whose sin is the cause of all shall then be restored to his original glory 3. It is a day of the manifestation of the Sons of God Rom. 8.19 Then shall it be known who are true Saints and who are Reprobates here we live inconfusion and in our most refined Churches if we have none scandalous yet we may have many hypocrites and we cannot discern them but in that day it shall be known who are the Lords and who are not the hypocrite shall then be unmantled and the Sons of God shall shine and glitter as the Sun that all may run and read These are God's Elect these are the Sons and Daughters of the Almighty Rom. 8.23 4. It is the day of adoption and of the redemption of our bodyes It is the day of our Sonship and deliverance I deny not but that the Saints are adopted and redeemed before this day but this adoption and redemption is not consummate nor declared before Christ come again to judgment then it is that he takes his Saints home to his house and all the Angels and Men of the World shall understand the love wherewith he loves them then shall Christ say These are my sons whom I have redeemed and as I have set them free so now shall they live and reign with me for ever and ever 5. It is The day of Christ's coming He was here not long since travailing about the Earth and about our business which done he went away to Heaven upon a special errand for his Saints and there now he is to intercede for them to attend the court to be their Advocate and to agitate the business of their souls and withal thâ—re now he is to take up lodgings for them and to prepare them mansions for eternity And no sooner shall he have dispatcht his business there but he will come for earth again he will bow the Heavens and come down to give a report of his transactions there hath he not left us a letter to that effect John 14.3 I will come again and receive you to my self that where I am there you may be also O why are his Chariots so long a coming why tarry the wheels of his Chariots 2 Thes 1.7 6. It is the day of Christs revealing Christ to many of his Saints here is hidden and withdrawn it is true he may be in them yea certainly he is in them by his spirit but no man knows it no nor themselves neither which makes them cry O where is he whom my soul loveth but at this day of Christ's revealing all curtains shall be drawn aside Christ shall be unhid and the Saints shall see him face to face they shall never lose him more for without any intermission they shall stare and gaze and be ever looking unto Jesus Colos 3.4 7. It is the day of Christ's bright and glorious appearing When he was upon the Earth he appeared in our dress many then saw him who then said of him There is no beauty in him that we should desire him Oh it was a sad sight to see him crowned with thorns and scourged with whips and nailed to the cross but in his next appearing we shall see him in his best attire arrayed in white attended with the retinue of glory riding in his Chariot of light and smiling upon all his Saints Now is not this desirable The Apostle tells us of the Saints Tit. 2.13 Looking for the glorious appearing of the great God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ therefore surely they desire it Isa 53.11 8. It is the day of Christs joy Then he shall see of the travail of his soul and he shall be satisfied Now what is the travail of his soul is it not the perfection of his redeemed ones oh when Christ seeth this when he seeth his spouse as without spot or wrinkle then shall be fulfilled that prophesie Isa 62.5 As the Bridegroom rejoyceth over the Bride so