you and walk in you this is the honor that God doth put upon you The Apostle tels you that you are Gods houâ—…e Heb. 3. And God sayes of you his spiritual house as he did of the Typical house for the sence belongs more to the thing typified then to the house 1 Kings 9. 3. God says of every believer as of that house I have hallowed this house to put my name there for ever And mine eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually Thus doth God for thâ—…e believer that art his house Or as it is in 2 Kings 21. 7. In this house and in Jerusalem which I have chosen out of all the Tribes of Israel will I put my name for ever That was but a typical Temple you are the real Temples of the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6. 19. What know you not that your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own every believer is a real Temple wherein God is especially present so 1 Cor. 3. 16. Know you not that you are the Temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you Brethren if you indeed believe methinks this priviledge should be matter of unspeakable Joy to you What! art thou of no meaner use then this to be a habitation of God through the spirit What! art thou a Temple for God to dwell in will God make of this Soul a Temple where all manner of lusts have dwelt and say of thy soul here will I dwell for ever this is my rest for I have desired it Oh adore the riches of Gods condescending grace others are the vessels of uncleanness the coffins of rottenness in whom Satan hath set up his throne 't is true of every wicked man what God sayes of Coniah Jer. 22. 28. He is a vessel wherein is no pleasure He is a vessel of the most noisome filthyness in the world Fifthly You are the trumpets of his praise when others are the instruments of unrighteousness O what base use are the others put too in their bonds of wickedness to the worst of drudgery They are the vessels of sin and slaves of Satan Rom. 6. 16. a miserable service this is a miserable Master indeed none have such miserable lives as those who have the work of sin to doâ—… Why would it not pity ones heart to see a company of poor Creatures laboring and toyling for their own ruine to see them tugging and sweating hard at it were to carry together faggots for their own burning This is that the wicked are doing they are but treasuring up the wrath of God against themselves at the last day they are but carrying together faggots and fewel for their own burning They labor and sweat all their days to pile up faggots and fewel pile upon pile to fill Tophet for their own burning But you are not of this use you are to be the Trumpets of Gods praise Oh blessed employment your work is the work of Angels whiles others are doing the work of Devils Isaiah 61. 3. That they might be called trees of renown the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified And so in another place this people have I formed for myself that they may be for my praise Isa. 43. 7. I have created him for my glory I have formed him yea I have made him When others shall be venting their malice and blasphemy against God you shall be the silver Trumpets that shall be ever sounding forth the praises of the Lord. Sixthly You are the men of his Counsel when others are strangers and aliens You are no more foreigners and strangers but fellow Citizens and of the houshold of God You are the attendants of his person you are of his privy Counsel You are the friends of God This was Abrahams priviledge Jam. 2. That he was called the friend of God Brethren all the long and magnificent titles of all the Monarchs of the Earth do not signifie half so much as this that I am speaking to you Now this is your prerogative Henceforth I call you not servants but friends and why so because you are the men of his Counsel The servant knoweth not what his Lord doth but whatsoever I have heard of the Father that have I declared unto you Herein Christ hath put a marvellous distinction between you and the men of the world I may say of you as Christ of them blessed are your eyes for they see and your ears for they hear The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him So Psa. 147. He sheweth his word unto Jacob his statutes unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any Nation Seventhly You are the Jewels of his Crown when others are but the drosse and lumber And they shall be mine saith the Lord of hosts in the day when I make up my Jewels Mal. 3. 17. Beloved you that are beleivers you are the very glory of Christ. Every believer is as a pearl put into the Crown of Jesus Christ. The Apostle speaks of beleevers of his converts that they were a great Crown to him He calls them his Joy and Crown of rejoycing Phil. 4. 1. But this is but little that you should be your Ministers Crown I tell you you are Christ's Crown and glory Isa. 62. 3. Thou shalt also be a Crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a Royal diadem in the hand of thy God Eightly You are the inheritors of the Kingdome when others are the sons of perdition Luk. 12. 32. Fear not little flock 't is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom So come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you Who can utter the sweetness of that promise 't is our Saviors parting promise to his disciples at his last supper Luke 22. 28. 29 30. You are they which have continued with me in my Temptations and I appoint unto you a Kingdome as my Father hath appointed unto me that you may eat and drink at my Table in my Kingdom and sit upon thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel Oh how sweet are these words Lay the mouth of Faith at these promises and suck the sweetness of them Look upon it as a reality that God prepared for you a Kingdome 't is so why should God go to deceive you and you may lay your claim to it boldly God delights to see your humble boldness The spirit beareth witness with our spirits that we are the sons of God and if Sons then heirs joynt heirs with Christ Heirs of his Kingdom Fourthly If you look upon your selves as prisoners and so God hath done more for you then he hath for others Ah Christians this is the meaning of this day that you might celebrate the kindness of God to you in prison O remember and forget not how signally God hath owned you Brethren 't is your priviledge and mercy that God hath given you hearts to own him in times
Nature In this mans Nature is more exalted yet The Nature of Man in Christ is lifted up far above all Principalities and Powers 1 Pet. 3. ult Angels and Authorities and Powers being made subject unto him This is spoken of Christ not onely in his Divine Nature but his Humane Nature for his Divine Nature was there before therefore it must be understood of his Humane Nature And he hath all power of Angels and Authorities and he sends them forth to Minister at his peoples need Heb. 1. 〈◊〉 Ephes. 1 20 21 22. Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him aâ—… his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all Principality and power and might and dominion And hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all things to the Church Mark the Man Jesus Christ is head and Lord over all things for it is spoken of Christ as to his Humane Nature as I told you before for 't is spoken of him as raised from the dead which was his Humane Nature So that you see how wonderfully mans Nature is exalted in Christ. Fourthly It appears by his near Relation to him This is another way by which God hath signified what a great account he hath of man that he will take him near to himself You know 't is a great honour to be next to the King Now what a great honour is it for a man to be next to God now he hath taken man near to him 1 As a husband 2 As a father 3 As a friend 1. As a Husband They twain shall be one flesh God hath owned man in this Relation Isa. 54. 5. Thy Maker is thy husband the Lord of hosts is his name O what a thing is this that he should not be ashamed to own us in that Relation Jer. 3. 14. I am married unto you Eph. 5. 30. We are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone Hos. 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever 2 Cor. 11. 2. I have â—…spoused you unto one husband O what a great exaltation is this that we should become the bride of Christ the wife and spouse of Christ what honour hath the Bride the Lambs wife A believer is espoused to Christ and therefore the Apostle propounds the example of Christ to his Church unto men towards their wives to imitate his example in the performance of their duties to them Now what a wonder is this that such beggars as we are â—…hould be taken from the dunghil be made a bride prepared for him 2. As a Father So he is nearly related to us This is an astonishing consideration 1 Joh. 3. 1. O what a wonder is this that he should take such a thing as man so near to himself as to make him become his son That he should take him from the dunghil of sin From the dungeon of darkness The family of Satan The furnace of hell There be two dignities confer'd upon man here 1 He is taken into his family 2 Admitted to sit at his Table 1 He is taken into his family Ephes. 3. 15. Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named Mark the Lord is a great house-keeper and all believers are his family And though these be in different degrees and orders some glorified in heaven and some here on carth yet we are all but one family so that we are taken into the same family and houshold that the Saints in glory be in And what a dignity is this Ephes. 2. 19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow-citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God We that were sometimes strangers are now by our Adoption become of Gods houshold You may think they shall not want good keeping 1 Tim. 5. 8. He that provides not for those of his own house is worse than an infidel God will be sure to provide for those that be of his own house Now we that are his children shall thus be provided for O how doth David commend their state that shall be admitted to dwell in Gods house He prefers it above all the honour of Princes dignity Psal. 84. This is our priviledge We are in Gods house of his family If the Queen of Sheba did think the servants of Solomon blessed how much more blessed are they that are the servants of Jesus Christ Happy said she are those thy servants c. but how much more may this be said of Gods children 2 We are admitted to sit at his Table God doth admit his children to his own Table This is the childrens portion and when he hath fed them a while at his table here he will translate them to an upper-table in the other world Luk. 23. 28 29 30. Ye are they which have continued with me in my Temptations And I appoint unto you a kingdom as my father hath appointed unto me that ye may eat and drink at my Table This is the priviledge of Gods children O what a dignity is this to sit and eat and drink with Christ at his Table This is in part given us here and shall be perfected upon us hereafter God sayes to believers as David said to Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 9. 7. I will surely shew thee kindness c. and thou shalt eat bread at my Table continually And therefore sith we are admitted to this priviledge to eat and drink at God's Table let us do as he and say with him vers 8. And he bowed himself and said what is thy servant that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am When Nathan would express the tenderness of the poor man to his 〈◊〉 he doth it by this 2 Sam. 12. 3. That it did eat of his own meat and drink of his own cup and lay in his bosom This is the priviledge that Christ vouchsases us to eat of his own bread and drink of his own cup and be as his children 3. The Relation of a friend This you know is a very familiar and loving relation Amongâ—…t others there may be some strangeness but this is a most familiar relation Abraham was called the friend of God It is the Epithite that Christ gives his Disciples I call you friends Friends you know do unbo some their secrets one to another Thus it is with God and believers The Lord opens his secrets to them and they rip opâ—…n their hearts to God The secrets of the Lord are with them that sear him Fiftly It appears that God makes a great account of man in that he doth enteâ—…tain such â—…amiliar communion with man O how wonderfully doth Go condescend to man on this account How familiarly doth he treat with us He doth open all his miâ—…d to us Joh. 14. 2. In my fathers house are many Mansions if it were 〈◊〉 so I would have told you Intimating that he would keep back nothing from them that would be sor their good He tells all
with the lively actings of his peoples faith Faith is of great price with and shall obtain great praise from the Lord Jesus Christ. In this chapter you have a most notable victory that was obtained by a poor woman by the power and strength of her faith Here a poor weak woman by the strength of her faith wrestling with Jesus Christ obtains the victory that he could no longer hold but grants her request Her faith did notably discover it self in putting her upon saing to Christ. Nature will send men in their distresses to natural helps but faith will send them to Christ to seek their help in him And then her faith discovers it self in putting her upon pursuing of Christ. Christ seems to give a repulse to her faith he answereth her not a word he was resolved to put her faith to it that he might exercise her faith Yea when the Disciples came to speak for her he answered I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel But she makes another onset upon Christ. Then came she and worshipped saying Lord help me Well but he gives her another repulse he seems to put her off with a check 't is not meet to give the Childrens bread to dogs But behold the importunity of faith she pursues the victory still she confesses that she was but a dog but she pleads that she might have the priviledge of a dog even the dogs have the crumbs that fall from their masters table and though I be a dog yet let me have the crumbs Well now he could no longer hold but as Joseph he breaks out in the praise of this womans faith O woman great is thy faith In Luke 5. you have the sick of the Palsie suing to Christ for cure and observe how earnest he is when they could not find which way to come to Christ they went to the house top and let him down in the midst before Jesus Here was a lively faith indeed it could by no means be kept off from Christ and how greatly was Christ pleased with this Be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee O this was the voice that faith would have had this was the word that faith looked for As Christ is pleased with faith so he gratifies it and gives it the answer that it would have what word can be so sweet to faith as Son thy sins are forgiven thee Quest. But why is Christ so greatly pleased with his peoples faith Answ. First Because this is the great thing commanded by him Christ layes more stresse upon this command than upon all the rest to wit the command of believing John 6. 29. This is the work of God that ye believe on him whom he hath sent This is THE work of God THE work with an emphasis none to this This is the great command 1 John 3. 23. This is his command that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ. There are many other commands but this is the great command of all And therefore 't is that Christ doth so generally please himself in his peoples faith becauses this is the great thing that he requires of us Secondly Because this is that which doth set so great esteem upon him Christ prizes faith for faith above all things prizes Christ and gives glory to Christ. Christ is not magnified and glorified in any thing so much as by his peoples faith Faith empties us of our selves and gives all the glory to Jesus makes us vile in our own eyes and magnifies Christ in our eyes 1 Pet. 2. 7. Unto you therefore that believe he is precious Faith and Christ they are mutually precious one to another O the sweet embraces there are between these two friends when they meet O precious faith faith Christ 2. Pâ—…t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And O precious Christ saith faith O precious Savior saith faith and O precious servant saith Christ. â—…aith saith none but Christ and Christ saith none but faith onely believe Sith therefore Christ is so precious unto faith no wonder that faith is so precious unto Christ. Now then beloved stir up your faith abound in the lively exercise of your faith and thereby you may be very pleasing to Jesus Christ nothing will please him like this If thou art a believer I know it is in thine heart to please thy Lord. If thou knewest what would please him woulst thou not do it How is the church pleased to think how she would please Jesus Christ Cant. 1. 12. While the King fitteth at his Table my 〈◊〉 sendeth forth the smell thereof It gave her great content to think how she would please Jesus Christ. Would you know how to please Jesus Christ here you are directed be much in believing learn the skil of believing be much in the exercise of your faith As David danced befoâ—…e the Ark with all his might so put forth your faith with vigor and activity In this above all things you will be pleasing to Jesus Christ. We read how Hâ—…rod was pleased with Herodias daughter when she danced before him Mar. 6. 22. insomuch that he sware to her to give her what she should ask even to the half of his Kingdom Thus do thou put forth thy faith in a lively activity and he will be pleased infinitely with this that he will swear to thee thou shalt have thy asking Now for a lively faith to lay hold of Christ. Where is thy faith Christian try now what thy faith can do Quest. But wherein should your faith act so vigorously that you may please Jesus Christ Answ. First In a way of Anmhilation Or emptying your selves of your selves This was the way the Centurious faith did please Christ so much making him so little in his own eyes And this was the way the woman of Canaan did please Christ with her faith Faith is a grace that will exceedingly little us and abase us it will make thee that art as big as a Camel to be little enough to go through an eye of a needle It will make thee seem less and worse then nothing It will make thee not onely to cease admiring thy self but to abhor thy self and repent in dust and ashes It will shew thee what Christ is and seeing him by thee thou shalt disappear and see nothing in thy self but unworthiness The glow-worm shines in the night but when the day Springs it cannot so much as be seen When this Orient Sun Christ ariseth to the eye of faith then self will not be seen it will not appear Faith will lay thee where thou shouldst be in the dust And then Christ will be where he should be in the Throne When man stands for a Cypher thâ—…n Christ signifies somewhat indeed When man sets down himself for a Bankrupt then he sâ—…es out for the unsearchable riches of Christ. O be much in exercising thy faith and that will empty thee to purpose This is the language of faith Lord I am undone do thou set
God doth go to deceive thee far be it from thy thoughts Believer 't is so of a truth Christ is thine thy husband and thou mayst boldly lay claim to him Consider what a husband Christ is is not he the King of the Kings of the earth This is he unto whom Angels and authorities and powers are made subject This is he whom all the Angels of God do worship Heaven and earth are at his beck he is exalted above all heavens and hath a name above every name that is named this is thy beloved and friend O should not thy faith triumph in him Fourthly By way of resignation in giving up your selves to Jesus Christ. Faith as it takes Christ so it delivers up the soul to Christ. Faith makes a happy exchange for us giving away the man to Christ and receiving Christ for us Thus between Christ and a believer there is a mutual delivery of themselves over to one another As faith receives Christ so it gives up the soul to Christ and all that it hath Lord saith faith I here resign to thee I quit all claim to my self I am not my own and will own it henceforth that I have no right to my self I give up soul and body to thee I will hold back no part of the price And as faith takes first the person of Christ and then the benefits of Christ so it gives away the person of the man to Christ and then with the person it gives all the rest the estate interest and all to Jesus Christ thus you should be exercising your faith Fifthly By way of Adoration thus saith should put forth its self upon Christ casting our Crowns before him setting up the Lord Jesus Christ in the throne of his own excellency and we should admire nothing but him breaking in pieces all our Idols and pulling them down that Christ alone may be exalted Sixthly By way of Appreciation prizing and esteeming of Christ debasing self and all other excellencies in comparison of Christ accounting all things but dung for Christ such was Pauls faith Seventhly By way of Appropriation so your faith should put forth it self It should not only put forth it self in a way of Affiance onely leaning upon Christ but in a way of assurance You should labor to come up to this not only to believe that Christ dyed for his people in general but to believe his death was intended for you in particular to appropriate him to your self Thus faith acts upon Christ. This was Thomas his faith when once it was stirred up My Lord and my God Applying Christ to himself as his Lord saith faith I am weak but thou art my strength I am a sinner but thou art my righteousnesse I am unclean but thou art my sanctisication I am miserable but thou art my redemption A SACRAMENTAL Speech grounded on Mark 1. 15. Repent ye and beleive the Gospel MY dearly beloved brethren you have often heard our Savior preaching to you by his Ambassadors but now he is come to preach to you as it were in his own person What was said of Abel is true of Christ he being dead yet speaketh Christ being dead yet preacheth to you But what doth Christ preach to you now he is dead Why he preacheth no other thing to you now he is dead than he did in his life Repent and believe the Gospel That Christ preacheth to you faith and repentance repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. First Repentance towards God see here Christian what thy sins hath done Now is a time to have your hearts filled with sorrow and your faces with shame to see what you â—…ave brought upon Jesus Christ. Look upon him every wound in his body and thorn in his head calls upon the to repent The wounds in his side and the blood that flowed from thence calls upon thee to repent Now let thy repentance by stirring seeing he calls thee to repentance what shall stir thee up to repent if this shall not here you may see the Lords severe wrath against sin See it here in the beloved Son of God who is slain before your eyes for your sins Ah Christian if thou hadst stood with Abraham and seen the fire of Sodom Or with Adam and seen God commanding and then thrusting them out of the garden If thou hadst been in heaven and seen what the wrath of God did there what work it made when the Angels sinned Or if thou hadst been in hell and seen and heard the damned there how wouldst thou look upon thy sin O see here more than all this Gods wrath burning against his own Son for thy sin O see here the love of Christ in vain were all thy tears and sorrow had not Christ made way for thee O see him and hear him speaking from the crosse my wounds shall heal thy soul if thou wilt but repent These hands shall work out thy salvation if thou wilt but return and repent Ah sinner what is not thy soul melted yet methinks I should hear thee making thy submission and return to the Lord as one that melteth at the word of his Lord. Lord is thy mind thus shall I have all this if I will but repent behold I cover my head with sackcloth I am the offender as for this lamb what hath he done O Lord it repenteth me of my rebellions I lay down my w pons I swear I will be a resolved enemy against sin as long as I live Secondly Another thing that Christ in his costly death preacheth to you is faith Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ he calls upon you to believe now he is upon his crosse Methin 〈◊〉 hear him calling upon you from the crosse Believe the reality and greatness of my love Believe the infiniteness of my power The full expiation of all thy sins The truth of all Gods threatnings The certainty of all my promises Thy unquestionable right and title to the Kingdom of glory First Believe the reality and greatness of my love Methinks he speaks thus to thee O man what should I have done more to testisic my love to thee than I have done read all the Antiquities and see whether there was any love like mine thou canst not believe but that thy parents love thee when they take eare of thee but whose love is like mine did these ever suffer for thee or do for thee what I have done what are all these sufferings that I have suffered for thee did I despise my fathers glory and leave it for thâ—… did not love 〈◊〉 O slow of heart to believe all that I have done and suffered for thee if I did not love thee what should move me to dye for thee did any thing in thee no did any profit from thee move me no I knew that man is not profitable to God Was it any returns from thee no I knew how thou wouldst be how unkind thou wouldst be to me O Christian doubt not of my love