that hath such a glorious condition in the eye of Faith to enter into We should not so much as looke up to heaven without comfort Yonder is my Saviour yonder is a house provided for me we should thinke and looke upon heaven as our owne place whither Christ is gone before and keepes a roome for us Here we may want comforts we may be thrust out of house home out of our habitation and Countrey and all but all the world and all the Devils in hell they cannot thrust us out of heaven nor dissolve and breake the communion that is betweene Christ and us they cannot take away either grace or glory from us Therefore we should be content with any condition in this world Christ is ascended into heaven to keep a blessed condition for us Likewise when we thinke of the troubles of this world of the enemies we have here thinke of Christ taken up to glory and thinke of Christs order first he suffered and then he entred into glory so we must be content to suffer first and then be glorious We are predestinate to be comformable to Christ wherein stands our conformitie It is in abasement first and then in glory Christ entred into glory in this order and shall we thinke to come to Heaven in another order then Christ did Shall we wish for a severed condition from him If we be in Christ all that we suffer in this world they are sufferings of conformity to make us sutable to our Head and to fit us for glory And our greatest abasements what are they to the abasement of Christ None was ever so low and there is none so high as he was the lowest in abasement so he is the highest in glory when he was at the lowest in the Grave not onely dead but under the kingdome and command of death then he rose gloriously and ascended Our lowest abasements are fore-runners of our advancement and glory this assumption of Christ to glory should helpe us in this respect In all disconsolations there is a world of comfort hence We must not thinke of 〈◊〉 as if his honours had changed his manners as it is among men that now he is become stately that he doth not regard his poore Church No such matter he regards his poore Church now he is in Heaven as much as he ever did The members here cannot suffer any thing but the Head in Heaven is sensible of it as it is Act. 9 Saul Saul why persecutest thou me The foot is trod upon and the tongue complaines Our blessed Saviour is not like Pharaohs unkind Butler that forgat Ioseph when himselfe was out of prison Christ being advanced to honour now forgets us not here No he is as good Ioseph that was sent into Aegypt to provide for all the Family before hand So this our Ioseph the great Steward of Heaven and Earth he is gone to provide for us all against we come to Heaven he forgets us not he disdaines not to looke on things below he considers every poore Christian he is as mercifull now as he was when he was upon Earth as you have it largely proved Heb. 4.7 He was man for this end that he might be a mercifull High-Priest and he is so in Heaven and pitties all our infirmities it is not here Out of sight out of mind for as I sayd he hath us in his breast I and he is with us by his Spirit to the end of the world He is taken up to Heaven in his Body but his Spirit which is his generall Vicar is here with us to the end of the world I will send you the Comforter and he shall abide alway with you And it is better for us to have the Comforter here without his bodily presence then to have his bodily presence without the abundance of his Spirit as it was better with the Disciples when he was taken up to Heaven and was present by his Spirit then it was before We lose nothing therefore by the ascension of Christ it was for us he was given for us borne for us he lived for us he died for us he rose and ascended to Heaven for our good It is good for you that I goe it was to provide a place for us and to send the Comforter all was for our good whatsoever he did in his abasement and exaltation Againe this administreth comfort in regard of the afflictions of the Church When the Church is under any abasement at the lowest it hath a glorious Head in Heaven and what doth he sit there and do nothing No he sits at the right hand of God rules his Church even in the midst of his enemies If he doe give the chaine to them it is for speciall ends his people stand in need of all that they endure and he measures it even to a Dram whatsoever his Church suffers for they are his members and he is sensible of their sufferings He is a High-Priest that is touched with our infirmities therefore nothing can befall his Church without his government He le ts loose the enemies thus far and then he restraines them and subdues and conquers them making them his foot-stoole The enemies seeme to domineere now and trample on the Church but ere long they shall become the Churches foot-stoole Christ will governe his Church till all his enemies be under his feet He is ascended into Heaven for this purpose and he is fitting his Church by these afflictions for greater grace in this world and for eternall glory in the world to come Therefore let us not take scandall at the present sight of things We stand amazed to see the state of Europe at this time but for our comfort let us consider that Christ is taken up to glory and he sits in Heaven and rules his Church and will guide all these Wartes to a good and gracious end He sits at the Sterne the Ship may be tossed where Christ sleepes but it cannot be drowned the House that is built upon a Rock it may be blowne upon it shall never overthrowne the Bush wherein the fire is it may burne but it shall never be consumed the Church wherein Christ rules and governes it may be tossed it shall never be overcome and subdued Nay by all these things that the Church suffers Christ rules and exerciseth his Churches graces mortifies his Churches corruptions It is necessarie there should be some change standing waters breed Frogges and other base creatures so it is with Christians if there be not some exercise by afflictions what kind of vices grow As we see in these times of peace what kind of lives most men live that we may take up an admiration that God should be so mercifull to continue his Truth to acompanie of proud base carnall persons that lead lives under the Gospel no better then if they were in Paganisme Therefore we cannot looke for any good without further abasesement
And certainly if troubles come we should many of us be better then we are now afflictions would be so farre from doing us harme that they would refine us we shall lose nothing but that that doth us hurt that that we may well spare that that hinders our joy and comfort But I say let us comfort our selves in respect of the present state of the Church Christ rules in the midst of his enemies in the midst of crosses and persecutions not to free us alway from them but he rules in turning them to good in strengthning exercising our graces and he rules in the midst of his Church at this time by turning his enemies cruelty to the good of the elect As he ruled in the Israelites when he suffered Pharaoh to goe on in the hardnesse of his heart but he had a time for Pharaohs ruine so Christ hath a time for the persecutors of the Church as he had for all the ten persecuting Emperours that came to fearefull and base ends Was there ever any man fierce against God and prospered sayth Iob. Was there ever any that set themselves against the Church of God and prospered No No It is with the Church as it was with Christ to have looked on Christ hanging and bleeding on the Crosse to have seen him groveling on the ground in the Garden men would be readie to take offence what he the Saviour of the world But stay and see him in the Text assumed to Glory and then there would be no offence taken at Christ. So it is in the Church You see the Church suffers persecution but lay one thing with another see the Church in Heaven with the Head of the Church see the Church advanced see it in glory ere long see it refined and fitted by sufferings to come better out of afflictions then it went in and then none will take scandall at the afflictions of the Church as they ought not at the abasement of Christ for though he was God manifest in weake flesh yet we see he ascended up in glory There is a comfortable speech Ierem. 30.7 It is even the time of Iacobs trouble but he shall be delivered out of it So we may say This is the time of the Churches trouble but the Church shall be delivered out of it The enemies have their time to afflict and trample upon the Church but Christ hath his time to trample on them Let us wait and expect with comfort better times The Kingdomes of the world will be knowne to be the Lord Iesus Christs there will be a further subjection to Christs Kingdome then ever there was since the first times when the fulnesse of the Gentiles and the conversion of the Iewes shall be Let us comfort our selves with the times to come Christ is in glory and he will bring his Church to further glory even in this world besides eternall glory at the latter day Rejoyce not over me oh mine enemie for though I be fallen yet shall I rise Let not the enemies of the Church insult over-much though the Church be fallen yet she shall rise againe after three dayes sayth the Prophet Christ though he were abased as low as possible he could be yet after three dayes he arose so the Church shall rise out of her troubles after three dayes that is after a certaine time that we know not but the exact time is onely in the hands of Christ but certainely there are glorious times of the Church comming Consider the wonderfull love of Christ that would suspend his glory so long the glory of Heaven was due to him upon his Incarnation by vertue of the union of his humane nature with the divine for that nature that was united to the God-head it must needs have right to glory by that very union What should hinder when it was so neere to God as to be one Person to be taken into the union of the Person Oh but where had our salvation beene then if Christ had entred into glory upon his Incarnation if he had not shed his blood if he had not beene abased to the death of the Crosse Therefore the Schoole-men speake well he enjoyed the presence of God affectione justitiae with the affection of Justice and all Vertues that is he was as gracious from the beginning from his Incarnation for matter of Grace and love of all that is good yet not affectione accommoda There was a neerenesse to God in pleasure and joy and comfort this he denyed himselfe till he was assumpted to glory after his Resurrection and this he did in love to us that he might suffer and be abased to worke out our Salvation that redundance of glory that should have beene upon his Person presently upon the Union it was stayed till his Resurrection that he might accomplish and fulfill our Salvation What a mercie and love was this So it is with the Church it is glorious as it hath Union with Christ Is not the Church a glorious thing that is joyned to Christ that is Lord of Lords and King of Kings the Ruler of Heaven and Earth What is the reason the Church is so abased thâ—n If the Church were not abased it could not be conformed to Christ. Christ that he might worke our Salvation he must be abased and have suspension and stopping of the glory due to him till the Resurrection Of necessitie we must be conformed to Christ as farre as we may and that we may be conformed to him in abasement and suffering there must be a stop of our glory till we be dead and turned to dust untill we rise againe untill Christ come to be glorious in his Saints If Christ as I formerly sayd had shewed all his glory in his abasement hee could never have suffered the Devill himselfe would have done him no harme there had beene no pretence the Pharises would never have persecuted him and hated him if they had seene him to have beene such a person as he was but he veiled his glory that he might suffer If the World did but see the thousand part of the glory that of due belongs to Christians would they revile them and disgrace and maligne and trample on them Certainely they would not This is discovered in Scripture but the World to discover their Atheisme that they beleeve not the Word of God take no notice of it And that the children of God may be conformed to their Head and that way may be made to the malice of wicked men to trample upon them they goe in the shape of miserable men Therefore let us not be discouraged for any abasement we have a glorious life hid with Christ which shall be revealed one day in the meane time in the midst of abasement let us beleeve Glory And let me adde this to the rest As the same Body wherein Christ was spit upon and mangled and crucified in the same Body he rose againe and in the same Body ascended
Motive to get into Christ. Angels our enemies out of Christ. To carry our selves answerable to our condition Not to disdaine weake Christians Psal. 113. Angels description Angels office double Christ preached to the Gentiles Rom. 1. Rom. 16. Dispensation of Christ. To preach what Manifestation of Christs Offices Christs states 1 1 Humiliation 2 2 Exaltaâ—ion Necessitie of application in Preaching Preaching of the Law The Law wrapped in the Gospel Manner of publishing tâ—e Goâ—pel Vse To magnifie this dispensation God dispenseth the Gospel by men 1 1 To trie our obedience 2 2 To knit man to man 3 3 As fitting our condition Why sinners preach to sinners To have a right esteeme of Gods Ordinance Question Answer Private Exercise with contempt of publike cursed Simile Object Answer Ephes. 4. Vse of preaching Object Answer Necessitie of much preaching Object Answer Religion not easily learned Simile Christ profits not but as preached Priviledge of Apostles Ier 3. Experience of the benefit of Preaching Question Answer Christ the object of preaching Christ preached how Christ preâ—ched to the Gentiles What the Gentiles Coloss. 1. Act. 10. Object Act 14.16 Why the Gentiles strayed so long Rom. 1. Tully Tacitus Object A Mysterie in calling the Gentiles Answer Why the Gentiles were not called till Christs comming Ephes 2. Christ came both of Iewes and Gentiles Double Spring of the Gospel What use to make of the Gospel Severall degrees of the dispensation of salvation Ground of enlarging the Gospel to other people Sinnes against the Gospel 1 1 Superstition 2 2 Decay in love 3 3 Vnfruitfulnes Hinderances to the conversion of Pagan Gospel preached the excellencie of a Nation Christ beleeved on in the world Faith the marriage of the soule to Christ. Rom. 10. Ladder of Heaven Difference betweene Gods and mens proclamations Enemies to preached 〈…〉 to salvation Christ must be beleeved on Faith the grace of application Popish meanes of applying Christ ridiculous Heb. 4. Christ must be beleeved on 1 1 Onely Galat 5. 2 2 Wholly Christ the maine object of Faith Simile Faith lookes first on Christs person Christ chiefely to be preached and heard What meant here by world Against despaire Conversion of Savages Simile Of the Iewes Beleeving in Christ a Mysterie 1 1 In respect of the world 2 2 Those that carryed the message Aug. 3 3 In respect of the Truth they taught Aug. 4 4 In respect of the suddennesse 5 5 In respect of Christ. 6 6 In respect of Faâ—th Faith altogether above nature To have high conceits of Faith Ephes. 1.18 Redemption a greater worke then Creation 1 1 For Power 2 2 For mercie Faith put for all graces Heb. 11. Vnbeleefe the sinne of Adam Encouragements to beleeve are from Christ. Trials of Faith 1 1 How it is bred 2 2 By Conflict 3 3 By what it workes Rom. 1. 1 1 Peace 2 2 Altering the course Esteeme 4 4 Prevailing 5 5 By Love Galat. 5.6 Luke 7. To cherish Faith Bellarm. Ioh. 17.3 Psal. 9. Christ received up in Glory Glory what Ephes. 1.20 1 Pet. 3. Circumstances of Christs Ascension 1 1 The Place 2 2 The Time Ioh. 17.4 3 3 The Witnesses 4 4 His Chariot Christ received to glory a Mysterie In respect of the greatnesse of the glory Christ in glory applyes his Offices to us Iohn 7. 1 1 Christ ascended as a publike person 2 2 Neerenesse betweene Christ and his Church Christs glory a cause of ours Christs glory a patterne of ours 1 Cor. 25. Vse 1. Christ not bodily present in the Sacrament Similes Vse 2. Comfort 1 1 That we have glory by Christ. Ephes. 2. 2 2 In the houre of death 3 3 In our daily infirmities 4 4 In Want 5 5 In troubles Conformitie to Christ wherein it consists 6 6 In all disconsolations he pitties us Act. 9. Heb. 4.7 The Spirit supplyes Christs bodily absence 7 7 In regard of the Churches afflictions Simile Simile How Christ rules in afflictions Ier. 30.7 Micah 7. Christ for our sakes suspended his glory The Church afflicted why The same body that suffers shall be glorious Ground of patience in suffering Ground of courage in Christs cause Ground of encouragement to good duties Christs ascending to glory enforceth holinesse Ground of mortification Coloss. 3. Christs ascending to glory a ground of heavenly-mindednesse Coloss. 3.1 Simile Argument of infidelitie Iohn 17. Influence from Christ for this dutie Order of meditation of Christ. How to conceive of Christ in the Sacrament Conclusion Matth. 3. â—â—6 The Apparition glorious 1 1 In regard of the matter 2 2 Of the benefit Gen. 3.15 Christ revealed to all sorts Beames of Christs Divinity in his abasement Division of the words 1 1 The apparition God respects no callings The Angels appeare to them in their callings God appeares in the night of affliction These Angels called an Host. For number Dan. 7.10 Rev. 5.11 Heb. 12.22 2 2 For Order August 3 3 For consent 4 4 For imployment 5 5 For strength Guard of Angels comfortable Why God useth the ministery of Angels Angels attend Christs birth why Coloss. 1.16 Angels apparition sudden 1 1 For our Example 2 2 For our comfort The end of this apparition in respect of men Mutuall comfort from Christians a worke Angelicall Angels attend upon the Church Heb. 12. 22. Heb. 1. 2 2 The celebration Ioy how to be imployed The pure nature of Angels without envie Esay 9.6 To imitate Angels herein Specially to praise God for our own good 1 1 The chiefe end 2 2 The chiefe good 3 3 The chiefe ground Why they wish glory to God in heaven How we may glorifie God on earth more then in heaven Glory what The glory of God our chiefe end and ayme Rom. 11. Incarnation of Christ the foundation of other benefits by him Wherein God will most of all shew his glory Gods Attributes in Christ. 2 Cor. 1. Truth Wisedome Iustice. Holinesse Mercy The glory of God in Redemption exceeds 1 1 The worke of Creation 2 2 The state of Adam in innocency Exod. 34.6 Wherein Gods glory appeared to Moses Tit. 2.12 Mercy in God answereth all objections in man Object Answer Object Object Answer Hosâ—â— 11. Application to the Sacrament God out of Christ terrible These Sermons were preached at the feast of Christs nativity How to celebrate Christs Nativitie Tertullian What use to make Christs of comming Repentance what Why Gods children were suffred to fall Greatest sins committed in the Church How to know whether we glorifie God 1 1 When we exalt him above all Especially in opposition Psal. 73. Philip. 1. 2 2 When we take all favours in Christ. 3 3 When we stir up others to glorifie God Psal. 103. 4 4 When our dispositions are altered by beholding Gods glory in Christ. 1. Cor. 3. Esay 66.5 When wee grieve at the hinderances
died But where these three are an exemption and freedome from all basenesse and all that may diminish reckoning and estimation and when there is a foundation of true excellency and likewise a shining a declaring breaking forth of that excellency there is glory But Christ after he was manifest in the flesh and had done the work here that hee had to doe hee was received up to glory that is all basenesse was layd aside his glory appearing all abasement did vanish he was victorious over that for in his Resurrection that was the first degree of his glory you know the Clothes that he was bound with were left in the Grave the Stone was remooved all things that might hinder his glory that might abase him in body in soule or condition they were remooved there was an excellency in all that was not before in regard of manifestation For his Body it was now impassible an immortall spirituall Body it could suffer no longer it was not fed with meat and drink as in the time of his abasement it was a Body so agile and so nimble that he could moove even as he would himselfe so there was a glory put upon his Body above the Sunne There was a glory upon the Soule all that might hinder that was subdued for there was no sorrow no feare nor griefe as there was in his Soule before he was glorified so both in Body and Soule he was more glorious And then for his whole condition that was glorious he was abased no longer for now he was taken into the highest place of all above the Heavens and as his place is most eminent so his government is most eminent for he is taken up there above all Principalities and Powers as it is Ephes. 1.20 and is gloriously set downe at the right hand of God 1 Pet. 3. All being subject to him he hath the domination and government of all So that whatsoever might shadow and cloud him all ills eyther in Body in Soule or condition all was remooved and he was glorious in all For excellencie the foundation of glory that was alway with him in his very abasement but now it was manifested he was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by raysing himselfe from the dead he was declared to be glorious in all those things wherein he could be glorious As no person can be glorious but eyther it must be in body or soule or condition he was glorious in all for hee was received up into the place of glory to Heaven to the assembly of glory to the presence of his Father and the blessed Saints and Angels and no question but there was a glorious welcome If the Angels came so chearefully to proclaime his Incarnation when he was borne and sang Glory be to God on high on Earth peace good will towards men What kind of triumph doe you thinke was made by all the blessed companie in Heaven when he was entertained thither after his abasement It is beyond our conceits to imagine It will not be altogether unusefull to speake of the circumstances of Christs being taken up to glory Whence was he taken He was taken up to glory from Mount Olivet where he used to pray and where he sweat water and blood where he was humbled from the place of Humiliation was his Ascension to glory shewing unto us that the place oft times where we pray where we are afflicted our sick Beds nay the places of our abasement the very Prisons they may be as Mount Olivet to us from whence God will take us to glory Let no man therefore feare and abasement it may prove as Mount Olivet to him in this respect And when was he taken up to glory Not before he had finished his worke as he sayth Iohn 17.4 I have finished the worke thou gavest me to doe Then he was taken up when he had done all when he had accomplished our salvation And after his abasement not before So our taking up to glory it must be when we have done our worke when we have finished our course when we have runne our race when we have fought the good fight And also after our abasement we must first suffer with Christ before we can be glorified with him Againe if we speake of the first degree of Christs glory his Resurrection he was taken up to glory when he was at the lowest that could be when he was in the Grave so Gods Church and children at the lowest they are neerest to glory We use to say Things when they are at the worst are neerest mending so is the state and condition of the Church of God and every particular Christian when he is lowest he is neerest raysing as we shall see afterwards The witnesses of this were the Angels they proclaimed his Incarnation with joy and without doubt they were much more joyfull at his ascending up to glory it was in the presence of the Angels So likewise when he shall come to manifest his glory at the day of Judgement there will be innumerable thousands of Angels Those glorious creatures were witnesses of his glory and no question but they yeelded their joyfull attendance and service that were so willing to attend him at his birth and comming into the world He was carryed up in the clouds in which also he shall come againe at the last day But before he was taken up to glory he was fortie dayes on Earth to give evidence to his Apostles and Disciples of his Resurrection and to instruct and furnish them in things concerning their Callings afterwards he was taken up to glory And in all that time of his abode on Earth after his first degree of glory his Resurrection he was never seene of sinfull eye for any thing we see in Scripture I meane of those that were scorners of him that despised him The Scribes and Pharises and carnall people did not see him they had no commerce at all with him after his Resurrection they that despised him in his abasement had no comfort by exaltation But that which I will chiefely presse in this Clause shall be to shew That as this is a Mysterie so how it is a Mysterie of Godlinesse to stirre us up to godlinesse for as I sayd befoâ—e Divine Truths and Principles they are called Godlinesse because where they are embraced they worke godlinesse the soule is transformed into them where these Truths are ingrafted in the soule as S. Peter saith they turne the soule into their owne nature Therefore I will shew how this Mysterie Christ received up to glory breeds a frame of Godlinesse in the heart That it is a Mysterie it will easily appeare For was it a great Mysterie that God should take our nature upon him to be abased in it Surely it must needs be a Mysterie that God will be glorified in our nature Was our nature advanced in his Incarnation Much more was it glorified in his Exaltation when he
into Heaven so it shall be with us the same body that suffers any thing for Christ the same body that dies the same Body shall rise and be assumed to glory Hence likewise we have a ground of patience in all our sufferings from another reason not from the order but from the certaintie of glory Shall we not patiently suffer considering the glory that we shall certainely have If we suffer with him wee shall be glorified with him Who will not be patient a while that hath such glory in his eye Therefore let us looke upon the glory of Christ in all our sufferings whatsoever What made Moses and all the Saints in all times to be so patient They had an eye this way What made Steven not onely patient but glorious His face shone as the face of an Angel he looked on Iesus Christ and saw him sitting at the right hand of God What made the Martyrs not onely patient but triumphant in all their sufferings They had an eye of Faith to see Christ sitting in glory and to see themselves in Heaven glorious in Christ and not onely to see themselves glorious in Christ but in themselves afterwards Wee are not onely glorious in our Head but we shall be our selves where he is Taken up in glory And let it stirre us up likewise not to be ashamed of Religion and to stand out in good causes for Christ and the Church He is not ashamed to be called our Brother no not after his Resurrection Goe tell my brethren I ascend to my Father and your Father He was not ashamed of it when he began to be in the state of glory he is not ashamed of our nature now to take it up into Heaven he is not ashamed to owne us here and at the Day of Judgement to set us at his right hand And shall we now for feare of men for feare of shame for any base earthly respect be ashamed of our glorious Head Doe we beleeve that we have a Head that is glorious in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God that ere long will come to judge the quike and the dead and shall we be ashamed to hold out the profession of Religion for a scorne for a word for a frowne Where is the Spirit of glory the Spirit that should be in Christians that hope to be glorious He that is ashamed of me here saith Christ I will be ashamed of him at that great Day How can we thinke that Christ will owne us when we will not owne Religion here When we are ashamed to stand for him shall we thinke to stand at his right hand All base carnall Atheisticall spirits that are afraid of disgrace of displeasure of losse of any thing but of him they should be afraid of let them know there is no comfort for them in Christs exaltation For if they had any communion with Christ he would infuse another manner of spirit into them Let us therefore stand for Christ we have a glorious Head a glorious hope a glorious Inheritance And let us goe on with incouragement in good duties with a Spirit of Faith for wherefore is Christ in Heaven but to rule his Church by his Spirit To leade captivitie captive and to give gifts to men Let us therefore goe on with confidence that Christ from Heaven will give us his Spirit to subdue our corruptions He is in Heaven to rule his Church and what is his Kingdome but the subduing of our spirits by his Spirit to be more humble and more holy and gracious every way Let us not thinke that our corruptions will be too hard for us but goe on in a Spirit of Faith That Christ that dyed for us as a Priest he will rule us as a King and if we be true to our owne soules we shall have strength to sustaine us he sits in Heaven to rule us by his gracious Spirit Let us not despaire though we carry this and that corruption about us we shall by little and little overcome all he will lead captivitie captive and overcome all in us as he did in his own person he that overcame for us will overcome in us if there be a Spirit of Faith to depend upon him Againe this Mysterie is a Mysterie of Godlinesse it tendeth to and enforceth godlinesse and holinesse of life Christ received up to glory You see then our flesh is in Heaven Christ hath taken into Heaven the pledge of our flesh and given us the pledge of his Spirit It was a dignifying of our nature that God should be manifest in our flesh that that was an abasing to him as God was an honour to our nature the Incarnation of Christ it was the beginning of his abasement in regard of his God-head for the God-head to be clouded under flesh but it was a dignifying of the humane nature that it should be graffed into the second Person And is it not a greater honour to our nature that now in Christ it is gone to Heaven and is there above Angels Our nature in Christ rules over all the world And wherefore is all this As it is for wondrous comfort so for instruction to carry our selves answerable to our dignitie What! hath God taken our nature upon him to the unitie of the second Person and exalted and honoured and enriched it Is he likewise gone to Heaven in our nature and is there above all Principalities and Powers all the Angels in Heaven attend upon him And shall we debase and dishonour our nature that is so exalted Let it worke upon us to carry our selves in a holy kind of state Shall we defile our selves with sinfull courses make our selves baser then the Earth we tread on worse then any creature for a man without grace is next to the Devill in miserie if God be not mercifull to him If God have thus honoured our nature above all created excellency whatsoever shall not this stirre us up to a correspondent carriage It is oft pressed by the Apostle that we walke worthy of our calling And indeed let us oft consider to what great matters we are called for the life of Heaven it must be begun upon Earth Whosoever hath this hope to be glorious with Christ in Heaven it purgeth him it frames him to be like the state he hopes for and he that hath not a care to sute and fit his carriage and disposition to the state he beleeves it is an emptie hope he deludes himselfe Whosoever shall be glorious with Christ in Heaven is also glorious now there is a Spirit of Glory resting upon them that is Grace Grace makes them glorious Those that have not a Spirit of Glory that is a Spirit of Grace to fashion and conforme them in some measure to be like Christ by little and little they have no right nor interest in the state of Glory that shall be revealed after Is Christ taken up to glory and for us as well as for himselfe
will be the Lord Iesus Christs Are they not now so They are but truly they appeare not to be so but at length they will appeare to be so at the conversion of the Iewes and the confusion of Antichrist then it will appeare more and more that he is King of the World indeed Now as it were his Offices are darkened his Kingly Office is darkned and his Propheticall Office is darkned but at length it will appeare that he is King of the Church and all Kingdâ—mes will be Christs There are glorious times comming especially the glorious Day of the Resurrection Christ at leâ—gth will be cleared he will be justified The Sunne at length will scatter all the clouds In the morning they gather about the Sunne as if they would cover it oh but the Sunnâ— breakes thorow all and gloriously appeares at length so Christ will scatter all clouds and gloriously appeare to be that which the Word sets him forth to be Againe as Christ will justifie himselfe so he will justifie his Church and children first or last by his Spirit His children are now accounted the off-scouring of the World they are trampled and trod upon they are the objects of scorne and hatred and who accounted so base Will Christ endure this No he that justified himselfe that is that declared himselfe and will more and more declare himselfe to be as he is will he not justifie his Church his Mysticall Body to be as they are indeed Certainely it shall appeare to the World that he will justifie them to be Kings and Priests to be Heires to be glorious to be so neere and deare to him as the Scripture sets them forth to be Whatsoever the Scripture hath spoken of the Saincts and children of God the time will come that all this shall be justified and made good by that Spirit of Christ whereby he made good whatsoever he had said of himselfe Therefore in our eclipses and disgraces let us all comfort our selves in this Let the World esteeme us for the present as the reffuse of the World as persons not worthy to be acquainted with not worthy to be regarded we shall be justified and cleared and glorified especially at that day when Christ shall come to be glorious in his Saints There is a hidden life of the Church and every Christian they have a life in Christ but that life is hid in Christ in Heaven As the Flowers in Winter they have a life but it is hidden in the root When Christ shall appeare as blessed S. Paul and S. Iohn say then it shall appeare who we are Then our glorious life that now is in our Head shall appeare then we shall be justified to be so glorious as the Scripture sets us forth to be the Church shall be glorious within and without too at that Day Therefore let us comfort our selves this hidden life though it appeare not now yet we shall be justified And hence we may answer some objections likewise Some may say How doth it appeare that Christ is King of the Church We see how the Church is trampled on at this day Where is the life and glory of the Church What! his Spouse and thus used What! his Turtle and thus pulled and plucked by the Birds of prey I answer Looke with other Spectacles with the eye of Faith and then you shall see a Spring in the Winter of the Church how-ever she be now abased and eclipsed yet she shall be justified and it will appeare that Christ regards his Church and people and children more then all the World besides onely there must be a conformitie It was fit there should be a time of Christs abasement how should he have suffred else the World would never have crucified God they could not have done it Therefore he was abased he veiled his God-head under his manhood under a base condition so he passed thorow suffering to glory So it must be in the Body of Christ it must passe thorow the veile of infirmities of weakenesse affliction and disgrace how else should it be conformable to Christ If Christ had justified himselfe at all times in his humiliation he could not have suffered if we should be justified now and appeare to all the World who we are who would persecute us how could we be conformable to Christ Therefore let us quietly and meekely a while endure these things that are nothing but to conforme us to our Head knowing this that as he was justified by little and little till he was perfectly justified when he was raysed from the dead so we shall be perfectly justified and freed from all imputations at the last day when by the same Spirit that raysed him wee shall be raysed up too Nay in this World when it is for his glory and for our good he will bring our righteousnesse to light as the Noone-day he will free us from the imputations that the World layes on us he will have a care of our credit For as Christ was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God in a fit time so shall we when we are fit Then the World shall see that we are not the men that prophane bitter malicious persons led with the spirit of the Devill charged us to be Let us take no scandall at the present afflictions of the Church Christ will justifie his mysticall Body by his glorious power in good time Antichrist shall not alway ruffle in the World Christ will be justified to be the King and Ruler of the World All power is committed to him But we see it now Antichrist rages in the World and the Church seemes to be under Hatches So it is with particular Christians those that belong to God and indeed are truly such as they professe themselves to be though with much weaknesse we see in what respect and esteeme they are had Let us comfort our selves beloved Christ justified himselfe by his Spirit and will he not justifie his poore Church and free it from the tyrannie of Antichrist Will he not advance those that are troden on now and made as the dirt in the street that they shall shine as the Sunne Therefore when you heare of the dejected state of the Churches abroade be not dismayed Consider there is a glorious King that rules the World and he will make it appeare ere long he will justifie himselfe and his Church for he suffers in his Church He is wise he sees cause to doe this he is working his owne worke he corrects and rules and purgeth his Church in the furnace of affliction but be sure the time will come that he will bring the cause of Religion to light and he will shew what side hee ownes he will justifie his Truth and tread Satan and all his members under feet this frame of things will not hold long As verily as Christ is in Heaven as verily as he is justified in his owne person by his Spirit by his
some of the Heathens had of divine things what reprobate and malicious judgements they had how basely they esteemed of the Iewes the Iewish Nation sayth Tully shew how God regards them in that she hath beene overcome so oft by Nebuchadnezzar and Pompey c. What a reasoning was this And that proud Historian Tacitus how scornfully doth he speake of Christians It is not to be imagined the pride that was in the Heathens against the Iewish Religion especially the Christian Religion how they scorned and persecuted it in the beginning of it So you see in the best of the Heathen men there was matter and ground of Gods just condemning of them therefore we need not quarrell with God against that But here is another Mysterie Why the Gentiles being all alike naught God should leave the better of the Gentiles and reveale Christ to the worst Were not Socrates and Plato and such like more goodly Moralists then the Corinths Ephesians What kind of people were the Corinthians A proud people Fornicator Idolaters as the Apostle sayth such were some of you here is a Mysterie It is Gods soveraigntie we must let God doe what he will he will be mercifull to whom he will be mercifull and he will neglect whom he will sayth Austin we must be very reverent in these matters it is most safe to commit all to God and usurpe no judgement here it is a Mysterie yet there is some satisfying reason may be given why the Gentiles were called when Christ came in the flesh and not before besides many Prophesies foretold that it should be so and some reason may be given why it was so Because they were to be incorporate to the Iewes to be fellow-Citizens with the Church of the Iewes they were to be of Gods Household as it is excellently and largely set down in Ephes. 2. Now Christ comming tooke downe the partition-â—all Christ is the Center in whom they meet in whom they are one therefore they met one with another when Christ came because he is the Saviour of both he is the Corner-stone wherupon both are built so that now they are fellow-Citizens since Christ came And you see in the Genealogie of Christ he came both of Iewes and Gentiles as we see in Ruth Divers of our Saviours Ancestors they were Gentiles as well as Iewes to shew that he that came of both he came to be the Saviour of both But it is the safest as I said before in these Quaere's to rest in the wise unsearchable dispensation of God and rather be thankfull that God hath reserved us to these times and places of knowledge then to aske why our fore-fathers did not know Christ. We enjoy a double Spring of the Gospel and the benefits of it First we were delivered from Heathenisme what kind of people were we in Iulius Caesars time barbarous people And after when Poperie came in God delivered us from that there was a second Spring Yet how few give God praise that hath had mercie on us Gentiles that hath delivered us from Gentilisme and from the darkenesse of Poperie but we grow wearie of Religion as they did of Manna Let us therefore make good use of it that God hath beene mercifull to us Gentiles in these later times And let us that are borne in the precincts of the Church helpe our faith in the time of temptation this way Certainely God meanes well to my soule I might have beene borne before in times of ignorance and places of ignorance and never have heard of Christ but I have beene baptized and admitted into the Church and by that there is an Obligation before I understood my selfe I was bound to beleeve in Christ God was so carefull of my soule when I understood nothing that there should be a Bond for me to beleeve in Christ if God had not meant well to my soule I should not have lived so much as to heare of the Gospell Thus we should gather upon God as the woman of Canaan did upon our Saviour Christ and fight against all distrust and unbeleefe and all temptations of Satan that present God as though he cared not for us there cannot be too much art and skill to helpe our Faith this way Againe the Gentiles have now interest in Christ since the comming of Christ and not before it is a Mysterie it were not a Mysterie if the Gentiles had had interest in Christ and beene within the Pale of the Church before There are severall degrees of the dispensation of salvation There is first the ordaining of salvation that was before all Worlds And then the Promise of salvation that was when Adam fell Then there is the procuring of salvation promised that was by Christ when he came in the flesh Then there is the promulgation and enlarging of salvation to all people this was after Christ was come in the flesh Then there is the perfect consummation of salvation in Heaven Now the execution of the Promise and the performance of all good concerning salvation it was reserved to Christs comming in the flesh and the enlargement of the Promise to all Nations was not till then I doe but touch this to shew that God hath had a speciall care of this latter Age of the World Some account the fiâ—st Age of the World to be a Golden Age the next Silver and then an Iron Age but indeed we may invert the order we live in the Golden Age the last Ages when Christ was manifested What is the glory of times and places The manifestation of Christ. The more Christ is layd open with his unsearcheable riches the more God glorifies those times and places and that is the Golden Age where the Gospel is preached Therfore we cannot be too much thankfull for that wondrous favour that we have enjoyed so long time together under the glorious Sun-shine of the Gospel Hence we have a ground likewise of enlarging the Gospel to all people because the Gentiles now have interest in Christ that Merchants and those that give themselves to Navigation they may with good successe carry the Gospel to all people There are none shut out now since Christ in this last Age of the World and certainely there is great hope of those Westerne people We see the Gospel hath imitated the course of the Sunne The Sunne of Righteousnesse hath shined like the Sun in the Firmament the Sunne begins East and goes to the West so the Gospel it began in the Easterne parts it hath left them they are under the Turkish barbarous tyrannie at this time the Gospel is now come to the Westerne parts of the World For Christ will take an holy state upon him and will not abide long where he is dis-esteemed where the Gospel is under-valued and blended with that which is prejudiciall to the sinceritie of it when there is little care had what men beleeve The state of the Gospel and
the radicall grace in a Christians soule is this beleeving this trusting in God reconciled in Christ this relying upon Christ a convincing perswasion that God and Christ are mine this is the radicall grace of all other let us water and cherish this by all meanes whatsover And to this end let us labour to encrease in knowledge I know whom I have beleeved sayth the Apostle for all grace comes into the soule by the light of knowledge whatsoever is good is conveyed by light into the heart Faith especially is the bent of the will to Christ receiving him but this comes by a supernaturall light discovering Christ. Therefore let us desire to heare much of Christ of his Priviledges and Promises the more of Christ we know the more we shall beleeve and say with the Apostle I know whom I have beleeved It is a fond and wicked Tenent of the Papists to say That Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion and Bellarmines Tenent is That Faith is better defined by Ignorance then by any thing else a fond and unlearned conceit For how soever the reason and depth of the things of Faith cannot be searched yet we may know the things that are revealed in the Scriptures The more I know the things that are revealed concerning Christ and know that they are Gods Truths the more I know the more I shall beleeve Faith of necessity requires knowledge therefore knowledge is put for all other graces This is eternall life to know thee and whom thou hast sent because it is an ingredient in all graces it is a maine ingredient in Faith the more we know the more we shall beleeve They that know thy Name will trust in thee It is not so in mens matters the more we know a man to be able and loving and faithfull of his word the more we shall trust him Is it not so in divine things the more we know of Christ and of his Riches and Truth the more experimentall knowledge we have of him that we find him to be so the more we shall trust him Therefore by the knowledge that is gotten by the meanes let us labour for an experimentall knowledge that so we may trust and beleeve in him more and more Let us looke to the passages of our lives in former times how gracious God hath been towards us and take in trust the time to come that he will be so to the end He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith And let us search into the depth of our owne wants and weaknesses and this will force us to grow in Faith more and more this will be a meanes to encrease our Faith the more we see of our owne nothingnesse and inabilitie without Christ that we are nothing nay that we are miserable without him the more we shall cleave to him and cast our selves upon him Those that have the deepest apprehensions of their owne wants and weakenesse usually they have the deepest apprehensions of Christ and grow more and more rooted in him The searching of our owne corruptions every day is a notable meanes to grow in Faith to consider what we are if it were not for Gods mercy in Christ and this will make us to make out of our selves to Christ it will make us flye to the Citie of Refuge Ioab when he was pursued he fled to the Hornes of the Altar when conscience pursues us it will make us flye to the Hornes of the Altar to the Citie of Refuge a search into our owne conscience and wayes will force us to live by Faith and to exercise Faith every day in Christ Iesus And this is to feed on Christ daily to flye to Christ when we are stung with sinne and hunger in the want of grace and strength to flye to him for supply and so to keepe and encrease Faith by this excellent meanes Christ is all in all to those that hope to be saved by him Christ is the ground of our life and comfort and our happinesse Therefore we should make out to him upon all occasions to cleave to him in life and death We cannot presse this point of Faith too much Why are Christians called beleevers because beleeving is all if we can prove the Truth of our Faith and beleefe we prove all if we be faulty in that all is rotten Whatsoever is without faith is sinne All mens naturall morality and civility it is as it were but Copper graces but counterfeits they are but for the outwarp appearance and not in truth they are not enlivened and quickned by Faith in Christ. But I leave this and come to the last Clause Received up in glory This is the last Branch of this Divine Mysterie of Godlinesse but it is none of the least Christ ascended if we respect himselfe he was received if we looke to his Father himselfe ascended his Father received him the Scripture hath both words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he ascended up that is for himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was received up that is he was assumpted there is no difficulty in the words he ascendâ—d up as well as he was received up positively as well as passively In his death he was â—ot onely crucified by others and delivered by his Father but he gave himselfe to death so he was not onely received up in glory but he ascended up into glory This shewes the exaltation of Christ. The Apostle begins with God manifest in the flesh there is the descent a great Mysterie for the great God to descend into the Wombe of a Vigin to descend to the lowest parts of the Earth and then he ends with this Received up in Glory The ascent is from whence the descent was Christ ascended and was received as high as the place was whence he came downe God manifest in the flesh that is the beginning of all Received up in Glory that is the consumutation and shutting up of all It implyes all his Exaltation his Resurrection his Ascension his sitting at the right hand of God and his comming to judge the quick and the dead especially is meant his Glory after his Resurrection his Ascension and sitting at the right hand of God yet supposing his Resurrection Received up to Glory Glory implyes three things It is an exemption from that which is opposite and a conquering over the contrarie base condition It implyes some great eminencie and excellencie as the foundation of it and then a manifestation of that excellencie and it implyes victorie over all opposition Though there be excellency if there be not a manifestation of that excellencie it is not glory Christ was inwardly glorious while he was on Earth in the state of abasement he had true glory as he was God and man but there was not a manifestation of it and therefore it is not properly called glory there was not a victorie and subduing of all that was contrarie to his glory for he was abased and suffered in the Garden and
carryed it to Heaven with him Here was the Mysterie of the Exaltation of our nature God was as much abased as he could be being borne and dying for us our humane nature was as much advanced as it could be when God raised it up to Heaven God could be no more abased remaining God and mans nature can be no more advanced remaining the true nature of man This is a great Mysterie the advancement of our nature in Christ that was made lower then the Angels he was a worme and no man now our nature in Christ is advanced above the Angels Now this nature of ours in Christ it is next to the nature of God in dignitie here is a Mysterie Among many other respects it is a Mysterie for the greatnesse of it We see after his Ascension when he appeared to Paul in glory a glimpse of it strucke Paul downe he could not endure it Nay before he suffered a very shadow of his glory it amazed Peter and Iames and Iohn they could not beare it they forgat themselves Let us build say they three Tabernacles c. If a little discoverie of his glory on Earth wrought these effects what great glory is it then that he hath in Heaven Certainely it is beyond all expression In this glorious condition that Christ is received into he fulfils all his Offices in a most comfortable manner He is a glorious Prophet to send his Spirit now to teach and open the heart he is a glorious Priest to appeare before God in the Holy of Holies in Heaven for us for ever and he is a King there for ever from thence hee rules his Church and subdues his enemies So that though he accomplished and fulfilled those blessed Offices that were appointed him in the state of humiliation on Earth as it became that state to suffer for us yet it was necessarie that he should enter into glory to manifest that he was a King Priest and Prophet for he was not manifested who he was indeed to our comfort till he was received up in glory We had not the Spirit the Holy-Ghost sent from above till he ascended as it is in Iohn 7. The Holy-Ghost was not given because Christ was not ascended to apply and to helpe us make use of Christ and all his benefits and riches so that in regard of the manifestation of Christs Offices and of application of all the good we have by it it is by Christ received up in glory To come to some application First of all we must lay this for a ground and foundation of what followes That Christ ascended as a publike person he must not be considered as a particular person alone by himselfe but as the second Adam As he tooke the nature of man in his Incarnation so he ascended into Heaven in it as a publike person As the first Adam was in whom we all sinned and all came to misery and basenesse and died so Christ must be considered as the second Adam as in other things so in his ascension to glory In the second place we must know that there is a wondrous neerenesse betweene Christ and us now for before we can thinke of any comfort by the glory of Christ we must be one with him by Faith for he is the Saviour of his Body therefore we must be in him we must be his members we must be his Spouse and being so once we are one with Christ. There is no relation in the world that is able to expresse the neerenesse betweene Christ and us sufficiently and therefore when we speake of Christ ascended into glory we must needs think of our selves of our glory and advancement he was taken up to glory in our nature not only for himselfe but for all his As the husband of the Church he is gone before to take up Heaven for his wife as a husband takes up Land in another Countrey for his Spouse though she be not there Christ hath taken up Heaven for us I goe before to prepare a place for you So likewise he is in Heaven as a glorious Head ministring vertue and comfort and strength to all his all our power and strength it comes from Christ now as our Head in Heaven Againe there is a causality the force of a cause in this because Christ therefore we here is not onely a priority of order but a cause likewise and there is great reason Was there the force of a cause in Adam that was but meere man to convey sinne and misery and the displeasure of God to all that are borne and descend of him and is there not the force of a cause in the second Adam to convey grace and glory to his he being God man Therefore whatsoever is good it is first in Christ and then in us Christ first rose therefore we shall rise he ascended into glory therefore we shall be afterward in glory And then we must consider Christ not onely as an efficient cause but as a patterne and example how we shall be glorified he is not onely the efficient of all glory within and without but he is the exemplary cause for all is first in him and then in us he was first abased and so must we and then he was glorified and so shall we we must be conformable to his abasement and then to his glory he is the first fruits of them that sleepe he being the first fruits we succeed These things being premised as grounds I come to make some use of this comfortable point Christ is received up in glory Therefore first of all for our information we must not seeke him in a Wafer-cake we must not looke for him in the Sacrament bodily how can he be there when he is received up in glory Therefore when we come to the Sacrament let us consider we have now to deale with Christ who is in Heaven Cannot Christ shew his vertue to comfort and strengthen us but we must have his Body in the Communion to touch our bodies The foot hath influence from the head yet the head is distant from it in place The utmost branches have life and sap from the root yet they are remote in respect of place A King spreads his influence over his whole Kingdom though it be never so large yet he is but in one place in respect of his person Doth the Sunne in the Heavens come downe to the Earth to make the Spring and to make all fruâ—tfull Cannot he send beames and influence from thence to cherish the Earth Must Christ come downe in his Body to us or else he can doe us no good Must there be a corporeall descent or else we can receive no influence from him There may be a derivation of vertue from Christ though his person be in Heaven where he shall remaine till the last day when he shall come to be glorious in his Saints The Sunne doth more good being in Heaven
then he could doe if he were on the Earth if the Sun were lower what wouâ—d become of the Earth But being so remote and so farre above he hath opportunity to shine over the greatest part of the Earth at once being greater then the Earth he shineth over more then halfe the Earth at once Christ being in Heaven as the Sunne of Righteousnesse he shines more gloriously over all and we have more comfort and benefit and influence from Christ now in Heaven then we could if he were on Earth Must we needs make him bodily present every where as the Papists doe and other Heterodox strange conceited men in Germanie What need we doe thus when there may be influence from Christ now in Heaven to us on Earth as we see in other things without confusion of his Divine properties to his Body or making his Body as his God-head is Therefore seeke him not bodily any where but in Heaven Those Opinions overthrow three Articles of our Faith at once He ascâ—nded into Heaven He sitteth at the right hand of God and He shall come to judge the quicke and the dead And where is his Body in the meane time in the Sacrament No he is received up in glory Therefore we must have our thoughts in heaven when we are about that businesse we must lift up our hearts as it is in our Liturgie which is taken out of the ancient Liturgie We lift them up unto the Lord we must have holy thoughts raysed up to Christ in Heaven Againe is Christ received up to glory Here is singular comfort considering what I said before that he is ascended as a publike person in our behalfe in our nature for our good Therefore when we thinke of Christ in Heaven think of our Husband in Heaven thinke of our selves in Heaven We are set together in heavenly places with Christ as the Apostle saith Ephes. 2. We have a glorious life but it is hid with Christ in Heaven When Christ himselfe shall be revealed our life shall be revealed though we creepe upon the Earth as wormes yet notwithstanding we have communion and fellowship with Christ who is joyned with us in the same Mysticall Body who is now at the right hand of God in Heaven and he that hath glorified his naturall Body in Heaven that he tooke upon him he will glorifie his Mysticall Body for he tooke flesh and blood his naturall Body for the glory of his Mysticall Body that he might bring his Church to glory Therefore we ought as verily to beleeve that he will take his Mysticall Body and every particular member of it to Heaven as he hath taken his naturall Body and hath set it there in glory It is a comfort in the houre of death that we yeeld up our soules to Christ who is gone before to provide a place for us this was one end of his taking up to Heaven to provide a place for us Therefore when we die we have not a place to seeke our house is provided before hand Christ was taken up to glory to provide glory for us Even as Paradise was provided for Adam before he was made so we have a heavenly Paradise provided for us we had a place in Heaven before we were borne What a comfort is this at the houre of death and at the death of our friends that they are gone to Christ and to glory We are shut out of the first Paradise by the first Adam our comfort is that now the heavenly Paradise in Christ is open This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise sayth Christ to the good Theefe There was an Angell to keepe Paradise when Adam was shut out but there is none to keepe us out of Heaven nay the Angels are ready to convey our soules to Heaven as they did Lazarus and as they accompanied Christ in his Ascension to Heaven so they doe the soules of his children Likewise in our sinnes and infirmities when we have to deale with God the Father whom we have offended with 〈◊〉 sinnes let he 〈…〉 comfort from hence Christ is ascended into Heaven to appeare before his Father 〈◊〉 a Mediator for us and therefore God turnes 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 from us we have a friend a favorite in the Court of Heaven the Sonne of God himselfe at his Fathers right hand he makes inteâ—â—â—ssioâ— for us As Ionathan appeareth in 〈◊〉 Court to speake a good word and to plead for David so our Ionathan Iesus Christ but with farre better successe appeares in the Court of Heaven for us continuing our peace with God in our daily breaches perfuming our prayers And there is no danger of his death for He is a Priest for ever at the right hand of God to make intercession for us his very presenting himselfe in Heaven speaks for us As if he should say These persons that aske in my Name they are such persons as I was borne for such as I obeyed for such as I dyed for such as I was sent into the world to work the great wolke of Redemption for for he wrought our Redemption in his abased estate but he applyes it as he is exalted application is as necessary as merit we have no good by the worke of Redemption without application and for that end he appeares in heaven for us and pleads for us For even as there is speech attributed to Abels blood it cryed Vengeance Vengeance so Christ appearing now in heaven for us his blood cryes Mercie Mercie these are those I shed my blood for Mercie Lord The very appearing of him that shed his blood it cryes for mercy at the Throne of Mercie which is therefore a Throne of Mercie because he is there he shed his blood to satisfie Justice to make way for Mercie In the Law the High-Priest after he had offered a Sacrifice of blood he was to goe into the Holy of Holies so Christ after he had offered himself for a Sacrifice he went into the Holy of Holies into heaven to appeare before God And as the High-Priest when he went into the Holy of Holies he had the names of the twelve Tribes on his brest to shew that he appeared before God for them all so Christ being gone into the Holy of Holies into heaven he hath all our names upon his brest that is in his heart the name of every particular beleever to the end of the world to present them before God Therefore when we have to deale with God thinke of Christ now glorious in heaven appearing for us God can denie him nothing nor denie us any thing that we aske in his Name we have his Promise for it It is a ground likewise of contentment in all conditions whatsoever our wants be What if we want comfort houses c. on Earth when we have Heaven provided for us and Glory provided for us when we are already so glorious in our Head Shall not any condition content a man in this world
what manner of men ought we to be in holy conversation We should keepe our selves unspotted of the wicked world Shall we thinke to have communion and fellowship with Christ in glory when we make the members of Christ the members of Harlot when we make our tongues instruments of blaspheming God and Christ as a company of vile wretches that will come to the Ordinances of God and yet have not overcome their Atheisticall nature so much as to leave their swearing and filthy courses Doe we think to have communion with Christ in glory and not get the victorie over these base courses Doe we professe our selves to be Christians and live like Pagans Hath God such need of people to fill heaven with that he will have such uncleane persons Shall we have such base thoughts of heaven No beloved these things must be left if ever upon good ground we will entertaine thoughts of fellowship in this glory There is a new Heaven and a new Earth for the new creature and onely for such Let us not delude our selves there must be a correspondence betweene the Head and the members not onely in glory but in grace and the conformitie in grace is before the conformitie in glory Will God overturne his methode and order for our sakes No No all that come to Heaven he guides them by his Spirit here in grace and then he brings them to glory He gives gâ—ace and glory and no good thing shall be wanting to them that leade a godly life but first grace and then glory Therefore let not the Devill abuse us nor our owne false hearts to pretend a share in this glory when we finde no change in our selves when we finde not so much strength as to get the victorie over the base and vile corruptions of the world The Apostle from this ground inferres mortification of our earthly members You are risen with Christ your life is hid with Christ in God and we are dead with Christ Therefore we ought to mortifie all sinfull lusts For the soule being finite it cannot be carryed up to these things that are of a spirituall holy and divine consideration but it must dye in its love and affection and care to earthly things and sinfull courses Therfore let us never thinke that we beleeve these things indeed unlesse we finde a disposition by grace to kill and subdue all things that are contrarie to this condition Though somewhat there will be in us to humble us or else why are Precepts of Mortification given to them that were Saints alreadie but that there is somewhat will draw us downe to abase us But this is no comfort to him that is not the child of God that lives in filthie courses that he might easily command him selfe in let him abandon the name of a Christian he hath no interest to the comfort of this that Christ is received up to glory Againe the Mysterie of Christs Glory it tends to godlinesse in this respect to stirre us up to heavenly-mindednesse The Apostle doth divinely force this in the fore-named place Coloss. 3.1 If ye be risen with Christ seeke the things that are above From our communion with Christ rising and ascending into Heaven and sitting there in glory he forceth heavenly mindednesse that our thoughts should be where our Glory is where our Head and Husband is and certainely there is nothing in the world more strong to enforce an heavenly mind then this to consider where we are in our Head Christ our Head and Husband is taken up into glory there is our Inheritance there are a great many of our fellow brethren there is our Countrey there is our happinesse We are for Heaven and not for this world this is but a passage to that glory that Christ hath taken up for us and therefore why should we have our minds groveling here upon the Earth Certainely if we have interest in Christ who is in glory at the right hand of God it is impossible but our soules will be raysed to heaven in our affections before we be there in our bodies All that are Christians they are in heaven in their spirit and conversation before-hand our heavy dull earthly soules being touched by his Spirit they will ascend up The Iron when it is touched with the Loadstone though it be an heavy body it ascends up to the Loadstone it followes it The Sunne it drawes up vapours that are heavy bodies of themselves Christ as the Loadstone being in Heaven he hath an attractive force to draw us up There is not the earthliest disposition in the world if our hearts were as heavy as Iron if we have communion with Christ and have our hearts once touched by his Spirit he will draw us up though of our selves we be heavy and lumpish This meditation that Christ our Head is in glory and that we are in heaven in him and that our happinesse is there it will purge and refine us from our earthlynesse and draw up our Iron heavy cold hearts It is an argument of a great deale of Atheisme and infidelitie in our hearts as indeed our base nature is prone to sinke downe and to be carryed away with present things that professing to beleeve that Christ is risen and ascended into heaven and that he is there for us yet that we should be plodding and plotting altogether for the Earth as if there were no other heaven as if there were no happinesse but that which is to be found below There is nothing here that can satisfie the capacious nature of man therefore we should not rest in any thing here considering the great things that are reserved for us where Christ is in glory Therefore when we finde our soules falling downe of themselves or drawne downeward to base cares and earthly contentments by any thing here below let us labour to rayse up our selves with such meditations I know not any more fruitfull then to consider the glory to come and the certainetie of it Christ is taken into glory not for himselfe onely but for all his for Where I am sayth he it is my will that they be there also Christ should lose his prayer if we should not follow him to Heaven it is not onely his prayer but his will and he is in Heaven to make good his will The Wills of men may be frustrate because they are dead but he lives to make good his owne will and his will is that we be where he is Now if a man beleeve this can he be base and earthly-minded Certainely no Where our treasure is our hearts will be there also by the rule of Christ where the body is the Eagles will resort if we did make these things our treasure we would mount above earthly things there is nothing in the world would be sufficient for us if we had that esteeme of Christ and the glory where Christ is as we should and might have And it is
not only meditation of these things that will cause us to be heavenly-minded but Christ as a Head of influence in Heaven conveyes spirituall life to draw us up When I am ascended I will draw all men after me There is a vertue from Christ that doth it there is a necessitie of the cause and consequence as well as strength of reason and equitie there is an influence issuing from Christ our Head to make us so indeed therefore those that are otherwise they may thanke themselves The best of us indeed have cause to be abased that we betray our comfort and the meanes that we have of raysing up our dead and dull hearts for want of meditation Let us but keepe this Faith in exercise that Christ is in Heaven in glory and we in him are in Heaven as verily as if we were there in our persons as we shall be ere long and then let us be uncomfortable and base and earthly-minded if we can To conclude all As the soule of man is first sinfull and then sanctified first humble and then raysed so our meditations of Christ must be in this order first thinke of Christ as abased and crucified for the first comfort that the soule hath is in Christ manifested in the flesh before it come to received up into glory Therefore if we would have comâ—ortable thoughts of this Christ received up in glory thinke of him first manifest in the flesh let us have recourse in our thoughts to Christ in the Wombe of the Virgin to Christ borne and lying in the Manger going up and downe doing good hungring and thirsting suffering in the Garden sweating water and blood nayled on the Crosse crying to his Father My God my God why hast thou forsaken me finishing all upon the Crosse lying three dayes in the Grave have recourse to Christ thus abased and all for us to expiate our sinne he obeyed God to satisfie for our disobedience Oh here will be comfortable thoughts for a wounded soule pierced with the sense of sinne assaulted by Satan To thinke thus of Christ abased for our sinnes and then to thinke of him taken up into glory In the Sacrament our thoughts must especially have recourse in the first place to Christs Body broken and his blood shed as the Bread is broken and the Wine poured out that we have benefit by Christs abasement and suffering by satisfying his Fathers wrath and reconciling us to God Then thinke of Christ in Heaven appearing there for us keeping that happinesse that he hath purchased by his death for us and applying the benefit of his death to our soules by his Spirit which he is able to shed more abundantly being in that high and holy place Heaven for the Spirit was not given in that abundance before Christ was ascended to glory as it hath beene since In this manner and order we shall have comfortable thoughts of Christ. To thinke of his glory in the first place it would dazle our eyes it would terrifie us being sinners to thinke of his glory being now ascended but when we thinke of him as descended first as he sayth Who is he that ascended but he that descended first into the lower parts of the Earth So who is this that is taken up in glory is it not he that was manifest in our flesh before This will be comfortable Therefore let us first begin with Christs abasement and then we shall have comfortable thoughts of his exaltation These points are very usefull being the maine grounds of Religion having an influence into our lives and conversations above all others other points have their life and vigour and quickning from these grand Mysteries which are the food of the soule Therefore let us oft feed our thoughts with these things of Christs abasement and glory considering him in both as a publike person the second Adam and our Suretie and then see our selves in him and labour to have vertue from him fitting us in body and soule for such a condition The very serious meditation of these things will put a glory upon our soules and the beleeving of them will transforme us from glory to glory FINIS ANGELS Acclamations OR THE NATIVITY of CHRIST celebrated by the heavenly Host. BY The late learned and reverend Divine RICHARD SIBS Doctor in Divinity Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at Grayes-Inne ISAI 9.6 To us a Child is borne to us a Sonne is given 1 PET. 1.12 Which things the Angels desire to looke into LONDON Printed by E. P. for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and Rapha Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes head Alley in Pater-noster Row 1638. ANGELS ACCLAMATIONS LUKE 2.13 14. And suddenly there was with the Angell a multitude of the heavenly Host praising GOD and saying Glory to GOD in the highest and on earth peace Good will towards men THE Words are few and pregnant very precious having much excellency in a little quantity The Heavens never opened but to great purpose when God opens his mouth it is for some speciall end and when the Angels appeared it was upon some extraordinary occasion This was the most glorious Apparition that ever was setting aside that that was at Christs Baptisme when the Heavens opened and the Father spake and the Holy-Ghost appeared in the likenesse of a Dove upon the head of Christ when all the Trinity appeared but there was never such an apparition of Angels as at this time and there was great cause for there was never such a ground for it whether we regard the matter it selfe the incarnation of Christ there was never such a thing from the beginning of the World nor never shall be in this World for God to take mans nature on him for Heaven and Earth to joyne together for the Creator to become a creature Or whether we regard the benefit that comes to us thereby Christ by this meanes brings God and man together since the fall Christ is the accomplishment of all the Prophesies of all the promises they were made in him and for him therefore he was the expectation of the Gentiles Before he was borne he was revealed by degrees First generally The seed of the woman c. Then more particularly to Abraham and his seed and then to one Tribe Iudah that hee should come of him then to one family the house of David and then more particularly a Virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne and the place Bethlehem till at the last Iohn Baptist pointed him out with the finger Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world Even as after midnight the Sun growes up by little and little till his beames stâ—â—ke forth in the morning and after it appeares in glory so it was with the Sunne of Righteousnesse as he came nearer so hee discovers himselfe more gloriously by degrees till hee was borne indeed and then you see here a multitude of Angels
The verbe is not set downe here whether it should be Glory is given to God or whether by way of wishing Let glory be given to God or by way of prediction or prophesie for the time to come glory shall be to God from hence to the end of the world the verbe being wanting all have a truth For first it cannot be a wish unlesse it were a positive doctrinall truth that all glory is due to God in the Incarnation of Christ and because all glory is due to him thereupon comes the ground of wishing and of prayer Let God be glorified why because it is due if it were not a positive doctrinall truth there could be no foundation to raise a wish or a prayer for what is a prayer but the turning of a promise or truth into a prayer and what is praise but the turning of a truth into praise so it is a doctrinall truth First that God is to be glorified especially in Christ and in Christ in this particular in the Incarnation of Christ. And it is a wish for the time to come let him be glorified and a prediction God shall be glorified in the Church hee shall alway have some to glorifie him for Christ and especially for his Incarnation Glory to God on high Glory is excellency greatnes and goodnes with the eminency of it so as it may be discovered There is a fundamentall Glory in things that are not discovered at all times God is alwayes glorious but alas few have eyes to see it but here I take it for the excellency and eminency of the goodnesse and greatnesse of God discovered and taken notice of In the former part of the Chapter Light is called the glory of the Lord Light is a glorious creature nothing expresseth glory so much as light it is a sweet creature but it is a glorious creature it carries it's evidence in it selfe it discovers all other things and it selfe too So excellency and eminency will discover it selfe to those that have eyes to see it and being manifested and withall taken notice of is glory In that the Angels begin with the glory of God I might speake of this doctrine that The glory of God the setting forth of the excellencies and eminencies of the Lord should be the end of our lives the chiefe thing we should ayme at The Angels here begin with it and wee begin with it in the Lords prayer hallowed bee thy name it should be our maine imployment Of him and by him are all things therefore to him be glory Rom. 11. Therefore wee should give God that which is his owne Thine is the glory as it is in the conclusion of the Lords Prayer but this being a generall point I will passe it by and come to the particular in which 〈◊〉 will more comfortably appeare as this glory shines in Christ in the Incarnation of Christ there is matter of glorifying God both the Angels and men And here I doe not take the Incarnation of Christ abstractively from other things in Christ ' But I take the Incarnation of Christ as a foundation prerequisite to all the other good we have by Christ glory to God on high now Christ is borne why only that he is borne No but by reason of this Incarnation there is a union of the two natures God and man so that by the Incarnation now Christ is man and holy man the humane nature in Christ is pure and holy being sanctified by the Spirit and united to God now Christ being not onely man but pure man and God-man God taking our nature to the unitie of his person hence it is that he comes to be qualified for all that he did and suffered after it was from hence that they had their worth What was the reason that his being made a curse and to dye for us should be of such worth It came from a person that was God-man nay so neere is the manhood to God that what the manhood did God did because the person was God the second person taking the nature of man and what he suffred in his humane nature God suffred according to mans nature hence comes that phrase of the communication of properties whatever was done or suffred in mans nature God did as a Mediator God did it in that nature thereupon comes the price of it thus the Incarnation is a pre-requisite foundation to all other benefits by Christ therefore take it conjoyned his Incarnation and his death and resurrection and ascention and all Well then The incarnation of Christ together with the benefits to us by it that is Redemption Adoption c. It is that wherein God will shew his glory most of all That is the doctrinall truth the glory excellency of God doth most shine in his love mercy in Christ. Every excellency of God hath its proper place or Theatre where it is seene as his power in the Creation his Wisedome in his Providence and ruling of the world his Justice in hell his Majestie in heaven but his Mercy and kindnesse his bowels of tender mercy doe most of all appeare in his Church among his people God shewes the excellency of his goodnesse and mercy in the Incarnation of Christ and the benefits we have by it many Attributes and excellencies of God shine in Christ as His truth All the promises of God are yea and Amen in Christ there is an accomplishment of all the promises And then his wisedome that hee could reconcile Justice and Mercy by joyning two natures together this plot was in heaven by God the Father the Sonne and the Holy-Ghost the Trinity that God and man should be joyned together to joyn and knit two Attributes seeming contrary Justice and Mercy to reconcile man by reconciling Justice and Mercy and by such an excellent way that God should become man Emanuel this was a great wisedome to reconcile Justice and Mercy by such a Person as should satisfie Justice and give way to Mercy that is by Christ. God will lose none of his Attributes his Justice must be satisfied that his Mercy might be manifested the wisdome of God found out that way it is a plot the Angels study in Likewise here is Justice Justice fully satisfied in Christ he became our Surety who is God as well as man if no creature can satisfie God God can when the second Person tooke our nature and was our Surety and dyed for us here was the glory of his Justice And of his holinesse that hee would be no otherwise satisfied for sinne it was so foule a thing that to shew his hatred of it he punished it in his owne Sonne when he became our Surety How holy and pure is God that is what a separation is there in the nature of God from sin considering that he so punished it in his Son our Surety that he made him crie out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me We
preached that the Devill hath a kind of reigne and God is not honoured at all because the Devill is the Prince of darkenesse and rules in darknesse that is one cause Ignorance So likewise Unbeleefe when we heare and see and know the notion of mercy and of Christ and can dispute of these things like men that talke of that they never tasted of the Devils know all these things better then any man yet they doe not glorifie God because they doe not beleeve that these things pertaine to them men want a light sutable to the truth of the things themselves a man may see them with a naturall light or with the light of education or by bookes or the like but not in a spirituall and proper light he sees not spirituall heavenly things in a spirituall light and that is the reason hee beleeves them not these two vayles are the cause why we see not the light of God shining in the Gospell and why wee doe not glorifie him Light is a glorious creature it was the first creature it is not onely glorious in it selfe but it shewes the glory of all other things too if we had all the sights in the world presented to us if there were no light to discover them or no sight in our eyes if either be wanting all the glory of them would be lost So it is in the Gospell though there be wondrous admirable things there if we want either light or sight if the light shine round about us and the God of this world have blinded our eyes and infidelity have blinded us how can we glorifie God wanting a heavenly proper peculiar spirituall light sutable to the things for a naturall man by the light that he hath cannot judge of them these are the maine hindrances the vayle of ignorance and unbeleefe And on the contrary there is another hindrance that is too much light either want of light altogether or too much light when by the preaching of the word of God awaking our conscience and shewing our sinnes so enormous so transcendent so odious that we forget mercy in Christ and so dishonour Christ to set the sinnes of the creature above the infinite mercy of the Creator as those that doubt and from doubting proceed to despaire of the mercy of God seeing the vilenesse of their sinnes in the true colours of them and seeing and feeling Gods anger and wrath together with their sinnes in the conscience here is too much light one way and not looking to the other light this excellent glorious infinite light of Gods mercy shining in the Gospell they looke not on God in the face of Christ out of some stubbornesse and pride they flatter themselves they will not beleeve they will not receive the consolations due to them but dwell upon the consideration of their unworthinesse and sinnes and Satan holds them in that slavery and bondage This is a great hinderance of glorifying of God when we lift up our sinnes above the mercy of God in Iesus Christ this is to take away God and Christ altogether for if the mercy and rich and bountifull goodnesse of God wherein he will be infinitely glorious were not greater then our sinnes it were not the mercy and bounty of a God God should not be glorious in it be there are but few of these that miscarry God usually shines upon them at the last There are three rankes of men some are in the first prophane dead loose Christians that were never under the Law that never understood the corruption of nature nor themselves some are brought from that to understand themselves a little too much that are under the Law and feele the flashes of Gods wrath and some in the third place are brought from hence to be under grace that is the onely happy condition to be under the grace of God in Christ some men never come to the second step they never understand what sinne is and what the anger and wrath of God is they will give their conscience no leisure to tell them what their condition is there is hope of the second that they will come to the third rancke but for a company of prophane persons opposers of goodnesse to talke of the mercy of God in Christ they are not in the next steppe to it a man must be sensible of his sinnes and of his misery before he can have grace therefore for those that have too much light though it be a great fault in some and hinders God of much glory and themselves of much comfort out of this peevish stubbornesse of theirs yet there are not many of them and as I said few of them miscarry Now from these two vayles that hinder the glory of God there come other hindrances for the soule of man will wonder and admire at some-what it will have some-what in the eye of it hereupon not seeing or not beleeving the mercy and goodnesse and love of God and the excellent prerogatives of a Christian issuing from the goodnesse of God and the fruits of it they dote upon some worldly excellency either they are proud of their parts and so God is robbed of his honour or on creatures meaner then themselves for the base nature of man since the fall it dotes upon earth upon gold and silver meane and base things not to be compared to the excellency of man or else upon some duties they performe upon their owne workes as if God should be beholding to them for not knowing themselves well and the infinite glory of God in Christ that God must have all the glory not onely of happinesse but of grace that brings us to happinesse they glory in that they have done as in Popery they thinke they merit much by their performance In the night time a Torch seemes a goodly thing and sometimes rotten wood will shine but in the day time when the Sunne appeares the very starres shine not wee care not for meaner lights for what good doe they then so the soule when it wants a sight of the greatest excellency it dotes upon rotten wood upon every Torch light many vaine things seeme to be great a man may see by the dispositions of many what they admire and stand upon most their carryages shewes it well enough it argues a corrupt and weake judgement you see what are the mayne hindranceâ— Now the way to attaine to this glorious duty to glorifie God the next thing shall be to give some directions because it is a most necessary duty is it not that we pray for in the Lords prayer Hallowed be thy name and what is the end that we were created and redeemed for but that God may have some glory by us therefore being a necessary absolute duty let us hearken to some directions that may helpe us that way First therefore if we would glorifie God we must redeeme some time to think of these things and bestow the strength of our thoughts this way
thoughts of that will be a good meanes for we must empty our selves of that we are that we may be filled with that we are not and we must daily consider the emptinesse of the creature wherewith we labour to support our selves For when men have no goodnesse in themselves they will have an excellency in the creature therefore when wee see our selves out of Christ to be nothing but fuell for Gods vengeance and see that the creature can afford us nothing but vexation these thoughts that these things are so and out of experience will make us draw neere to God upon all occasions it will make us glorifie him and abase our selves what made Iob abase himselfe and glorifie God when he drew neere to God and God drew neere to him I abhorre my selfe and so we see in Abraham Let us draw neere to God upon all occasions in the Word and Prayer and in the Sacrament and this will make us see our owne nothingnesse and Gods greatnesse for that is the way to honour him to see his greatnesse and a nothingnesse in the creature that all things in him are so excellent and out of him nothing and worse then nothing Now wee are to draw neere to God in the Sacrament and the neerer to God the more we honour him who honours God most surely Christ because he is so neere him being God and man in one Person and next to him the blessed Angels glorifie God they are neere him therefore in Isay 6. they cover their faces it being impossible for the creature to comprehend the great Majestie of God and they cover their feet in modesty the neerer we draw to God in the meditation and consideration of his excellencie in the ordinances the more humble and abased wee shall be in our selves and the more we shall honour God seeing his excellency especially of his love So next to the Angels the Saints All thy workes praise thee Psal. 145. They give matter and occasion but Thy Saints blesse thee If it were not for a few Saints on earth though all the workes of God are matter of praise they could not praise God Thy Saints blesse thee and the neerer we come to God the fitter we are for this Now there is a wondrous neere comming to God in the Sacrament if we come prepared we come to have communion and strengthening in Christ he is both the Inviter and the Feast it selfe we come to be made one with him bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh therefore if wee come prepared this is the way to bring us to a disposition to glorifie God you see here the wondrous infinite love of God in the Sacrament to stoupe so low to his creature to strengthen our faith by giving us these things God had beene good to us whether he had given us his Oath and his Seale or no but he knowes we are weake and unbeleeving and doubting therefore to helpe us he hath given us not onely his promise but his Oath and besides his Oath hee hath given us signes and Seales here is wondrous mercy Let us be encouraged to come in and admire the love of God not onely in giving his Sonne Christ for us but in affording us other meanes to strengthen our faith Let none be discouraged in the sight and sense of their owne sinnes but let them come in and they shall glorifie God the more where sinne hath abounded in their sence and feeling there grace shall more abound And those that have beene good and have slipped any way let them consider Gods infinite love in Christ it is not a Cisterne but a Spring Gods mercy in Christ and the blood of Christ is a Fountaine opened for Iudah c. that is it serves not for our first conversion onely but every day upon every occasion when we have made any breach with God we may come and wash in that Bath Christs blood The blood of Christ purgeth it is in the present tense it runnes continually in the vigour of it There is a spring of corruption in us there is a Spring of mercy in God there is a Spring of Christs blood that hath a perfect efficacy to wash our soules Therefore if we have not yet beene converted and humbled and cast downe â—or our sinnes let us now come in and give God the glory of his mercy and if we have fallen againe consider there is a Fountaine opened for Iudah and Ierusalem to wash in and let us come and renew our repentance and faith at this time Peace on Earth The same holy affection in the Angels that moved them to wish God to have his due of glory from the creature it moves them to wish peace to men likewise to shew this by the way that There can be no true zeale of Gods glory but with love to man-kind They were not so ravished with the glory of God as to forget poore man on earth oh no they have sweet pure affections to man a poorer creature then themselves Therfore let them that are injurious and violent in their dispositions and insolent in their carriage never talke of glorifying God when they despise and wrong men there are some that overthrow all peace in the earth for their owne glory but he that seekes Gods glory will procure peace what he can for they goe both together as we see here Glory to God in the highest peace on earth Now their end of wishing peace upon earth it is that men might thereby glorifie God that God being reconciled and peace being stablished in mens consciences they might glorifie God hence observe this likewise that We cannot glorifie God till we have some knowledge of our peace with him in Christ. We must have the first act to cast our selves upon Gods mercy in Christ and adhere and cleave to that mercy and then we shall feele so much comfort as shall make us glorifie God though we may question it in desertion sometimes here the Angels intending that God should have glory of all they wish peace on earth in the consciences of men especially The reason is peace comes from righteousnesse Christ is first the King of righteousnesse and then King of peace righteousnesse causeth peace now unlesse the soule be assured of righteousnesse in Christ it can have no peace what saith the Virgin Mary My soule doth magnifie the Lord and my spirit rejoyceth in God my Saviour she begins with magnifying the Lord but what was the ground she rejoyced in God as a Saviour therefore she magnified him so in the Lords Prayer wee say Our Father which is a word of the Covenant of grace when the soule conceives of God as a gracious Father reconciled in Christ and then comes Hallowed be thy Name insinuating that till we know in some measure God to be our Father we cannot with a gracious spirit say Hallowed be thy Name for can we heartily wish for the manifestation of the glory of
and pleasure or Gods good pleasure towards men Good will towards men This is the spring and roote of all the Angels begin with Glory to God and then they come to peace among men because without peace and reconciliation with God the heart of man cannot be inlarged to glorifie God the Angels would have men glorifie God as well as themselves therefore they desire peace on earth that God may be glorified in heaven Now there is no peace but issues from grace grace is Gods free good will and pleasure therefore the Angels say Good will towards men The holy Apostles they could not have better teachers for their salutations in their Epistles then to learne of the Angels as you have Saint Pauls Prefaces the same with this Evangelicall celebration and gratulation here to men Grace mercy and peace so here Peace on earth good will towards men onely the Apostles they begin Grace and peace and here the Angels Peace and grace but the meaning of the Angels and Apostles is all one for the Angels when they wish peace on earth they goe to the spring of it Good will towards men the Apostles they begin with grace the spring and then goe to peace after Good will towards men The words need not further to be explicated there is no great difficulty in them the points considerable are these God now hath a gracious good will towards men This good will is the foundation of all good And this is founded upon Christ. The first of these I will but touch because it doth but make way to the other God shewes now good pleasure towards men The love that God beares towards man hath divers termes from divers relations as it is a propension in him to doe good so it is love As it is his free so it is his good pleasure or grace as it is to persons in miserie it is mercy The fountaine of all is love But as the object is diversely considered so the termes be divers good pleasure and grace imply freedome in the party loving and mercy implies misery in the party loved Now this free good will and grace it is towards Men towards man-kind hee saith not towards Angels it is more towards men then even to good Angels in some sort for now man is taken to be the Spouse of Christ good Angels are not so neither is it good will to evill Angels for their state is determined there is no altering of their condition therefore God is called Philanthropos not Philangelos and the Scripture calls this Philanthropia the love that God hath shewed to men in Christ. Therefore wee should have thoughts of God as gracious loving our nature more then the Angelicall nature in some respects And learne this for imitation to love mankind God loved mankind and surely there is none that is borne of God but hee loves the nature of man wheresoever hee finds it hee will not stand altogether whether it be good or bad c. But because we are now in the way and our state is not determined and because God loves the nature of man therefore every man that hath the Spirit of God loves mankind he will labour to gaine Turkes or Indians c. if hee can because hee loves the very nature of man but I passe from this point to the second This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Good will of God to restore lapsed man by the sending of his Sonne is the ground of all good to man and hath no ground but it selfe Gods grace and love to the creature is altogether independant in regard of the creature God fetcheth not reasons of his love from the creature but from his owne bowels What can he foresee in persons that were dead nay in persons that were in a contrary disposition to goodnesse there is nothing but enmity in our nature to supernaturall goodnesse can God foresee grounds of love in enmity As Moses tels the people of Israel in divers places Deut. 7. and 8. That it was not for any foresight of good in them they were the stubbornest people under heaven therefore God to shew his free love hee chose a stubborne people and singled them out to be the object of his mercy so God oftimes takes the unlikeliest then in the world and passeth by many otherwise of sweete natures so wee see even the meanes themselves they are of Gods free mercy and love We have whatsoever we have by vertue of the Covenant for what could wee looke for from God but in Covenant wherein he hath bound himselfe now since the fall this Covenant is called the Covenant of grace That now if we believe in Christ we shall not perish but have life and salvation in all the parts of it it is of Gods free grace and good pleasure What is the foundation of the covenant Christ Christ is of free grace God so loved the world that he gave his onely Sonne There is nothing freer then gift Christ is a gift the greatest gift he came freely from God he gave him to death for us all Rom. 8. And then whatsoever good thing wee have in Christ it comes freely too hee that gave Christ freely shall hee not with him give us all things too Then the very grace to keepe the covenant repentance and faith they are the gift of God I will take away your stony heart and give you new hearts and cause you to walke in my statutes I will circumcise your hearts so the grace to walked in the covenant of grace it comes from God God doth his part and ours too to shew not only that the covenant of grace is a covenant of wondrous love to give us grace here and glory herafter but that the foundation is of grace and the performance on our part is of grace nay it is of grace that hee would enter into covenant at all hee humbled himselfe wondrously to vouchsafe to enter into covenant it was humiliation on Gods part and exaltation to us therefore as it is in Zacharie we may cry Grace grace there is nothing but grace and free love in the whole carriage of our salvation If whatsoever good come to man be meerely from Gods good will let us emptie our selves and give him the glory of all it is easily spoken and heard but not so easily done for man naturally is proud and for flesh and bloud to bee brought to goe out of it selfe and acknowledg nothing in it selfe to give the glory of all goodnesse and happinesse to Gods free grace and goodnesse it is hard to bring proud nature to doe this but we must begge grace of God to worke our hearts to this more and more to empty our selves of our selves and to give God the glory of all But I come to the last point because I would end this text at this time This free love and grace of God is onely in Christ. Therfore the Angels pronounce it now
drawes them nearer to himselfe Hereupon the Apostle saith all things are yours things present and things to come c. reductively they are ours God turnes them to our good he extracts good to us by them all good things are ours in a direct course and other things by an over-ruling power are deduced to our good contrary to the nature of the things themseluâ—s What did I say all things are ours yea God himselfe is ours and he hath all things that hath him that hath all things now in Christ God himselfe is become ours all things are yours you are Christs and Christ is Gods and Rom. 5.10 we rejoyce in God as ours if God be ours his al sufficiency is ours his power is ours his wisdome all is ours for our comfort Againe for glory the riches of heaven which are especially here meant for how ever the riches of heaven be kept for the time to come yet faith makes them present when by faith wee looke upon the promises we see our selues in heaven not onely in Christ our head but in our own persons because we are as sure to bee there as if we were there already but for the joyes of heaven they are unutterable the Apostle calls them Ephes. 3.8 unsearchable riches eye hath not seene nor eare hath heard or hath entred into the heart of man to conceive the things that God hath prepared for them that love him there shall be fulnesse of glory in soule and body both shall be conformable to Christ. At the right hand of God there is fulnesse of joy and pleasures for evermore Nay the first fruits the earnest the beginnâ—ngs of heaven here are unsearchable to humane reason the riches of Christs righteousnes imputed to us the glorious riches of his Spirit in inward peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost the comfort and inlargement of heart in al conditions it is peace that passeth understanding and joy unspeakeable and glorious it is not only unsearchable to humane reason but Christians themselves that have the Spirit of God in them cannot search the depth of them because wee have the spirit but in measure we see then what excellent riches wee have by the poverty of Christ. Was there no other way to make us rich but by Christs becomming poore God in his infinite wisedome ordeyned this way he thought it best wee may rest in that but besides to stay our mindes the better we were to be restored by a way contrary to that we fell wee fell by pride wee must be restored by humility wee would bee like GOD GOD to expiate it must become like us and take our nature and suffer in it Then againe God would restore us by a way sutable to his own excellency every way wherein no Attribute of his might be a looser he would bring us to riches and friendship with him by a way of satisfaction to his justice that wee may see his justice shine in our salvation though indeed grace and mercy triumph most of all yet notwithstanding justice must bee fully contented There was no other way wherein wee could magnifie so much the unsearchable and infinite wisedome of God that the Angels themselves prie into whereby justice and mercy seeming contrary Attributes in God are reconciled in Christ by infinite wisedome justice and mercy meeâ—e together and kisse one another justice being satisfied wisedome is exalted but what set wisedome on worke the grace and love and mercy of God to devise this way to satisfie justice it could not have beene done any other way for before we could be made rich God must be satisfied reconciliation supposeth satisfaction and there could bee no satisfaction but by blood and there could bee no equall satisfaction but by the blood of such a person as was God Therefore Christ must become poore to make us rich because there must bee full satisfaction to divide justice and all his precious poverty before his death his incarnation his want his being a servant c. all was part of his generall humiliation but it was but to prepare him for his last worke the upshot of all is death which was the worke of satisfaction Againe all the inherent part of our riches infused into our nature it comes by the Spirit of God now the Spirit of God had not beene sent if God had not beene satisfied and appeased first because the holy Ghost is the gift of the Father and the Son he comes from both therfore there must be satisfaction and reconciliation before the Holy Ghost could be given which inricheth our nature immediately the immediate cause of sending the Holy Ghost it is Christs comming in our nature Now if God had not beene satisfied in his justice he would never have given the Holy Ghost which is the greatest gift next to Christ therefore Christ became poore to make us rich that wee might have the Holy Ghost shed in our hearts Now al these riches that we have by Christ it supposeth union with him by faith as the riches of the wife supposeth marriage union is the ground of all the comfort we have by Christ our communion springs from union with him which is begun in effectuall calling as soone as we are taken out of old Adam and ingrafted into him all becomes ours Christ procures the spirit the spirit workes faith faith knits us to Christ and by this union we have communion of all the favours of this life and the life to come therefore I say all is grounded upon union by the grace of faith Christ married our nature that we might be married to him by his spirit and untill there be a union there is no derivation of grace and comfort The head onely hath influence to the members that are knit unto it therefore Christ 〈◊〉 our nature that he might not onely be a head of eminency as he is to Angells but a head of influence Now there must be a knitting of the members to the head before any spirits can bee derived from the head to the members therefore the Apostle saith that Christ is our riches but it is as he is in us To whom God would make knowne what is the riches of this mystery among the Gentiles Christ in you the hope of glory Christ is all to us but it is as he is in us and we in him we must be in him as the branches in the Vine and he in us as the Vine in the branches so Christ is the hope of glory as he is in us We must labour therefore by faith to heâ— made one with Christ before we can think of the settings with comfort And when by faith we are made one with Christ then there is a spirituall communion of all things Now upon our union with Christ it is good to think what ill Christ hath taken upon him for me and then to thinke my selfe freed from it because Christ
in part of our riches that it is good for us and what is good for me is my riches if poverty be good for me I will be poore that I may be humble humility is better then riches if I bee in any want if I have contentment it is better then riches if I fall into trouble he will give mee patience that is better then friends A man may have outward things and be naught but he that wants outward comfort and hath supply in his soule is it no better therefore take a Christian in any condition he is a rich man and this riches wee have by the poverty of Christ hee became poore that wee through his poverty might be made rich We see here then that a Christians estate is caried under contraries as Christ was hee was rich and became poore hee caried his riches under poverty he was glorious but his glory was covered under shame and disgrace so it is with a Christian he goes for a poore man in the world but he is rich he dies but yet he lives hee is disgraced in the world but yet hee is glorious As Christ came from heaven in a way of contraries so wee must be content to goe to heaven in a seeming contrary way Take no scandall therefore at the seeming poverty and disgrace and want of a Christian Christ himselfe seemed to bee otherwise to the world then hee was when hee was poore he was rich and sometimes he discovered his riches there were beames brake forth even in his basest estate when he died there was nothing stronger then Christs seeming weaknesse in his lowest abasement he discovered the greatest power of his God-head for he fatisfied the justice of God he overcame death and his Fathers wrath he triumphed over Sathan hee trod on his head what hath Sathan to doe with us when Gods justice is satisfied so that his hidden glory was discovered sometimes so there is that appeares in the children of God that others may see them to be rich if they did not close their eyes but we must be content to passe to heaven as Christ our head did as concealed men Againe here is matter not onely for us men put for the Angells of heaven to admire and wonder at this depth of goodnesse and mercy in Christ that he would become poore to make us rich by his poverty see the exaltation of his love in this saith Saint Bernard well ôh love that art so sweete why becamest thou so bitter to thy selfe whence flowed Christs love and mercy that was so sweete in it selfe that it should be onely sowre and bitter to him from whence it had his rise and spring his love that is so sweet to us it became bitter to him he indured and did that that we should have done and suffered There be some men that will doe kindnesses so that themselues may not be the worse so that they may not be the poorer that they may not be disgraced or adventure the displeasure of others but Christ hath done all this great kindnesse for us by being poore for us by taking our nature our poverty our misery he doth us good in such a way as that hee parted with heaven it selfe for a time and with that sweete communion that hee had with his Father the dearest thing to him in the world he parted with it for ou◠sakes that made him cry out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me hereupon he made us rich in a way that cost him something And let us be thankefull to him in a way that may cost us something let us bee content to bee abased for him to doe any thing for him hee descended from heaven to the grave as low as hee could for us let us descend from our conceited greatnesse for him can wee lose so much for him as he hath done for us what are our bodies and soules in comparison of God It was God that became poore for us wee cannot part with so much for him as he did for us And then we are gainers by him if wee part with all the world whatsoever wee doe for him I will be yet more vile for the Lord saith David hee became vile for us he became a sinner and of no reputation and shall not we be vile and empty for him certainely we shall if we have the Spirit of Christ in us it will worke a conformity If hee had stood upon termes and disdeyned the Virgins wombe and to become poore for us where had our salvation beene and if we stand upon termes when wee are to suffer for him or to stand for his cause where will our comfort be surely it is a signe wee have no right by the poverty of Christ unlesse wee bee content to part without Isaac with the best things we have when he calls for it Againe hath the poverty of Christ made us rich what will his riches doe Could hee save us when hee was at the lowest when hee was on the Crosse and satisfie divine justice by his death what can he doe for us now hee is in heaven and hath triumphed over all his enemies what can we looke for now by his riches that have so much by his poverty therefore we may reason with the Apostle Rom. 5.10 If when we were enemies wee were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne how much more being reconciled shall wee bee saved by his life It is a strong argument not onely as it hath respect to us because there is more likelihood that any good should be done for us now when we are reconciled to God than before when we were enemies but also as it hath respect to Christ since he hath stucke not to reconcile us to God by his death cannot bee unwilling to save us by his life and he that was able to redeeme us by dying for us is more clearely and evidently powerfull to save us now he lives and reignes triumphantly in heaven For is not he able to preserve us to protect us and invest us into the glory that he hath purchased for us he that did so much for us in the time of his abasement will he not preserve the riches he hath gotten for us Is he not in heaven in majesty to apply all that he hath gotten Is he not our intercessor at the right hand of God to appeare before God for us to make all good Certainly he will preserve that which he hath procured by his death It is a disabling of Christ to thinke of falling away from grace he is able to maintaine us in that glorious condition that he hath advanced us to especially considering that he is now in heaven and hath laid aside the forme of a servant all his humiliation except our humane nature that for ever hee hath united to his person but all other things of his abasement he hath laid them aside he is able perfectly not only to save us as
by his death but to apply all that he hath gotten and preserve us to life everlasting We are kept by the power of God to that glory that Christ hath purchased by his death Therefore why should we feare for the time to come falling from grace or the want of that that is good is not Christ able to maintaine that that he hath gotten Let us raise our hearts with this consideration what Christ can doe now in glory when his poverty could do thus much Againe let us despise no man for his poverty for Christ was poore to make us rich and as those that despised Christ and esteemed him not but hid their faces from him because he grew up as a root out of a dry ground because there was no beauty in him that is because of his poverty because he was a Carpenters sonne they despised by this means the Lord of Glory so those that despised his poore members afterward that wandred up and downe in sheepskins and goatskins being destitute and afflicted they despised Gods jewels his choice favourites of whom the world was not worthy Let not the brother of low degree be cast down because he is poore nor let not the brother of high degree be lifted up because he is rich for if riches had been the best thing Christ would have been outwardly rich but Christ was poore to shew us what are the best riches and that the riches of this World are but things by the by Seek the kingdome of God and all other things shall be cast on you by way of addition and supplement The true riches of a Christian are spirituall Christ did not become poore to make us rich in this world to make us Kings and Emperous and Great Men here but to make us rich spiritually and to have such a moity of earthly things as may serve as a Viaticum to bring us to Heaven the maine riches of a Christian are spirituall and eternall in grace and glory In popery they live as if Christ came to make them Lords of the World to usurpe jurisdiction over Kings and Princes Christ came to make us rich in another manner S. Peter saith Silver and gold have I none but his successors cannot say so Christ came not as a servant to make us Lords here much lesse to set us at liberty to live after the flesh and to doe what we list No the end of Christs comming was to take away sinne to destroy the workes of the Devill The common course at this time and develish practise of many overturnes the end of Christs comming as if he came not to destroy but to let loose the workes of the Devill to let us loose to all licentiousnesse he came to bâ—ing us to God and not to give us liberty in courses to runne further from God But that by the way Christ as I said camâ— not to make â—s rich in the things of this life for doe but consider a little of outward riches what be they They are not our owne as Christ saiâ—h Luk. 16. We are but Sâ—ewards and we must give a strict account ere long how we have used them And as they are not our owne so they are not true riches because they make not us rich Wee usually call a poore man a poore soule a poore soule may be a rich Christian and a rich man may have a poore soule naked and empty of spirituall riches These are not true riches because they make not a man better they may be a snare to him and make him worse and puffe him up as every graine of riches hath a vermine of pride and ambition in it Charge rich men that they bee not high minded they may make a man worse they cannot make him better Can that be true riches that makes a man poorer that hath not a gracious heart Surely no these riches oft times are for the hurt of the owners men are filled as Sponges and then squeezed againe are these true riches that expose a man to danger True riches are such as not only we may doe good by but they make us good Grace makes us better it commends us to God All the riches in the world doe not commend us to God It is said of Antiochus a great Monarch he was a vile and base person because he was a wicked man There is no earthly thing can commend a man to God if he be naught if he have a rotten prophane heart Againe they are not true riches because a man out-lives them death sâ—rues him out of all death comes and examines him when he goes out of the world and will suffer him to carry nothing with him If a man come to another mans Table and think to carry away his plate or any thing else he will be stayed at the gate and have it taken from him Nothing we brought into this world and with nothing we must goe out and are they true riches that determine in this life Then againe these riches they are not proportionable to the soule of man when the soule of man hath the image of Christ on it nothing will satisfied it but spirituall things there is nothing in the world will satisfie a gracious soule but grace and glory It is only grace and the spirituall things by Christ that are the true riches that make us good and continue us good and continue with us wee carry them to Heaven with us Therefore as the Apostle saith we should desire the best things labour for the best portion that shall never be taken from us When we have many things in this world set before us shal we make a base choise as the Gadarens to save their Hogs they would loose Christ shall wee make choice of poore things and leave grace and Christ No since we have judgement to make a difference let us make a wise choice judgement is seen in choice of different things for though these things bee good yet they are inferiour goods and we loose not these things by labouring for grace and the best things the best way to have these things is to labour for the best things Solomon desired wisedome and he had riches too Let us seeke the kingdome of God and these things as far as they be needfull shall bee cast on us These are the truths of God Therefore let us be ashamed that we discover our ignorance by making a base choice and let us labour to choose the best things Christ became poore to make us rich in the best things to make us rich in grace in joy in peace and comfort c. Therefore let us esteeme our selves and others highly from hence and let us not judge by appearance when Christ was put to death how did the World judge him A miserable man a sinner because they judged by appearance so it is the lot of Gods children though they be never so rich yet those that looke
shall see afterwards of some then he hath of others and he loves some to eternall life and not others I will leave in the middest of thee an afflicted and poore people refusing others God will leave some he will purge away others as he saith in the verse before I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoyce in thy pride and thou shalt no more be haughty because of my holy mountaine he will take away them but I will leave in the middest of thee c there is a difference All are not alike as the Proverbe is as white lines upon a white stone that we cannot see a difference It is not alike with all men for we see a difference in this world but not much here because Gods government is vailed it will appeare at the last day and whatsoever appeares at the last day it had a ground before There is a difference in regard of grace and inward qualification and in regard of the care of God Even as there is a difference in the creatures there be precious stones and common stones and in plants there be fruitfull trees and barren trees and as there is a difference likewise in the living creatures so among men there is a difference The next thing is that God will have some in the worst times He will have some in all times that are his a remnant as he saith here The remnant of Israel shall doe no iniquity and as in the Text. I will leave in the middest of thee an afflicted and poore people c. GOD will have alway some that are his in the World For it is an Article of our faith Wee beleeve the holy Catholike Church there must not be an Article of faith and no object to beleeve If there bee saith to beleeve a thing there must be somewhat to be beleeved if I beleeve that at all times there shall be an holy Catholike Church there must be such a Church in the world that is the object of my beleefe or else there were no foundation for that Article of faith therefore there must alway be a Church to the end of the world sometimes more sometimes fewer even as the discovery of Christ is From whence comes the abundance of the Spirit the Spirit followes the manifestation of the knowledge of Christ who is the Head of the Church then is the Church most glorious when the riches of Christ are more gloriously discovered Those times wherein there is most discovery of Christ and the mercy and love of God in him there are more elect of God in those times then in other There will be alway a Church in the world that is the object of our beleefe what is the meaning of it I beleeve that in all times to the end of the world there will be a company of people spread over the world gathered out of the rest of mankinde whom Christ hath knit to himselfe by faith and themselves together in a holy spirit of love of which copany â—I beleeve my selfe to be one therefore there must be such a company or else there would be faith without an object of faith which were a great absurdity in Divinity and reason too Then againe the world should not stand were it not for a company in the world that are his for what are others A company of swearers and blasphemers prophane persons belly-gods ambitious bubbles that care for nothing but the vanities of the world what glory hath God by them What tribute do they give to God What credit to religion They are the shame of the times they are such as pull Gods vengeance upon the times and places they live in Such is the ill disposition and poysonfull nature of men if they have not the Spirit of God that God would not indure the world to stand a moment unlesse there were some to with-hold his wrath to be objects of his love and to stay his hand and when they are all gathered there shall be an end of this wretched and sinfull world some there must be while the world endures and for their sakes God continues the world Those that keepe Gods wrath from the world are those that are his and till all those be gathered the world shall stand There shall alway be some It is a point not altogether fruitlesse it yeelds some comfort to know that when we are taken hence others shall stand up when we are gone the Church shall not dye with us Is not that a comfort when a Christian yeelds his soule to God to think yet God will have a Church and people if not among us yet in some other part of the world he will have some that shall glorifie him in this world that shall adorne and beautifie religion and shall for ever be glorified with him in Heaven till he hath made an end of these sinfull dayes It is some comfort I say that goodnesse shall live after us that the Gospell shall continue after us There shal be a posterity to the end of the world that shall stand for the truth and cause of God The world was not nor ever shal be so bad but God hath had and will have a party in the world that shall stand for him and he for them Now the children of God as they know God hath a purpose to glorifie them world without end so they have a desire that God may be glorified world without end and from this desire comes joy when they thinke that there will be a people one earth to glorifie God still when they are taken hence for it is a disposition wrought from Gods peculiar love to wish that God may ever have his praise here in the world while it is a world and for ever in the world to come therefore it is a comfort to them to think that God will alwayes have a Church But these are but a few called by Esay a remnant A remnant according to election as it is Rom. 11. A handfull in comparison of the world yet they are a world in respect of themselves for they are a world taken out of the world but compared with the rest of mankinde they are but as a few grapes after the vintage as the gleanings after the harvest one of a City and two of a Tribe The Prophets every one of them have speciall phrases to let out the fewnesse of those that God hath a speciall care of he cals them in the next verse the remnant of Israell God will have some continually but those are but a few that are his his flock is but a little â—â—ocke It is a point not mainly aimed at here but it is very usefull Is there but a few but a remnant in all times Am I one of those What have I to evidence to me that I am of that little flock that is Christs What have I in me to evidence that God hath set his stampe
upon me to be his That I shall not go the broad way to destruction This should force such quaeres to our soules When we heare of the few that shall bee saved we should make that use that Christ makes of that curious question of the fewnesse of them that should be saved Oh strive to enter in at the strait gate Stand not on many or few make this use of it strive to enter in at the strait gate take up and practise the duties of religion that are contrary to the corruption of nature and contrary to the times avoid the sins and courses of the times and then we shall know and evidence to our selves that we are of that few number Somewhat must be done to shew that wee are not of those that go the broad way We heare that there are few that go the other way and indeed it will make a man looke about him the very consideration that there are but few that shall be saved And it will make a man woundrous thankfull Who am I and what is my fathers house What is there in me What could God see in me to single me out of the rest out of a great number that go the broad way to destruction to set his love upon me It will inflame the heart with thankfulnesse to God It will not make a man proud to despise others that is pharisaicall but it will inflame the heart to bee thankefull in a peculiar mâ—nner to God And to single ouâ— God in a peculiar manner to be our God as he hath singled us out to be his for alwayes he workes somewhat in us like to that he workes for us Those that God hath singled out to be his he will give them grace to single out him againe God shall be my God religion shall be my care and that that God respects shall be that that I will respect â— since God so respects me shall not I love and respect all that God respects And shal I not greeve when any thing goes amisse with that that God hath a care ofâ— Certainly it will worke this disposition when wee come to perceive by grounded evidence that we are of that few company of that remnant here spoken of that God will leave alway to trust in his name In the next place though they be few yet God hath a speciall care of them Why There is good reason for they are his in a peculiar manner A governour of an house he cares for all his cattell but he cares for his children more A man hath some care for all the lumber and trash in his house he sees them usefull at sometime or other but he cares more for his Iewels if fire come he will be sine to carry away his Iewels whatsoever become of the lumber Gods children are his after a peculiar manner therefore he hath an answerable peculiar care of them in all times And indeed when they are once his as he makes them have a peculiar care of him so hee lookes upon them as such as he hath wrought upon to be good and to witnesse for him that have a care to stand for him and his honour to own him and the cause of religion he will have a care of them Not that they have this of themselves to winne his love but he workes in them a care to witnesse for him he workes in them a care to stand for him his glory in all times and therfore he wil be sure to stand for them in the worst times He will not be beholding to any man what wee have we have it from him and then he crownes his owne graces after he will have a speciall care of those that are his This might be instanced from the beginning of the world from the infancy of the Church to this present time When he would consume the old world Noah must come into the Arke And Lot must come forth of Sodome when it was to bee destroyed the Angell could doe nothing else So he had a care for Ieremiah and Baruk he gave them their lives for a prey He wil have a care of his own in the worst times for they are sealed he hath set his seale upon them Those things that are sealed we have a speciall care of now in Revel 7. there are a number that are sealed sealed inwardly by the Spirit of God they are marked out for God they are a marked sealed number all those that God will have a speciall care of As in Ezek 9. Those that were marked in the forehead they were looked unto and cared for before the destruction came So in Malachy 3. God had Iewels that he saith he would gather When he brings a generall destruction he will be sure to gather his Iewels his first care is of them A booke of remembrance was written for them he hath a booke of providence to write their names in he hath their limmes all the parts of them written not a haire of them can miscarry their teares their steps their dayes are numbred My times are in thy hands saith David all things are numbred exactly of those that belong to God he hath a care of them and all theirs to a haire as our Saviour Christ saith they shall not lose so much as a haire of their heads God hath an exact care of his remnant at all times But you will say sometimes it fals our otherwise Indeed so it doth for sometimes Gods children are taken away in common judgments perhaps for too much corespondency with the sinnes of the times therefore they are wrapped in the destruction of the times but yet there is a maine diffâ—rence betweene them Ionathan and Saul dyed by the sword both of them Iosias and others died in the field but there is a maine difference Ionathan was a good man Saul for ought the Scripture saith of him we have no ground to judge charitably of him but leave him to his Iudge But sure it is in generall though the same things befall good and bad outwardly yet there is a difference betweene Lazarus and Dives when they dye Dives goes to his place and Lazarus to Heaven But for the most part this is true in regard of the body of the Church though some few members God hath hidden wayes to bring them to Heaven and happinesse but for the body of his Church and deare children he will give them their lives for a prey he will have a speciall care of them and be a Sanctuary to them Nay so far he will doe it that the world shall know that he hath a speciall care of them in the world as it is in the Psalme the heathen shall say God hath done great things for them men that have no religion shall say certainly God doth great things for these men though he suffer them to be carried captive and to be in affliction yet in that very affliction shall be the glory of
the Church in that very bondage and abasement Was the Church ever more glorious then in Babylon when Daniel was there and the three young men were put into the fire The glory of the Church oft times is in outward abasement the world shall see that God hath a speciall care of them more then of oâ—hers God so magnifies himselfe and is so marvellous to his Church and children to doe good to them sometimes to the envie of the enimies and admiration of all the world that take notice of them as at the returne from the Captivity and the like shall be at the conversion of the Iewes The use of it may be to comfort us against evill times against the time to come Let us cast our care upon God he will care for us he will be with us and stand by us he will never forsake us in the worst times Nay his fashion is to deale with his children as becommeth his infinit wisdome that they shall finde most comfort and sweetest communion with him in the hardest times Therefore let us feare nothing that shall befall us with slavish fear let us feare nothing whatsoever in this world as long as we are in covenant with God come what will It is a great honour to God to trust him with all for the time to come let us doe our duty and not be afraid of this or that as long I say as we have God in covenant with us who is al sufficient What should we be afraid of Can a mother forget her child saith the Prophet If she should yet will not I forget thee thou art written on the pâ—lmes of my hands Those things that are in the pâ—lmes of our hands we have ever in our eye God hath us in his eye he sets his children before him alway how can he forget them How can Christ forget his Church He carries them in his breastâ— as the high Priest had the names of the twelve Tribes on his breast in twelve precious stones when he went into the Holy of Holies Christ carries our names in his heart how can he forget us then Let kingdomes dash one against another and let the world tumble upon heapes let there be what confusion of States there will God certainly will have a care of his Iewels I will leave in spite of all the world in the middest of thee an afflicted and poore people c. You will say when is this performed In that day saith he in the verse before my Text. You must know it is the Scriptures fashion when it saith In that day to take it indefinitely not to tye it to a certaine day though there is a certaine day wherein there shal be an accomplishment of all prophesies and a performance of all promises that is at the last day In the meane time there is a graduall performance of promises and the accoÌ„plishment of them is in severall knots and points of time so much as shall give content to Gods children yet alwayes leading to a further and further performance As for example God shewed mercy to these Israelites when they were in captivity he brought them home againe they were a poore and afflicted people and were much bettered by their abasement there was a degree of performance then And then there was a degree of performance in Christs time when he joyned the Gentiles to them and both made one Church There will be a more glorious performance at the conversion of the Iewes when God shall make his people trust in the name of the Lord and the Gentiles shall come in and joyne with them and they with the Gentiles But that which followes in the verse after The remnant shall doe none iniquity nor speake lyes a deceitfull toung shall not be found in their mouth These things shall have their time when the people shall be more thorowly purged then ever they were and certainly these glorious portions of Scripture cannot have performance but in such dayes as are to come But the accomplishment of all shall be at the day of judgment Indeed in the meane time as I say there is a comfortable performance leaving us in expectation of further and further still because while we live here we are in a life of hope and expectation and alwayes we are under somewhat unperformed So much for that I come now to the state and condition of these people An afflicted and poore people This is their state and condition wherein is implied also their disposition their state is they are an afllicted and poore people so it is answerable to the originall an afflicted and impoverished people a weakned people How ever God hath a speciall care of his Church in this world Yet it is wâ—th exception of some crosses and afflictions You shall have an hundred fold saith Christ in this life but with tribulations and afflictions that must come in But yet notwithstanding here is a blessing in this for howsoever lhe leave them an afflicted and poore people yet he leaves them a people and though they be a people afflicted and poore yet they are a people that are rich in God they shall trust in the name of the Lord of which I shall speake afterward In that he cals them an afflicted and poore people hence wee see in the first place that The state of Gods Church and children in this world for the most part is to be afflicted and poore in their outward condition I say for the most part we must not make it a generall rule it is a point rather to comfort us when it is so than that it is alway so with the Church For howsoever they are alwayes in some respects afflicted they have alway something to abase them yet the times of the Church are somtimes more glorious in the eyes of the world they have the upper hand of the world sometimes and sometimes againe the children of God they walk in the abundance of the comforts of the Holy Ghost and increase and multiply as it is in Acts 9. When Saul was converted to be Paul The Church increased and grew and went on in the feare of the Lord and the comforts of the Holy Ghost There be good dayes and times for the Church sometimes but for the most part in this world Gods Church and children are under some cloud I will not enter into the common place of it but only touch it in a word or two God will have it so because it is fit the body should be conformable to the head You know our blessed Saviour when he wrought our salvation he wrought it in a state of abasement and we in working out that salvation in going to that salvation that he hath wrought for us we must go to it for the most part in a state of abasement in one kind or other for we are chosen to be conformable to our head and we are as well chosen to our portion in
they are quiet when they have used the meanes Faith hath a quieting power it hath a power to still the soule and to take up the quarrels and murmuring and grudgings that are there and to set the soule down quiet because it proposeth to the soule greater grounds of comfort then the soule can see any cause of dâ—scomfort the soule being reasonable yeelds to the strengâ—h of the reason Now when faith propounds grand comforts against all discouragements whatsoever that overcomes them that is gâ—eater in the way of comfort then other things in the way of discouragement the soule is quiet it hopes comfort will be had the soule is silent and at rest We see in Psal. 43. when there was a muâ—iny in Davids soule by reason of the perplexed state he was in he fals a chiding downright with his soule Why art thou disquieted O my soule and why art thou troubled But how doth he take up the contention Trust in God he is thy God So that wheresoever there is faith there is a quiet soul first or last there wil be stirring at the first the waters of the soule will not be quiet presently As in a paire of ballance there will be a little stirring when the weight is puâ— in â—ill there will be poise so in the soule there will be some stirring and moving it comes not to a quiet consistance till there be some victory of faith with some conflict till at length it rest and stay the soule for this power faith hath to quiet the soule because it bottomes the soule so strongly there is reason for it it sets the soule upon God and upon his promises Therfore he that trusts in God is as mount Sion you may stir him sometime and move him but you cannot remove him the soule is quiet because it is pitched upon a quiet object Therefore where there is cherishing of disturbance in the soule and cherishing of doubts there is no faith or very little faith because it is the property of faith to silence the soule and to make quiet where it comes This is one evidence and signe of true faith And this is discerned especially in times of great trouble for then the soule of the righteous is not disquieted as you have it in Psal. 112. His heart is fixed therefore he is not afraid of ill tydings And therefore this evidence to the â—est that faith as it hath a quieting power so it hath a power to free the soule from all base feares from the tyranny of base feare There will some fearâ— arise we carry flesh about us and flesh will alway be full of objections and trouble our peace but notwithstanding it will free the soule this trusting in God from the tyranny and dominion of base feares If any newes or tydings be of any great hard matter I beseech you who hath his soule best composed at that time A sound Christian that hath made his peace with God that hath hiâ— trust in God that knowes what it is to make usâ— of God to repaire to him But for another man 〈◊〉 the time of extremity and trouble he runâ—â—â—â—â—ther and thither he hath not a tower to go unto he hath no place of refuge to repaire to Therefore hee is worse then the poore silly creatures there is not a creature but hath a retyring place The poore Conies have the Rocks to go unto and the Birds have their Nests and every creature when night or danger approacheth they have their hiding places only a wicked carelesse man that hath not acquainted himself with God when troubles come he hath no hiding nor no abiding place but lyes open to the storme of Gods displeasure therefore he is surprized with feares and cares and pulled in peeces with distractions he is as a Meteor that hangs in the cloudes he cannot tell which way to fall But a Christian is not such a Meteor he fals square which way soever he fals cast him which way you will for his soule is fixed he hath laid his soule upon his God We see the difference in this betweene Saul and David when David was in trouble he trâ—sted in the Lord his God when he was ready to be stoned what doth Saul when he was in trouble he goes to the Witch and from thence to the swords point Againe where there is this excellent grace of trusting in God and the soule is calmed by the Spirit of God to relye upon God in covenant as a Father in Chirst it will relye upon God without meanes and when all things seeme contrary So the Spirit of God will difference a Christian from a naturall man that will goe so farre as his braine can reach if he can see how things can be compassed he will trust God as if God had not a larger comprehension then hee Where hee sees no way or meanes to contrive a deliverance nor no meanes to satisfie his desire there the soule of a naturall man sinkes and fals downe a polititian will go as far as reason can carry him But a Christian when he sees no meanes he knowes God can make meanes now when all things are opposite if he hath a word of God he will trust God even against the present state and face of things as Iob saith Though he kill me yet will I trust in him Therefore in the sense of sin because there is a promise to sinners that if they confesse their sinnes God will pardon them he will beleeve the foâ—givenesse of sins though he feele the guilt of sinne And in misery he will beleeve an evasion and escape and that God will support him in it because God hath so promised And in darknesse when he sees no light as it is Esay 50.10 in such a state hee will trust in God As a childe in the darke claspes about his faâ—ther so a childe of God in darknesse when he sees no light he will claspe about his God and breake thorow the clouds that are between God and his soule as indeed faith hath a piercing eye it pulls off the vizard of Gods face though he seeme angry yet he will beleeve he is in covenant and he is a Father Therefore though God shew himselfe in his dealing as offended yet he argues God may be offended with me but he cannot hate me there is hope Faith where it is in any strength it will beleeve in contraries In death when a man is turned to rottennesse and dust faith apprehends life and resurrection and glory to come it will trust in Gods meanes or no meanes if it hath a promise Againe he that trusts in God truly will trust him for all things and at all times For all things for faith never chooseth and singleth out its object to beleeve this and not that for all comes from the same God therefore he that trusts God for one thing will trust him for all things If I will trust a man for many pounds surely