wisdome that was hidden before the world was And to invite you and make you more in love with it it is a wisedome To your glory God hath a delight to shew himselfe wise in devising a plot to glorifie poore wretched man As for the words themselves they are a proofe of what he had sayd before why none of the Princes of the world knew this great mysterie If so be that the eye of any man hath not seene nor the eare of any man hath heard nor the heart of any man hath conceived what doe you tell us of the wise men which were not all nay what should I speake of men the very Angels as we know by other places are excluded from a full knowledge of these mysteries Therefore it is no mervaile though none of the Princes of this world knew them They are universally hidden from all naturall men This I take to be the sence of the words They are taken out of Isaiah S. Paul delights to prove things by the Prophets but here it is not so much a proofe as an allusion which we must observe to understand many such places For Isaiah there speakes of the great things God had done for his Church such as Eye had not seene nor Ea e heard And the Apostle alludes to it here and addes somewhat This clause nor hath entred into the heart of man is not in that place but it is necessarily understood for if the eye doe not see and the eare heare it never enters into the heart of man For whatsoever enters into the heart of man it must be by those passages and windowes the gates of the soule the sences And whereas St. Paul sayth For them that love him It is for them that expect him as in Isaiah The sence is all one Whosoever love God they expect and wait for him where there is no expectation there is no love This is the Apostles drift If God did doe such great matters for his Church as eye hath not seen nor â—are heard according to the Prophet Isuiah what shall we thinke he will do in the kingdome of grace here and of glory hereafter The words then as wee see containe the excellencie of the mysteries of the Gospell described first by the hiddennesse of it to men at first Secondly by the goodnesse of the things revealed such as neither eye hath seene c. The hiddennesse and excellency of the Gospell in that respect is set forth by way of negation Eye hath not seen nor Eare heard nor Heart conceived And indeed this is the way to set forth excellent Divine things God himselfe is set out by way of deniall by removing imperfections he is invisible immortall c. And so heaven that is neare to God as being prepared by him it is set out by way of deniall as S. Peter sayth It is an inheritance immortall undefiled c. 1. Pet. 1. So here positive words could not be found sufficient to set out the excellencie of the things that God hath prepared As for the Knowledge of the mysterie of salvation in Jesus Christ we neither can come to it by naturall invention nor by naturall discipline All the things that we know naturally we know by one of these two wayes but divine things are knowne neither way Where could there have been any knowledge of Christ if God had not opened his breast in the Gospell and come forth of his hidden light and shewed himselfe in Christ God-man and in publishing the Gospell established an ordinance of preaching for this purpose where had the knowledge of salvation in Christ been To prove this wee have here a gradation the eye sees many things but wee heare more things than we see yet neither Eye hath seen nor eare heaâ—d I but the conceits of the heart are larger than the sight of the eye or the hearing of the eare yet neither eye hath seen nor eare hath heard nor hath entred into the heart of man to conceive c. The Philosopher sayth there is nothing in the understanding but it came into the sences before and therefore it cannnot enter into the heart of man if it enter not by the eye or by the eare The things here spoken of be especially the graces and comforts and priviledges to bee enjoyed in this life and the consummation and perfection of them in heaven Christ brings peace and joy justification sanctification c. the like And even in this life the perfection of these is in heaven where the soul and the body shall be both glorified in a glorious place together with glorious company The Father Sonne and holy Ghost innumerable Angels and justmen These are those things that eye hath not seen c. The beginnings here and the perfection and consummation of them hereafter Having thus farre unfolded the words I come to the poynts considerable First God hath a company of beloved children in the world that he means a speciall good unto The second God hath prepared great matters for them If great persons prepare great things for those whom they greatly affect shall we not thinke that the great God will prepare great things for those that hee hath affection to and that have affection to him If God be a friend to the llect they be his friends surely he wil answer friendship to the utmost answerable to the great love he beares his children he hath provided great things for them If that bee excellent that is long in preparing then those things which belong to Gods children must needs be excellent for they were preparing even before the world was Salomons Temple was an excellent Fabrick it had long preparation Ahasueros made a feast to 127. Provinces it was long in preparing great things have great preparation Now these things that God intends his children have been preparing even from everlasting and they are from everlasting to everlasting they must needs bee excellent But before I dwell on any particular poynâ— here is a question to be answered If the things that God hath prepared for his children be secret and excellent how then come we to know them at all We come to know them 1. by Divine Revelation God must reveale them first as it is in the next vers God hath revealed them by his spirit The Spirit reveales them by way of negation and indefinitely as also by way of eminence Whatsoever is excellent in the world God borrowes it to set out the excellencie of the things that hee hath provided for his Children in grace and glory A feast is a comfortable things they are called a Feast A Kingdome is a glorious thing they are called a Kingdome Marriage is a sweet thing they are set forth by that by an inheritance and adoption of children and such like So that all these things are taken to â—e shadowes of those things And indeed they are but shadows the realitie is the heavenly kingdome of grace
passion out of nature and passion out of nature and elevates and rayseth that which is naturally good the affection of love to be a grace of love hee rayseth it up to love GOD which nature cannot discover by spiritualizing of it hee makes it the most excellent grace of all So that while I speake of the love of God thinke not that I speake of the meet affâ—ction but of the affection that hath a stamp of grace upon it for affections are graces when they are saâ—ctified And indeed all graces set illuâ—ination a side which is in the understanding spring from this What is true grace but joy and love and delight in the best things and all others spring from love What doe wee hate but what is opposite to that we love and when are we angry but when that we love is opposed and wronged Then there is a hoâ—y zeale so that indeed all grace is in the affâ—ctions and all affections are in this one primitive affection this first borne and bred affection love I speake of it then as a speciall grace Now the way of discerning of it wee heard partly before The way to discerne of this sanctified affection this grace is to know what wee esteeme for love it is from an estimation And likewise in the second place esteeme breeds a desire of union And desire of union breeds content in the thing when wee have it And contentment in the person breeds desire of contenting backe againe These things I stood on and will not presse further Let us examine and trie our selves oft by our affections how they stand biassed and poynted whether to God and heaven whether to God and heaven ward or to the world for we are as we love For what wee love we as it were marry and if wee joyne our love to baser things we marry baser things and so debase our selves if wee joyne in our affections to things above our selves to God and spirituall things we become spirituall as they are So that a man stands in the World betweene two goods somewhat that is better then himselfe and something that is meaner and thereafter as hee joynes in his affections thereafter hee is for the affection of love to God and to the best things makes him exellent and his affection to baser things make him base Let a man be never so great in the World if his affections to base he is a base person therefore wee have the more need â—o trie our affections But to answere some cases breifly It will be objected may we not love any thing but God and holy things may we not love the Creatures because it is here specified as a note of those that these things are prepared for those that love God Yes we may love them as we see somewhat of God in them as every creature hath somewhat of GOD in them whereupon GOD hath the style of every creature that hath good in it Hee is called a Fountaine a Rocke a Shield every thing that is good to shew that the Creatures every one hath somewhat of GOD hee would not have taken the style of the Creature else We may love the Creature as it hath somewhat of GOD in it a being or comfortable being or somewhat and as it conveyes the love of God to us and leads us back againe to God There is no Creature but it conveyâ—s some love and beames excellency of God to us in some kinde and leads us to God so we may love other things We may love men and love GOD in them and love them for God to bring them to God to leave a holy impression in them to bee like God there is no question of this but the love of God that is the spring of all But it will bee sayd by some weake conscience how shall I know I love God when I love the world and worldly things I love my children and other things perhaps that are not ill I feare I love them more then God We must know for this that when two streames run in one channell they runne stronger then one streame when a man loves other good things nature goes with grace so nature going with grace the streame is strong but when a man loves God and Christ and heavenly things there is grace only nature yeilds nothing to that When a man loves his children or his intimate friends c. Nature going with grace it is no wonder if the streame bee stronger when two streames runne in one So corruption in ill actions oft times carry the affections strong As in many of our loves there is somewhat naturall that is good yet there is some corruption as to love a man for ill here nature and corruption is strong but in supernaturall things grace goes alone Then againe we must not judge by an indeliberate passion by what our affection is carried suddenly and indeliberately to for so wee may joy more in a sudden thing then in the best things of all as in the sight of a friend there may bee a sudden affection but the love of GOD it is a constant streame it is not a Torrent but a Current that runnes all our life-time therefore those affections to GOD and heavenly things in a Christian they are perpetuall they make no great noyse perhaps but they are perpetuall in the hearâ— of a Christian a sudden Torrent and passion â—nay transport a man but yet he may have a holy and heavenly heart I speake this for comfort I but my love to God is faint and little Well but it is a heavenly sparke and hath divinity in it it is from Heaven and is growing and vigorous and efficacious and a little heavenly love will wast all carnall love at length it is of so vigorous and constant a nature It is fed still by the spirit and a little that is fedde and maintained that is growing that hath a blessing in it as the love of God in the hearts of his hath for God continually cherrisheth his owne beginning that little shall never be quenched but shall overgrow nature at length and eate out corruption and all contrary love whatsoever Though for the present wee see corruption over-power and oppresse grace yet the love of God being a divine sparke and therefore being more powerfull though it bee little then the contrary it hath a blessing in it to grow till at length it consume all For love is like fire as in other properties so in this it wasts and consumes the contrary and rayseth up to Heaven and quickens and enlivens the persons as fire doth and it makes lightsome dead bodies it transformes them all into fire like it selfe So the love of God by little and little transformes us all to bee fiery it transformes us to be lovers These cases needed a little touching to satisfie some that are good and growing christians and must have some satisfaction But it may bee asked againe as indeed wee see it is true what
for better things then wee can see or heare in this world yet we imploy thē in things of the world wholly Let us not doe as some shallow proud heads that regard not divine things the holy Scriptures they will not vouchsafe to read once a day perhaps not once a weeke nay some scarce have a Bible in their studies For shame shall we be so Atheisticall when God hath provided such excellent things conteined in this booke of God the Testament shall wee slight these excellent things for knowledge that shall perish with us as St. Paul saith before the Text the knowledge of all other things is perishing knowledge of perishing men Learne on earth that that will abide in heaven sayth S. Austin If wee bee wise let us know those things on earth that the comfort of them may abide with us in heaven Therefore let us be stirred up to value the Scriptures the mysteries of salvation in the Gospel they are things that Eye hath not seene nor Eare heard c. Nay I say more that little that wee have here by hearing truths unfolded whereby the Spirit of God slides into our hearts and workes with them there is that peace that a man hath in his heart in the unfolding of the poynt of Iustification or Adoption or any divine comfort that it breeds such inward peace and joy as is unspeakable and glorious All that we have in the world is not worth those little beginings that are wrought by the hearing of the word of God here If the first fruits here be joy oftimes unspeakable and glorious if the first fruits be peace that passeth understanding what will the consūmation and perfection of these things be at that day Againe here you see a ground of the wonderfull patience of the Martyrs You wonder that they would suffer their bodies to be torne and have their soules severed so violently from their bodies Alas cease to wonder when they had a sence wrought in them by the spirit of God of the things that eye hath not seene nor eare heard If a man should have asked them why they wold suffer their bodies to be misused thus when they might have redeemed all this with a little quiet oh they would have answered presently as some of them have done wee suffer these things in our bodies and in our sences for those that are above our sences wee know there are things layd up for us that eye hath not seene nor eare heard c. What doe you tell us of this torment and that torment we shall have more glory in heaven then wee can have misery here for wee can see this and there is an end of it but wee shall have joy that eye hath not seene nor eare heard c. As St. Paul most Divinely in diverse places in Rom. 8. the things that wee suffer here are not Worthy of the glory that shall be revealed Therefore let us not wonder so much at their patience as to lay up this ground of patience against an evill day when we may be drawne to seale the truth with our blood By the way learne what Popery is they thinke to merit by their doing but especially by their sufferings though they be ill doers and suffer for their demerits this is their glory Shall those stayned good workes put case they were good workes they be defiled and stayned and as menstruous cloathes as it is Isaiah 64. shall they merit the glory to bee revealed that is so great that eye hath not seene c. What proportion is there In merit there must be a proportion betweene the deed done and the glory what proportion is there betweene stayned imperfect defiled workes and the glory to bee revealed Should not our lives be almost angecall What manner of men should wee be in all holy conversation Considering what things are layd up in heavē we have the first fruits of them here Can men be too holy and exact in their lives that looke for things that eye hath not seene nor eare heard c. I wonder at the stupiditie and hellish pride and malice of mens hearts that thinke any man can be too exact in the maine duties of Christianity in the expression of their love to God in the obedience of their lives in abstinence from the filthinesse of the world and the like Can a man that lookes for these excellent transcendent things be too careful of his life I beseech you your selves be Judges The end of the first Sermon HIDDEN SECRETS Revealed by the GOSPEL The second Sermon I. COR. 2. 9. As it is written Eye hath not seene nor eare heard c. THE Apostle sets out the Gospell here with all the commendations that any skill in the world can be commended by From the authour of it God From the depth of it it is Wisedome in a mystery hidden wisedome From the antiquity of it it was ordained before the world was From the benefite and use of it for our glory God is content his wisedome should be honoured in glorifying us such is his love And then when it was revealed that none of the Princes of the world he meanes not onely commanding Potentates but he being a scholar himself esteemed Philosophers Pharisees and learned men to be Princes because the excellencie of a man is in the refined part of man his soul none of these Princes of the world for all their skill and knowledge knew this In this verse hee shewes the reason why Eye hath not seene nor eare heard c. He removes knowledge by removing the way and means of knowledge The meanes of knowledge in this world is by the passage and entrance of the sences Now this heavenly mystery of the Gospell it is such a knowledge as doth not enter into the soule by the sences The poynts we propounded were these I That God hath a people in the world whom he favours in a speciall manner Then secondly For these that he accounts his friends he hath prepared great matters Kings prepare great matters for those they meane to advance what shall wee thinke then God will doe for his friends Now these things prepared they are great matters indeed for in the third place they are such as Eye hath not seene nor eare heard c. And then in the fourth place the disposition and qualification of those for whom God hath prepared such great matters it is for those that love him not for his enemies or for all men indifferently but for those that love him Of the first and second I spake in the former and I wil not now stand to speake of them but enlarge my selfe in the two last The things that God hath prepared for them that love him are such excellent things as neither eye hath seene nor eare heard c. He meanes the naturall eye and eare and understanding or heart of man There bee 3. degrees of