As He blessed them He departed froÌ„ them He went alitle froÌ„ them Next He was taken vp Tdirdly He was receiued in a cloud Fourthly being receiued in y t cloud His Apostles beholding Him the cloud toâ—ke Him out of their sight Fiftly being taken out of their sight by the cloud He was caried vp into heauen If we weigh coÌ„sider wel all these circumstaÌ„ces we wil see that th'AscensioÌ„ of our Lord was not only exceeding glorious but also very sensible visible for while He stood in the mids of them He depaâ—ted separated Himselfe a space from them to the end that they all might the better see Him ascending thereafter He was taken vp piece piece degree by degree so that sensibly piece piece they might haue followed Him with their eyes then as they are thus beholding a cloude interueenes takes Him out of their sight After this they see His person no more but they see y t cloud wherein He was receiued to be caried vp into heaueÌ„ al these circumstaÌ„ces were very sensiible for now He goes not froÌ„ them on a suddainty He conueyes not Himselfe out of their sight in a momeÌ„t as He did w t the two Disciples w t whom He sate at table in Emmaus no question the Lord of set purpose would haue His AscensioÌ„ to be so sensible to the end y t the disciples who saw it the whole form of it so clearly might haue a setled assuraÌ„ce ful perswasion in their hearts to the end y t w t the greater euidency liberty freedom they might preach proclaime it to the world for the ful perswasion of the heart made theÌ„ bold confideÌ„t in preaching as Paul saies Seeing we haue such trust we vse great boldnes of speech y t so y e world hearing theÌ„ speak w t such euidency freedome boldnes of the Lords AsceÌ„sion seeing theÌ„ paint out so vinely sensibly the whole forme processe y t therein was vsed might without any doubt fully beleeue y t the Lord was ascended to heaueÌ„ so the Lord had a regard respect vnto His Kirk in all the faithful y t shuld liue in th'ages to come yea euen of vs who liue this day wheÌ„ so sensibly visibly in the preseÌ„ce of His Apostles He asceÌ„ded into heaueÌ„ The Lord made not His Apostles eye witnesses of His Ascension so much for their own cause as for the Kirkes cause which by their Ministery was to be gathered together to be broght to th' obedience of Iesus so when y u coÌ„siderâ—st y t sensible forme progresse y t the Lord vsed in His Ascension for thy cause it is thy duty to praise glorifie His Majesty for it Now after the Lord is caried vp to heauen what followes was there no higher degree of glory Yes for Marke sayes After He was receiued into heauen He sate at the right hand of God After He had past throgh al the visible HeaueÌ„s He was set at the right hand of His Father in the highest Heauens farre aboue all principalitie and power and might and domination and euery name that is named not in this world only but also in that which is to come so that all things were made subiect vnder His feete Ephes 1.20 21. this the Father had spoken of Him before when He said Sit thou at my right hand vntill I make thine enemies thy footstoole Psal 110.1 To sit at the right hand of God is to obtaine y t highest degree of glory in the heauens as Mediator to haue equal power glory w t the Father to haue power ouer all creatures to doe w t them as He pleases to haue all things vnder His feete to be declared to be y e head of y e Kirk that person by whoÌ„ the Father immediatly guides gouernes all things for as He is y e Sonne of God equall with y e Father He was glorified with that glory which Hee had with the Father before the foundations of the world were laid according as He prayed before His Passion Joh. 17.5 as He is man He is exalted aboue euery creature in such sort that by y e hand of Christ the man God gouernes all things in heauen in earth so we see that y e Lord by degrees passed froÌ„ glory to glory now He is in such incomprehensiblâ— glory as this mortal eye of man caÌ„not be able to pierce into Indeed the disciples saw His glorious AscensioÌ„ but they could not be able to see that highnes sublimity of glory whereunto He was exalted wheÌ„ He sate at the right hand of y e Father SteueÌ„ saw the heaueÌ„ opened the Sonne of man standing at the right hand of God Acts 7.55 but how sober meane a portioÌ„ of His glory was y t which He saw in respâ—ct of y e fulnes of glory y t He had theÌ„ in y e heaueÌ„s but albeit we be not able w t our bodily eyes to pierce behold y e greatnes of y t glory whereinto He is exalted yet this is our coÌ„fort y t we find sensibly by experience in our own soules y t Iesus is sitting in his Kingdome w t exceeding glory power by these comfortable effects motions y t He workes within vs. Th'Apostles albeit they saw Him not sitting at y e right hand of God in glory yet in y t same momeÌ„t y t He sate down in His throne of glory they found in their own hearts his kingly power that dominioÌ„ y t He hath ouer al creatures for what meaned y t exceeding joy y t they had after that He was taken out of their sight wheÌ„ they were returning to Jerusalem eueÌ„ this that Christ was entred in His kingdome that His kingdome power was effectuall into their soules what meanes these spiritual motions which are raised vp in the hearts of the godly this sadnes for sinne this vnspeakable joy this peace traÌ„quillity of coÌ„science this loue to God desire to see Him euen this y t the Lord Iesus is come into His Kingdome is now reigning in y e heaueÌ„s y t He hath established this Kingdome in our soules For the Kingdome of God sayes Paul is righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 therefore wheÌ„ y u findest any spiritual motioÌ„ in thy soule take it for a sure argument of Christs sitting at the right hand of God in His kingdome Now hauing spokeÌ„ of Christs Ascension let vs see what was the Apostles behauiour wheÌ„ they saw the Lord thus asceÌ„d whâ—t did they It is said that they worshipped Him next that they looked stedfastly toward heauen what moued theÌ„ to worship Him no question the sight of a wonderfull glory Majestie in Iesus because at this time they saw Him in an higher glory majesty than euer they did before therfore of necessity their worshipping of Him at this time
saieth Whome seeke yee heere and when they saye IESVS of Nazareth then Hee answereth I am hee These wordes doe testifie that wittinglie and willinglie Hee offereth Himselfe to bee taken And if yee marke yee shall see in His answere such mildnesse as is vnspeakeable Hee beginneth not to speake in wrath and when they saye IESVS of Nazareth Hee giueth not an answere scornefullie So that as Hee offereth Himselfe willingly so yee see also such a mildnesse in Him when Hee is taken euen as the Scripture spake as Hee had beene a Lambe So that ye see that neither in word nor deede he vttereth anie thing to hinder his obedience to his Father this then is the thing that IOHN recommendeth vnto vs and letteth vs see euen that Iesus Christ was willing to die And this lesson we should all learne if it shall please GOD to call anie of vs to suffer for Iesus Christes sake that we suffer with such willingnesse and pleasure that we run to death and embrace it with our armes let this mildnesse vtter it selfe in all thy doings away with that scorning if thou would be like Iesus Christ die in peace willingly looke not to the instrument nor the Hang-man who putteth handes in thee but lift thine heart to the God of heauen and say O LORD seeing that it is thy will that I die mine eye is on thee and as IESVS CHRIST offered himselfe willingly to bee a sacrifice for the sinnes of the world euen so am I willing to obey thy will It is noted that Iudas was amongst the rest and no question the eye of the Lord is on him but neuer a worde he speaketh to him Now I thinke that this standing of Judas is mentioned to let vs see two things the first is that patient suffering of Iesus Christ he beginneth not to vpbraide him and to speake angrie wordes to him or to looke to him angrylie Some would haue thought that the LORD seeing Iudas might haue saide to him Well Traitour art thou there who hast betrayed mee No hee giueth him not an angrie looke hee is euen a verie Lambe as the Prophet speaketh of him a Lambe without anger either in looke or in worde but in suffering he vseth such a mildnesse and patience as is wonderfull Next to let vs see that impudencie of the traitour Iudas how durst he face the Lord IESVS whome hee betrayed a traitour is ay impudent and shamelesse hee hath ay an hard heart and then a brasen face to the man whome he hath betrayed Ye see how dangerous a thing it is once to harden the heart against Christ and once to beginne to doe euill against conscience if thine heart beginne once to be indured thou shalt not come backe whilst thou commest to extreame induration and at last to perdition Iudas could neuer come backe after that once his heart was hardened against the Lord but past forward till he came to that finall induration and hardnesse of heart Therefore farre be it from vs once to beginne to harden our heartes against the LORD If thou beginnest once thou shalt grow in hardnesse till thou commest to that finall induration Lord saue vs from that sinne the hardnesse of heart against the trueth and against Iesus Christ It is to bee feared that these men vvho vvith the betrayers of Iesus Christ haue set their faces against Christ His true religion against their natiue countrey and goe forwarde in such induration and obstinacie of heart that they shall come to that part of Iudas And it is a rare thing to see a man who hath gone so farre forwarde in induration come euer backe againe to grace Now wee haue the effect that followes on this word that Hee speakes I am hee for these wordes are no sooner spoken albeit they be few and gentle but they are all amazed tremble and fall downe backward to the ground It is an admirable thing that one word and that so mildly spoken should haue wrought such an effect for it is such a worde as they woulde haue wished for It is verie wonderous that such a gentle word shoulde as a whirle-winde or as a flashe of fire so haue strucken them No question this is to let them see that the Lord needed not to haue beene taken with them except it had beene His owne will No it was not possible for them to touch one haire of His head for Hee saith Himselfe in the 10. Chap. and 18. vers of this Gospell No man taketh my life from me I haue power to lay it downe and to take it vp againe So the Lord by this wonderfull effect of that word I am hee will let them knowe that they had no power to lay hands on Him if it had not bene His owne will And no doubt He hath had a respect vnto them howbeit they were enemies to Him yet Hee wished thē well And by the striking of them to the grounde Hee woulde let them see that if they encountred with Him they would die and He will let them see His power that He might cause them to repent or else to make them vnexcusable and to let them see that Hee was the Lord of Glorie and that they put hands to the Lord of Glory and slew the Lord of Life Wee may gather of the effect of this worde that if such a sober and gentle worde comming out of the mouth of Iesus Christ did driue them vpon their backes and cast them to the ground what if Iesus Christ had spoken an angrie word what force woulde that haue had If the bleating of a Lambe had such a force what force shall the roaring of a Lion haue Where shall the wicked stand And if the voyce of the Lord Iesus humbly and like a Lambe standing before them Himselfe alone and speaking with such gentlenesse had such effect as to throwe them downe vpon the grounde what effect shall that roaring full of wrath and indignation at that Great day not out of the mouth of a Lambe nor of an humble man Iesus of Nazareth but out of y e mouth of a lion out of y e mouth of Iesus Christ the Iudge sitting in His Glorie Majestie saying to y e wicked Away yee cursed to that fire which is prepared for the Deuill and his angels Mat. 25.41 What effect then shall that voyce haue Whither shall that voyce driue them And further marke If that voyce had such an effect beeing no threatning nor boasting but gentle and milde nowe what effect shall this voyce haue whereby Hee threatneth the worlde by His seruantes with His judgementes If the milde speaking had such a force what effect shall these terrible threatninges haue against the wicked for it is another thing vvhen Christ threatneth in wrath and vvhen Hee speaketh meekelie Nowe as certainlie as this vvorde that Christ Himselfe spake vvrought such an effect As certainelie also the vvorde of Iesus Christ vvhich Hee putteth into the mouth of His faithfull Teachers
the injurie done by the authoritie the Lord will not allow it the Lord will not haue injurie repayed by an injurie Well then if the Lord will not haue a wrong defence against injuries Hee will not haue a wrong to meete a wrong What damnation lyes on these men who do an injurie doe delight to oppresse the innocent If Peter got such a reproofe for the defence of Christ against his enemies What damnation shall these murtherers get who oppresse the innocent man the damnation of these men shall bee great I denounce an heauie damnation against thee Let the King the Magistrates and all the world winke at thee the hand of the Lord shall light on thee this shall be thy recompense Thou who takest pleasure in oppression shalt be oppressed the Lord shall thrust downe thine head and bloodie hand shall presse thee downe for euer the Lord saue vs from this judgement woe to them that oppresse their neighbour either in word or deede Now to goe forward Shall I not drinke of the cuppe that my Father hath giuen me By the cuppe is vnderstood a measure of affliction that the Lord will lay on any man as a cuppe is a measure so the Lord hath a measure of affliction to lay on his owne as the Master of a familie hath a cuppe drinketh to his familie sayes Drinke thou this drinke thou that euen so the Lord is the Master of this world He will fill the cuppe of affliction He will say Drinke thou this drinke thou that if He propine thee a cup He will cause thee drinke it all the world cannot saue thee but if the Lord bid thee doe it thou must drinke it He hath commandement ouer his creatures good reason that we doe His will either to liue or die as He pleaseth if the Lord propine thee with a cup of affliction if thou drinke it not willingly heere is the danger thou shalt bee compelled to drinke the dregs thereof to thy destruction Woe is to the soule that will in no measure lay down his necke to that burthen but againe if thou take that cuppe gladly as the Lord Iesus did He dranke the dregs of the bitter cuppe of the wrath of the Father yea Hee receiued it gladly and thanked Him for it albeit thou hadst bitternesse in the beginning yet in the end thou shalt finde joy and sweetnesse What followed on that cuppe Glorie the more that thou sufferest if it be patiently the greater glorie shall be to thee Then seeing that we must also suffer in this world for it is nothing but a suffering life woe is to thee that wilt make thy heauen into this world thou needest not to looke for an heauen in the world to come What euer wee suffer let vs striue against our rebellious nature for it is full of rebellion and striue to get patience and say Lord I haue no patience in mine hand Lord giue me patience contentment let this be our prayer in distresse and they who will seeke this I will promise them the most glorious issue that euer was the bitternesse of the affliction shall not stay that glorie In this world we are all as it were on a Skaffold to trie our faith to trie our patience that afterward all our afflictions may be turned in joy glorie all the teares that will gush out of thine eyes the Lord with his hand shal wipe them away wilt thou awaite to see this end thou shalt neuer againe see dolour nor displeasure Now remaineth one thing of the taking of the Lord then sayeth he Then the band and the captaine and the officers of the Iewes tooke Jesus and bound him He gaue them good leaue or els they could neuer haue bound Him but will yee marke how particularly they are named that tooke Him there is the band of the men of warre and the captaine and the seruants to let you see that there was no man that was there and was partaker of that doing but the eye of God was on him the holy Spirit recounteth them Beware euer to be in euill companie if there were neuer so many in that companie yea if there were ten thousand with thee the Lord shall see thee and judge thee whether thou be a Captaine or a single souldier or a gudget beware to bee in euill companie Say not I am not a principall man but a seruant I must obey the authoritie and I must followe my Captaine No that shall bee no warrand to thee for if thou shalt be in euill companie the eye of the LORD shall bee vpon thee to judge thee let none of these worldly excuses moue thee but say Lord thou seest whither I go with whom I come what I come to do or els thy cōscience shal terrifie thee whether thou be highest or lowest in doing an ill fact the iudgement of the Lord shall fall on thee Now to come to his taking the Lord is taken willingly resistes not whē they boūd him he put out his hands to be boūd looke how he pointes out the suffering of Christ First he sayes he was taken then he was bound thinke ye this is for no purpose There is not a worde or a sillabe lost here the taking of the Lord and the laying handes on him was for our cause who lying vnder sinne the deuill and death and this taking recounters and meetes our taking by the deuill and death Euery thing in Him and His suffering behoued to meete vs and our suffering Hee that should redeeme vs as wee were taken so it behooued Him to be taken and as wee were bound so it behooued Him to be bound and if His taking and binding had not answered to our taking and binding Hee had not beene a meete redeemer for vs and if he had not beene bound as we were we had not beene deliuered from the bands of sinne albeit it is hard to Him yet to the sinner it is joyfull and if thou findest thine handes bound hard thus the Lord Iesus was a captiue bound for thee it would bee the joyfullest tithings to thee that euer was Who is he or shee that feele the bandes of death and damnation but this will bee joyfull tithings to them because we feele not this when we heare word of His taking we take litle thought of it and are so litle mooued therewith Therefore Brethren I recommend this lesson to you and my selfe seeing we are all sinners lying vnder sinne and death that we striue to bee found in Iesus that by faith in Him wee may finde his passion and all the partes thereof to be forcible and effectuall to freee and deliuer vs from the bandes of sinne and death and so may be made partakers of life and glorie through Him To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour praise and glorie AMEN THE THIRD LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP.
hurt him not which are done by the hands of the Emperour Who executes them in the Inquisition The Kinges the Popes holy hāds are cleane of all Excuse as they will I pronounce and the Lord shall ratifie it in that Great day that they are greater murtherers than the secular power Away with their vaine excuses When they haue murthered the man they will put the fault in the Magistrate Wil God accept such excuses In the next vers Iohn subjoynes wherfore y e Iewes would not take vpon them to judge of y e life or death of Iesus Christ and saies that they answered so that that might be fulfilled that the Lord spake signifying what death he should die When He was conuersant with His Disciples He fore-told them that He should die vpon the Crosse Now the Iewes will not take vpon them the right of the judging Him that these words might be fulfilled If the Iewes had taken it vpon them they would not haue crucified him because it was not vsuall among the Iewes they vsed to stone a deceiuer or blasphemer to the death according to the lawe as they did Steuen afterwards This death of the Crosse was familiar and vsuall among the Romanes Then Brethrē we see here the God of Heauen is the disposer of the whole action of the persecution passion of Christ what euer be mans part There is not a word vttered nor an action done either by Pilate or any of the Iewes which the Lord did not dispose All that Pilate did all that the Iewes did as that spitting and buffeting of Christ were all disposed by the Lord And this is it that ye reade in that prayer in y e Acts of the Apostles cap. 4. vers 28. The princes of the earth are gathered against thine anointed Herode Pilate and the Gentiles Whereto That they should doe that thing that thine hand and thy councell hath ordained Neither Herode Pilate nor any of the Iewes or Gentiles did anie thing in this execution but that vvhich God appointed The vnderstanding herof serues to this that there was nothing done to our Redeamer but that which His father appointed they were but persecuters appointed by God euen as the hang-man the Iewes Pilate Herod were like as many hangmen to execute that decree of God This would seeme a very light word that the Iewes say We haue no power to sit ouer the life or death of men yet this is a meane whereby the Lord bringes to passe that forme of Cursed death Brethren we may speake as lightly of thinges as wee please and many times to little purpose but there is nothing that passes GODS decree Looke to that prouidence that GOD hath in His creatures The LORD disposes the lightest wordes that thou speakest He rules thine hand so that whatsoeuer thou doest He makes al to effectuate produce that which He hath decerned the thing that thou wilt speake or doe it will serue for some purpose to Him how beit little for thee In the meane time let no man thinke that when men speake or doe euill that they shall bee the more excusable for if there were no more but this it shall make thee vnexcusable because in speaking euill and in doing euill thou hast not the LORD before thine eyes Thou doest it not for obedience to His vvill Take this lesson Let euerie man and vvoman take good heede that they bee vvell exercised and if our GOD employe vs let vs take good heede that vvee bee in a good seruice in speaking good and doing good Lende not thine heart thine hande nor thy tongue to the Deuill in vnrighteousnesse And seeing thou canst not sleepe from morning to euening but must bee speaking and doing praye that the LORD maye employe thee to doe vvell and to speake vvell and saye LORD let mee bee an instrument to doe well And more in doing vvell bee not content of the outwarde face of the action but in doing vvhether it bee little or much goe euer to the heart and see the disposition thereof and looke thou doe it in sinceritie hauing regarde to GOD. Thinke it not enough and if the LORD vvorke a good vvorke by thee as an instrument but looke still that Hee vvorke in thee that thou mayest finde a good motion in thine heart For alas vvhat auaileth the outwarde action if the heart bee foule vvhich defileth all Indeed vvee maye not thinke that there is anie perfection in vs or in our actions in this life but this is the perfect ground that makes that action to smell sweetelie in the sight of GOD to vvit Faith in IESVS CHRIST If that thou findest that thou hast IESVS CHRIST in thine heart by Faith albeit vvith great vveakenesse in thy selfe yet in CHRIST all the imperfection and vveakenesse is hidden and vvhen the action commeth before the LORD it is pleasant and acceptable to Him All thinges are pleasant that come to the Father thorowe the Sonne there is the grounde of all grace and acceptation Sticke to the LORD IESVS and haue Him not in thy mouth onelie as the Hypocrites doe but let Him also bee inclosed in thine heart and dwell therein for then thou shalt bee acceptable to GOD through Him To vvhome vvith the Father and the Holie Spirit bee all Praise Honour and Glorie for euer and euer vvorlde vvithout ende AMEN THE SIXT LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP. XVIII verse 33 So Pilate entered into the common Hall againe and called IESVS and saide vnto him Art thou the King of the Iewes verse 34 IESVS answered him Sayest thou that of thy selfe or did other tell it thee of mee verse 35 Pilate answered Am I a Iew Thine owne nation and the high Priests haue deliuered thee vnto mee What hast thou done verse 36 IESVS answered My Kingdome is not of this world if my Kingdome were of this world my seruants would surely fight that I should not bee deliuered to the Iewes but nowe is my Kingdome not from hence verse 37 Pilate then saide vnto him Art thou a King then IESVS answered Thou sayest that I am a King for this cause am I borne and for this cause came I into the world that I should beare witnesse vnto the trueth euerie one that is of the trueth heareth my voyce THE last day Brethren we entered into the suffering of Christ vnder Pontius Pilate the Romane Gouernour Ciuill Iudge in Iudeae for the time Iesus is led into the Common Hall to the House of Iustice as ye heard where Pilate sate Now Pilate is not rash in judging but before he sit downe to judge hee will haue an inditement and will see what things the Iewes haue to lay to the charge of the Lord He saw the accusers of Him the Iewes in multitudes he saw no accusation therefore he goes out vnto them because they would not come to him and asketh what accusation haue they against Him hee receiueth little answere or at least little
vpon Him as guiltie in vs and for our cause and let vs giue Him thankes and praise continuallie because Hee hath giuen His onelie Sonne for vs and Hee hath made Him sinne for vs and Hee hath made Him subject to all shame ignominie dolour and paine both of bodie and soule for our sakes To Him therefore with the Father and the Holie Spirit bee all Praise Honour Power and Glorie for euer and euer Amen THE EIGHT LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP. XIX verse 1 THEN Pilate tooke IESVS and scourged him verse 2 And the Souldiers platted a Crowne of Thornes and put it on his head and they put on him a purple garment verse 3 And said Haile King of the Iewes And they smote him with their roddes verse 4 Then Pilate went foorth againe and said vnto them Beholde I bring him foorth to you that yee may know that I find no fault in him at all verse 5 Then came IESVS foorth wearing a Crowne of Thornes and a purple garment And Pilate said vnto them Beholde the man verse 6 Then when the high Priestes and officers sawe him they cryed saying Crucifie him crucifie him Pilate saide vnto them Take yee him and crucifie him for I finde no fault in him NOwe Brethren wee insist further in the suffering of CHRIST vnder Pontius Pilate the Romane Gouernour who abode in Hierusalem Wee haue hearde of two accusations that were laid against the innocent Iesus Christ The first was that Hee called Himselfe The king of the Iewes so was guilty of treason against Caesar Yee hearde the effect of this accusation to bee nothing and therefore hee goes foorth and with his voyce before them all purgeth the innocent In the next accusation there were many things laide to His charge and this chiefely that He had corrupted the whole Countrey from Galilee to Hierusalem with false doctrine Nowe when this was tryed Pilate yet holdes Him innocent in testifying His innocencie and therefore hee seekes yet to gette Him set at libertie out of the handes of the Iewes and considering that the Iewes at the Passeouer were accustomed to seeke the liberty of a prisoner who was guiltie of a capitall crime hee vses this oportunitie and askes of them vvhether they vvould haue IESVS or Barabbas set at libertie Wee hearde the answere to this proposition to vvit they crie they vvill not haue Him deliuered but Barabbas Nowe the other Euangelistes doe insist more largelie in this purpose and vvrite more of it and they report that Pilate when hee hearde this worde hee asketh What shall I doe with Iesus They crie all with one voyce Crucifie him Pilate the third time hearing this hee cleanses the innocent Yet they report more that whilest Pilate vvas sitting in judgement there commeth a messenger from his vvife and saies Haue nothing adoe with this innocent man Why for I haue beene troubled for Him in my sleepe This is an aduertisement sharpe enough vnto him and the LORD vvanted not His owne vvorke therein for the LORD brought this to passe partlie in respect of IESVS CHRIST that His innocencie might clearelie appeare before the vvorlde and that Hee might receaue a testimonie of His innocencie from them vvho had little regarde vnto it for had not Iesus beene innocent vvee had beene little the better of Him for Hee coulde not haue justified vs for ere our faith rest on Him vvee must haue the full assurance of His innocencie partly in respect of Pilate that hee should be conuerted or made vnexcusable if hee would goe forward The working of the Lord is wonderfull in the reprobate for ere that decree of their reprobation bee put in execution the Lord assaies to bring them to repentance Rom. 9.22 He suffers with a long suffering the vessels of wrath Rom. 2.4 Hee inuites the reprobate to repentance Yea ere Hee put them in Hell Hee will inuite them to Heauen There is not a reprobate that perishes in the justice of God but ere Hee vtter His justice towards them Hee will vtter His mercie in warning them to repent We come Brethren to our Text He followes out the suffering in these words which we haue read He telles vs how earnestly Pilate seekes the libertie of Iesus and he lets vs see the meanes that Pilate vses to set Iesus at libertie first he takes Him out and scourges Him puts Him out to be mocked thinking that this would satisfie the Iewes and then the fourth time hee professes His innocencie Then he bringes Him out to them with a crowne of thornes and a purple garment thinking that he should haue contented and moued the Iewes to pittie but all was in vaine It is said Pilate tooke IESVS and scourged him and not content with this commanded His souldiers to put a crowne of thornes vpon His head and a purple garment on Him to scorne the Kingdome of Iesus Christ and then smiteth Him with roddes Ye see the Lord suffers mocking paine in bodie the Lord of glorie is put to ignominie consider well let it neuer goe out of thy minde that the Lord of Glorie suffered such shame for thy cause But to examine this fact of Pilates this is commendable that he speakes so to get the innocent Iesus set at libertie but in the meane that he vseth he failes very farre Yee shall marke this in prophane and vngodly men that one of these two things falles out if not both Either they shall not take in hand a good and godly purpose or els if any time it falles out that they enterprise any good deede that they shall chuse vngodly vnlawfull meanes to affectuate it they shall doe euill that good may come of it Cast your eyes vpon this Land ye shall see this to be true Yet let vs search vp the ground of this proceeding of Pilate It cannot bee denied but that he hath a good purpose and deed in hand but it is as true againe that as he hath a good deed in hand hee lookes not vpon it with an vpright eye hee hath not God nor his Glorie before his eyes for his conscience rather than any regard to Gods Glorie or His will mooued him to purpose to loose Him Thou must not propone only to doe good but also thou must propone it for Gods cause and for His glorie Pilate hauing no respect to God goes astray and out of the way This is certaine Brethren if the purpose were neuer so good and if thou haue not the Glorie of God before thine eyes thou shalt wauer but by the contrarie that man that hath respect vnto the Lord he shall not readily wauer but the Glorie of God shall glance before him as a lanterne into his way vntill hee prosecute that deede Blessed is he that hath the Glorie of God before him there is no light to bring vs thorow this thornie way but only the Glory of our God Next I see in this fact in following out the means that hee
but beeing nailed quicke on the Crosse in such extreame paine that might haue occupied and exercised all his senses and when he is looking and waiting for the hand of the hangman to breake him quicke on the Crosse to this man to haue driuen his senses and to haue set them on a better life from that hell hee was in to that heauenly Life it was more than wonderfull and I say it was as wonderfull as if he had leapt out of the lowest hell to the highest heauen Then come to the person of him to whome he prayes if hee had seene Iesus Christ standing before him like a glorious King it had beene lesse to haue beene wondered at but hee is hanging in that shamefull death and in greater shame than he for they railed not on him as they did on Christ which no question was more grieuous than all torments as if Hee had beene a reprobate from GOD So if he had seene Him in glorie it had bene no maruell but to seeke life in a man who was dying ignominiously and who was hanging in a worse estate than Himselfe and to haue pierced thorow and seene thorow such a cloud of ignominie such a faire Life and glorie I say it was more than wonderfull Further if he had seene Him before and bene familiar with Him heard Him teach and had seene His wonders as the Apostles did it had not bene much to maruell at but this beeing the first meeting the first acquaintance and neuer to haue spoken with Him before they met in an ignominious Crosse together then to seeke in such a death such a life in such ignominie such glorie it is a thing more than marueilous Came anie of the Iewes then and prayed vnto Him Yea came anie of the Apostles Came anie of His Disciples Came either Peter or Iohn or Matthew No all were offended with Him I saye of this man to the glorie of God that hee shamed all that stood by hee shamed the Apostles and made them to cast downe their faces And I saye hee shames all men and women who will not beleeue when they see Him not crucified as hee sawe but glorified nowe in the Heauens sitting at the right hande of that Majestie shame shall light on thee and this Thiefe shall bee sette vp in glorie to testifie against thee and to condemne thee 1. COR. 1.27 Paul saies GOD will raise vp thinges naughtie to shame thinges high in the worlde and to humble the pride of the fleshe If euer this was practised it is practised in this Thiefe Therefore in time learne thy lesson at this Thiefe for if hee doe thee no good hee shall doe thee euill and this same preaching shall doe thee euill if it doe thee no good The LORD raised him vp vpon a Gallowes to bee a Teacher of Faith and Repentance of Hope of Patience of Loue and of all graces and thinke no shame to learne at him for if thou thinkest shame of the Thiefe to bee thy master hee shall giue out a testimonie to aggreadge thy damnation and hee shall saye I went to teach the Infideles on the Crosse with Thee and they hearde it and beleeued not Lord let their damnation bee aggreadged All this that I speake tendes to this That hee who glories maye glorie in the Lord And they who woulde maruell let them maruell at the Lord. I speake not these thinges that yee shoulde wonder at the Thiefe that sillie creature But all this is That yee shoulde wonder at Iesus Christ who wrought such a wonder at this time and shewed such a power when Hee was weakened It is a wonder to shewe such power in His humiliation and such mercy on such a vile sinner who was not worthie that the earth shoulde beare him let bee to dwell in Heauen Wonder at Him who is so mercifull and gracious to poore sinners To Him therefore bee praise for euermore AMEN THE XVIII LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST LVKE CHAP. XXIII verse 43 Then Iesus said vnto him Verely J say vnto thee to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise IOHN CHAP. XIX verse 25 Then stood by the crosse of Iesus his mother and his mothers sister Marie the wife of Cleopas and Marie Magdalene verse 26 And when Iesus saw his mother and the disciples standing by whome he loued He said vnto his mother woman beholde thy sonne verse 27 Then said He to the disciple behold thy mother and from that houre the disciple tooke her home vnto him WEE heard the last day Beloued in Iesus of the repentance of one of the Thieues that hung on the Crosse with Christ in a moment wonderfully hee begins to be penitent for all his misdeedes and former life and hee vtters his penitencie and the displeasure that was in his heart for sinne in sundry effectes First hee rebukes bitterlie that blasphemie that the other Thiefe speakes out against the Lord and saies Fearest thou not God seeing thou art in the same damnation Thou and I suffer justly for we haue demerited all this but this man pointing out Christ hath done nothing amisse When hee hath thus rebuked the Thiefe hee turnes him about to Iesus Christ who hung in the middest and hee directs his prayer to Him and saies Lord remember mee when thou commest to thy Kingdome The other the blasphemer would faine haue liued in the vvorlde And therefore because hee sawe that IESVS had no power to giue him this earthlie life therefore hee blasphemeth CHRIST in His face But the penitent Thiefe seekes not this present life but desires that hee may gette entrie in to that Heauenly Kingdome The last day I spake concerning the petition of the penitent Thiefe I repeate nothing Onely wonder not at the Thiefe or at such an earnest repentance in him suddenly bâ—â— wonder at Iesus Christ vvho in such vveaknesse hanging so shamefully vpon the Crosse yet vttered such mercie and such infinite power yea one of the moste miserable catiues that euer was in the vvorlde I goe forwarde and first I shall shewe you of the answere that the Lord giues to the penitent Thiefe and then I shall come to the earnest recommendation that Iesus made of His Mother MARIE vnto IOHN The Lord answeres him Verily I say vnto thee this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise The answere containes a promise and the thing that the Lord promises is Thou shalt bee vvith mee thou seekest to bee vvith mee in my Kingdome thou shalt bee vvith mee and thou shalt bee a subject vvith mee and more a follower and vvhereas thou werest a vile Thiefe I shall make thee a glorious King in the Heauen And when shall this bee Without delay it shall not be to morrowe or other morrowe but this same day immediately thou shalt bee transported to that vnspeakeable glorie And where shall this bee It shall bee in Paradise Thou shalt not goe to Purgatorie but into Celestiâ—ll Paradise Of this worde Paradise wee reade in sundrie
it that we count not much of them but that â—e behold that heauenly life Paul 2. Cor. 5.16 When he was speaking of the redemption that the Lord bought with His precious blood sayes From henceforth I will knowe no man according to the flesh and if I did know Jesus sometimes according to the flesh now I will not know Him hee giues a reason Who euer is in Christ let him bee a newe creature the olde creatures are past away behold all things are made new Fye on thee that hast thine heart fixed on these earthly thinges and forgettest Heauen This for the stile that He giues her Come to the words He sayes Behold thy sonne As if He had said Woman I am to depart this life and I put Iohn in my stead and I ordaine him to take the protection of thee and to doe the dutie of a sonne to thee in my steade then Hee turnes Him to Iohn and Hee sayes Beholde thy mother As if Hee had said I goe out of the world and I leaue my mother to thee and I ordaine that thou be a sonne to her and she a mother to thee and that thou keepe her and intertaine her so long as thou and she liue together It may be asked The LORD IESVS CHRIST going to Heauen might Hee not from the Heauen haue kept His owne mother might Hee not haue taken the defence of His owne mother might He not haue preserued Her from all dangers No question He might haue kept her well eneugh yet He committes her to Iohn whom Hee loues because He loues His mother well Hee commends her to a man whom He loued intierely He will not contemne the ordinarie meanes and manner of doing this same Hee does dayly the LORD IESVS hath power to saue His Church and all the members of the same to protect and defend them but He will not contemne these ordinarie meanes He will haue euery one to keepe another as Hee commended His mother to Iohn to bee kept And woe bee to thee who may if thou keepe none And namely the LORD hath a care of that infirme sexe that women bee kept by the protection of men who are faithfull She who is kept vnder the protection of any in the worlde let her giue CHRIST glorie for it for it is by His direction as Marie was directed to Iohn Consider heere further The LORD at this time is in the seruice of His heauenly Father and there was neuer a man so occupied in His life as He was at this houre and He was neuer so occupied all His time as now and Hee was now occupied chiefly in suffering It is an easie thing to bee occupied in performing duties of the seruice of GOD in respect of suffering it is a sore thing to suffer as to be cast in a fire to bee nailed on a Crosse yet in suffering albeit He is occupied so that He forgets His owne selfe yet when Hee sees His mother Hee forgets not her I would all men should marke this lesson The malediction of GOD shall fall on these that deserue the curse of their mother who glorie in it let them glorie in it as they will our dutie to GOD prejudges nothing our dutie to father or mother thou was neuer so occupied in the seruice of GOD as was Iesus Christ at this houre who in the middest of all this did His dutie to His mother and Christ will let vs see that our dutie to our GOD stands well with our duetie to man Wilt thou pull the first and the second Table asunder the one from the other Wilt thou say that the first prejudges the second thou doest lie But looke the order That CHRIST keepes in these duties doth He first His dutie to His mother No first He doth His dutie to His Father Hee is obedient to His Father to the death and in the middest of that obedience to the Father Hee doth His dutie to His mother Beginne at thy GOD if thou wouldest doe thy dutie and next come to man and if thou passest by GOD to doe thy dutie to man thou shalt doe nothing of loue nor of sinceritie Fye on thee and that loue and that dutie thou vtterest to man followe not on that loue thou bearest to GOD and wilt thou say this I see my dutie to the King and to my father bindes me I will doe my dutie to them and last I will serue GOD any thing will serue Him wilt thou jest so with the LORD I say to thee if thou beginnest at man euen at the King or at thy father or mother and postpone the LORD I say to thee the LORD will haue none of thy seruice And if thou hatest not sayes CHRIST father and mother for my cause thou art not worthie of mee Luke 14.26 Then what shall become of them who preferre father and mother to GOD he is but a knaue that will take on him the name of a Christian and will serue men before GOD No that name shall turne to thy shame Therefore vnder the paine of thy life doe thy dutie first to GOD and then for GODS cause doe thy dutie to man that GOD may haue the glorie of it Further there are some in the houre of death that will take so litle care of the worlde and of them whome they leaue behinde them that they are destitute of naturall affection that they regard not if they die though all the world should fall in one moment for men wanting that naturall affection will say What care I if once I bee gone from the world Nowe there are others albeit they loose not altogether that naturall affection who haue their senses so occupied and exercised about the present paine that they will not know their parents kinsfolks or any that appertaine vnto them Who was euer in such a paine as Iesus was And yet out of the middest of torment of blasphemies of wrastling with death euerlasting with the wrath of the Father and with all the Infernall powers Hee is carefull of His Mother No man was euer borne that had such a naturall affection as Hee no sonne in this worlde euer loued his mother so well as Hee And except thou be in Iesus Christ and He sanctifie thy affections that in the houre of death thou mayest sleepe in Him sweetly either thou shalt loose altogether this naturall affection or else it shall bee suffocate that albeit thy Parentes and all thy kinred were about thee thou shalt haue no care of them No thou shalt not once by thine head and countenance vtter anie meaning that thou hast a care of their weale IESVS CHRIST honoured His Mother beyonde anie man euen on the Crosse in such a paine and such a displeasure And this testifies that naturall affection was greater in Iesus than in anie man Further Seeing Iesus from the Crosse in shame in torment in that fearefull battell c. commendes His Mother to Iohn it telles vs that the duety which wee owe to
to worke this worke of redemption and saluation by base and naughty meanes that the world respects no more of than the dirt which they treade on Looke what is the difference betwixt the wisedome of GOD and the wisedome of man Will yee looke to the cause of our redemption to IESVS CHRIST or to the Professors and to Ministers they are the foolishest in the vvorlde sillie bodies and compare them vvith potent men they are but contemptible and of no valour and compare them with wise men they are but fooles So looke to the Crosse and to the Ministerie thereof whereby wee are saued all is weake base and contemptible and all to this ende that the LORD onelie maye gette the glorie and as the APOSTLE saies He that glorieth may onlie glory in the LORD And let euerie one of vs giue glorie to that LORD of Glorie To whome with the Father and the Holie Spirite bee all Honour and Praise for euermore AMEN THE XXI LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST MATTH CHAP. XXVII verse 47 And some of them that stood there when they heard it saide This man calleth Elias verse 48 And straightway one of them ranne and tooke a spunge and filled it with vineger and put it on a reede and gaue him to driâ—ke verse 49 Other said Let be let vs see if Elias will come and saue him verse 50 Then Iesus cryed againe with a loude voyce yeelded vp the ghost MARKE CHAP. XV. verse 35 And some of them that stood by when they heard it said Beholde hee calleth Elias verse 36 And one ranne and filled a spunge full of vineger and put it on a reede and gaue him to drinke saying Let him alone let vs see if Elias will come and take him downe verse 37 And Iesus cryed with a loude voyce and gaue vp the ghost LVKE CHAP. XXIII verse 46 And Iesus cryed with a loude voyce and saide Father into thine handes I commende my spirite And when hee had thus said hee gaue vp the ghost IOHN CHAP. XIX verse 28 After when Iesus knewe that all thinges were performed that the Scripture might bee fulfilled hee saide I thirst verse 29 And there was set a vessell full of vineger and they filled a spunge with vineger and put it about an hyssope stalke and put it to his mouth verse 30 Now when Iesus had receiued of the vineger hee said It is finished and bowed his head and gaue vp the ghost DVRING the time that the LORD IESVS hung quicke on the Crosse which was three houres and large more yee may reade well-beloued in Christ sundrie voyces that He vttered When I looke thorowe the foure Euangelistes I finde in number sixe sundrie voyces and euery one of them is well to be marked for at that time Hee vttered nothing in vaine The first voyce wee reade of was a voyce of diuine power together vvith mercy when one of the Thieues who hung at His right hand said to Him Lord remember me when thou commest to thy Kingdome The Lord answered him like a King and like a powerfull and mercifull God Verily J say vnto thee this day thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise The next voyce was a voyce of humane pittie and naturall affection toward His Mother she being by the Crosse with Iohn and other women He recommendes her to the custodie of His wâ—ll beloued Disciple The thirde voyce wee reade of was a voyce of sadnesse proceeding from an heart that was sadde on euery side to the death and from that agonie on the Crosse My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee The fourth voyce in like manner was a voyce of sadnesse proceeding from a wonderfull heate in the soule and body I thirst The fifth voyce by all appearance was a voyce of joye seeing the worke of Redemption to bee wrought and the wrath of His Father to be asswaged He saies after He had drunken the vineger Jt is finished The sixt and last voyce in like manner was a voyce of joye for finding Hee was to giue vp the ghoste immediately and finding His Father sweetly to loose His soule from His bodie He saies Father into thine hands I commend my spirit Now Brethren all thâ—se foresaid voyces the Lord vttered during the time that He hung quick on y e Crosse Of these we haue heard the first the second the third which was that heauie complaint that Hee made to His Father My God my God c. This daye as God shall giue vs grace wee shall speake of the three other voyces one of them of sadnesse and the other two of joye But before wee come to these voyces which are the three lâ—st voyces wee haue to speake something of the misconstruing of the complaint of the Lord vttered to His God Nowe the Iewes that stood by Him and heard Him crie Eli Eli for Hee cryed aloude of maliciousnesse not of mistaking Him they begin to calumniate and to misconstrue His wordes because the worde Eli which is My God sounded like Elias Therefore they said Hee cryed for Elias when Hee cryed on His God Let vs see if Elias will come and take Him downe In the which wordes wee may see clearely that they sought not onelie to destroy His bodie but the Deuill in them sought to sunder and seuer Him both in soule and bodie from His God they woulde not heare Him crye vpon His God but they sought to destroy His bodie and His soule such was the insatiable malice of the hearts of these Iewes against Iesus Christ This is the common dealing of the Deuill and his instruments with the godly and chiefely in that last houre when the separation of the soule from the body is to follow Not only to get the body dead but the soule God separated if thou beginnest to pray call on God they will scorne thy prayer seeke to cut thee froÌ„ God all hope of life But to leaue them their bitter maliciousnes As in all the poinctes of the suffering of Christ I looke more to the disposition of His Father than to the Iewes to the deuil or his instrumeÌ„ts So I doe in this No question as His Father exercises Him inwardly with a bitter wrath eueÌ„ so wheÌ„ as the Lord by making an heauy mone seekes an outgaet cries My God my God c Hee will haue Him met outwardly with bitternes Aime where He wil He meetes Him with nothing but bitternes wrath inwardly outwardly hell inward outward no refuge nor escaping till y t ransome be payed to the least farthing Wel BrethreÌ„ if ye would see an image of hell see it here The Lord Iesus was for a time fealt nothing but extreame bitternes But the reprobate after they be once casten into hell there is nothing for them but bitternes let theÌ„ aime here there to escape houle cry they shal be met wiâ—h bitternes What if it were but for a time The Lord escaped His suffering
Father so did it cast a sweeter smell in the nose of the godlie than euer they founde and they thought it had such a fragrant odour and such a sweet smell vnto them that they thought ere they had beene separated from Him in His death they had rather chosen to haue dyed a thousande deathes for as the Lord saies Wheresoeuer the carion is there must the Eagles resort Well is the man who in his death findes the sweete smell of y e death of Iesus Christ I haue no more to say of this matter but if this acquaintance of Iesus for the time tooke such a pleasure in His death beeing shamefull that they could not bee separated from Him it is a shame to vs to draw so far backe from Him not now hanging in ignominie on the crosse but most glorious in the Heauens Fye on this dull headed and dead world that hath no sense of that glorie and is not allured by that vnspeakable glorie rather to suffer a thou and deathes albeit it were the sword the fire and all torments than to be separated from this Iesus Christ But the womens part is more particularly to bee considered Let all women take heede it is saide Many women were there Moe of them haue followed the Lord to the crosse than men that I may speake to the glorie of GOD and shame of men As for men I finde nothing but this generall In Luke a companie of men and women but in Matthew and Marke I finde of women especially they are looking on Him with sadnesse mixed with joy And from whence came they It is said that They came out of Galile following on Him they neuer left Him they wearied not to follow such a guide they ministred to Him on their owne charge As they were fedde with that bread of life that came out of His mouth so they spared not freely and liberally to communicate all that they had to Him And happie is the man who so findes the effect of the word of life in his heart that hee would bestowe againe all that he hath for the loue of that word Brethren yee know what is in hand presently many words neede not seeing this diuision of the towne in competent Congregations intended is to feede your soules with the word of life spare not for goods to get that word of life Nowe I see beside the multitude mention made of three women Marie Magdalene then Marie the mother of Iames the lesse and of Ioses and Salome the mother of the two sonnes of Zebedeus No question these women mentioned here haue borne a tender affection to the Lord forgets the Lord that loue they bare to Him in all times before in following Him from Galile to Ierusalem and from Ierusalem vnto the ignominious death of the crosse and there staying with the Lord and not leauing Him but ministring to Him forgets the Lord this No but He remembers vpon it thou shalt neuer doe a good deede to IESVS CHRIST but Hee shall meete thee they loue Him and Hee honours them they neuer left Him they shamed the men yea His disciples yea euen the very Apostles for we read not of any of all His Apostles that any of them was there present except Iohn Peter had taken him to a backe side for all his stoutnesse before the rest were offended in Him These women did cleaue to Him through the band of loue forgets the Lord this No as they loue Him beyond His Apostles so the Lord honoures them aboue the Apostles It is no small thing to get the honour to be an eye witnes of the death and resurrection of IESVS CHRIST it is greater honour than all the honour in the world No doubt the LORD made these women in their turning backe preachers to the Apostles themselues they tolde Peter Iames and Matthew what they had seene there is none end of honour when the Lord begins to honour as He honours them to be witnesses of His death and preachers of it to others so Hee will haue the names of some of them to bee registrate to the posteritie And it is the will of IESVS CHRIST that this day I promulgate the names of these women in your audience to their honour after so many hundreth yeeres and their names shall be registrate perpetually to their euerlasting honour whilst IESVS CHRIST come againe yea their names shall bee written in the Heauens euerlastingly Neuer one repents the gratitude done to IESVS CHRIST thou shalt get two good deedes for one Againe the LORD will let vs see in the example of these women that oft times in women there will be a more tender loue to the Lord IESVS than in men who are the stronger sexe ye will see the weaker and simpler that the sexe bee and the lesse worldly wit that it haue the more spiritually it is disposed the more affectionate it is to heauenly thinges the greater heauenly wisdome it hath If any man sayes PAVL seeme to bee wise in this world let him bee a foole that hee may bee wise that is truâ—ly wise wise in GOD 1. Cor. 3.18 And as their loue is great so the Lord will honour them to the shame of men and whereas men should preach CHRIST Hee will make women to preach IESVS CHRIST to men to the shame of men and His owne glorie All tends to this that as men and women doe desire to bee honoured of God so all men and women should striue continually to loue and glorifie GOD. GOD loues none nor honoures none but only those who loue and honour the Lord Iesus Christ if thou louest not the Lord Iesus Christ thou shalt get no loue nor honour of God yet further this is not to be passed by the world vvonders novv that Hee had such an eye to these three vvomen There were many hundreth men but how many of their names were registrate to their honour Hee had such a respect to them that He espied them out beside the rest of thousands that were there and by His Holy Spirit caused registrate them This registrating of them came not rashly but from an ordinance of God and His especiall Prouidence There is not a publike conuention albeit it were a man hanged where multitudes of men and women run together to heare see but the all-seeing eye of the Lord is vpon euery person in particular man woman ladde or lasse Neuer an head there great or small poore or rich noble or ignoble but the eye of the Lord is on them yea it goes downe to the inward affections to rippe and search them to see of what disposition euery soule is As for example we are all met together here sundry men and women some greater some smaller some younger some older yet there is not one of vs on whome the Lord hath not His eye We are met to see Iesus Christ crucified on mount Caluarie there is not one of our hearts but the eye of the Lord sees it and Hee
thinke that any man in earth is too good to preach the Gospell of Christ No if thou werest a King it is a great honour to thee that thou shouldest haue grace to speake of His blessed Name Well Brethrē as the ambassadour was glorious the message was glorious so y ◠cōmission was the joyfullest thing that euer y u heardest al the Angels in Heauen are too vnworthy to tel it Now as the ambassador was glorious the message more glorious so the Lord of Heauen honours His Ambassadour w t a terrible earthquake the ambassador of a King hath honour and why should not the ambassadour of the LORD IESVS haue honour aboue all the Kinges of the world No doubt the LORD in this Earthquake hath a further respect for hereby He testified that His glorious presence accompanied the Angell and that to the weale and comfort of the sillie women for as all the rest was to prepare their hearts reuerentlie to receiue so glorious an Ambassadour so was also this Earthquake For if both men and women bee not prepared to receiue the Gospel of IESVS CHRIST let an Angel come from Heauen if they be not prepared by the power of GOD they will not beleeue they will not heare nor receiue the message with reuerence Therefore let no man saye What needes all this a glorious Angell to come from Heauē and such an Earthquake He might haue come otherwise He might haue come faire and softly and in more quyet manner I answere to this The LORD looked not so much to the Angell or the message as to the women for if it were an Angell that came from Heauen He shall neuer be receiued by the silliest bodie except thine heart be prepared by the power of God Now to goe forward When this Angell comes downe first wee haue what Hee does Then wee haue a faire description of this Angell The first thing He does is Hee goes to the graue and rowles away the stone from the doore Ye would thinke this was but a sober and seruile office to so glorious an Ambassadour Might not men haue done it It was Joseph and Nicodemus who rolled the stone to the tombe Might not men haue rolled it awaye againe Marke and compare the Buriall with His glorious resurrection In His Buriall He kept the Godhead close for if either in the death of Christ or in His Buriall that Godhead should haue vttered it selfe He could neither haue died nor yet haue bene buried for the Godhead can neither die nor bee buried but in the resurrection the Godhead that dwelt in Him bodilie breakes out and raises the stone Vpon this difference there followes another in His Buriall the Godhead keeping it selfe close He had no Angels but mortall men to wit Ioseph and Nicodemus to serue Him they winde Him they laye Him in the graue they roll the stone to the doore of the graue But when it comes to His glorious resurrectiō in the which that Godhead that before kept it selfe close brake out Hee vses not the ministerie of men but of a glorious Angell an Angell rolles away the stone as it were with His owne hand Nowe this lets vs see how highlie and honourablie wee should thinke of this glorious resurrection It is true the LORD in His Buriall was honourable but Hee was farre more honourable in His Resurrection for the honour that Hee had in His Buriall was but a worldlie honour but in His Resurrection Hee had an Heauenlie honour Indeede Ioseph and Nicodemus who buried Him were two Honourable men but an Angell is an hundreth times more Honourable and glorious than anie man albeit he were a king or Caesar himselfe And so the LORD in His Buriall vttered Himselfe to bee a Lorde ouer men but in His glorious Resurrection He vttered Himselfe euen in our nature not onelie to be Lord of men but also of Angels So Brethren all tendes to this to let vs see the glorie of the Resurrection of Iesus Nowe would to God wee could striue night and daye to get a sight of it for except we get a sight of it in some measure here wee shall neuer see glorie hereafter But before I leaue this I see that in the rolling awaye of the stone the Lord hath a respect to the weaknesse of these women knowing well they were not able to remoue so heauy a stone to see whether the Lord was there or no He sendes this Angell to roll it away to the ende that when the women came they should see that the LORD was risen from the dead Well here wee haue a comfortable lesson The LORD will helpe them that seeke Him Seeke the Lord where euer Hee bee Seeke the Lord in the graue seeke the Lord in the Heauen and thou shalt bee assured if thou bee a weake bodie the Lord shall supplie thy weaknesse and Hee shall cause the strong Angell to doe that which thou art not able to doe Reade wee not how the Lord hath sent His Angels to fight the battels of His owne And if thou wilt seeke the Lord when thou art going any way thou shalt find in experience that the Lord shall send His Angell before thee and prepare thinges before thy comming And I doubt not but some of you who heares mee haue founde this in your owne experience in such sort that yee haue wondered at that blessed prouidence of His Majestie and hath bene moued glorifie Him Now there is another thing to be marked When He hath rolled the stone from the doore He departs not but he sits downe and abides there to testifie that the Lord Iesus was risen So yee see the first witnesse of the Resurrection of Iesus Christ is an Angell Hee remaines sitting vpon the stone to testifie that Christ was risen in glory The first witnesses of His death and Buriall were men and women but the first witnesse of His glorious resurrection is His blessed Angell to let vs see how the Lord would honour His Resurrection and to make vs esteeme of it to wonder at it for in the sight of it stands our life and glorie Alas that once our eyes coulde bee opened to see the glorie of our Redeemer sitting at the right hande of that Majestie then could wee not but wonder at the greatnesse of that glorie Well then as I saide before in this poinct The Lord had a great respect to the poore women Alas an Earthly King will haue a small respect to the poore But the Lorde of glory had a great respect to these poore women Indeed the sight of the emptinesse of the graue might haue beene a sufficient testimonie to them of Christes Resurrection considering the fore-warning they had before to wit That the Lord shoulde rise againe the thirde daye but they were weake in faith And therfore He that supplied the weaknesse of their bodies by the strēgth of the Angell He supplies their faith by this same Angel for they began to doubt whether He was risen
they thought Hee was stollen away Yet the Lorde Iesus supplies their weaknesse and to the emptinesse of the graue Hee subjoynes the saying of the Angell The Lord is risen from the dead Then the lesson is this Againe seeke the Lorde Art thou sicke in bodie He will supplie thy weaknesse Art thou weake in faith seeke the Lord as certainlie as He supplied the faith of these women Hee shall supplie thy faith And if thou wilt not beleeue for one testimonie Hee will testifie againe and I testifie Hee will neuer leaue thee if thou once aimest to seeke Him yea Hee will heape testimonie vpon testimonie till Hee confirme thee and bring thee to perfection Nowe Brethren followes heereafter a faire description of this Angell In MATTHEVV first he is described from his looke countenance The looke and his eyes glaunced as ye see flashes of fire Then hee is described from his rayment Hee is cladde with faire bright rayment white like the snowe Hee hath fierie eyes and his rayment is like white snow Last of all hee is descriued from the effect that followed on his sight But on whome Not on the women but on the strong men of warre for assoone as they saw him they were not able to looke vpon him but fell downe as dead they might not sustaine to beholde him and his glorious countenance Now as this great Earthquake which was joyned with his comming downe from Heauen vvas a visible signe of the presence of God accompanying Him so that terrible countenance white rayment were also visible signes of that same presence of GOD accompanying Him when hee came to the graue The Majestie of GOD shined in his face rayment the same presence made the men of vvarre to fall downe as dead Whereto vvas all this To glorifie honour that great commission that the Angell had Why should not the ambassadour of a glorious King be glorious Why should not His looke his countenance His rayment and all be glorious But yet againe all this is for the vvell of the poore women In all this the LORD regarded them for euen as the terrible earthquake vvas to prepare their heartes to receiue the ambassage reuerently Euen so vvas the bright countenance and shining rayment of this Angell Novve to speake something of the signes of the presence of God that He hath vsed since the beginning to set out His inuisible glorie No all the Angels in Heauen had neuer povver to get accesse nor apprehend y t inaccessible light It is true the great God hath no neede to borrovv either light from the fire-flash or vvhitenes frō y e snovv or hue or hotnes from the fire to set foorth His glory for all the beauties in all the creatures are not to be cōpared to y t glory that is in Him The fire had neuer y t glance to set forth His glory c. yet it hath pleased y e Lord for our capacitie submitting Himselfe to our infirmitie by those things y t are most glorious exquisite in Nature to set out represent His incomprehensible glory He takes as it vvere a darke shadovv thereby to let vs see His shining glory therefore Brethren take vp y e lesson When euer the Lord vtters His Majestie by outward signes of His creatures hold not altogether thine eye fixed on y e outward signes as though His Majesty extended y e selfe no further as though there were no greater glory in Him than in them as though He vvere no vvhiter than the snow nor brighter than the fire for the visible creature cannot fully expresse the glory of the Creator but by the eye of Faith thou shouldest pierce into that inward light and incomprehensible glory whereinto GOD dwells blessed for euer which is represented by the beautie of these outwarde signes Therefore when Hee sets out His brightnesse by the brightnesse of the Sunne when thou seest the Sunne shining thou shouldest say with thy selfe I cannot abide the brightnesse of this Sunne therefore what brightnesse is in y t God that made it and if by the eye of Faith thou lookest thorow the glorie of all the creatures to the infinite glorie of the Creator thou shalt haue a faire vantage for thou shalt no sooner looke vpon His glorie by the eye of faith but assoone shall the Lord by the beames of His infinite glorie and by a marueilous light shine in thine heart for as the Apostle sayes 2. Cor. 4.6 God that commanded the light to shine out of darknesse is Hee which hath shined in our hearts And I doubt not but these poore women looking to the glory of the Angell who was an Ambassadour of Iesus they saw and considered how glorious Iesus was who sent him and so they found the glory of the Lord shining in their soule afterwards which made them to rejoyce with a joy vnspeakable and glorious Now to end shortly it is said That for feare of Him the keepers were astonished and became as deade men The men of warre are standing about the graue when His Angell comes but when they see the Angell the earth did not shake so fast as they did they shake and fall downe deade as it were in a trance these men were stout before and it is likely that they had bragged before that all the world should not get Him out of the graue for they were acquainted with tumultes of warre and they had seene as many terrible sights as any men yet for all their stoutnesse they looke not so soone to the Angels face and rayment but assoone they fall downe dead Wel thou art a stout man if thou wilt say All the deuils in Hel shal not smite thee nor affright thee thou thinkest thou wilt out-face all the world this Land is full of such foolish braggers who will say they will not bee afraide to meete the Deuill but one blencke of the face of that Majestie of GOD will cause them fall downe as dead to the ground Will yee weigh this matter aright It is not onely the outwarde sight of the Angell that astonishes these men for if it was the sight of the Angell why fell not the women downe Why were they not astonished the women stood still and the Angel spake to them and they to him so there must be another cause of this terrour and what was the cause They were great sinners sinne did reigne in them without repentance they had an euill conscience they were enemies to Iesus Christ and therefore at the sight of the Angell when the light of GOD enters in and wakens their consciences they are stricken with exceeding terrour and feare The children of God who haue their consciences purged from the guiltinesse of sinne vses not to be stricken with such terrour at the sight of God but rather receiue joy thereby It is true The presence of the Majestie of God is terrible in it selfe and the Angells themselues can not behold it in the owne brightnesse yet
daye of His resurrection vvent out to HIERVSALEM to a Village neare by called Emmaus We heard these dayes past what Cleopas one of the two spake by the waye to Christ whome hee tooke to be a passenger because his eyes were bounde vp that hee could not see Him nor discerne Him neither by His voyce nor by His face All his speach tēdes to this Our hope is gone we thought Iesus should haue beene the Redeemer but He is dead and continues vnder death Wee entered in the answere which Iesus makes speaking to Him like a passenger The first entrie is rough lāguage O fooles sayes Hee and dull of heart to beleeue all that the Prophets had spoken of Iesus An hard entrie Thereafter He begins to instruct them and to teach them The chiefe poinct of doctrine is first laid downe in these wordes Jt behooued that CHRJST shoulde suffer and by suffering enter into his glorie Of this which wee hearde the last daye I repeate nothing In this TEXT as GOD shall giue vs grace and as time shall suffer wee haue the confirmation of this doctrine Hee prooues this necessitie that hee behooued to suffer by manie testimonies And then in the seconde wee haue howe Hee manifested Himselfe and howe their eyes were opened and howe Hee let them see that Hee was Christ And in the thirde parte wee haue the effectes which it vvrought in them after that they knewe Him to bee their Lorde and Master Then to beginne at the first To prooue that Christ suffered and so entered into His glorie Hee searches the Scriptures Hee beginnes at Moses and from Moses hee comes to the Prophets interpreting vnto them what Moses and the Prophets had spoken concerning CHRIST interpreting that which concerned His Passion and that vvhich concerned His glorie after His Passion The matter is set downe summarilie Heere no Scriptures are expressed neither such as vvere taken out of MOSES or the PROPHETS but summarilie it is saide That Hee prooued all out of MOSES and the PROPHETS There Hee alleadged not a bare testimonie but Hee declared and expounded euerie one of the Testimonies to these two Disciples And then vvhen Hee hath interpreted them Hee gathered the conclusion That it behooued himselfe to suffer Now Brethren we see in this place what the preaching of the Gospell is in effect it is none other thing but the declaration of Moses the Prophets Christ preaches here the Gospell to them and yet He does nothing but interpretes Moses and the Prophets So the preaching of the Gospell is nothing but the exponing of Moses and the Prophets and this Euangell is a plaine commentarie of the Text of Moses Moses wrote not one thing and the Apostles another but Moses wrote the same thing that the Apostles wrote only this is the difference Moses wrote obscurely the Apostles more clearly Then marke well this They that are preachers of the Gospell separate neuer the interpretation of the Gospell from the Text of Moses and the Prophets Some fantastick braines haue thought the Olde Testament not needfull since the Gospell was written but all is vanitie Christ teached not that way yee see Christ takes His Text out of Moses and interpretes Moses and the Prophetes and the Apostles wrote nothing of Christ but that which they grounded vpon Moses and as for vs wee should speake nothing but that vvhich vvee ground vpon the writtings of the Apostles and next wee ground our preachings vpon the Prophets and thirdly vpon Moses that is a ground that is a sure ground and all the world cannot cast it downe that doctrine which is grounded vpon the Apostles the Prophets and Moses it is good but if it bee not grounded vpon these three I will not giue thee one pennie for it Secondly ye see all the interpretation of Moses is concerning Christ and what befell Him His suffering and His glory after His passion there is the chiefe corner stone whereupon our Faith is builded and whereupon our Faith is grounded and whereupon the doctrine of Moses the Prophets and the Apostles is builded the corner stone Christ and therefore sayes the Apostle beeing grounded vpon the foundation of the Prophets and the lowest stone Christ and in the first Epistle to the Corinthians Chapter 3. verse 10. He sayes No man can lay another ground but that which is laide alreadie Iesus is the foundation and ground of all true doctrine and veritie Paul Rom. 10. calles Him the end of the Law in Him is all the Law fulfilled and Hee put an end to all these types and shadowes in the Lawe So there is the chiefe ground of our doctrine Iesus Christ the lowest stone vpon Him is grounded the doctrine of Moses the Prophets and the Apostles and we builde our doctrine vpon Him I goe forward This for the first head now followes the second part of the Text how Hee beginnes to manifest Him for as yet they thought Him to be but a passenger yet a gracious man and blessed passenger as yee will heare they were loth to depart from Him it is saide When they draw neare to Emmaus in a towne where they thought to lodge all night the Lord makes as though He would haue gone further the wordes are He faines as though He were to goe further that village was not the end of His journey the words giue occasion of a question Thought the LORD one thing and spake He another to speake one thing and to thinke another is a plaine lie I will not insist in this matter the purpose of the Lord at this time was to enter into the village towne with them and sit at Table with them vpon this condition that they should bee earnest with Him vrge Him and in a manner constraine Him but this failing was in them they not beeing earnest Hee purposed to leaue them and to goe further then when it comes to the doing and executing of His purpose when He said Hee vvould goe further He lied not for He purposed so to doe if they had not beene earnest with Him and caused Him to abide Then wherein can it be said that He vsed simulation except in this that Hee shew not them that if they were earnest with Him He would abide No if thou wouldest haue Him to stay with thee thou must be earnest to seeke Him and constraine Him in a manner I might let you see examples both in God and godly men that haue shewed a part of their purpose and kept the rest to themselues God said to Moses I will slay this people and none of them shall escape Hee kept vp this except thou interceede And againe Hee sayes Yet fourtie dayes and then Niniue shall be destroyed Lied the Lord Not albeit He kept vp a part of His purpose except they had repented for if they had not repented He had destroyed them So the Lord bids Samuel conceale His purpose in annoynting Dauid 1. Sam. 6.16 This onely is our lesson Bee not curious
hee is not vvakened till the Prophet of the LORD came vnto him The longer that thy conscience lieth still in sinne the bitterer the vvakening vvill bee A reprobate vvill get an harde vvakening Iudas got a sore vvakening he vvas asleepe vvhilest hee kissed his Master but vvhen hee vvakened he hanged himselfe But the Lord dealeth otherwise vvith His owne Hee vvill vvaken them in mercie and in the heauiest displeasure they shall haue the sweetest joye and in the greatest aboundance of teares the greatest comfort Of all the thinges in the vvorlde take best heede to the conscience for it is alwayes verie readie to fall asleepe and of all judgementes a sleeping conscience is the greatest and therefore let vs striue night and daye to haue a waking conscience which may rounde in our eares when vvee lay vs downe at Euen vvhat vvee haue done all the daye if thou hast done good then thou mayest sleepe vvith a sound conscience but if thou hast done euill it is better a thousand times to vveepe vvith teares and vvake in mourning till thou findest thy selfe to be recōciled to God againe than to sleepe We should neuer let the conscience sleepe but euer hold it vvaking to tell vs vvhen vve doe euill that vve may haue dolour vvhē vve haue done vvell vve may haue joy through Iesus Christ To vvhome vvith the Father and the Holy Spirite bee all Praise Honour and Glorie for euermore AMEN THE FOVRTH LECTVRE OF THE PASSION OF CHRIST IHON CHAP. XVIII verse 19 The high Priest then asked IESVS of his Disciples and of his Doctrine verse 20 IESVS answered him I spake openly to the worlde I euer taught in the Synagogue and in the Temple whither the Iewes resort continually and in secret haue I said nothing verse 21 Why askest thou mee aske them that heard me what I said vnto them beholde they know what I said verse 22 When he had spoken these things one of the officers which stood by smote IESVS with his rodde saying Answerest thou the high Priest so verse 23 IESVS answered him if I haue euill spoken beare witnesse of the euill but if I haue well spoken why smitest thou me verse 24 Now Annas had sent him bound vnto Caiaphas the high Priest verse 25 And Simon Peter stood and warmed himselfe and they saide vnto him Art not thou also one of his Disciples He denied it and said I am not verse 26 One of the seruants of the high Priest his cousin whose eare Peter smote off saide Did not I see thee in the Garden with him verse 27 Peter then denied againe and immediatly the Cocke crew BELOVED in the LORD IESVS we haue heard the first part of the Passion of the LORD which was in the Garden beside that inward agonie with the wrath of His Father that Hee felt in His soule outwardly in the Garden where Hee was taken like a thiefe bound Hee was taken to deliuer vs from that captiuitie and bondage of sinne and death And then after we entered into the seconde part of His suffering which was in the Hall of Caiaphas being taken and bound He is led away to Hierusalem The first house that He is brought vnto is the house of Anna◠the father-in-lawe to Caiaphas and there Hee tarrieth a certaine time till the Priestes the Elders and Scribes were assembled in the house of Caiaphas and then Annas sendes Him bound to Caiaphas the High Priest Now we heard the last day the Historie of Peter how hee denied his Lord and Master Peter vpon a vaine confidence notwithstanding of an admonition of the Lord hee will followe Him to the house of the High Priest Now the Lord entereth in and the other disciple vvho knewe the High Priest and Peter vvas stopped at the doore this might haue beene an aduertisement for him to haue left off but yet hee would not and the other disciple thinking to gratifie him he desireth the maiden that kept the doore to let him in and beeing no sooner entered in but that same seruant vvoman tempteth him This temptation is by a sober instrument neither vttered she any reuiling vvordes vnto him yet neuerthelesse Peter falleth vvhereby yee maye see vvhereunto the confidence of fleshe and blood turneth for the lightest assault vvill throwe him downe vvho trusteth in it Hee is standing vvarming himselfe vvith euill companie and being standing securely he getteth his reward hee deare bought his vvarming there for hee is tempted and denieth his Lord and Master Now to come to this Text There are two parts of it shortly the first containes the suffering of the Lord Iesus in the Hall of the high Priest the second containes the second and third deniall of Peter As for the first it is saide that Caiaphas the high Priest begineth to aske of Iesus concerning his doctrine and his disciples he layeth not downe first such and such particular pointes of false doctrine because he had none to lay to the charge of the Lord and therefore this was no formall proceeding and dealing to draw a man before a judge and then not to haue one word to lay to his charge Should not the dittay be made before the man was taken ye may see the malice of this persecution Well then to examine his words he enquireth about his doctrine and then for his disciples whilst he asked him of his doctrine he would meane that his doctrine was not allowable and that it might not abide the light and that Hee teached lies and whilst as hee speaketh of His disciples hee would meane that the Lord was a seducer and had seduced so many among the people the Lord answeres The thing that I haue teached I haue teached openly before the world and therefore why askest thou me of my doctrine as though it were not allowable and as if I had teached in secret holes and caues then he appealeth to the witnessing of his enemies aske of these men who haue heard me I will bee judged by them This is the effect first of the question of the high Priest and next of the answere of the Lord. The first thing that wee marke here is shortly this Beholde in the person of Caiaphas the malice of the enemies of the trueth in their heartes they know the trueth and yet they will seeme that they knowe it not CAAIPHAS knewe the trueth but hee seemeth not to knowe it the enemies will count light darknesse albeit the truth should shine in their faces more bright than the Sunne in the noone-tide of the day yet they will say Light is darknesse But to come to Christs part as the trueth loues the light and desires not to be hid neither to bee teached in secret holes and caues so the trueth so farre as is possible is publikely to bee teached in the presence of the worlde it would haue all men to know it it would euer bee heard and the light would euer shine through the world The Ministers of the trueth should euer
Martyres hath euer proued this that the Antichrist coulde neuer bee satisfied in drinking of their blood The persecuters of the Trueth will neuer be satiate there is no satietie of the malice of the haert of y e childe of darknes against the child of light If thou hadst slaine a mans father it may be he would haue forgiuen thee but and if thou bee the childe of GOD and if hee bee the childe of darkenesse hee vvill neuer bee satiate till he gette thine heart blood The IEVVES and the Souldiours could neuer bee satiate till they had gotten the heart blood of the Innocent But Brethren we must looke vp higher for it was not so much with these Iewes and Souldiours that IESVS hath to doe as with an angrie GOD and thâ—t because Hee bare the burthen of our sinnes these torturers were but instrumentes of that terrible wrath of the Father vpon the Sonne It was not so much their wrath as the wrath of the Father that pursued Him so ardently After Hee was once deliuered into the hands of these HangmeÌ„ wrath begins so to be powred foorth on Him froÌ„ Heauen that He got no rest till He was crucified dead on the crosse It is a terrible thing for a sinner yea if hee were a king who is not in Iesus and partaker of His suffering to fall into the hands of an angrie God and a consuming fire if thou bee out of Christ thou shalt feele it the terriblest sight that euer was howbeit wanton men and women make their pastime to anger that great Iudge going to murther defiling their bodies and soules by harlotrie it may be for a time that they get rest but after that once that righteous Iudge put hands in thee I promise thee that thou shalt neuer get rest The verie reprobate when they shall see that there is none ende of wrath shall crie O Lord shall neuer this wrath haue an end if thou goest to Hell thou shalt finde none end of wrath Now blessed is that sinner that gets grace to haue recourse to Iesus Christ to lurke vnder His suffering When they haue vsed Him so vnworthily within the common Hall and when all is made readie Then they leade out Iesus caries Him out of the Portes of Hierusalem to an ignominious death and as they lead Him out so Iesus Christ goes out willingly to suffer at the good pleasure of His Father knowing that now His houre was come God forbid but that wee should thinke that Iesus Christ suffered willingly No Brethren in this example of Iesus Christ the innocent and that His willing going to death wee see that it is the innocent who goe to death willingly and namely they who are innocent in the blood of Iesus Christ that haue their conscience sprinkled with the blood of the immaculate Lambe As for men who are not cled with this innocencie alas for them It is not possible that these can haue consolation or can with gladnesse offer vp their liues it may bee that some will pretend willingnesse but that is but a shew Againe it may be that there bee some senslesse bodies that knowes not how terrible death is and what euill is in it O! death is terrible for either Heauen or Hell followes on the taile thereof and wilt thou count litle of that port by the which thou passest from this life to eternitie So some may be senslesse as a Kow goes to the shambles and some may haue a false conscience but if thou haue not an assurance that thou art washed with the blood of Iesus Christ Woe shall come to thee wrath shall light on thee There is no consolation in death to any but to these who die in the innocencencie of Iesus Christ I marke the manner how He goes out He goes out bearing His owne Crosse or rather drew it after Him this was after the manner of the Romanes that the man whome they condemned to die this death they commanded to beare His Crosse and therefore they were called Furciferi gallowes bearers now they practise this on the innocent Iesus Nowe to come to it that falles out whilst Hee is bearing His Crosse As they are going out They meete a man by the way whose name was Simon the father of Alexander and Rufus a man in a towne of Africa and the towne was called Cyrene a laborious man retuâ—ning from the Countrey to Hierusalem they meete the poore man and compelles the man to take vp the one ende of the Crosse Iesus goes before and he goes behind they would not haue Iesus relieued No they pitied Him not but they would haue Him formest in the burthen Thinke not Brethren that this reâ—ieuing was of any compassion they had to Iesus No they had no pitie vpon Him but it came to pâ—sse because Christ Iesus was faint weake and weâ—ried vnder the burthen and no wonder He was a man He tooke on our nature and all the infirmities thereof that wee might bee made strong After that once the Lord had fallen in their handes Hee got no rest Hee got no sleepe that night Hee fasted and His soule was vexed and then all that night and all that day following from the morning to the noone-tide hee got no rest but was twise scourged and buffeted As for the souldiers they thought themselues too gay As for the Iewes they thought themselues too holy and in end He was made a curse but for our cause And therefore meeting with this Gentile Simon they compelled him to helpe Him This wants not a Mysterie This Simon was a figure of the Gentiles and this calling albeit of compulsion signifies our calling beeing Gentiles to take vp our crosse and followe Iesus out of the portes of Hierusalem And as the Apostle to the Hebrewes Chap 13. verse 13. sayes Goe foorth of the Caâ—â—â—e bearing His reproach for here we haue no continuing citie but wee seeke for one to come As for the Iewes they would neither touch Christ nor His Crosse with their finger because they judged Him accursed Indeede I grant GOD made Him accursed but Hee was made a curse that wee should bee the blessing of GOD through Hâ—m As Paul sayes to the Galathians Chap. 3. verse 13. Wouldest thou know thy felicitie in this worlde and in the worlde to come it stands in joyning with that man that was accursed whosoeuer thou be y t shalt not joyne with this man who is accursed I giue thee this doome Cursed shalt thou be euerlastingly vengeance malediction shall lie on thine head euerlastingly We are GeÌ„tiles not Iewes let vs theÌ„ with this Simon of Cyrene take vp y e Crosse of Christ follow Him out of the portes of Hierusalem to beare His shame y t we may be partakers of His glory if thou be not partaker of His ignominie and shame I denounce to thee thou shalt not be partaker of His glorie thou who wast not humbled with Christ thou shalt neuer be exalted with Him this
this thiefe made to CHRIST as some thinke Wee spake of this thiefe the last day now we haue to speake of the part of the other thiefe he is twitched with repentance in an instant hee becomes penitent and the inward conuersion of the heart to GOD hee vtters outwardly in sundrie effects First perceiuing the other thiefe his companion to blaspheme GOD the first action that he does he defends the honour of the LORD against the other thiefe and rebukes him and after that giues a free confession of his sinnes and last hee turnes to Iesus Christ hanging on the Crosse and sayes LORD remember mee when thou commest to thy Kingdome The LORD answeres immediatly to the thiefe Verily thou shalt be with mee this day in Paradise To come then first to the rebuke hee giues to the other thiefe Fearest thou not GOD The meaning is Thiefe fye on thee seeing thou hangs in a common miserie and torment with mee and this man fearest thou not GOD who wilt blaspheme and rayle on Him seeing thou art shortly to appeare before that Tribunall and giue an account of all thine euill deedes chiefly of the blaspheming of the innocent So hee takes vp the blaspheming from the fountaine and hee lets him see that his heart was voyde of the feare of GOD for if hee had any sponke of the feare of GOD he had not fallen out in rayling against the GOD of glorie We learne this lesson that when the hand of GOD is lying on any man and pressing him to the death then it is time to be humble and to feare the LORD and that terrible Iudgement wherein thou must stand immediatly after this life and if there appeare no feare of that Iudge in thee and if thou vtterest a plaine rebellion that testifies that his hande shall neuer leaue thee vntill it bruise thee in powder and thrust thee to the lowest Hells This is the thing that affliction should worke in vs Humiliation and the feare of GOD. Learne the lesson at the thiefe Proud soule and proud creature if thou wilt not learne at others But as this rebuke testifies that this should be so the rayling of the other testifies that it is not ay in men There are some men whome all the torments in the worlde will not moue ere they be the better they will bee in Hell hang them naile them to the Crosse teare them with pincers they shall neuer bee the better What is the cause of this It is a wonderfull thing that such trouble torment should not worke some feare of GOD in the creature But how can any affliction presse out of the creature that which was neuer in it The feare of GOD is not in the hearts of many and therefore howe can they vtter it a rotten and withered sticke was neuer more meete to be burnt than thou by nature So we beeing by nature like as many rotten stickes albeit wee were pressed with mountaines we shall neuer yeeld a sweete sappe or any repentance No before we yeelde any droppe of repentance we shall be bruised in powder fye on nature if thou werest a Prince thou shalt goe to Hell if thou haue no more but nature if thou gettest not one dâ—oppe of grace Yet yee see that the other thiefe when hee is pressed yeeldes one droppe of sappe hee becomes penitent and is zealous of the glorie of the Lord IESVS These are good effects The Crosse that wrought euill in the other thiefe workes good in this thiefe But who made the difference Who discerneth thee saith Paul Not nature They were alike in nature alike in misdeedes alike in a wicked life the one had liued as wickedly as the other alike in torment It was IESVS that made the separation it was a happie time for the one thiefe that euer he was crucified beside the LORD of glorie The Lord IESVS made the difference out of that fulnesse Hee powres out one droppe of His grace He giues none to the other Learne this that all troubles and afflictions crosses and all the torments in the worlde shall neuer make thee better All the torments in the world shall not worke one droppe of spirituall moysture out of thee the torments may vvell pâ—esse out sowre and bitter sappe as blasphemie rayling and despare but no good sappe as Faith or Repentance except thou get it of the fulnesse of IESVS CHRIST and therefore my counsell is When thou feelest the hand of the Lord on thee namely in the houre of death a dangerous houre turne thee to Iesus Christ and say thou mayest presse mee downe but long ere I yeelde one droppe of grace except thou giue it me Lord therefore giue me one drop of grace Another thing I marke in the rebuke of the other thiefe Common miserie should worke a mutual compassion thou should pitiâ— them who are in a like miserie with thee and if thou doest it not thou doâ—st as the euill thiefe did I say thou hast no feare of God if thou raylest on him who is in miserie with thee thine heart is full of the gall of bitternesse By nature we are all alike in miserie there is not a thing that becomes a sinner better than to haue compassion on others an heart without pitie shall neuer be pitied not neuer shall see life Now to goe forward when he hath said Thou art in like damnation lest that y e thiefe rebuked should haue thought y t Christ should haue deserued that paine as well as hee thinke not that they who are alike in miserie are alike guiltie No no ye are deceiued Well he meetes this we suffer nothing but that which we demerite I thou are iustly in this common condemnation but this man hath done nothing amisse This rayling and paine this man demerites not yet if ye will weigh the wordes narrowly wee shall see other two arguments whereby hee rebukes this blasphemous companion The first is from their merites The second from the innocencie of Christ The first thou meritest this torment and therefore should not thy merite worke a feare of God and a feare of an heauier judgement Lord saue vs from the merite of sinne When a man is in torment and chiefly in death the paine should worke a feare of God and then considering the merite there should strike a greater feare in the heart that there should ensue a greater damnation afterward The consideration of merite should worke a feare and the conscience should not so soone stand vp to accuse vs of sinne but wee should be striken with a feare of that terrible Iudge but euery man hath not this sense the thiefe hath not that sense of the merite of the present paine nor yet of the greater paine that was to insue What is the cause of this that euery man feeles not this The conscience of the merite of sinne is not giuen to euery man We are all sinners and merites all our paine we merite death and Hell But alas where
vnbeleeuers by their buriall passe to shame and confusion Now we goe vnto the second part of this Text to the part of the godly women good Marie Magdalene who neuer left the Lord but followed Him from Galile then the other Marie the mother of Joses As they followed Him to the Crosse so they followed Him to the buriall and they stand aside and see Him buried O that loue that wonderfull tender loue that could not suffer them to be reaued from the LORD for woe is the heart that is separate from Iesus and that loue that drew them to the Crosse that same drawes them to the graue with Him for nothing could separate these women from Iesus No the crosse the graue death it selfe cannot separate these womens heartes from the LORD so out of all question this following of Iesus to the graue was a token of an intiere loue that they bare to Him yea it was rather a token of that loue that came from Iesus to them that following of Him vttered such a loue and smell to flow from that dead bodie that hang on the crosse and was buried that neuer man nor woman felt the like He so loued the world that He died for it Hee gaue Himselfe for it for Brethren except that force that came from the bodie had drawen their heartes it had beene vnpossible that they could haue followed Him No man can loue GOD first but because He loues vs we loue Him None can come to mee sayes Christ except my Father draw him if Hee lay not holde on vs first our hearts will neuer incline to loue Him Now certainly I put no question in it these women looked with sad and heauie hearts on this buriall for when we see one buried whom we loue we will be sad nature dites this But as they were heauie hearted in looking on y e spectacle so their heart had joy in looking thereon for they had a great hope to see y t glorious body rise again so they had sadnes mixed w t joy for wo to y t sadnes y t hath not joy mixed with it Now yet I see as they cōtinued in following Him first to y e crosse then to the buriall so the Lord continues in honouring them for He sends them out as Preachers eye witnesses of his death which honour neuer one of the Apostles got but Iohn so He honoured them in His buriall therefore honour Christ followe Him to the crosse follow Him to the graue thinke not shame of His crosse or His graue loue Him with thine heart waite on Him for Hee will let thee see the most glorious things that euer the eye saw holde therefore the eye vpon Him looke to Him night day now when He is in the Heauens and I promise thee thou shalt finde by experience He shall make thee a proclaimer of His glory but thou who settest not thine heart to seeke Him now when He is gone to the Heauens thou shalt not haue a mouth to glorifie Him or to speake of His Name hereafter Now will ye looke to y e carefulnesse of these womē they stand against y e graue a far off they looke no doubt w t sad hearts how these two men Ioseph Nicodemus handles the glorious body of Iesus layes it in y e graue Men womē for curiosity delectatiō vse to look vpō such spectacles but these women looked w t a carefull sorrowfull heart looking that this body should be tēderly honorably handled buried Therefore if y u hast y t ability to be a handler medler with y e worke of y e Lord as Ioseph Nicodemus was look at least y t thou be a carefull onlooker tēder it in thy heart see y t all things go wel if thou doest that y e Lord shal count it a piece of good seruice for y e furthering of y e glory of His Kingdom If thou hast not to bestow on Christ yet speak wel of Him if y u canst not speake yet thinke well of Him yet these women are not cōtent to look on only but they will be also medlers in this actiō for this cause whē y e graue is closed they go home w t vnspeakable sadnes joy mixt together going home they prepare sweet odours for y e embalming of Him y e third day following they cease vpō y t morne because it was the Sabbath vpō y e third day He rose disappointed them of y e embalming of Him but yet their intentiō is to be cōmended they are not cōtent to looke on Him but according to their power they put to their hand but ere they prepared these odours a sweet smell came frō His body to them for except a sweeter smel come frō Him except He giue thee a greater grace y u wilt not bestow a pēny on Him except He giue thee a poūd but being once benefited by Him thou wilt bestow if it were thy own life let be thy goods for Him His glorie and if thou wilt not bestovv on Christ and vpon His Gospell I testifie thou hast neuer found the svveetnesse of the Lord nor of His grace It may be that He cast a Lordship to thee or portion of heritage as it were a bone to a dogge but if thou bestowest nothing on Him thou hast neuer felt the grace of God thy soule hath neuer tasted of that odour sweetnesse that is in Him Nowe I come to the last part which I haue read out of the Gospell of Matthew concerning the watching of Iesus after Hee was buried This watching came vpon a suite as all other thinges came vpon a suite for nothing durst be done without licence of the Magistrate of Pilate the Romane Deputie the Iudge was reuerenced without him nothing was done The time of the sute is noted to wit the next day after He was buried This was no doubt the Sabbath day for they began their day at Euen when the Sun goes downe as yee would say on Fryday at Euen for no doubt the vvatch stood about y e graue all night The sute is made to Pilate all is done by the Iudge it is a circumstance should be vvell noted thinke it not a light matter The Lord in all His suffering is subject to the Iudge it behoued Him to vnderly the sentence of the earthly Iudge in all sorts if Hee had not vnderlyed it it had behoued thee to vnderly the fearfull Iudgement of that euerlasting Iudge But vvho makes the sute It is not Ioseph nor Nicodemus none of them that loued Christ Ioseph indeed made a sute that the body should bee buried But vvho is it that makes this sute Who but they vvho suted to crucifie the LORD The Scribes the Pharises that vvere enemies to Him Looke thorovv all this Historie ye shal finde sundrie sutes some euil some good some on an euil mind some on a good mind many euill few
and predictions which are foretolde of Christ are much worth for they haue this vse When thou readest them in that olde Testament they seale vp the worde of the Gospell of the manifestation of Christ in the flesh of His suffering and glorification that that report of olde is fulfilled But before I leaue this I see the Lord will not let His owne forget His vvorde which He hath once tolde them suppose they would forget it yet the Lorde will haue it called to their remembrance These vvomen woulde haue forgotten that which the chiefe Priestes remembred when they sought a guarde of Pilate to watch the sepulchre Sometimes it comes to passe that the godlie remembers not so much as the wicked who heares the worde to their destruction but if thou bee one of His Hee will haue it called to thy memorie but if thou bee none of His Hee vvill not regarde that vvhen thou hearest thou let it goe in at thine one eare and out at the other Great grace they gette vvho are in Him Well is that soule for euer that is in Him A man vvill thinke it a great thing that a king vvill speake vnto him but it is a farre greater thing that the King of Heauen vvill speake to thee There is some proportion betwixt the king and his subject betwixt the king and the begger but there is no proportion betwixt GOD and thee So then this is a great mercie that He will bring that word that thou hast contemned to thy remembrance and ere thou remember it not Hee will send downe an Angell from the Heauen to call it to thy remembrāce We haue not Angels now as these women had then but I say to thee as many true and faithfull Ministers are as like many Angels take away these men that preach the Gospell indeede I grant properly this to call all things spoken to remembrance pertaines to the Holy Spirit Iohn 14.26 thou shalt forget the word of God that is preached and thou shalt grow more blockish than a stocke or a stone and they that will not heare this word He makes them like stones and well were it to thee albeit thou werest a King if thou hearest not this word that thou werest a stone But marke the time when Hee brings it to their remembrance when the Lord is risen this tenour of time is not ay kept but sometimes ere the thing be done He calls it to remembrance for that is a part of our felicitie euer to be holden in memorie of grace Woe to thee that is not holden in memory of it but indeed it is more joyfull to remember after it is done and therefore at that great day when wee shall see all thinges fulfilled which were foretolde our joy shall be perfected I grant that Hope hath joy yet it hath heauinesse joyned with it but sight hath perfect joy without any heauinesse and when wee shall see all these thinges that were foretolde vs vvhen vve shall see that glorious God when vve shall see euery word that euer we read in the Gospell to be fulfilled we shall remember them all with such joy as no tongue can tell Wee glorie here vnder Hope but then our glorie shall bee in sight and vve shall haue it in our hand and as vvee shall rejoyce then we shall also glorifie GOD perfectly all manner of wayes novv vve doe it with great infirmitie but vvhen vve shall see Him vvee shall glorifie Him euerlastingly and this shall be a part of our song Glorie for euer be to that true GOD Hee promised me much and novve I see Hee hath fulfilled it and so vvee see there is neuer one vvord that vvee haue heard but that Holy and true GOD shall bring it to our memorie with such a joy as cannot be spoken This for the first argument nowe followes the second argument The Angell vses to confirme his speech Come hither and see sayes the Angell The LORD is not heere if yee vvill not credite my vvorde beleeue your ovvne eyes and see it is not this a great mercie when thou wilt not beleeue His word the Lord will let thee see the Lord is not contented to let thee heare these glad tythings but He will bring them before thine eyes What meanes these visible Sacraments but to helpe the infirmitie of the weake Faith besides the Sacraments this word of God is not like the vvord of man or of an Oratour like Demosthenes or Cicero or any man in this world No that word in y e gospel in great simplicitie hath a great Majestie shining in it yea it is visible as the Apostle sayes in the first to the Corinthians 2.4 It hath an ocular demonstration and vvhen it speakes to thee of Heauen it will drawe thine eye to Heauen and when it speakes to thee of the Crosse it vvill let thee see Christ crucified and if it speake to thee of His glory it shall let thee see Him in glory and that is it vvhich Paul sayes in the Epistle to the Galathians Chapter 3. verse 1. Hee preaches Christ so to them that he made them see Christ crucified before their eyes Novve I come to the thirde part it containes a commandement that he giues to the vvomen Tithings haue euer some commandement joyned with them and commandement requires euer obedience so when euer thou gettest tithings thou gettest a commandement doe this or thou shalt neuer get part nor portion of the tithings No Brethren a Christian life is not an idle life but practicke if euer thou vvouldest be partaker of these good tithings looke that thou striue to doe that vvhich Hee bids thee Ruane sayes the Angell home this haue I told you Preach ye to the Apostles Goe tell the disciples that He is risen Goe your way hastely to testifie the Resurrection This glorious Resurrection requires an hastie preaching and I saye to you that testimonie that is giuen of Christ requires expedition and therefore if thou aymest to testifie of the Lord doe it hastely the glory Hee gets vvould not be delayed The next part of the direction the Angell giues them is that they tell the Apostles that they goe to Galile because Christ would be before them there The Papistes thinke that they haue gotten a great vantage of this that Peters name was expressed and not the rest This speciall direction that is sent to Peter imports no supremacie but rather if ye consider well that hee was inferiour to them all It importes this plainely that Peter had done a great fault by the threefold deniall of the Lord. Alas in this action he had an euill conscience and if there had not beene a particular direction to Him hee durst not for his life haue come to CHRIST Thinke ye that a man that hath denied GOD dare come to Him except He be preuented No Peter durst not for his life haue looked to the LORD so this is their supremacie that they marke of Peter aboue the rest Now one thing
that came out last will sometimes bee first at the marke and get the crowne Marke this well it lets vs see that to be true which Paul writes in the ninth Chapter to the Romanes and the sixteenth verse It is not in the hands of him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in the handes of the Lord that sheweth mercie when the Lord holdes His hande to thee thou wilt run and when Hee takes His hande from thee thou wilt stay behinde and hee that dragled behinde vvill bee before thee this is the course we keepe to that marke wee should not thinke that all men should runne alike and suppose thou seest a dragling person thinke not that person will neuer come to the marke Peter gets the sight first Iohn suppose he gote it not first yet hee gets it and it is said in the Text Hee saw and hee beleeued Marke the lesson Albeit there be many changes by the way yet hee or shee that vvill perseuere in dragling shall not vvant the crovvne as vvell as they that ranne speedily and came first It stands not so much in the fast running as in the perseuering it is not said he or shee that runnes fast shall be crowned but hee or she that continues to the end shall be crovvned looke ay thou pereseuere if thou may not runne goe yet if thou may not goe fall downe vpon thine hands and feete and creepe as it were a snaile or vvorme albeit it vvere but two foot in the day as euer thou wouldest be safe ly not still it stands thee vpon life death thou must weare away and night and day thou goest euer to this ende and if this outvvard man decay grovv in the invvard man and as thou grovvest vveake in this life striuâ— to grovv strong in that heauenly life that thou art to goe to Paul in the second Epistle to the Corinthians the fourth Chapter and the sixteenth uerse sayes As the outwarde man decayed dayly so the inward man grew dayly So to end this in a word As euer thou wouldest see Heauen goe either fast or else softly to that life Well it is saide They were ignorant of the Scripture that tolde Hee should rise againe from the dead and so because he saw hee beleeued hee should haue beleeued because he heard it for hee had the Scripture for his vvarrand hee and Peter should haue grounded their Faith on the Scripture Take heede to this The Apostle sayes Wee liue by Faith and not by sight yet hovv euer it be that man or vvoman beleeue they are blessed and blessed art thou man or vvoman that beleeuest either for hearing or seeing and suppose thou feelest him by the hands and beleeuest in Him as Thomas did that felt Him thou art blessed but that is an euill thing vvhen thou hast the vvorde and yet suspends thy faith vntill thou seest It vvas an euill thing in Peter and Iohn that they let the vvorde passe and beleeued it not it vvas an euill thing in Thomas that hee beleeued not vntill hee felt Christ and I say to thee it is a sure thing if thou refusest to beleeue vntill thou seest thou aduentourest and hazardest thy life and saluation and I say to thee if thou contemnest this word and say this I will not beleeue vntill I see Him I giue thee thy doome thou shalt neuer see Him to thy comfort nor saluation Therefore if He say to thee and if Hee promise Hee vvill giue thee Heauen beleeue it and lay holde on it although thou vverest dying and if Hee say to thee that Hee vvill giue thee life depend and sticke by His promise Thou honourest thy GOD in beleeuing and depending on His promise for thou canst not doe Him greater honour than to beleeue His promise And albeit thou see litle appearance outvvardly and if thou beleeuest the vvorde vvithout doubt thou shalt get a sight of Him one day to thy comfort and endlesse consolation Depend and waite on patiently with Abraham and euer sticke and lay holde on the promise and I promise to thee in His Name beleeue the promise of life and thou shalt see life beleeue in Him and thou shalt see Him one day Blessed are they vvho beleeue in Him and yet see Him not blessed are they who walke by Faith for one day they shall vvalke by sight Striue to beleeue in His vvord and looke on Him and Heauen and earth shall perish ere thou wantest that sight of Him one daye Yet I maye not passe by the vvordes of IOHN I see in him a wonderfull plainnesse and singlenesse of heart which of vs will bee contented that another registrate our faultes that anie other might reade them This man sinned this waye and that waye Then who will write vp his owne faultes with his owne handes as hee does Hee sayes hee was ignorant So then if there were none other argument to tell vs that this Booke is dyted by the SPIRITE of GOD and that it is the worde of GOD this singlenesse of vvryting their owne faultes without affection or selfe-loue which euer woulde entise vs to honoure our selues telles vs sufficientlie But naturallie rather than thou haddest thy Parentes or thy kinsfolke ashamed thou wouldest rather haue GODS glorie and justice smoothered and defaced But see if MOYSES spared to register the faultes of LEVI of vvhome hee was descended see if hee spared AARON See if hee spared himselfe No hee telles his owne fault hee telles his owne infidelitie And againe see if DAVID spares himselfe settes hee not downe his owne adulterie and murther IOHN registrates his owne ignorance Let GOD bee glorified and all creatures ashamed for to that ende were wee created for except Hee had respected His owne glorie wee shoulde neuer haue beene made Shoulde vvee not then seeke His glorie although it were with our owne shame IOHN learnes vs heere another good lesson howe often soeuer vvee faile through ignorance Alas vvee faile often through ignorance and misbeliefe and ignorance bringes on infidelitie And therefore vvhensoeuer vvee faile through ignorance laye not the blame of thy blindnesse vpon the Scripture In paine of thy life say not I am ignorant because the Scripture is obscure and darke as the Pope his shauelings blasphemouslie alleadge but I affirme that it is so perfect that all thinges appertaining to thy saluation are contained therein And I say in despite of the Pope thou vvho sayest it is obscure one day thou shalt not bee challenged so much for thine ignorance as for thy blasphemie against GOD when thou vvilt stande vp and saye The Scripture of GOD is not perfect but obscure and vvanting I tell you one daye these blasphemers for all their out-crying shall haue their mouthes sowed vp and they shall make an offer to speake and to saye The Scripture of God was not perfect but the conscience of them shall so strike them with feare and terrour that they shall not be able to answere one word Woe
vvee bee Pilgrimes heere a vvhile that our joye maye bee the greater vvhen vvee meeâ—e vvith the LORDE vvhome vvee haue longed for vvee are contented for a time Now when Marie departs what does shee She tolde the Dâ—sciples that shee had seene the LORDE Shee is preaching and telling The LORD is going to heauen to your Father and your GOD. Nowe Brethren seeing vvee are Pilgrimes let vs take heede vvee bee well occupied and looke wee discharge our commission for there is no man nor woman but they haue a commission Thou that art a Preacher preache both in time and out of time to His glorie and if thou discharge thy commission faithfullie in thy calling then euen as Marie was welcome vnto Him againe so shalt thou bee also welcome when thou shalt meete with the LORD and Hee shall accept well of thee The LORDE enable vs to take heede to this that seeing wee must remaine absent from our LORDE for a time heere wee maye euer cast vs to bee vvell occupied and walke carefullie in that calling that Hee hath placed vs in And then when that the LORDE of Glorie shall appeare whome wee haue serued in this life our soules and bodies shall enjoye the full fruition of His presence in Heauen To whome be glorie for euermore Amen THE XXXV LECTVRE OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST MATTH CHAP. XXVIII verse 9 And as they went to tell his disciples beholde Jesus also met them saying God saue you And they came and tooke him by the feete and worshipped him verse 10 Then saide Iesus vnto them Bee not afraide Goe and tell my Brethren that they goe into Galile and there shall yee see mee MARKE CHAP. XVI verse 10 And shee went and tolde them that had beene with him who mourned and wept verse 11 And when they hearde that hee was aliue and had appeared to her they beleeued it not BELOVED BRETHREN these dayes past vvee haue heard first the Historie of Marie Magdalene how shee returned home and how shee came againe to the graue of her LORD and of her mourning and weeping at the graue of her looking againe in to the graue of the sight of th'Angels meeting with her of Christes wordes vnto her first Hee spake aloofe and afarre off vnto her Woman why weepest thou whome seekest thou Then Hee speakes homelie vnto her calling her by her name and sayes Marie Shee answeres Him Rabboni as Hee had named her homelie so shee answered Him homelie Hee named her like a Master and shee answered Him like a reuerende Disciple Hee calles her as a Sheepehearde and shee answeres Him as one of His flocke knowing Him by His voyce shee offers to embrace Him but Hee preuentes her and sayes vnto her Touch mee not for I am not ascended to my Father perceiuing her to bee ouer much addicted to His bodilie presence before Hee will permit her to touch Him Hee will haue her first to beleeue in Him and to touch Him in glorie by the hande of faith Then Hee sendes her in commission Goe to my Brethren so calling His Disciples A louing stile Tell them of other tidinges than euer they haue hearde yet They hearde of my Resurrection but they beleeued not but nowe I goe to the Heauens to my Father and to your Father to my GOD and to your GOD And this is the commission Marie receiuing it shee executes it and runnes to the Disciples to tell them and as Iohn sayes she preaches to them the thing that shee had heard of the LORDE MARKE sayes that when shee came to them shee founde them weeping This was a weeping time but shortlie after followed a time of joye This change of courses yee see in the worlde for though thou bee wanton and laugh heere neuer so much yet thou wilt weepe soone after But wilt thou weepe and mourne heere for a while when there is matter of mourning thou shalt laugh and rejoyce shortlie afterwarde Nowe when Marie findes the Apostles weeping and mourning shee telles them that the LORD is aliue shee confirmes it that Hee spake and sayes shee sawe Him with her eyes But howe takes the Apostles with this commission They remaine faithlesse for all that she could say they would not beleeue her No it is an hard matter to beleeue the Article of the Resurrection That a man that is dead can rise againe and take life fleshe and blood will neuer dite this vnto thee that one that is dead can liue againe The women vvho vvere more simple and not so vvise in vvorldlie vvit as the Apostles vvere are more readie to credite the Resurrection than the Apostles vvho vvere strong according to the fleshe The Resurrection is harde to be beleeued of anie man but this is sure The Resurrection is hardest to bee beleeued of them vvho are vvisest in this vvorlde No hee that hath this worldlie vvisedome hee countes these Heauenlie and Spirituall thinges but follie till hee bee made a foole that hee maye bee made wise as the Apostle PAVL speakes 1. CORIN CHAP. 3. VERS 18. That is till hee renounce this worldlie wisedome hee shall neuer beleeue these Spirituall thinges When I consider the wordes of MARKE I finde manie faultes in the Disciples They were lying mourning this vvas a vaine mourning What cause had they of mourning for Him whome they thought vvas dead but yet vvas aliue So they had matter of joye and not of mourning And from vvhence proceeded this mourning First they vvere ignorant of the Scriptures which had foretolde that he shoulde rise againe Then they had forgotten the vvorde vvhich the LORDE had spoken vnto them That hee shoulde die and rise againe the thirde daye Yet there is vvorse in them than this The first companie of vvomen vvho tolde them of CHRISTES Resurrection they woulde not beleeue them Then the next companie comes neither woulde they beleeue them one vvorde And last MARIE came vvho not onelie met vvith the Angels but also vvith the LORDE and receiued a commission and yet they vvoulde not beleeue her notwithstanding shee tolde them that she had seene Him So there is not onelie an vnbeliefe but a stiffenesse in them So that if yee will count these faultes their dolour is first without comfort and secondlie an ignorance of the Scriptures and thirdly a forgetfulnesse of the worde of the LORDE and last there is an infidelitie that they would neither beleeue the women who came from the Angels nor MARIE that came from the LORDE and sawe Him and spake with Him So that they are as new to enter to learn as though they had neuer seen nor known Christ Yet there was some good thing in them for certainly howbeit the dolour came of ignorance forgetfulnesse and incredulitie yet I am sure of this that the loue which they carried towardes CHRIST caused them to mourne for if they had not loued Him they had not mourned for Him No there was none of the High Priestes that wet their cheekes for His death So
the time of thy life but chiefly in the houre of death as Paul sayes of himselfe Philip. 1.21 Now Brethren take heede all these earthly things as liberties riches nobilitie kinred glory honour of the worlde and fauour of men these thinges can stand thee in stead only so long as thou leauest thy riches thy nobilitie albeit thou wert come of Kings can be steadable no longer but if thou bee laide on thy backe on thy death bed at the houre of thy death what will they helpe thee then Nothing but thou wilt disdain them al No they shal not hold thy life one houre thē all these aduantages in earth cānot be aduātage in y e houre of death in heauē or earth no aduātage to any in y e hour of death but Iesus who has ouercome death if y u haue Iesus ô y t joy y u shalt find in death by the contrarie How terrible a departure will they find that haue not Christ Iesus This miserable generatiō will not know this vntill they feele it by sad experience There were two thieues hanged with Christ but both got Him not to bee aduantage in death therefore let men whē they are liuing wholest haue Christ before their eyes seeke to be acquainted w t Him in their life that they may haue Him to be aduantage in their death Yet one thing further ere I leaue these things I thinke all yōg men y t haue health habilitie strength of body to run ride rash here there that haue libertie to passe repasse at their pleasure may learne a lessō at Peter Peter when hee was young hee might haue done what hee pleased he thought hee was a happie man for the word importes when hee makes mention of his former condition which hee had before he knew Christ for when he was young and had libertie he was free from Christ for he knew not Christ before Christ knew him so Peter in his youth a free man a young strong man he was also free from Christ foolish vaine young men esteeme themselues to be happie if they haue health strength habilitie freedome to liue as they please albeit they bee without God and free of Iesus Christ alas that is a miserable freedome when thou art free heere in earth if thou be free from Christ also that is miserable for if thou be not a bond-seruant to Christ albeit thou wert a King a Cesar thou art but a seruant to sinne a slaue to the deuill Paul Rom. 6.20 sayes When ye were the seruants of sinne ye were freed from righteousnesse if thou be not the seruant of Christ thou art a slaue to the Deuill and sinne for of need force thou shalt either be the seruant of Christ or els thou shalt be a greater slaue than a horserubber Let neuer a man glorie in a libertie that he may runne or ride doe this or that except that with that freedome he find himselfe bound as a seruant to Christ except he can say in his heart albeit I be free yet Lord Iesus I am thy bond-seruant for Peters condition when hee was in the chaines and bands led out to die the death for Christ was better than when he was a yong man following his owne lust pleasure there is no happinesse but in Iesus Christ all these earthly liberties will not make thee happy if thou be not boūd to Christ in his seruice they only are truely free whō the Sonne makes free Ioh. 8.36 And the Apostle sayes Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is libertie 2. Cor. 3.17 But I goe forwarde Hee sayes Thou shalt bee ledde whither thou wouldest not This is a marueilous thing These wordes would import that hee died not willingly for the Lord but he vvas drawne contrary his will to the tormēt How can this be The vvords may import a comparison to vvit That one shall leade thee not so much where thou wilt as where he will for thy will shal be subject to the will of the persecuter tormēter I answere Indeed it is true when Peter suffered for his Lords sake he suffered not so vvilingly but in the meane time for there was a battell vvithin him he found somthing that made resistance to y t obediēce first there vvas nature vvhich naturally abhors death there is nothing more terrible to nature than this dissolution parting seuering of the soule body therfore Christ Himself who set Himselfe in all respects to be obedient to y e Father hauing our nature abhorred death prayed saying Take this cup frō me So I say it was no maruel y t nature in Peter abhorred frō death vvold haue declined y t death in some measure There vvas another cause more in Peter than was in Christ Christ had nature but it was holy Peter beside this common nature had some remaining corruption And whosoeuer has it as all men sauing Christ Iesus has it they will find that whē they are bent to giue obedience to God in any thing it vvill rebell and make some resistance when thou fainest vvould obey Him lay downe thy necke to die for Christ it will draw thee aback Againe the best y t liues vvill vtter the vvords of th'Apostle I doe not the good thing which I would but the euill which I would not that I doe Rom. 7.19 Therefore Brethren learne this lesson at Peter All the godly from the beginning all the Holy Martyres what euer they haue bene that haue died for the Name of the Lord Iesus their obedience has not beene altogether perfect No it is a vanitie to thinke that the Martyres died vvithout all feare I say The best of them in their death found some horrour and infirmitie And I saye The victorie that they got vvas by an inwarde battell in their soule and as they vvere victorious by yeelding themselues outwardly to the death so they vvere victorious in their soules This is comfortable When thou seest that the Saincts feared abhorred death if thou findest the like feare in thee yet bee not ouer much casten downe Thou wilt say Shall I suffer death in the fire shall I bee burnt quicke and bee dammed as the Martyres haue beene vvith sundry sortes of tortures Alas I am not able to abide it And no question there will be an horrour in thine heart when thou thinkest of this but especially when thou commest to the act of suffering then all such infirmitie such feare dread shall rise and get vp in thy soule But let this be thy comfort in the Lord vvhē thou findest this that this feare shall not hinder thine obedience and say There is nothing that befalles to me but that which befalles to the best seruants of God I am not alone such infirmitie such dread and feare as I haue Peter had and the best Saincts of God had and howbeit they had them yet their obedience was not hindered thereby And so as
Father the Sonne and the Holy Spirit Indeed it is true that God was knowne in the Trinitie of persons in some sorte by the Fathers who liued vnder the Old Testament before Christs manifestation in the fleshe but the knowledge which they had was obscure and confused in respect of that knowledge which IESVS brought into the worlde at His comming but chiefely this distinct knowledge of the three persons of the Godhead was manifested after Christes Resurrection from the dead and His Glorification for Christ glorified is chiefely the image of the vnuisible God and the brightnesse of His glorie and the engrauen forme of His person And from Christ glorified especially proceedes th' effectuall operation of the Holy Spirit in the soules of His Elect. All tendes to this To let you see that the cleare and distinct knowledge of the Godhead in the Trinitie of the persons proceeded chiefely from the Kingdome of Christ and from His glory Nowe to this God one in essence in three persons The Father the Sonne and the Holie Spirit be all praise honour and glorie for euermore Amen THE LIV. LECTVRE OF THE RESVRRECTION OF CHRIST MATTH CHAP. XXVIII verse 20 Teaching them to obserue all things whatsoeuer I haue commanded you and loe I am with you alway vntill the ende of the world Amen MARKE CHAP. XVI verse 16 He that shall beleeue and bee baptized shall bee saued but hee that will not beleeue shall bee damned verse 17 And these tokens shall follow them that beleeue In my Name they shall cast out deuils and shall speake with new tongues verse 18 And shall take away serpentes and if they shall drinke anie deadlie thing it shall not hurt them they shall lay their handes on the sicke and they shall recouer THE last daye Welbeloued Brethren in Christ we began to speake of the nine appearings of the Lord to the Disciples as it is set downe by Matthew and Marke Hee appeared to them in a Mountaine of Galilie vvhere Hee had appointed them to meete Him Wee hearde vvhat vvas the Disciples behauiour The sight of that glorious Majestie made them to fall downe and worship Him yet in the meane time some of them doubted and therefore the LORDE to confirme them drawes neare vnto them and enters into communication with them and in His communing first Hee telles what power and authoritie was giuen Him both in Heauen and earth to the ende Hee might mooue them the more willinglie and chearefullie to vndertake the office of the Apostleship Then when Hee has layed downe this power as a ground of their office and Ministerie Hee sendes them out in the worlde charging them first to goe to all Nations Next to preach to euery creature And thirdly To baptize in the Name and authority of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Spirit Nowe in these wordes first Hee telles them what doctrine they shoulde teach to the worlde then hee makes them a threefolde promise The first is of life and saluation to then that beleeue and are baptised The seconde is a promise of th'extraordinarie and miraculous giftes of the Holie Spirite The thirde is a promise of His owne glorious and powerfull presence with them in discharging of their calling that not for a season but to continue to th' ende of the vvorlde Then in the first wordes which vve haue read He telles them what they should teach not al things not euery thing that they pleased themselues but He sayes Teach them to obserue all thinges whatsoeuer J haue commanded you So Hee restraines the doctrine that they should teach vnto the world vnto that doctrine which Hee Himselfe first had taught them In the 14. Chapter of John vers 26. after Hee has first promised the Holie Spirit to teach His Apostles all thinges then Hee telles vvhat Hee meanes by All these thinges which His Spirite should teach and Hee boundes them and restraines them to that doctrine which Hee Himselfe had taught them before For sayes Hee hee shall bring all thinges to your remembrance which I haue tolde you Euen so here Hee restraines the preaching of th'Apostles to these thinges vvhich Hee Himselfe had taught them So marke this lesson The doctrine of Iesus Christ which Hee deliuered the time that Hee liued in the vvorlde and had His conuersation among men is the grounde the rule and the measure of all true doctrine The Spirit of the Lord Iesus vvhome Hee left behinde Him to bee His vicegerent in th' earth kept preciselie this rule Hee taught not so much as one sentence in substance but that vvhich CHRIST had taught before Th'Apostles vvhome Hee sent out into the worlde declined not one jote from this rule for they taught the vvorlde nothing but that vvhich the Holie Spirite had furnished and suggested vnto them before and that Spirite taught them nothing but that vvhich IESVS had taught them before So that the doctrine of the H. Spirit th'Apostles come all wholly from Iesus as th' only doctor teacher of His Kirke of whom the Father said in His baptisme trāsfiguratiō Heare him So it should be w t ministers and Teachers of the Church to the end of the world they should make Christes doctrine to bee the rule of all their doctrine they should teach nothing but that which Christ teached before them the faithfull Ministers of Christ in all ages haue striuen to doe so they confirmed all their doctrine so farre as they could to the doctrine of Christ Indeede it is true through processe of time corrupt men entred in the Church who respected not God nor His glory nor the well and saluation of men but their owne honour their owne lusts and their bellie who taught the world not the doctrine of Christ the way of life but their own fantasies dreames and traditions Wee may see this lamentable experience this day in the kingdome of the Antichrist What teaches the Pope and his Clergie to the world Not the word of God Not the doctrine of Christ Not that doctrine which the Holy Spirit furnished to the Apostles not that vvhich the Apostles haue left in register this day they make not that to be the rule of their preaching but they teach their owne vanities deuised by themselues they teach mens traditions they teach vnwritten verities as they call them vvhich are for the moste parte altogether repugnant to the doctrine of Christ The Lord saue vs from their doctrine vvherewith they poyson the world and bring men to perdition Now as the Pastors are obliged to teach nothing but the doctrine of Christ so are the people bound to heare and receiue none other doctrine but the doctrine of Christ and for this cause they shoulde pray earnestly for the Holy Spirit who is promised to His owne to illuminate their mindes and to giue them the gift of discretion to discerne spirits as also they should be diligently exercised in reading and considering the Olde and New Testament the writtings of the