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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17051	The vvay to true peace and rest Deliuered at Edinborough in xvi. sermons: on the Lords Supper: Hezechiahs sicknesse: and other select Scriptures. By that reuerend & faithfull preacher of Gods word: Mr. Robert Bruce, for the present, minister of the Word in Scotland.; Sermons upon the sacrament of the Lords Supper	Bruce, Robert, 1554-1631.; Bruce, Robert, 1554-1631. Sermons preached in the Kirk of Edinburgh. aut; I. H., fl. 1617.; Mitchell, S., fl. 1614.	1617 (1617)	STC 3925; ESTC S105939	298,483	380

end that he may draw them by the hand to repentance And now seeing they haue abused the time of his sitting he is euen at the rising And assuredly the Lord shall rise to be reuenged vpon the iniquities of the great men of this Country whose sinnes do so abound And whereby know ye this By one argument which is infallible Examine by your owne wit and iudgement which ye haue of the booke of God and by your naturall iudgement Is it possible that the ground of this country is able to beare a greater birth of iniquitie both in Hie-land Low-land Is it possible that it can be heauier loaden with mischiefe in all corners then it is now Yea the ground must be disburdened of this iniquity where the Leiutenant whō God hath placed ouerseeth it and will not disburden the earth of her birth where the Magistrates that are inferiors neglect their duties of necessity he must extraordinarily from the heauen disburden the earth thereof And surely to let this passe if there were no more but these horrible confusions in all parts which no man can ouertake it appeareth that the Iudge of the world himselfe shall come downe shortly to disburden it And why Because I see all tokens that go immediatly before his cōming to be already passed faith is skarslie to be found yea no faith in promises much lesse faith in Christ Iesus For iniquity aboundeth so and there are so many confusions left vnouertaken by the Magistrate that it appeareth clearely ●he Iudge himselfe must needes come and that the Iudge of the world shall be the first that shall redresse this confusion And seeing it is so it becometh not vs to be idle for surely the time draweth neare And if the time shall be shortened for the elects cause now I thinke it shall be shortened for the cries of the poore of this land Therfore it is no time for vs to sleepe It is time for vs to prepare to go meete that great Iudge now whilst oyle is offered abundantly buy oyle to your lamps for so soone as the Trumpet blowes and that he is making homeward from the cloudes to his Fathers dwelling from whence he shall come it is no time to haue our oyle to seeke Now we haue this oyle of gladnesse freely offered Therfore it becometh you to prepare your selues that when he cometh whether it be at night or in the morning by night or by day he may not finde you vnawares These iniquities and wickednesse of the heart of man are so deepe that if the Ethnik might say iustlie that the labyrinths deceits of the hart of man are infinite how much more may we speak it hauing Ierem. his warrant who calleth it deepe and inscrutable aboue all things Ierem. 17. It is time therefore that we be busie in seeking the renewing breaking and humiliation of our hearts for the outward scarre suppose it appeareth to be whole where the inward is festered it auaileth nothing but maketh it to fester againe Therefore now it is time to study to haue your hearts broken for once they must be broken ere they be healed Once they must be low ere they be high For thine heart that was neuer touched with any sense of thine owne sinne and feeling of Gods iudgement knew neuer what the taste of mercy meant For there is no way to go to heauen but by the gates of hel Therefore it is time to beg of God that he would bring your hearts to that estate that ye may know your sin sorrow for it and that he may prepare your hearts so that ye may looke for the accomplishment of your happinesse in his coming And where the hart is so desirous of that day it may be welcome come when it will The Lord of heauen prepare your hearts It is not possible that this can be done O Lord except thou by the mighty power of thy Spirit humble them and hammer downe this naturall hardnes that is in them otherwise our hearts wil neuer giue obedience to thee Therfore O Lord worke it Now in the end of the verse he letteth vs see to what end the Lord rise and executed iudgment The chiefe cause that mooued him to rise was the poore and oppressed in all corners of the earth The great complaint and crie of the people in all countries was the cause why God did rise Examine then and try hath not God good cause to rise in this countrie I know wel there can not be more complaints of the poore in a countrie then in this so that it is no maruell but he rise and that suddainlie he is like vnto himselfe no was of before Then these great complaints and cries of the poore must make him to rise as ye haue it Psal. 12. And if they preuent no● his rising terrible shall it be to the wicked for euer with the saluation of his owne the destruction of his enemies is ioyned And out of these both saluation destruction he maketh himselfe to be glorified Then I would these bloudie men and oppressors that renowne themselues with shame and ignominie knew that the Lord will ris● and that shortly except they preuent him whereof I see no appearance In the tenth verse he letteth vs see to what purpose the great furie of these men serueth and in the beginning he letteth vs see it with a constant affirmation Surely surely the rage of men shall turne to his praise Their greatest rage and highest furie is the highest matter of the Lords praise That same fury and rage whereby they thinke to dishonour God and ouerwhelme his Church he turneth to the contrary and maketh out of that same furie his owne glorie and the deliuery of his Church to shine The Lord is a wonderfull workman he bringeth about his purpose in such sort that he can draw out light out of darknesse and bring forth his owne praise out of their greatest rage Haue ye not seene this from time to time hath he not made his greatest enemies to testifie it and drawne a confession out of their owne mouthes Ye reade in the historie of Iulian the Apostata when he was in his greatest rage and in the top of his fury prouoking Christ to the combat in that high rage whilest he draweth his weapon to strike our head he striketh himselfe and after he had giuen himselfe a deadly wound he bursteth foorth and saith at the last Thou hast won ô Galilean so out of his owne mouth the Lord drew a confession of this praise Ye reade in the 6. of Exod. of those inchanters that opposed themselues to Moses and Aaron and counterfeited all that they did vntill it came to the plague of Lice there they stand and say It is the finger of the Lord as if they would say This plague is done by the mightie hand and power of God onely we are not able to counterfeit it Here we see they are compelled out of their owne mouth to confesse

and women are baptized into one bodie of Christ. That is we are conioyned and fastened with one Christ by the meanes saith he of one Spirit not by a carnall band or any grosse coniunction but onely by the band of the holy Spirit That same holy Spirit that is in him is in euery one of vs in some measure and in respect one Spirit is in him and in vs therefore we are accounted all to be one bodie and to be members of one spirituall and mysticall bodie And in the same verse the Apostle saith We are all made to drinke into one and the selfe same Spirit that is we are made to drinke of the bloud of Christ. And this bloud is no other thing but the quickning vertue and power that floweth from Christ and from the merits of his death we are made all to drinke of that bloud when we drinke of the liuely power and vertue that floweth out of that bloud So there is not a band that can couple my soule with the flesh of Christ but onely a spirituall band and a spirituall vnion And therefore it is that the Apostle 1. Cor. 6.17 saith He that is ioyned vnto the Lord is one Spirit And Iohn saith That which is borne of the Spirit is Spirit So it is onely by the participation of the holy Spirit that we are conioyned with the flesh and bloud of Christ Iesus That carnall band whether it be the band of bloud which runneth through one race or the carnall touching of flesh with flesh that carnall band I say was neuer esteemed of by Christ. In the time that he was conuersant here vpon earth he respected nothing that band for as he witnessed himselfe by his owne words he neuer had that carnall band in any kind of reuerence or estimation in respect of the spirituall band But as for the spirituall band whereby we are coupled with him by one Spirit he euer esteemed of this band in the time that he was conuersant on earth in a word he hath left the praise and commendations of the same To let you see how lightly he esteemed of the carnall band of bloud and alliance which we esteeme so much ye may see in the eight of Luke 20.21 for there they coming to him say Master thy Mother and thy brethren stand without and would see thee ye shall heare his answer vnto them how little he esteemed of that carnall band in the 21. verse in a manner denying that band he saith My Mother and my brethren are those which heare the word of God and do it As if he would haue said It is not that carnall band that I esteeme it is not that carnall coniunction that I reuerence it is the spirituall coniunction by the participation of his holy Spirit whereby we are mooued to heare the word of God to giue reuerence to it and obey it This carnall band was neuer profi●able as that in the 8 of Luke doth plainly testifie for if the touching of Christs fl●sh had bene profitable the multitude whereof mention is made in that Chapter that thrusted and preased him had bene the better by their carnall touching But so it is that there was neuer any of them the better by their carnall touching therefore the carnall touching profiteth nothing Saith not Christ himselfe Iohn 6.63 to draw them from that sinister confidence they had in the flesh onely My flesh profiteth nothing It is the Spirit that quickneth To touch him by the holie Spirit and by faith in thy soule this touching by faith hath euer bene profitable and we haue a plaine example of it in the same Chapter Euen so the poore woman that had long bene diseased with a bloudie issue the space of twelue yeares and had wasted and consumed the greatest part of her substance in seeking remedie she found no helpe by the naturall and bodily Physition at the last by vertue of the holie Spirit working faith in her heart she vnderstands and conceiues that she is able to recouer the health of her bodie and the health of her soule from Christ Iesus who came to saue both bodie and soule And vpon this perswasion which she had in her heart that Christ could cure both bodie and soule she came vnto him and as the Text saith she preased through the multitude to come to him and when she was come it is not said that she touched his flesh with her hand in case the Papists would ascribe the vertue which came out of him to her carnall touching but it is said that she touched onely the hemme of his garment with her hand and with faith which is the hand of the soule she touched her Sauiour God and man And to let you vnderstand that she touched him by faith he saith to her at the last Go thy way thy faith hath saued thee She touched him not so soone by faith but incontinent there came a power out of him which power and vertue she felt by the effect of it in her soule and our Sauiour felt it when it went from him The effect whereby she felt it was the health of her soule and the effect whereby he felt it was the going from him And so soone as he felt it go from him he saith Who is it that hath touched me Peter who was euer most suddaine answereth and saith Thou art thronged and thrusted by the multitude yet thou askest who hath touched thee Our Sauiour answers againe It is not that touching that I speake of it is another kind of touching There is one hath touched me who hath drawne a vertue and power out of me the multitude taketh no vertue from me The poore woman thinking she had done amisse and perceiuing she could not be hid came trembling and said I haue done it He answered her at the last and said Depart in peace thy faith hath saued thee Thy faith hath drawne out a vertue and power from me that hath made both thy soule and thy bodie whole So that this touching of Christ hath euer bene profitable is shall be profitable like as the touching of Christ with the corporall hand hath neuer bene is not nor euer shall be profitable And why Christ is not appointed to be a carnall head to be set vpon the necks of our bodies that he may do the office of a carnall head thereunto to furnish naturall motions and senses to our bodies No the Scriptures call not Christ a naturall head but the Scriptures call him a spirituall head to be set vpon the necke of our soules that is to be conioyned with our soules that out of him into our soules may distill holy motions heauenly senses and that there may flow out of him to vs a spirituall and heauenly life Then the Scriptures call him a spirituall head as they call vs a spirituall bodie and as the life which we get from him is spirituall so all our coniunction with him is spirituall And in respect he

Spirit of God offer the contrarie occasion will not be a thousand times more ready to comfort And therefore the Lord in his mercy giue you grace Sir that ye may haue that testimony of a good conscience to vphold you without the which there is no true comfort But alas when I looke on the misery and calamity of this Country I am almost out of hope for why Your subiects haue gotten such a custome of sinne and euil doing whereby they haue drawne on such an habite and hardnesse of heart that nothing is pleasant to them but that which is displeasing to God and nothing displeasing to them but that which is pleasing to him What is it I pray you that custome wil not bow What is it that custome will not alter What is it that continuall vse will not harden There is no potion so bitter-tasted in the beginning but if thou vse it a litle while it shall appeare not so bitter continue yet further in it it shall appeare nothing bitter at all go forward yet in it and in the end it shal become sweete suppose in the beginning it were most bitter Euen so it standeth with that miserable man that casteth his whole delight in ill doing that he hath such a custome in euill doing that nothing is pleasing to him but whi●h is displeasing to God and nothing displeasing to him but that which is pleasing to God For the mischieuous custome of euill doing banisheth light out of the minde· And as it banisheth light out of the minde it so banisheth all feeling out of the conscience and in stead of light cometh darknesse and in stead of feeling cometh hardnesse Now the conscience being hardened the minde being darkened what remaineth but a desperate and an obstinate condition like to the diuell who is said to be bound in chaines vnder perpetuall darknes This is wonderful that such continuall thundering of these threatnings is not able to moue them But it is no maruaile for there is no words will moue them yea it is impossible to the bloody man or oppressor to refaine from time they be once giuen ouer to sinne For from time the sinne hath gotten superiority in them as Peter sayth it commandeth them more absolutely then a Prince would command his subiect for sinne hath made them such slaues and they are so carried with impotency of their affections that they dare no more refraine from the seruice of sinne then a good seruant from his masters seruice I pray God that he so multiply the Spirit of gouernment vpon you Sir that holy vnction of Kings that we may once see this great insolency that breaketh out in so great contempt condignly punished that ye may keep your conscience pure and holy Thus much concerning the thing that is to be eschued in Ionas Now followeth another lesson to be learned in the person of Isaiah ye see Isaiah is ready to do what the Lord commandeth When the Lord biddeth him blow the blast of iudgement he bloweth it When the Lord biddeth him come he cometh when the Lord biddeth him go he goeth Then the lesson is this We that are the Trumpetters of the Lord we must not blow as our affections and men bid but as the Lord biddeth vs we must not sound the retreate when we should sound the march nor we must not sound the march when we shauld sound the retreate We must not sound iudgement when the Lord biddeth sound mercy and we must not sound mercy when the Lord biddeth sound iudgement But now the sinnes of the Land craue that all pulpits sound iudgement Therefore iudgement must be sounded There is no way to auert this iudgement but that euery man according to his calling put to his hand to reforme according to the bounds and power that is committed vnto him And the best way were that ye that are Noble men concurre with your Prince and his Maiestie concurre with heart and hand to repaire the ruines of this Country Thus farre for the second lesson Now he subioyneth the Narratiue In the Narratiue he sayth to the King That the Lord hath heard his prayer and hath seene his teares as if he would say Suppose thou lay in thy chamber turned thee to the wall yet I heard all the words that thou spake and I saw all the teares that distilled from thee And suppose it was not in the temple yet all was manifest to me This is a great comfort Then the lesson in generall is this In all places and to all estates the Lords eare is euer fastned to the cryes of his owne he seeth their teares and he heareth their words And suppose he be not alway as ready to dispatch them as he was to Hezechia yet he leaueth them not but he susteineth them in the meane time by the comfort of his spirit and in the end he granteth them their petition so farre as is sufficient And if it be according to his will he giueth them more then they sought If this be true that the Lords eare is present to heare the prayer of his owne and his eye to see their teares will not the Lord be moued at the cryes of them that are oppressed with these bloudy men It is wonderfull that no threatning nor denunciation will moue these men but if euery teare be powred in the Lords viole and euery word heard of the Lord how much more shall euery drop of bloud be in the Lords viole What is the reason that these bloody men will not giue eare The reason is this they haue layed this ground and vpon this false ground they build all their false conclusions with Atheists that there is not a God and vpon this ground they build all their mischieuous workes But I would demand of these men that haue layd this ground if there be not a God whence floweth this feare and terror of conscience this trembling and vnquietnesse which gnaweth them if there be not a God how is it that they are so tormented Suppose they haue banished knowledge out of their minde feeling out of their conscience all that should feare them out of their heart yet they haue euen this feare trembling in their soule And it is not possible to banish this feare do what they can yea the more murthers they commit the greater is their feare So where men thinke to make themselues sure by slaughter it is the high way to cast themselues in greater vnsurety and make their heart more fearefull then it was From whence come these torments but from God forewarning them of Hell and these are the beginning of hell to thee in this life Which if God would let off the all full measure they would not faile to put violent hands on themselues thinking thereby to get an outgate to their soule for they thinke if the soule were out of this bodie it should be in a better case where in the meane time