conceived of the prophanenesse and poyson that is in mans nature against Divine Truths as I shall shew afterwards how it slights the meanes of its owne salvation and stands wondering at baubles and trifles and so men waste away their precious time in admiration of that which is nothing but vanitie of vanities whereas we should take up our time in studying these transcendent things that goe beyond the capacitie of the very Angels yet these things we dally and trifle withall Againe from hence that Christs was seene and attended on and admired by Angels there is a great deale of comfort issueth to us it is the ground of all the attendance and comfort that we have from the Angels For this is a Rule in Divinitie that there is the same reason of the Head and of the members both Head and members are one Therefore what comfort and attendance Christ had who is the Head the Church which is his Body hath the same onely with some difference they attended upon him as the Head they attend upon us as the members they attended upon him immediatly for himselfe they attend upon us for his sake For whatsoever we have of God we have it at the second hand we receive Grace for Grace of Christ we receive attendance of Angels for the attendance they yeelded to Christ first they attend upon us by his direction and commission and charge from him so we have a derivative comfort from the attendance of Angels upon Christ but surely whatsoever they did to him they doe to us because there is the same respect to Head and members Therefore the Devill did not mistake he was right in that when he alledged out of the Psalme He shall give his Angels charge over thee that thou dash not thy foot against a stone He was right in that applying it to Christ For how-ever it be true to Christians yet it is true to Christ too it is true to the members as well as the Head and to the Head as to the members for He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all one as the Apostle sayth one Christ. Now the care of Angels concerning Christ and his Church it was shadowed out in Exod. 25. and 26. There the Mercie-Seate which covered the Arke wherein the Law was upon the Mercie-Seat there were two Cherubins counter viewing one another and both pryed to the Mercie-Seat they shadowed out the Angels that looke on the Mercie-Seat Christ for he is the Mercie-Seat that covers the Law and the Curse in whom God was mercifull to us There they looke upon that with a kind of wonderment and attendance which S. Peter alludes unto in that place Iâ—to which Mysteries the very Angels prie And so in the Veile of the Tabernacle the Veile had round about it Pictures of Cherubins What did that shaddow out unto us The multitude of Cherubins and Seraphins and Angels that attend upon Christ and his Church So he was seene and attended on by Angels and it belongs to all that are his as you have it Heb. 1. They are ministring spirits for the good of the heires of salvation They that serve the King serve the Queene too Christ is the King of his Church and the Church is the greatest Queene in the World they attend upon her nay Christ hath made us with himselfe Kings Now what a King is that that hath a Guard of Angels As they guarded and attended upon Christ so they guard and attend all that are his as you have it excellently in Dan. 7.10 There are thousand thousands of Angels about the Throne continually All this is for our comfort because we are one Mysticall body with him You have in Iacobs Ladder a notable representation of this Iacobs Ladder it reached from Earth to Heaven and that pointed to Christ himselfe who is Emanuel God and man who brought God and man together He was a Mediator betweene both and a friend to both He was that Ladder that touched Heaven and Earth and joyned both together Now it is said the Angels ascended and descended upon that Ladder so the Angels descending upon us is because they ascend and descend upon Iacobs Ladder first that is upon Christ. All things are yours sayth the Apostle What be those God is ours the Spirit is ours Heaven is ours the Earth is ours Afflictions Life Death Paul Apollo the Angels themselves all is ours Why Ye are Christs that is the ground So it is a spring of comfort to consider that Christ was seene and admired and attended by Angels they are ours because we are Christs Let us consider what a comfort it is to have the attendance of these blessed Spirits for Christs sake And hence we have the ground of the perpetuitie of it that they will for ever be attendants to us because their love and respect to us is founded upon their love and respect to Christ. When favour to another is grounded upon a sound foundation when the favour that a King or a great person beares to one is founded in the love of his owne sonne he loves the other because he loves his sonne whom the other loves so it is perpetuall and sound because he will ever love his sonne The Angels will for ever love and honour and attend us why for what ground have they respect to us at all It is in Christ whose members and Spouse we are So long as the Church hath any relation to Christ so long the Angels shall respect the Church but the Church hath relation to Christ for ever therefore the respect that the blessed Angels have to Christ and to the Church it is for ever and for ever Well let us thinke of this so as to make use of it that now in Christ we have the attendance of Angels We doe not see them as in former time before Christs Incarnation it is true because now since Christ is come in the flesh the Government of Christ is spirituall and we are not supported with those glorious manifestations but they are about us in an invisible manner We have Elizeus Guard about us continually but we see them not There were more apparitions in the infancie of the Church because the dispensation of Christ to the Church was according to the weake state of the Church But now Christ is come in the flesh and received up in glory and there is more abundance of Spirit wee should be more spirituall and heavenly minded and not looke for outward apparitions of Angels but be content that we have a Guard of them about us as every Christian hath Despise not saith Christ these little ones thâ—y are about Christians and about little ones little in yeeres little in esteeme for their Angels c. It is a strange thing they are Gods Angels but they are theirs for their service Their Angels behold the face of your heavenly Father So that Christs Angels are our Angels they
to be an Host of Angels Beloved we have need of such comforts and let it not seeme slight unto us to heare of Angels because we see them not It is a thing forgotten of us too much why are we so cold and dead and dull and distrustfull in dangers wee forget our strength and comfort this way There is now at this time an earthly Host against the Church men led with antichristian spirits Let us comfort our selves we have an heavenly Host with us as Elizeus said to his servant there are more with us then against us If God see it good this outward Host of Heaven the Sun the Moon and Starres hee can make them fight for his Church as in Sisera's case But there is another Host that see the face of God that is that observe and wait on his will and command wee have an heavenly Host within the heavens that having a command from God can come downe quickly for the defence of the Church and for every particular Christian not onely one Angell that is but an opinion that every one hath his Angell but even as God sees good one or two or more a multitude an Host of Angels God useth Angels not for any defect of power in himselfe to doe things that hee must have such an Host but for the further demonstration of his goodnesse he is so diffusive in goodnesse he will have a multitude of creatures that they may be a meanes to diffuse his goodnesse Angels to the Church and the Church to others it is for the spreading of his goodnesse for hee is all in all in himselfe Let it take impression in us that we have such glorious creatures for our service We see here this Host of heavenly Angels they attend upon the Lord of Hosts at his birth for Christ is the Creator of Angels the Lord of them not onely as God but as Mediator As God he is the Creator of Angels as Mediator hee is the head of Angels Col. 1.16 It was fit therefore that an Host of Angels should attend upon the Lords of Angels It was for the honour of Christ. God would let the world know although they heeded it not there was no such thought in Augustus Court at that time that there was an excellent glorioâ—s person borne into the world God himselfe tooke our nature Christ Emanuel though he were neglected of the world and faine to lye in a manger yet God tooke better notice of him then so heaven tooke notice of him when earth regarded him not therefore God to shew that he had another manner of respect and regard to Christ then the world had he sends a multitude an Host of heavenly Angels to celebrate the nativity of Christ. There is much solemnity at the birth of Princes and God that is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords he makes a solemnity likewise at the birth of his Sonne the greatest solemnity that ever was an Host of heavenly Angels but these things I doe but touch And suddenly there was c. Suddenly in an unperceivable time yet in time for there is no motion in a moment no creature moves from place to place in a moment God is every where Suddenly it not only shewes us somwhat exemplary from the quick dispatch of Angels in their businesse we pray to God in the Lords prayer Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven that is willingly suddenly cheerefully But also it serves for comfort if we be in any sudden danger God can dispatch an Angell a multitude of Angels to encampe about us suddenly therefore though the danger be present c the Devill present and devilish minded men present to hurt us God hath a multitude an Host of Angels as present to defend us nay as himselfe is every where so in the middest of his Church he is present more then Angels can be he is not onely among us but he is in us by his Spirit to comfort and strengthen us therefore let us stirre up the Spirit of God in us in all difficulties and dangers whatsoever considering we have such grounds of comfort every way What is the use and end of this glorious apparition in regard of the poore shepherds to confirme their faith and in them ours for if one or two witnesses confirme a thing what shall a multitude doe If one or two men confirme a truth much more an Host of heavenly Angels Therefore it is base infidelity to call this in question that is confirmed by a multitude of Angels and to comfort them likewise in this Apparition we see by the way that for one Christian to confirme an Angelicall worke for one man to discourage another it is the worke of a Devill when Christ was in his agony the Angels appeared to comfort him wee may take notice how willing and ready these glorious Spirits were to attend upon our blessed Saviour Iesus Christ in all the passages from his Incarnation to his glory we see they appeared here at his Incarnation they ministred unto him after his temptation at his Resurrection then they were ready to attend him and at his Ascension they were ready then but oh the welcome when he entred into Heaven There was the glorious imbracings when all the Host of heaven entertained him at his Ascension In the garden as I said they comforted him let us imitate them in this blessed worke if there be any in distresse that need comfort and confirmation we love examples of great noted persons here you have an example above your selves the example of Angels who to confirme and comfort the poore Shepherds appeare in an host 〈◊〉 multitude of heavenly Angels The Angels as they attend upon Christ so for his sake they attend upon us too for he is that Iacobs Ladder Iacobs Ladder you know stood upon the earth but it reached to Heaven and the Angels went up and down upon the Ladder that is it is Christ that knits heaven and earth together God and man and the Angels by Christ have communion and fellowship with us as I noted out of the place Heb. 12.22 Wee are come to an innumerable company of Angels so that they attend upon us for Christs sake whose members we are they attend upon Christ mysticall as well as Christ naturall For they are ministring Spirits for the sakes of them that shall be saved Heb. 1. And therefore in our childhood and tender yeeres they have the custody of us committed to them as Christ saith Their Angels behold the face of God and in our dangers they pitch their Tents about us and at our death they carry our soules to the place of happinesse as they carryed Lazarus soule into Abrahams bosome and at the resurrection they shall gather our dead bodies together so that as they never left our blessed Saviour from his birth to his Ascension so they alwayes attend upon his members his Spouse for
and watchfully carefully and soberly as becommeth Christians every way So much for that I proceed to the next words Seene of Angels The word is not altogether so fitly translated For it is more pregnant then it is here rendred He was seene It is true but he was seene with admiration and wonderment of Angels he was seene as such an object presented to them should be seene and seene with wonderment it implyes the consequence of sight sight stirres up affection it stirres up the whole soule therefore it is put for all the rest They saw him with wonderment For was it not a wonder that God should stoupe so low as to be shut up in the straits of a Virgins Wombe that Christ should humble himselfe so low to be God in our flesh Was not here exceeding wondrous love and mercie to man kind to wretched man having passed by the glorious Angels that were fallen And exceeding wisedome in God in satisfying his justice that he might shew mercie It was matter of admiration to the Angels to see the great God stoupe so low to be cloathed in such a poore nature as mans that is meaner then their owne This doubtlesse is the meaning of the Holyâ—Ghost they saw it with admiration And because he was their Head as the second Person and they were creatures to attend upon Christ their sight and wonderment must tend to some practise sutable to their condition Therefore they so see and wondred at him as that they attended upon Christ in all the passages of his humiliation and exaltation in his â—ife in his Death in his Resurrection and Ascension They saw him so as they were witnesses of him to men they gave testimonie and witnesse of him so that it is a full word in the intention of the Holy-Ghost Indeed not onely the Angels but all gave witnesse of him from the highest Heavens to Hell it selfe all witnessed Christ to be the true Messias In his Baptisme there was the Trinitie the Father in a Voyce from Heaven the Holy-Ghost in the shape of a Dove He had the witnesse of Angels of men of all rankes Iewes and Gentiles men and women yea the Devils themselves oft times confessed him in the Gospel He was witnessed of all rankes they saw him and gave evidence and testimonie of him that he was the true Messias he was seene of Angels To declare this a little more particularly The Angels knew of Christs comming in the flesh before it was for what the Church knew the Angels knew in some measure When God made the Promise of the Promised Seed the Angels knew of it And in Daniel the Angel speakes of the 70 Weekes therefore before his Incarnation they knew of him But now they saw him with wonderment in our flesh now they had an experimentall knowledge of him For the Angels besides their naturall supernaturall knowledge they have an experimentall knowledge that is daily encreased in them in the Church they see somewhat to admiration continually in the Church in the Head and in the members They knew of the Incarnation of Christ before you know the Angel brought the newes of it before-hand to the Virgin Mary The Angels attended upon Christ from his very infancie the Angels ministred to him in his temptation before his death they comforted him in the Garden he was made lower then the Angels in some sort as it is in Psal. 8. for they came to comfort him he was so low that he had the comforting of Angels Then they saw when he was buried they rolled away the stone By the way in generall it is the Angels office to remoove impediments that hinder us from Christ. A Christian shall have Angels to remoove the stones the hinderances that are betweene Heaven and him rather then they shall be any impediment to his salvation Then wheu he rose there were Angels one at the head and another at the feet and they told Mary that he was risen And then at his Ascension the Angels told the Disciples that Christ should come againe You have the Storie of it at large in the Gospel how from the Annuntiation of his Conception to his Ascension they saw him and attended on him and witnessed of him As soone as ever he waâ— borne when they appeared to the Shepheard what a glorious Hymne they sang Glorie to God on high Peace on Earth Good will to men How joyfull were they of the Incarnation of Christ and the great Worke of Redemption wrought thereby And as I sayd they did not onely see these things but they wondred at the love and mercie and wisedome of God in the Head and members of the Church as we see in diverse places in 1 Pet. 1.12 Wee preach the Gospel which things the Angels desire to looke into The very Angels desire to prie and looke with admiration into the wondrous things of the Gospel So in Ephes. 3.10 To the intent that unto Principalities and Powers in heavenly place might be made knowne by the Church the manifold wisedome of God There is somewhat done by Christ by his Incarnation and Resurrection and Government of his Church that the very Angels looke into and wonder at the manifold wisedome of God in governing his Church his wisedome in electing them and after in restoring mankind And in his manner of dispensation to the Iewes first by ceremonies and then after by the Bodie it selfe Christ in the flesh There is such a World of Wonders in the Governmenâ— of the Church such manifold wisedome that the very Angels themselves looke upon this with admiration and wonder and with great dâ—lâ—ght Shall Angels see and wonder at these things At the love and mercie and wisedome of God in governing his Church in joyning together things iâ— râ—concilable to mans apprehension infinite justice with infinite mercie in Christ that Gods wrath and justice should be satisfied in Christ and thereby infinite mercie shewed to us Here are things for Angels to wonder at ' Shall they wonder at it and joy and delight in it and shall we slight those things that are the wonderment of Angels There are a companie of prophane spirits I would there were not too many among us that will scarce vouchsafe to looke into these things that have scarcely the Booke of God in their Houses They can wonder at a Storie or a Poem or some frothie Device at base things not worthie to be reckoned of But as for the great Mysteries of Salvation that great Worke of the Trinitie about the Salvation of Man-kind they tush at them they slight them they never talke seriously of these things except it be as it were with a gracelesse grace of slighting and scorne they account it a disparagement to be serious in these things they make no Mysteries of that which the glorious creatures the Angels themselves looke upon and prie into even with admiration But it is not to be
are Angels even of children of little ones Nay let a man be never so poore even as Lazarus he shall have the attendance of Angels in life and death There is no Christian of low degree of the lowest degree that shall thinke himselfe neglected of God for the very Angels attend him as we see in Lazarus there is a generall commission for the least the little ones Likewise it may comfort us in all our extremities whatsoever in all our desertions the time may come beloved that we may be deserted of the world and deserted of our friends we may be in such straits as we may have no body in the world neere us Oh but if a man be a true Christian he hath God and Angels about him alway A Christian is a King he is never without his Guard that invisible Guard of Angels What if a man have no body by him when he dies but God and his good Angels to carry his soule to Heaven is he neglected Every Christian if he hath none else with him he hath God the whole Trinitie and the Guard of Angels to helpe and comfort him and to convey his soule to the place of happinesse Therefore let us never despaire let us never be disconsolate whatsoever our condition be we shall have God and good Angels with us in all our straits and extremities Goe thorow all the passages of our life we see how readie we are to fall into dangers In our infancie in our tender yeeres we are committed to their custodie after in our dangers they pitch their Tents about us as it is Psal. 34. The Angels of the Lord pitch their Tents about those that feare the Lord. In our conversion they rejoyce There is joy in Heaven at the conversion of a sinner At the houre of death as we see in Lazarus they are readie to convey our soules to the place of happinesse Lazarus soule was carryed by Angels into Abrahams bosome At the Resurrection they shall gather our dead bodies together it is the office of the Angels In Heaven they shall prayse and glorifie God together with us forever for Christ shall come with a multitude of heavenly Angels at the Day of Judgement when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints then we shall for ever glorifie God Saints and Angels together in Heaven Therefore in Heb. 12.22 it is said We are come to the innumerable multitude of Angels What is the meaning of that That is now in the New Testament by our communion with Christ we have association with the blessed Angels innumerable companie of Angels sayth the Holy-Ghost there we have association with them even from our infancie till we be in glory Indeed they are as Nurses They shall carry thee that thou dash not thy foot against a stone as it is Psal. 91. they keepe us from many inconveniencies But you will say Gods children fall into inconveniencies how then are they attended by Angels I answere First of all Gods Angels preserve those that are his from many inconveniencies that they know not of And certainely we have Devils about us continually and there is a conflict betwixt good Angels and Devils about us continually And when we doe fall into any inconvenience it is because we are not in our way if we goe out of our way they have not the charge over us they are to keepe us in our wayes And if they keepe us not from dashing our foot against a stone if they keepe us not from ill yet they keepe us in ill and deliver us out of ill at length for they deliver us not onely from evill that we fall not into it but they keepe us in ill and deliver us out of ill nay and by ill if we suffer in the custodie of Angels any inconveniencie it is that we may be tryed by it that we may be exercised and bettered by it There is nothing that falls out to Gods children in the world but they gaine by it whatsoever it is This therefore doth not prejudice the attendance of Angels Therefore let us comfort our selves in all conditions for our selves and for the State put ease it be brought to a very small number that the enemies were thousands more then wee many thousands and millions yet if we be in the Covenant of Grace and in good tearmes with God we have more for us then against us we shall have Angels fight for us You know Elisha's servant when he saw a multitude of enemies his eyes were opened to see a companie of Angels and sayth the Prophet there are more for us then against us So let us be to the eye of the world never so few and never so weake let us but have Elisha's eye the eye of Faith and we shall have his Guard about us alway and about the Common-wealth this should comfort us But then we must learne this dutie not to grieve these good Spirits As it is wondrous humilitie that they will stoupe to be servants to us that are of a weaker baser nature then they so it is wondrous patience that they will continue still to guard us notwithstanding we doe that that grieves those good spirits one motive to keepe us in the way of obedience that we doe not grieve those blessed spirits that are our Guard and attendance Let us consider when we are alone it would keepe us from many sinnes no eye of man seeth I but God seeth and conscience within seeth and Angels without are witnesses they grieve at it and the Devils about us rejoyce at it These meditations when we are sollicited to sinne would withdraw our minds and take up our hearts if we had a spirit of faith to beleeve these things Let us learne to make this use likewise to magnifie God that hath thus honoured us not onely to take our nature upon him to be manifest in the flesh but also to give us his owne attendance his owne Guard a Guard of Angeâ—s Indeed we are in Christ above Angels advanced higher then Angels what cause have we to prayse God How are we advanced above them We are the Spouse of Christ and so are not Angels they are under Christ as a Head of government and a Head of Influence they have strength and confirmation from Christ he is not a Head of redemption but of confirmation to them Saint Paul calls them elect Angels that stand they stand by Christ they have good by him but they are not the Spouse of Christ we are the Spouse and members of Christ He hath honoured our nature more then the Angelicall he did not take upon him the nature of Angels but of men and as he hath advanced us above Angels so his dispensation is that those glorious creatures should be our attendants for our good and they distaste not this attendance And this is that we should know what care God hath over us and
what love he beares us that he hath honoured us so much that creatures of a more excellent ranke then we are even the Angels should be serviceable to us in Christ And all is that we should be full of thankfulnesse But you will say What need the Guard or attendance of Angels to Christ or to us to Head or members considering that God is able to guard us with his Almightie Power It is true The creatures that God hath ordained in their severall rankes they are not for any defect in God to supply his want of power but further to enlarge and demonstrate his goodnesse He is the Lord of Hosts therefore he will have Hosts of creatures one under another and all serviceable to his end His end is to bring a companie to salvation to a supernaturall end to happinesse in the world to come and he being Lord of all he makes all to serve for that end He could doe it of himselfe but having ordained such rankes of creatures he makes all to serve for that end for the manifestation of his power and of his goodnesse not for any defect of strength in himselfe He could doe all by himselfe he could have beene content with his owne happinesse and never have made a World but he made the World to shew his goodnesse and love and respect to mankind So he will have Angels attend us though he watch over us by his owne providence this takes not away any care of his but hee shewes his care in the attendance of Angels and other creatures he useth them to convey his care and love to us But you will say How can the Angels helpe our soules any kind of way they may helpe our outward man or the State where we live but what good doe they to the inward man I answer The inward man is especially subâ—ject to the Spirit of Christ it is God that bowes the necke of the inward man But yet notwithstanding if the Devils can suggest sinne Angels are as strong as Devils and stronger and wiser too they are wiser then the Devill is malicious and stronger then the Devill is powerfull Whatsoever they can doe in evill the good Angels can in good Therefore no question but they suggest many thoughts that are good they are not onely a Guard about us but they are Tutors to teach and instruct us they minister good thoughts and stirre up good motions and suggestions They worke not upon the heart of man immediatly to alter and change it that is proper to God but by stirring up motions and by way of suggestion as the Devils doe in ill so they in good Therefore it is sayd they comforted our blessed Saviour which I suppose was more then by their presence So they comfort Gods children by presenting to their thoughts wee know not how the manner is mysticall it is not for us to search into that good motions by stirring up to good onely the altering and changing of our dispositions that is proper to the holy Spirit of God Let us often thinke of this what a glorious head we have for whose sake the Angels attend upon us in all estates whatsoever even till wee come to heaven And this should stirre us up to labour to bee made one with Christ all the good we have any way is by the interest we have in Christ first he holds it in Capite if we have not a being in our head Christ we can challenge nothing in the world no attendance of Angels for the Angels are at variance with us out of Christ we see presently after the fall the Cherubin was set with his sword drawne to keep the entrance of Paradise from whence Adam was shut to shew that presently upon the fall there was a variance and a mighty distance betweene the Angels and vs. But now the Angels no longer shut Paradise no they accompany us in the wildernesse of this world to the heavenly Canaan to Paradise they go up and downe Iacobs Ladder they attend upon Christ and for his sake they are ministering spirits for the comfort of the elect so that all things are reconciled now in Christ both in heaven and earth Angels and men It should stirre us up to get interest in Christ so that we may have interest in all these excellent things that first belong to Christ and then to us Whatsoever is excellent in Heaven or Earth belongs to the King of all which is Christ and to the Queene of all the Church and the time will come that there will be no excellencie but Christ and his Church All whatsoever is in the world is nothing it will end in Hell and desperation all other excellencies whatsoever This should teach us likewise to carry our selves answerable to our condition to take a holy state upon us we should think our selves too good to abase our selves to sinne to be slaves to men to flesh and blood be they what they will be to the corruptions and humours of any man since we have Angels to attend upon us we are Kings and have a Kingly Guard it should move us to take a holy state upon us it should force a carriage sutable to Kings that have so glorious attendance Undoubtedly if we had a spirituall eye of Faith to beleeve and to know this answerable to the things themselves and their excellencie it would worke a more glorious disposition in Christians then there is to carry our selves as if we were in Heaven before our time Oh that we had cleare eyes answerable to the excellencie of the priviledges that belong to us Againe it should teach us not to despise the meanest Christians seeing Angels despise not to attend on them Shall we disdain to relieve them that the Angels doe not disdaine to comfort To comfort and relieve one another it is the worke of an Angel Shall any man thinke himselfe too good to helpe any poore Christian Oh the pride of mans nature when the more glorious nature of the Angels disdaine not to be our servants and not onely to great and noble men but to little ones even to Lazarus What a devillish qualitie is envie and pride that stirres us up to disdaine to be usefull one to another especially to those that are inferiours We know it was the speech of wicked Cain Am I my brothers keeper Shall I stoupe to him Flesh and blood begins to take state upon it Alas if Angels had taken state upon them where had this attendance bin The Devils that kept not their first standing being proud spirits they disdained the calling they had the good Angels humble themselves God himselfe as it is Psal. 113. disdaines not to looke on things below When the great God became man shall we wonder that Angels should attend upon the nature that God hath so honoured What a devillish sinne then is envie and pride and disdaine Let these considerations move us to be out of
Truth is such that if it be mingled over-much with Heterogeneall stuffe it over-throwes it and Christ will not endure this indignitie Therefore let us take heed that we keepe Christ and his Truth with us exactly and let us take heed of sinning against the Gospel if we would have it stay with us especially of sinnes immediatly against the Gospel as for instance Take heed of joyning Superstition and Popish trash with it or the like that will cat out the very heart of the Gospel and sets up man in the place of Christ. Againe take heed of decaying in our first love We see God threatneth the Church of Ephesus for not cherishing and maintaining her first love that he would remoove not onely the Gospel but the Candlestick the Church it selfe for securitie in abundance and plentie and decay in her first love God threatneth that he will scatter the Candlestick the Church it selfe into forraine places Againe a sinne against the Gospel is unfruitfulnesse under it When men shall have the blessed influence of the Gospel the Soule-saving Truth the good Word to be long among them and to be as barren under it as if they were Pagans For the Gospel to have no more power over our soules then if we had no Gospel at all That there is no difference betweene us and Heathens in regard of our conversations To goe no further then they nay not so farre in honestie and justice and sobrietie Let us take heed of these and the like sinnes against the Gospel And I say it should be a ground of labouring the conversion of those that be Savages be they never so barbarous to labour to gaine them to Christ. There are indeed some hinderances there be Iannes and Iambres among them instruments of the Devil to keepe them in blindnesse and ignorance and then custome that they are bred in which prevailes most with the sorriest people for ignorant people that have their wits determined to one way they are so strong in it as they are not to be untaught as it is hard to teach a Beast because he is taught to goe one way for want of varietie of conceptions being void of reason now people by nature are little better then Beasts therefore they are so fixed and determined in that way they are brought up in and are so settled by the Devill and those Priests among them and by the tyrannie of those that have come among them the Spaniards c. that hath hindred their conversion much yet take them as bad as they can be God hath a time for them What were wee of this Nation sixteene hundred yeeres agone There is a fulnesse of the Gentiles to come in and certainely it is not yet come fully For it is probable nay more then probable that there are some people that never had the Gospel and the fulnesse of the Gentiles must come in before the other Mysterie of the calling of the Iewes I speake it to encourage those that have interest that way not to take violent courses with them There is nothing so voluntarie as Faith it must be wrought by perswasions not by violence and there is a ground of encouragement hence that since the comming of Christ there is a libertie for all Nations to come in Christ must be preached to the Gentiles To conclude this point let us consider that we are those Gentiles that have enjoyed this preaching of Christ and it is the glorie of our Nation it is not our strength or riches or any ornament above others that sets us forth so much as this that we have the Gospel preached among us that these blessed streames runne so plentifully every where among us Let us labour to value this inestimable benefit Where the Gospel is not preached there the places are Salt-pits despicable places whatsoever they are else as it is in Ezechiel they are under the Kingdome of Satan it is the glory of a Nation to have the Truth among them The glory of Israel was gone when the Arke was taken the Religion and Truth we enjoy it is our Arke our glory is gone if we part with that Therefore whatsoever God takes from us let us desire that he would still continue the Gospel of Truth that he would still vouchsafe to dwell among us and not leave us What were all things in the world besides if we had not the blessed Truth of God we must leave all ere long Therefore let us labour to have the eyes of our understanding enlightened to conceive aright of the difference of things and to value our selves by this that Christ is manifested to us and thereby we have interest in Christ more then by any interest and part and portion in the world besides for then Christ will delight to be with us still when we make much of him and esteeme and prize and value him Beleeved on in the world After preached to the Gentiles he joynes Beleeved on in the World to shew that Faith comes by hearing Indeed preaching is the Ordinance of God sanctified for the begetting of Faith for the opening of the understanding for the drawing of the wil and affections to Christ. Faith is the marriage of the Soule to Christ now in marriage there must not be a mistake and error in the person for then it is a kind of nullitie Now that the person to whom we are to be marryed by Faith may be knowne to us there is an Ordinance of Preaching set up to lay open our owne beggery and necessitie what we are without him and to open the Riches of our Husband the Nobility and Priviledges and whatsoever is glorious in Christ that the Church may know what a kind of Husband she is like to have In Rom. 10. you have the Scala-Coeli the Ladder of Heaven as a good old Martyr called it and we must not presume to alter the Staves of that Ladder How can they call upon him in whom they have not beâ—eeved and how shall they beleeve without a Preacher and how shall they preach unlesse they be sent Here is Preaching and Beleeving and then Prayer There are some that are bitter against this Ordinance of Preaching and advance aâ—other excellent Ordinance of Prayer to the disparagement of this if they would joyne them both together it were well You see what the Apostle sayth How shall they call upon him in whom they have not beleeved and how shall they beleeve without a Preacher without this Ordinance of Preaching Shewing that we cannot have the Spirit of Prayer without Faith nor Faith without Preaching And the Wise man saith He that turns his eare from hearing the Law under what pretence soever his prayer shall be abominable The prayers of such men that would crie downe this Ordinance how are they like to be accepted they are abominable We see here the Apostle sets them downe in this degree Hearing and Beleeving and Prayer and here
died But where these three are an exemption and freedome from all basenesse and all that may diminish reckoning and estimation and when there is a foundation of true excellency and likewise a shining a declaring breaking forth of that excellency there is glory But Christ after he was manifest in the flesh and had done the work here that hee had to doe hee was received up to glory that is all basenesse was layd aside his glory appearing all abasement did vanish he was victorious over that for in his Resurrection that was the first degree of his glory you know the Clothes that he was bound with were left in the Grave the Stone was remooved all things that might hinder his glory that might abase him in body in soule or condition they were remooved there was an excellency in all that was not before in regard of manifestation For his Body it was now impassible an immortall spirituall Body it could suffer no longer it was not fed with meat and drink as in the time of his abasement it was a Body so agile and so nimble that he could moove even as he would himselfe so there was a glory put upon his Body above the Sunne There was a glory upon the Soule all that might hinder that was subdued for there was no sorrow no feare nor griefe as there was in his Soule before he was glorified so both in Body and Soule he was more glorious And then for his whole condition that was glorious he was abased no longer for now he was taken into the highest place of all above the Heavens and as his place is most eminent so his government is most eminent for he is taken up there above all Principalities and Powers as it is Ephes. 1.20 and is gloriously set downe at the right hand of God 1 Pet. 3. All being subject to him he hath the domination and government of all So that whatsoever might shadow and cloud him all ills eyther in Body in Soule or condition all was remooved and he was glorious in all For excellencie the foundation of glory that was alway with him in his very abasement but now it was manifested he was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by raysing himselfe from the dead he was declared to be glorious in all those things wherein he could be glorious As no person can be glorious but eyther it must be in body or soule or condition he was glorious in all for hee was received up into the place of glory to Heaven to the assembly of glory to the presence of his Father and the blessed Saints and Angels and no question but there was a glorious welcome If the Angels came so chearefully to proclaime his Incarnation when he was borne and sang Glory be to God on high on Earth peace good will towards men What kind of triumph doe you thinke was made by all the blessed companie in Heaven when he was entertained thither after his abasement It is beyond our conceits to imagine It will not be altogether unusefull to speake of the circumstances of Christs being taken up to glory Whence was he taken He was taken up to glory from Mount Olivet where he used to pray and where he sweat water and blood where he was humbled from the place of Humiliation was his Ascension to glory shewing unto us that the place oft times where we pray where we are afflicted our sick Beds nay the places of our abasement the very Prisons they may be as Mount Olivet to us from whence God will take us to glory Let no man therefore feare and abasement it may prove as Mount Olivet to him in this respect And when was he taken up to glory Not before he had finished his worke as he sayth Iohn 17.4 I have finished the worke thou gavest me to doe Then he was taken up when he had done all when he had accomplished our salvation And after his abasement not before So our taking up to glory it must be when we have done our worke when we have finished our course when we have runne our race when we have fought the good fight And also after our abasement we must first suffer with Christ before we can be glorified with him Againe if we speake of the first degree of Christs glory his Resurrection he was taken up to glory when he was at the lowest that could be when he was in the Grave so Gods Church and children at the lowest they are neerest to glory We use to say Things when they are at the worst are neerest mending so is the state and condition of the Church of God and every particular Christian when he is lowest he is neerest raysing as we shall see afterwards The witnesses of this were the Angels they proclaimed his Incarnation with joy and without doubt they were much more joyfull at his ascending up to glory it was in the presence of the Angels So likewise when he shall come to manifest his glory at the day of Judgement there will be innumerable thousands of Angels Those glorious creatures were witnesses of his glory and no question but they yeelded their joyfull attendance and service that were so willing to attend him at his birth and comming into the world He was carryed up in the clouds in which also he shall come againe at the last day But before he was taken up to glory he was fortie dayes on Earth to give evidence to his Apostles and Disciples of his Resurrection and to instruct and furnish them in things concerning their Callings afterwards he was taken up to glory And in all that time of his abode on Earth after his first degree of glory his Resurrection he was never seene of sinfull eye for any thing we see in Scripture I meane of those that were scorners of him that despised him The Scribes and Pharises and carnall people did not see him they had no commerce at all with him after his Resurrection they that despised him in his abasement had no comfort by exaltation But that which I will chiefely presse in this Clause shall be to shew That as this is a Mysterie so how it is a Mysterie of Godlinesse to stirre us up to godlinesse for as I sayd befoâ—e Divine Truths and Principles they are called Godlinesse because where they are embraced they worke godlinesse the soule is transformed into them where these Truths are ingrafted in the soule as S. Peter saith they turne the soule into their owne nature Therefore I will shew how this Mysterie Christ received up to glory breeds a frame of Godlinesse in the heart That it is a Mysterie it will easily appeare For was it a great Mysterie that God should take our nature upon him to be abased in it Surely it must needs be a Mysterie that God will be glorified in our nature Was our nature advanced in his Incarnation Much more was it glorified in his Exaltation when he
then he could doe if he were on the Earth if the Sun were lower what wouâ—d become of the Earth But being so remote and so farre above he hath opportunity to shine over the greatest part of the Earth at once being greater then the Earth he shineth over more then halfe the Earth at once Christ being in Heaven as the Sunne of Righteousnesse he shines more gloriously over all and we have more comfort and benefit and influence from Christ now in Heaven then we could if he were on Earth Must we needs make him bodily present every where as the Papists doe and other Heterodox strange conceited men in Germanie What need we doe thus when there may be influence from Christ now in Heaven to us on Earth as we see in other things without confusion of his Divine properties to his Body or making his Body as his God-head is Therefore seeke him not bodily any where but in Heaven Those Opinions overthrow three Articles of our Faith at once He ascâ—nded into Heaven He sitteth at the right hand of God and He shall come to judge the quicke and the dead And where is his Body in the meane time in the Sacrament No he is received up in glory Therefore we must have our thoughts in heaven when we are about that businesse we must lift up our hearts as it is in our Liturgie which is taken out of the ancient Liturgie We lift them up unto the Lord we must have holy thoughts raysed up to Christ in Heaven Againe is Christ received up to glory Here is singular comfort considering what I said before that he is ascended as a publike person in our behalfe in our nature for our good Therefore when we thinke of Christ in Heaven think of our Husband in Heaven thinke of our selves in Heaven We are set together in heavenly places with Christ as the Apostle saith Ephes. 2. We have a glorious life but it is hid with Christ in Heaven When Christ himselfe shall be revealed our life shall be revealed though we creepe upon the Earth as wormes yet notwithstanding we have communion and fellowship with Christ who is joyned with us in the same Mysticall Body who is now at the right hand of God in Heaven and he that hath glorified his naturall Body in Heaven that he tooke upon him he will glorifie his Mysticall Body for he tooke flesh and blood his naturall Body for the glory of his Mysticall Body that he might bring his Church to glory Therefore we ought as verily to beleeve that he will take his Mysticall Body and every particular member of it to Heaven as he hath taken his naturall Body and hath set it there in glory It is a comfort in the houre of death that we yeeld up our soules to Christ who is gone before to provide a place for us this was one end of his taking up to Heaven to provide a place for us Therefore when we die we have not a place to seeke our house is provided before hand Christ was taken up to glory to provide glory for us Even as Paradise was provided for Adam before he was made so we have a heavenly Paradise provided for us we had a place in Heaven before we were borne What a comfort is this at the houre of death and at the death of our friends that they are gone to Christ and to glory We are shut out of the first Paradise by the first Adam our comfort is that now the heavenly Paradise in Christ is open This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise sayth Christ to the good Theefe There was an Angell to keepe Paradise when Adam was shut out but there is none to keepe us out of Heaven nay the Angels are ready to convey our soules to Heaven as they did Lazarus and as they accompanied Christ in his Ascension to Heaven so they doe the soules of his children Likewise in our sinnes and infirmities when we have to deale with God the Father whom we have offended with 〈◊〉 sinnes let he 〈…〉 comfort from hence Christ is ascended into Heaven to appeare before his Father 〈◊〉 a Mediator for us and therefore God turnes 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 from us we have a friend a favorite in the Court of Heaven the Sonne of God himselfe at his Fathers right hand he makes inteâ—â—â—ssioâ— for us As Ionathan appeareth in 〈◊〉 Court to speake a good word and to plead for David so our Ionathan Iesus Christ but with farre better successe appeares in the Court of Heaven for us continuing our peace with God in our daily breaches perfuming our prayers And there is no danger of his death for He is a Priest for ever at the right hand of God to make intercession for us his very presenting himselfe in Heaven speaks for us As if he should say These persons that aske in my Name they are such persons as I was borne for such as I obeyed for such as I dyed for such as I was sent into the world to work the great wolke of Redemption for for he wrought our Redemption in his abased estate but he applyes it as he is exalted application is as necessary as merit we have no good by the worke of Redemption without application and for that end he appeares in heaven for us and pleads for us For even as there is speech attributed to Abels blood it cryed Vengeance Vengeance so Christ appearing now in heaven for us his blood cryes Mercie Mercie these are those I shed my blood for Mercie Lord The very appearing of him that shed his blood it cryes for mercy at the Throne of Mercie which is therefore a Throne of Mercie because he is there he shed his blood to satisfie Justice to make way for Mercie In the Law the High-Priest after he had offered a Sacrifice of blood he was to goe into the Holy of Holies so Christ after he had offered himself for a Sacrifice he went into the Holy of Holies into heaven to appeare before God And as the High-Priest when he went into the Holy of Holies he had the names of the twelve Tribes on his brest to shew that he appeared before God for them all so Christ being gone into the Holy of Holies into heaven he hath all our names upon his brest that is in his heart the name of every particular beleever to the end of the world to present them before God Therefore when we have to deale with God thinke of Christ now glorious in heaven appearing for us God can denie him nothing nor denie us any thing that we aske in his Name we have his Promise for it It is a ground likewise of contentment in all conditions whatsoever our wants be What if we want comfort houses c. on Earth when we have Heaven provided for us and Glory provided for us when we are already so glorious in our Head Shall not any condition content a man in this world
into Heaven so it shall be with us the same body that suffers any thing for Christ the same body that dies the same Body shall rise and be assumed to glory Hence likewise we have a ground of patience in all our sufferings from another reason not from the order but from the certaintie of glory Shall we not patiently suffer considering the glory that we shall certainely have If we suffer with him wee shall be glorified with him Who will not be patient a while that hath such glory in his eye Therefore let us looke upon the glory of Christ in all our sufferings whatsoever What made Moses and all the Saints in all times to be so patient They had an eye this way What made Steven not onely patient but glorious His face shone as the face of an Angel he looked on Iesus Christ and saw him sitting at the right hand of God What made the Martyrs not onely patient but triumphant in all their sufferings They had an eye of Faith to see Christ sitting in glory and to see themselves in Heaven glorious in Christ and not onely to see themselves glorious in Christ but in themselves afterwards Wee are not onely glorious in our Head but we shall be our selves where he is Taken up in glory And let it stirre us up likewise not to be ashamed of Religion and to stand out in good causes for Christ and the Church He is not ashamed to be called our Brother no not after his Resurrection Goe tell my brethren I ascend to my Father and your Father He was not ashamed of it when he began to be in the state of glory he is not ashamed of our nature now to take it up into Heaven he is not ashamed to owne us here and at the Day of Judgement to set us at his right hand And shall we now for feare of men for feare of shame for any base earthly respect be ashamed of our glorious Head Doe we beleeve that we have a Head that is glorious in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God that ere long will come to judge the quike and the dead and shall we be ashamed to hold out the profession of Religion for a scorne for a word for a frowne Where is the Spirit of glory the Spirit that should be in Christians that hope to be glorious He that is ashamed of me here saith Christ I will be ashamed of him at that great Day How can we thinke that Christ will owne us when we will not owne Religion here When we are ashamed to stand for him shall we thinke to stand at his right hand All base carnall Atheisticall spirits that are afraid of disgrace of displeasure of losse of any thing but of him they should be afraid of let them know there is no comfort for them in Christs exaltation For if they had any communion with Christ he would infuse another manner of spirit into them Let us therefore stand for Christ we have a glorious Head a glorious hope a glorious Inheritance And let us goe on with incouragement in good duties with a Spirit of Faith for wherefore is Christ in Heaven but to rule his Church by his Spirit To leade captivitie captive and to give gifts to men Let us therefore goe on with confidence that Christ from Heaven will give us his Spirit to subdue our corruptions He is in Heaven to rule his Church and what is his Kingdome but the subduing of our spirits by his Spirit to be more humble and more holy and gracious every way Let us not thinke that our corruptions will be too hard for us but goe on in a Spirit of Faith That Christ that dyed for us as a Priest he will rule us as a King and if we be true to our owne soules we shall have strength to sustaine us he sits in Heaven to rule us by his gracious Spirit Let us not despaire though we carry this and that corruption about us we shall by little and little overcome all he will lead captivitie captive and overcome all in us as he did in his own person he that overcame for us will overcome in us if there be a Spirit of Faith to depend upon him Againe this Mysterie is a Mysterie of Godlinesse it tendeth to and enforceth godlinesse and holinesse of life Christ received up to glory You see then our flesh is in Heaven Christ hath taken into Heaven the pledge of our flesh and given us the pledge of his Spirit It was a dignifying of our nature that God should be manifest in our flesh that that was an abasing to him as God was an honour to our nature the Incarnation of Christ it was the beginning of his abasement in regard of his God-head for the God-head to be clouded under flesh but it was a dignifying of the humane nature that it should be graffed into the second Person And is it not a greater honour to our nature that now in Christ it is gone to Heaven and is there above Angels Our nature in Christ rules over all the world And wherefore is all this As it is for wondrous comfort so for instruction to carry our selves answerable to our dignitie What! hath God taken our nature upon him to the unitie of the second Person and exalted and honoured and enriched it Is he likewise gone to Heaven in our nature and is there above all Principalities and Powers all the Angels in Heaven attend upon him And shall we debase and dishonour our nature that is so exalted Let it worke upon us to carry our selves in a holy kind of state Shall we defile our selves with sinfull courses make our selves baser then the Earth we tread on worse then any creature for a man without grace is next to the Devill in miserie if God be not mercifull to him If God have thus honoured our nature above all created excellency whatsoever shall not this stirre us up to a correspondent carriage It is oft pressed by the Apostle that we walke worthy of our calling And indeed let us oft consider to what great matters we are called for the life of Heaven it must be begun upon Earth Whosoever hath this hope to be glorious with Christ in Heaven it purgeth him it frames him to be like the state he hopes for and he that hath not a care to sute and fit his carriage and disposition to the state he beleeves it is an emptie hope he deludes himselfe Whosoever shall be glorious with Christ in Heaven is also glorious now there is a Spirit of Glory resting upon them that is Grace Grace makes them glorious Those that have not a Spirit of Glory that is a Spirit of Grace to fashion and conforme them in some measure to be like Christ by little and little they have no right nor interest in the state of Glory that shall be revealed after Is Christ taken up to glory and for us as well as for himselfe
not only meditation of these things that will cause us to be heavenly-minded but Christ as a Head of influence in Heaven conveyes spirituall life to draw us up When I am ascended I will draw all men after me There is a vertue from Christ that doth it there is a necessitie of the cause and consequence as well as strength of reason and equitie there is an influence issuing from Christ our Head to make us so indeed therefore those that are otherwise they may thanke themselves The best of us indeed have cause to be abased that we betray our comfort and the meanes that we have of raysing up our dead and dull hearts for want of meditation Let us but keepe this Faith in exercise that Christ is in Heaven in glory and we in him are in Heaven as verily as if we were there in our persons as we shall be ere long and then let us be uncomfortable and base and earthly-minded if we can To conclude all As the soule of man is first sinfull and then sanctified first humble and then raysed so our meditations of Christ must be in this order first thinke of Christ as abased and crucified for the first comfort that the soule hath is in Christ manifested in the flesh before it come to received up into glory Therefore if we would have comâ—ortable thoughts of this Christ received up in glory thinke of him first manifest in the flesh let us have recourse in our thoughts to Christ in the Wombe of the Virgin to Christ borne and lying in the Manger going up and downe doing good hungring and thirsting suffering in the Garden sweating water and blood nayled on the Crosse crying to his Father My God my God why hast thou forsaken me finishing all upon the Crosse lying three dayes in the Grave have recourse to Christ thus abased and all for us to expiate our sinne he obeyed God to satisfie for our disobedience Oh here will be comfortable thoughts for a wounded soule pierced with the sense of sinne assaulted by Satan To thinke thus of Christ abased for our sinnes and then to thinke of him taken up into glory In the Sacrament our thoughts must especially have recourse in the first place to Christs Body broken and his blood shed as the Bread is broken and the Wine poured out that we have benefit by Christs abasement and suffering by satisfying his Fathers wrath and reconciling us to God Then thinke of Christ in Heaven appearing there for us keeping that happinesse that he hath purchased by his death for us and applying the benefit of his death to our soules by his Spirit which he is able to shed more abundantly being in that high and holy place Heaven for the Spirit was not given in that abundance before Christ was ascended to glory as it hath beene since In this manner and order we shall have comfortable thoughts of Christ. To thinke of his glory in the first place it would dazle our eyes it would terrifie us being sinners to thinke of his glory being now ascended but when we thinke of him as descended first as he sayth Who is he that ascended but he that descended first into the lower parts of the Earth So who is this that is taken up in glory is it not he that was manifest in our flesh before This will be comfortable Therefore let us first begin with Christs abasement and then we shall have comfortable thoughts of his exaltation These points are very usefull being the maine grounds of Religion having an influence into our lives and conversations above all others other points have their life and vigour and quickning from these grand Mysteries which are the food of the soule Therefore let us oft feed our thoughts with these things of Christs abasement and glory considering him in both as a publike person the second Adam and our Suretie and then see our selves in him and labour to have vertue from him fitting us in body and soule for such a condition The very serious meditation of these things will put a glory upon our soules and the beleeving of them will transforme us from glory to glory FINIS ANGELS Acclamations OR THE NATIVITY of CHRIST celebrated by the heavenly Host. BY The late learned and reverend Divine RICHARD SIBS Doctor in Divinity Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at Grayes-Inne ISAI 9.6 To us a Child is borne to us a Sonne is given 1 PET. 1.12 Which things the Angels desire to looke into LONDON Printed by E. P. for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and Rapha Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes head Alley in Pater-noster Row 1638. ANGELS ACCLAMATIONS LUKE 2.13 14. And suddenly there was with the Angell a multitude of the heavenly Host praising GOD and saying Glory to GOD in the highest and on earth peace Good will towards men THE Words are few and pregnant very precious having much excellency in a little quantity The Heavens never opened but to great purpose when God opens his mouth it is for some speciall end and when the Angels appeared it was upon some extraordinary occasion This was the most glorious Apparition that ever was setting aside that that was at Christs Baptisme when the Heavens opened and the Father spake and the Holy-Ghost appeared in the likenesse of a Dove upon the head of Christ when all the Trinity appeared but there was never such an apparition of Angels as at this time and there was great cause for there was never such a ground for it whether we regard the matter it selfe the incarnation of Christ there was never such a thing from the beginning of the World nor never shall be in this World for God to take mans nature on him for Heaven and Earth to joyne together for the Creator to become a creature Or whether we regard the benefit that comes to us thereby Christ by this meanes brings God and man together since the fall Christ is the accomplishment of all the Prophesies of all the promises they were made in him and for him therefore he was the expectation of the Gentiles Before he was borne he was revealed by degrees First generally The seed of the woman c. Then more particularly to Abraham and his seed and then to one Tribe Iudah that hee should come of him then to one family the house of David and then more particularly a Virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne and the place Bethlehem till at the last Iohn Baptist pointed him out with the finger Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world Even as after midnight the Sun growes up by little and little till his beames stâ—â—ke forth in the morning and after it appeares in glory so it was with the Sunne of Righteousnesse as he came nearer so hee discovers himselfe more gloriously by degrees till hee was borne indeed and then you see here a multitude of Angels
celebrate his Nativity Now as before his birth hee was revealed by degrees so after his incarnation hee was revealed to all sorts to the old in Simeon to women in Anna a Prophetesse to wise men and to silly shepheards to all rancks of men and to whomsoever the incarnation of Christ was revealed when he was borne they all entertained it with joy The Angels they sang and praised God Simeon was even content then to dye and Zachary you see before hand breakes forth Blessed bee the Lord God of Israel c. and the shepherds went away rejoycing There is a speciall passage of divine providence in the carriage of this manifestation for Christ was reveiled to the wise men that were Gentiles by a Starre because they were given to starre-gazing he was discovered to the shepherds by the apparition of Angels The Scribes that were conversant in Scripture they found it out by searching the Scriptures God applies himselfe to every mans condition And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude c. You see here how ever Christ lay in the Cratch in the Manger yet notwithstanding there were some circumstances that shewed the greatnesse of his person that he was no ordinary person he lay in the Cratch indeed but the wise men came and adored him and he appeared to the shepherds poore men yet notwithstanding heere is an Host of Angels that praise him so likewise at his death he converted the good Thiefe and shadowed the Sun it selfe and then he gloriously rose againe so that there were some beames of his divine nature that brake forth in all his abasements we see here an apparition of Angels In the words consider these things Here is first of all an apparition of heavenly Angels And then their celebration of Christs birth The apparition and suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly Host. The celebration of it praising God and saying The matter of the celebration and praising God Glory to God in the highest In earth peace Good will towards men I shall especially stand upon those words but somewhat is to be touched concerning the apparition of these Angels The circumstances of their apparition they appeare to poore Shepherds God respects no callings He will confound the pride of men that set so much by that that God so little respects and to comfort men in all conditions Againe the Angels appeared to them in the middest of their businesse and callings and indeed Gods people as Moses and others have had the sweetest entercourse with God in their affaires and oft times it is the fittest way to hinder Satans temptations and to take him off to be imployed in businesse rather then to struggle with temptations we many times meet with comfort in our businesse in our callings that without it in speculation and otherwise wee should never have And then they appeared to them in the night God discovers himselfe in the night of affliction Our sweetest and strongest comforts are in our greatest miseries Gods children find light in darkenesse nay God brings light out of darkenesse it selfe we see the circumstances then of this apparition He calls these Angels a heavenly Host in divers respects especially in these An Host for number here are a number set downe A multitude is distinct from an Host but in that they are an Host they are multitude as in Dan. 7.10 Ten thousand times ten thousand Angels attend upon God And so Rev. 5. 11. There are a world of Angels about the Church in Heb. 12.22 We are come to have communion with an inumerable company of Angels he sets not downe the number and here appeares a multitude of Angels Worldly sottish men that live here below they thinke there is no other state of things then they see they are only taken up with sence and pleasures and goodly shews of things alas poore soules there is another manner of state and frame of things if they had spirituall eyes to see the glory of God and of Christ our Saviour and their attendants there an Host a multitude of heavenly Angels An Host likewise implies order or else it is a rout not an Host or Army God is the God of order not of confusion If you would see disorder goe to hell surely disordered places and companies are rather hells then any thing else nay in some respects worse for there is a kind of order even among the devils themselves they joyn together to destroy the Church and the members thereof I note this by the way here was an Host of Angels that is they are an orderly company what that order is I confesse with S. Austin is undetermined in Scripture we must not rashly presume to looke into these things Againe here is consent an Host all joyning together in praising God Glory to God on high And sure it is a heaven upon earth when a company of Christians led with one Spirit shall joyne in one worke to praise God to helpe one another in some spirituall way when they meet together to heare the Word and to pray to God all with one consent their prayers meet in heaven Christ commends union and conâ—ent Where two or three are met together in my name I will be in the middest of them and whatsoever two or three shall aske in my name if they agree if there be no jaâ—ring nor schisme nor breach among them I will grant it Agreement in good is a notable resemblance of that glorious condition we shall enjoy in heaven this multitude of Angels they all agree with one consent An Host of Angels it shewes likewise their imployment an Host is for defence or offence that is the imployment of Angels here below especially for the defence of the Church and for the offence of the enemies of the Church It is a great comfort to the Church and children of God The Church is in the middest of divels here wee are all strangers in the way to heaven wee live in the middest of Devils and Devils incarnate devillish minded men that are led with the spirit of the Devill but here is our comfort wee have a multitude an Host of Angels whose office is to defend the Church and to offend the enemies of the Church as wee see in Scripture Againe an Host implyes strength we have a strong garrison and guard we are Kings in Christ and we have need of a guard and God hath appointed us a strong guard a guard of Angels Angels severally are strong creatures we see one of them destroyed all the first borne in Egypt one of them destroyed the Host of Senacherib the Assyrian in one night If one Angell destroyed a whole Host consisting of many thousands what can a multitude of heavenly Angels doe Yet all are for the service of Christ and of his Church these and such like observations we may gather hence that they are said
his sake we have communion with the blessed Angels These things may be of some use but it is not that I mainly intend thus much for the Apparition Now the celebration is a Multitude of the heavenly Host praising God The word signifies singing as well as praise it implies praise expressed in that manner and indeed praising God it is the best expression of the affection of joy The Angels were joyfull at the birth of Christ their Lord. Joy is no way better expressed then in praising God and it is pitty that such a sweet affection as Joy should runne in any other streame if it were possible than the praising of God God hath planted this affect on of joy in the creature and it is fit hee should reape the fruit of his owne garden it is pitty a cleare streame should run into a puddle it should rather runne into a garden and so sweet and excellent affection as Joy it is pitty it should be imployed otherwise then in praising God and doing good to men They expresse their joy in a sutable expression in praising God the sweetest affection in man should have the sweetest imployment the sweetest imployment that joy can have is to be inlarged in love to praise God and for Gods sake to doe good to others See here the pure nature of Angels they praise God for us we have more good by the Incarnation of Christ then they have yet notwithstanding such is their humility that they come downe with great delight from heaven and praise and glorifie God for the birth of Christ who is not theirs but our Redeemer Some strength they have there is no creature but hath some good by the Incarnation of Christ to the Angels themselves yet however they have some strength from Christ in the increase of the number of the Church yet he is not the Redeemer of Angels in some sort he is the head of Angels but he is our Redeemer To us a child is borne to us a Sonne is given And yet see their nature is so pure and so cleare from envie and pride that they even glorifie God for the goodnesse shewed to us meaner creatures then themselves and they envie not us though we be advanced by the Incarnation of Christ to a higher place then they For beloved the very Angels have not such affinity to Christ in this as wee they are not the Spouse of Christ they make not up mysticall Christ the Church doth the Church is the Queene as Christ is the King of all it is married to Christ Angels are not and yet although they see us advanced in diverse respects above them yet they are so pure and free from envie that they joyne in praising God here in love to us Let us labour therefore for dispositions Angelicall that is such as may delight in the good of others and in the good of other meaner then our selves And learne this also from them shall they glorifie God for our good especially and shall we be dull and cold in praising God on our owne behalfe Shall they come suddenly from heaven and cheerefully and willingly and to praise God for his goodnesse to us and shall we be frozen and cold in this duty that is for our good more especially I hasten to that that followes What is the matter of their celebration and gratulation Glory to God in the highest In earth peace Good will towards men There is some difference in the readings some copies have it On earth peace to men of good will to men of Gods good will and so they would have it two branches not three if the word be rightly understood it is no great matter First the Angels begin with the maine and chiefe end of all it is Gods end it was the Angels end and it should be ours too Glory to God on high Then they wish the chiefe good of all that whereby we are fitted for the maine end Peace God cannot be glorified on earth unlesse there be peace wrought for man else conceives God as an enemy by this Peace we are fitted to glorifie God if wee find reconciliation with God through Iesus Christ then the sence of Gods love in the worke of reconciliation will enflame our hearts to glorifie God therefore next to the glory of God they wish Peace on earth Then thirdly here is the ground of all happinesse from whence this peace comes from Gods good will from his good pleasure or free Grace To men of Gods goodwill So if we goe back againe The good will and pleasure of God is the cause and ground of peace in Christ and peace in Christ puts us into a condition and stirs us up to glorifie God so we see there is an order in these three To begin with the first Glory to God in the highest The Angels those blessed and holy Spirits they begin with that which is the end of all It is Gods end in all things his owne glory he hath none above himselfe whose glory to ayme at And they wish Glory to God in the highest Heavens Indeed he is more glorified there then any where in the world it is the place where his Majestie most appeares and the truth is we cannot perfectly glorifie God till we be in heaven there is pure glory given to God in Heaven there is no corruption there in those perfect soules there is perfect glory given to God in heaven Hâ—re upon earth God is not glorified at all by many The whole life of many being nothing but a dishonouring of God by abusing his ordinances trampling upon his Church and children by slighting his word and Sacraments there is little honour given to God in the world but only by a few whom he intends to glorifie for ever and indeed if we will glorifie God here we must raise our thoughts to heaven at that time raise them above the world to heaven where we shall for ever glorifie him where we shall joyne with the blessed Saints and Angels and sing holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts c. In the meane time let me adde this by the way that in some sort we may glorifie God more on earth then in heaven It may seeme a Paradox but it is true that is thus here upon earth we glorifie God in the middest of enemies he hath no enemies in heaven they are all of one spirit here upon earth we live not onely among Devils but among men led with the spirit of the Devill where God is dishonoured and if here we take Gods side and the truth and Gospels side and stand for Gods cause in some sort we honour God more here then we are capable to doe it in heaven where there is no opposition In this respect let us be encouraged to glorifie God what we can here for if we begin to glorifie God here it is a signe we are 〈◊〉 number that he intends to glorifie with him forever
it must be no ordinary mercy It is true Gods mercy is no ordinary thing of all Attributes he will triumph in that the glory of his mercy and goodnesse is that he seekes to have of men by the Incarnation and Redemption wrought by Christ above all things whatsoever Thou wouldt have infinite mercy Thou hast it in Christ. Thy sins have abounded Gods grace abounds much more Thy sinnes are mountaines Gods mercy is as the Ocean to cover those mountaines But is it possible for God to forgive such a wretched sinner that hath beene a blasphemer c It were not with men but saith God My thoughts are not as your thoughts you are vindictive in your dispositions and will not pardon but my thoughts are as farre above yours as the heavens are above the earth therefore bound not the infinite mercy of God wherein he will triumph with thy narrow thoughts but let it have its scope especially in plunges and assaults and at such times as the best of us may be brought unto In Hosea 11. I am God and not man implying that if he were man we might have meane thoughts of him confined thoughts but I am God and not man therefore comfort your selves in this consider how God sets himselfe to be glorious in his love and mercy to poore miserable wretched man in Iesus Christ. You see the mercy of God in Christ even in the Sacrament he doth not onely give Christ to us So God loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Sonne to be borne and to dye for us but his mercy is a boundlesse mercy we see hee labours to strengthen our faith by these pledges that we make us of this What if God be mercifull in Christ and what if Christ be gracious and there is nothing but grace and mercy if there be not an application if there be not an interest what benefit have we by it we must interest our selves in this glorious Person interest our selves in Christ for it is founded upon Christ all the glorious mercy of God is grounded upon satisfaction of justice that is in Christ but this is nothing except wee interest our selves in Christ and in the mercy of God for our appropriation is the ground of all comfort God out of Christ is a fountaine sealed he is a fountaine of mercy but he is sealed up he is a consuming fire but in Christ he is a chearing comforting fire but this is nothing to us unlesse we be in Christ we must have interest in Christ we must be bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh he hath marryed our nature that we might have marryed to him we have no benefit by his Incarnation else Now all our comfort is by this union and Communion with Christ by marrying our selves to Christ by strengthening our faith in this Union and Communion that so we may make use of the boundlesse mercy of God in Christ therefore how should we be encouraged to come to the Sacrament to enjoy this comfort You have heard Beloved of the joy of the Angels of their manner of celebrating the birth of Christ and if the Angels should leave heaven and come downe upon earth and take upon them bodies how would they celebrate the Incarnation of Christ You see here Glory to God on high this would be the course wherein they would carry themselves to glorifie God answerable to their Song so should we doe if we will be like the blessed Angels we see how to celebrate the Nativity of Christ we need not goe to fetch joy from hell to celebrate it if the Devill should be incarnate and come to live among men how would hee celebrate the Incarnation of Christ otherwise then in many places it is if we do not love to have our portion with Devils surely we should not imitate those whose state and condition we are afraid of The Angels saw matter enough in the thing it selfe to make them sing Glory to God on high on earth peace good will towards men What hath God heene so rich in love to us in Christ so wondrous in mercy as to take our miserable nature not at the best but at the worst and to take onr condition upon him here is matter of joy and shall we be beholding to the Devill for joy when we should rejoyce for Christ will not the thing it selfe yeeld matter of rejoycing oh base dispositions that we should â—ot content our selves with homogencall uniforme joy to the thing it selfe I desire repentance and reformation of what hath beene amisse if there be any that have beene guilty in this kind that intend to come neare God in these holy mysteries let them know that God will be honoured of all that come neere him let them take it to heart As Tertullian said in his time What shall wee celebrate that which is a publicke matter of joy to all the Church for a publike shame in a disgracefull way I beseech you consider of these things Repent for the Kingdome of God is neare saith the Baptist. What shall wee therefore give carnall liberty to all loosenesse as if Christ came to bring Christians liberty to licenciousnesse shall we insteed of repenting runne further and further into guilt and indispose our selves to all goodnesse is that the reasoning of the Scriptures No repent for the Kingdome of God is at hand change your lives for Christ and the fruites of the Gospell are at hand The grace of God hath appeared in Christ what to teach us to live as we list and to be more disordered then at other times oh no to live soberly and justly not to wrong any body and holy and godly in this present world this is the Scriptures reasoning and thus if ever we looke for comfort from God and Christ we must reason too Let none thinke it too late to speake of these things now but those that have not had the grace of God to keepe them innocent let them make use of the grace of God to repent and as the phrase of some of the Ancients is repentance is a boord to escape to the shore after wee have made shipwrack and done things amisse therefore as I said those that have not had the grace before to be innocent let them make use of the grace of God that now invites them to repentance or not presume to come to these holy things I speake it not onely to free mine owne soule but to free you from contracting further guilt for doe you thinke to make amends by comming to the Sacrament without repentance of what you have done before What hast thou to doe saith God to take my name into thy mouth to take my Sacrament into thy mouth when thou hatest to be reformed God accounted his owne Service as the cutting off a dogges head when they came indisposed and unprepared The Sacrament is bane and poyson to us if wee
come without repentance What saith the Apostle For this cause because you come unreverently to the things of God some are sicke and some weake and some sleepe God strucke them with death for it And it is a great cause why many are hardned in their sinnes and goe on still because God executes these spirituall judgements for prophaning these holy things thinking to daube with God and to complement with him in an easie performance I know those that belong to God are suffered sometimes to doe things amisse and to fall into errours and miscarriages that they may know themselves better And indeed much of our spirituall wisedome is gotten by the sight of our owne errours we grow more stablished after against the like temptations for the time to come and we can say by experience it is good that I know the foolishnes of my own heart c. but hee that God hath no delight in he swells and rages against any admonition though it be in love to his soule I hope there are none such here therefore those that have made their peace with God let them come to these holy mysteries with comfort notwithstanding any thing before for God hath prepared these things not for Angels but for weake men whose faith stands in need to be strengthned And let us not thinke that Christianity is a matter of complement that because we are baptised and come to heare the Word and receive the Sacrament all is well for wee may doe all this and yet be greater sinners then Turkes or Jewes or Pagans for the most horrible sins are committed in the Church Where is the sinne against the Holy-Ghost committed sins against light and against conscience but where the conscience and understanding is most enlightned there be the horrible provoking sinnes where there is more light and direction to live in another way When the grace of God and the riches of Christ are opened and yet men live in their sinnes against conscience and the light of the Gospell so farre is the outward performance from excusing in sickenesse and at the houre of death that it aggravates our guilt and damnation when we make not a right use of the holy things of God That which I shall next stand upon shall be to shew How we may know whether we glorifie God for Christ or no. And then the hindrances that keepe us from glorifying God for this excellent good And the meanes how we may come to glorifie God For the first of glorifying God in generall I will not speake much it would be large and the point of glorifying God is most sweetly considered as invested in such a benefit as this when we thinke of it not as an Idea onely but thinke of it in Christ for whom we have cause to glorifie God and for all the good wee have by him First then we hold tune with the blessed Angels in giving glory to God when we exalt God in our soules above all creatures and things in the world when we lift him up in his own place and let him be in our soules as he is in himselfe in the most holy God is glorious especially in his mercy and goodnesse let him be so in our hearts in these sweet Attributes above all our unworthinesse and sinne for God hath not glory from us till we give him the highest place in our love and joy and delight and all those affections that are set upon good when they are set upon him as the chiefe good then we give him his due place in our soules wee ascribe to him that Divinity and excellency and eminency that is due to him And this especially appeares in competition and opposition of other things when we will not offend God for any creature when we can say as the Psalmist Whom have I in heaven but thee and what is there in earth in comparison of thee Therefore let us aske our owne thoughts often what that is that our affections of delight and joy and love and all the sweetnes and marrow of our soules is spent on and runs after is it the sweet love of God in Christ the excellent state we have in Christ it is an excellent signe Surely the blessed Saints in heaven and those that are in earth that looke for heaven are thus disposed for the most part especially when they set themselves in their devotions before God Let us examine what is highest in our soules The loving kindnesse of the Lord is better then life it selfe saith the Psalmist Then we give God glory when we set light by life it selfe as holy Saint Paul could say What doe you tell me of suffering at Ierusalem I am not onely ready to doe that but to die for the name of Christ and in Philip. 1. So God may be magnified by my life or death I am at a point so if the question be whether we shall sacrifice this blood and life of ours or dishonour God and wrong the Gospell or be any way prejudiciall to the truth knowne when wee are ready to part with all with father and mother and houses and lands and all for Christ then with the Angels we say Glory be to God on high therefore in a state of opposition when we cannot enjoy both let us leave the creature and cleave to God Then againe we give glory to God for Christ when we take all the favours wee have from God in Christ when we see Christ in every thing All things are ours because we are Christs It is by Christ that wee are heires that we have any comfortable interest therefore when wee accept all in Christ and give God in Christ the glory of all we practice this that the Angels doe here we give glory to God Then againe we give glory to God when we stirre up others all the Angels consent there was no discord in this harmony of the Angels When we all joyne together and stirre up one another and labour to promote the knowledge of God in Christ all the wayes we can every one in our place and calling Magistrates and Ministers and every one in our families labour that Christ may rule there that God in Christ may be knowne In Psal. 103. there the Psalmist stirres up himselfe to glorifie God and he stirres up the Angels and here the Angels stirre up men Glory to God on high c. Where there is a zeale of Gods glory and a disposition fit to glorifie God there will be a stirring up one of another Angels men and men Angels and a wishing that God may have glory in heaven and earth Therefore those that labour not in their places that the truth may be made known that for base and worldly ends are opposers of the publishing of the Gospell any way as it is the fashion now they will not appeare openly but cunningly undermine the Gospell under pretences they beare no tune with these blessed Angels for those
the soule being the most excellent thing in the world it is fit it should be set on the excellentest duty man being in such an excellent condition being heire of heaven and having an understanding soule it is fit the most excellent part of the most excellent creature should be set upon the most excellent object Now the most excellent part of the soule is the understanding it kindles all the affections and leades all the rest therefore let us take some time to meditate and thinke of these things What we are by nature and the misery we are exposed to by sinne that whatsoever we have more then hell is more then we deserve and then withall thinke what we are advanced to in Christ what we are freed from that cursed condition and what we shall be freed from the sting of death and all that wee feare for the time to come thinke of what we are freed from and what we are advanced to and by whom by God becomming man a mysterie that might nay that doth ravish the very Angels themselves God-man now in heaven making good what he did on earth by his Intercession and then the ground of all the infinite love and mercy and bounty of God to poore distressed man The thought of these things will inflame the heart now they never worke upon the heart thorowly till they end in admiration and indeed the Scripture sets it downe in termes of admiration So God loved the world So how So as I cannot tell how I cannot expresse it and What love hath God shewed us that we should be called the sonnes of God And then the fruits that we have by this Incarnation of Christ and by his death they are admirable Peace that passeth understanding joy unspeakable and glorious so that the mysterie is wonderfull and the dignity wonderfull and the fruits the comfort and peace and joy wonderfull every thing is an object of admiration therefore when wee thinke and meditate of these things let us never end till our soules be wound up to admiration of the excellent love of God Wee wonder at things that are new and rare and great is there any thing more new and rare then that that never was the like for God to become man Is there any thing more excellent then the benefits wee have by Christ becomming man to free us from so great misery and to advance us to so great happinesse If any thing be an object of admiration surely it must be this Therfore the Apostle doth well to give all the dimensions to the love of God in Christ height and breadth and depth and length it is a love passing knowledge Eph. 3. What good will come by this When the soule is thus exercised then it will be fit to glorifie God when it is in this frame it will thinke it selfe too good for any base service of sinne Eagles will not catch at flies when the soule is lift up to consider Gods love and mercy in Christ will it be catching at every base thing in this world No it will not the soule never sinnes but when it looseth this frame to have a judgement sutable to things when our judgement and affections are lost of the best things then comes in a judgement and affection to other things as better so losing that frame the soule should be in we fall to the creature to commit spirituall fornication with that Let us labour to keepe our soules in this temper begin every day with this meditation to thinke what we were what we are now in Christ what we shall be and by what glorious meanes all this was wrought that so the soule may be warmed with the love of God in Christ this frame of spirit will not suffer the soule to sinne to stoope to base sinfull lusts Now to helpe this in the next place begge of God the spirit of revelation to discover to us these things in their owne proper light for they are spiritually discerned Now the Spirit knowes the brest of God what the love of God is to every one in particular and he knowes our hearts too Therefore the Apostle desires of God the Spirit of wisedome and revelation to discover these things to us not onely that they are truths but that they are truths to us for unlesse we know these things belong to us in particular wee cannot glorifie God as wee should they are in themselves glorious things to heare of Gods mercy in Christ of God becomming man to heare of Kingdomes and Crownes oh but when there is a spirit of appropriation to make these our owne that God in Christ loves us Who loved me and gave himselfe for me Gal. 2. then the soule cannot but breake forth with the Angels here Glory to God on high therefore begge the Spirit to reveale to us our part and portion that he would shew his face to us that he is to us a Father in Christ surely in hearing meditation and prayer c. wee shall finde a secret whispering and report from heaven that God is our Saviour and that our sinnes are forgiven especially when wee stand in most need of this comfort let us therefore begge of God to take away the vayles of Ignorance and Unbeleefe and openly to reveale his Fatherly bowels and tender mercy to us in Christ to discover to us in particular more and more our interest in the same by his Spirit that onely knowes the secret of our hearts and being above our hearts can settle our doubts onely the Spirit can doe it for as God onely works salvation so the Spirit only can seale to our soules our salvation this is one excellent way to helpe us to glorifie God And adde this as motive as a plea not to move God so much as to move and to satisfie our hearts and to strengthen our faith that it is the end of our lives and the pitch of our desires to glorifie God therefore we desire God to reveale himselfe so farre to us to be our Father in Christ that we may glorifie him surely it is a forcible plea God will doe that that is suteable to his end He hath made all things for his owne glory especially the worke of Redemption in Christ is for the glory of his rich mercy and we desire the sense of his mercy and love for this end that we may be fitter to glorifie God it is a prevailing argument fetched from Gods owne end And let us labour daily more and more to see the vanity of all things in the world put the case we have honours and large possessions in the world that we wanted nothing if this were severed from Gods love in Christ for life everlasting what comfort could wee have in this especially at the houre of death let us see therefore the vanity and emptinesse of all things else out of Christ and the good we have by Christ what all will be ere long the daily
therefore his office is to bring God and man together It is fit it should be so in regard of God who being a consuming fire will no peace with the creature without a Mediator it stands not with his Majestie neither can there euer be peace with us otherwise Now Christ is a fit Mediator being a friend to God as the Son of God and a friend to us taking our nature upon him to be a mercifull Redeemer It was also fit in respect of us it should be so Alas who can dwell with everlasting burnings who can have communion with God who is a consuming fire No we cannot indure the sight of an Angell the Israelites could not indure the sight of Moses when he came from the mout his face shone so can we indure the glorious presence of God who dwelleth in light that none can attaine unto Therefore God derives all good to us in our flesh that though we cannot see God directly in himselfe yet in the flesh we can see God Incarnate we may see the Sunne in the water though we cannot directly looke on that creature without hazard It was a comfort to the Patriarches that they had Ioseph their brother the second man in the Kingdome So it may be to every Christian that now we have the second Person in heaven our brother in our nature he is the Steward of heaven and earth to dispense all Gods treasures to us Will not he acknowledge us that are bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh When he tooke our nature for this end to be a mercifull Redeemer It is most suteable to our condition that Christ should be the foundation of our peace If we looke to Christ himselfe he being Gods Sonne and the Sonne of his love for him to make us sonnes and sonnes of Gods love is it not most agreeable that he that is the Image of God should againe renew the Image of God that we lost Iacobs Ladder knit heaven and earth together so Christ knits heaven and earth God and us together You know if a Ladder lye upon the ground it doth no good or if it be kept above it serves for nothing so if Christ were onely God or onely man there could be no Union wrought betweene God and man but now being both he is a fit Mediator betweene both Christ is the foundation of our peace in the gracious Covenant that God hath made with us in all his Offices For as a Prophet he proclaimes peace he preached before 〈◊〉 the time of Noah he published peace as the Prophet of his Church in himselfe when hee lived and by his Ministers when he left the world And as a Priest he did worke our reconciliation offering himselfe a Sacrifice he made a peace betweene God and us and is now in heaven to make intercession betweene God and us And as a King he subdues the corruptions of our soules he puls downe the pride of our thoughts to bring the heart into subjection to him by his mighty power which indeed requires an almighty power also by his Kingly office he rules and governes and subdues all the enemies of his Church without and within You see then without further illustration that Christ is the foundation of our peace by his Incarnation death Resurrection and Ascension This should teach us first that whatsoever entercourse we have with God the Father wee should take Christ take our Benjamin our beloved with us we must not offer Sacrifice without the high Priest let us offer nothing to God without Christ there is no entercourse betweene God and us till wee be reconciled in Christ in whom we must offer all our Sacrifices and indeavours Therefore let us not owne an absolute God in our devotious let us thinke of God reconciled in Christ and at peace with us and a Father in Covenant in Christ and then our persons and prayers and all shall be accepted for the Sacrifice of Christ in whom he smells a sweet savour as it is said concerning Noah hee offered a Sacrifice to God a sweet smelling Sacrifice of rest so doth God in Christ he is the true mercy seate in Christ in looking to whom God frees us from the curse of the Law Ierusalem was the glory of the world and the Temple was the glory of Ierusalem but the mercy-seate was the glory of the Temple because that pointed to Christ the mercy-seate in whom we have intercourse with God the Father We conceive not high enough of the Majestie of God when wee goe to him immediatly we must goe to him in his Sonne whom he hath sent and annoynted and set forth as the Propitiation for our sinnes and him hath God the Father sealed he commeth with authority therefore God will be reconciled in Christ we may bind God himselfe when we offer Christ he is the foundation of reconciliation and peace by Gods appointment he is The Prince of peace of his owne annointing therefore we may goe boldly to God to the Throne of grace in Christ. And let us often seriously meditate of the sweet favour and reconciliation stablished now betweene God and us through Christ it is the sweetest meditation First to thinke in what ill tearmes we are with God by nature and then thinke how neare wee are now to God in Christ that wee are at peace with him Me thinks the word is too short there is more meant then is spoken At peace with God in Christ nay nay now we are friends nay we are sonnes and heires fellow heres fellow Kings with Christ for Gods favours are compleat as a God he stablisheth not a peace as men doe onely to doe them no harme that they are at peace with but where he makes a peace he conferres all that is good reconciliation adoption giving us the liberty of sonnes and friends to goe boldly to God as a Father in all our wants let us thinke more of this and improve this blessed priviledge every day Peace upon Earth Why doth he say Peace on Earth Because peace was here wrought upon earth by Christ in the dayes of his flesh when he offered himselfe a Sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour to his Father Because here in earth we must be partakers of it we oft times deferre to make our peace with God from time to time and thinke there will be peace made in another world◠oh beloved our peace must be made on earth We must live godly and righteously and soberly in this present world we must enter into the Kingdome of heaven here Further entrance must be ministred here by growing in grace daily more and more If heaven be not entred into here it shall never be entred afterwards for the Church is the seminary of the heavenly Paradise all that are taken to heaven to be set there for ever they are set in the Church before◠they are planted and grow up there a while under the meanes of
salvation Therefore labour to have this peace on earth or else we can never glorifie God on earth and if we glorifie him not on earth we shall never doe it in heaven But to come to some tryals whether we have this peace made or no whether we can say in spirit and truth there is a peace established between God and us For a ground of this that may lead us to further tryall know that Christ hath reconciled God and us together not only by obtaining peace by way of satisfaction but by way of application also whom he dyed for to obtaine peace he gives a spirit of application to improve that peace to improve Christ the Prince of peace as their owne for there is a mutuall commerce betweene God and man who is an understanding creature and there is nothing that God doth for man if we looke to the generall and head of benefits but there is somewhat in man wrought by the Spirit to answer it againe God is reconciled to man in Christ man must be reconciled to God in Christ in 2 Cor. 5. God was in Christ reconciling the world when hee was on the Crosse God was there reconciled in Christ. Is that all no God by us intreates you to be reconciled to God A strange condescending that God should intreate us to be good to our owne soules by his Ministers We intreate you to be reconciled that is to accept of the reconciliation wrought by Christ and to lay aside all weapons of rebellion whereby you fought against God in the course of your vanity wee beseech you to be reconciled and to repent because the Kingdome of God is at hand so that except there be reconciliation wrought by a spirit of application on mans part it is not sufficient that God is reconciled in Christ because God will alway have a reflex act from man as he chooseth man so man by grace chooseth him as he loves and delights in man so he will have man by a spirit of sweetnesse delight in him againe above all the world Whom have I in heaven but thee so there is some what wrought by the Spirit to God againe Why should God be at good termes with us but to enjoy the friendship of his poore creature unlesse therefore there be a gracious disposition wrought in the creature to looke backe to love and delight in God as God doth in him there is no actuall reconciliation there must be a forcible application by the Spirit if God should not give a spirit of application as well as Christ obtaine heaven for us those that are in the Covenant of grace should not be stablished but God by this meanes brings them so neare that he loving them loves them for ever and they have an everlasting Covenant and an everlasting union The carnall heart of man is a poysonfull thing and hates God naturally it wishes that there were no God to judge him he may thinke well of God for the good things of this life but when he thinkes of God as a Judge to cast him into hell he wisheth with all his heart oh that there were no God that I might have my full of the pleasures of sinne Now the soule when it is at peace with God when God by his Spirit speakes to the soule and saith I am thy salvation thy sinnes are forgiven thee and as Christ to the good Theefe on the Crosse This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise when he whispers to the soule thou art mine and I am thine then the soule becomes sweet and peaceable to God againe and studies to advance the glory of Gods mercy by all meanes and to advance the Gospell of peace it becomes friendly to God To come to some more familiar evidences whether wee be at peace with God and whether we have the comfort of this peace stablished by Christ or no. Those that are reconciled one to another have common friends and common enemies if therefore there be peace betweene God and us it is so with us we love all where we see any evidence of Gods love we love Christians as Christians and whom God loves not we love not what God hates we hate in our selves and others wee hate corruptions in our selves and others though we love their persons Another evidence of peace made in Christ betweene God and us is a boldnesse of spirit and acquaintance with God Acquaint thy selfe with God and be at peace with him Iob 22. A Christian being at peace with God in Christ Iesus he goes boldly to the Throne of grace in all his necessities as a poore child goes boldly to his father and moves the bowels of his father by his petitions When two Kingdomes are at peace there is trading set up afresh againe so when God is at peace with the soule there is a heavenly intercourse and trading set up there is no man that is at peace with God but hee calls upon God in his person in his family he sets up the woship of God there he labours to bring all to God that he can hee thinkes it the most gainefull trade in the world In the want of grace and spirituall comfort he goes to the Fountaine of grace and improves that blessed prerogative we have by peace in Christ those that have not the Spirit of God to improve it in Communion and trading with God it is a signe there is no peace strangenesse shewes that there is no peace Alas how strangely doe many walke towards God that from Sunday to Sunday skarce lift up their hearts to heaven for a blessing but walke in the strength of their owne mother-wit and support themselves with the successe of second causes and blesse themselves they are strangers from the God of peace let us take notice of this and account it a great prerogative that wee may goe to God with boldnesse that it is not now as it was in Paradise there is no Angell with a sword to shut us from heaven but now there is an entrance to the Throne of grace we may goe boldly in the name of Christ to offer our selves and all our indeavours A Christian that hath made his peace with God will never allow himselfe in any sin against conscience because he knowes sinne is odious in it selfe loathsome to God and hurtfull to his soule therefore he will not be in league with any sinfull unjust course what to be in league with God and to be at peace with that that God hates more then the Devill himselfe hee hates sinne more then the Devill for he hates him for sinne therefore a man that allowes himselfe in knowne sinnes there can be no peace betweene God and him as he saith why doe you talke of peace as long as the witchcrafts and whoredomes of Iesabel remaine a man that lives in sinnes against conscience that is an open swearer an unjust person that cares not by what meanes he advanceth himselfe
us consider there is peace made betweene God and us and put up our requests in the Name of Christ and wee shall finde that peace that passeth understanding Againe if we would maintaine thâ—s peace let us be alway doing some-what that is good and pleasing to God in the same Chapter Phil. 4.8 Finally Brethren whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whatsoever things are pure c. Think of these things and what then The God of peace shall be with you The peace of God and the God of peace shall be with you there must be a thinking of whatsoever is good the thoughts must be exercised that way and there must be a practice of that we thinke of this is one meanes to maintaine this peace with God The very Heathen had this reward of God I meane in this life that when they did good to their Country and one to onother they had content of conscience they had a peace sutable For in this world there is a sutable pleasure of conscience contentment upon every thing that is good God rewards it in this world for as the heat followeth the fire alway naturally it cannot be without heat so the thinking and practising of that which is good especially when it is joyned with some opposition of corrupt nature when the light of nature is above the corruption of nature If a man be a Pagan he shall have this reward in this world a kind of inward peace for we see how comfortably they speake sometimes upon some notable performance for then Country Now the God of peace will be with us much more when we have laid the foundation of our peace aright in the mercy of God in Christ besides what is reserved heaven and happines in this world we shall find the peace of God in the doing that which is good As for those that live in the Church and are not yet in the state of grace that have lived wicked lives let them consider that yet the day of grace continues as yet the Scepter of mercy is held forth in the Ministery there is a day of Jubily for them to returne from their former captivity let them not abuse the patience of God and thinke to doe it afterward for that is the way to harden the heart more and more And this Scripture puts an effectuall argument into the hearts of all that are in ill termes with God that have not made their peace or that have had peace and have broken it here is an effectuall way of pleading with God Glory to God on high c. If the soule can say I consider my folly and madnesse in running into sinne thou mightest justly damne me if thoâ— wouldst it is thy mercy I am not sent to hell oh but thou shalt have the greater glory if I find mercy therefore that I may say Glory to God on high let me finde peace on earth speake peace by thy Spirit to my soule say I am thy salvation â— This was the end of thy sending of Christ the end of Creation the end of Providence all to bring thee glory thou mightest have the glory of thy Justice to damne me oh but it will be the glory of thy mercy to save me that as my sins have abounded so thy glory shall more abound Oh Lord extend the bowels of thy mercy will not the Lord be jealous of his glory when you alleage it certainely he will you see the Angels here crie Glory to God on high peace on earth the way to bring peace is to alleadge the glory of Gods mercy in Christ it is a prevailing way Now to stirre us up more and more to search the grounds of our peaceâ— I beseech you let us consider the fearefull estate of a man that hath not made his peace with God how-ever Christ have dyed that will not serve the turne but if Christ be food if he be not eaten if he be a garment and not be put on if Christ be a foundation if we doe not build on him what benefit is it to us Therefore those that have not been brought by the Spirit of God to communion with Christ alas they are under the wrath of God however God doth use them as Princes doe Traytors in the Tower he gives them the liberty of the prison yet the sentence of death is not revoked all the delights of a Prisoner in the Tower doth not content him he knowes he is in ill tearmes with his Prince so till wee have made our peace with God by hearty confession of our sinnes by shaming of our selves by a particular faith beleeving the forgivenesse of our sinnes and a resolution against all sinne for the time to come alas wee have not sued out our pardon all our delights are but as those of a prisoner in the Tower Therefore aske thy soule hast thou sued out thy pardon is there reconciliation wrought betweene God and thee and accounts made even If we confesse and forsake our sinnes we shall find mercy it is the Word of the God of heaven who is truth it selfe he hath pawned his fidelity and truth on it to forgive us if wee confesse hee is content to be thought unjust and unfaithfull if he doe not forgive if wee ingenuously without all guile of spirit lay open our sinnes and take shame to our selves If wee doe not make our peace with God what a case are we in God himselfe ere long will appeare our enemy Christ whom we thinke will save us will be our Judge and a terrible Judge the Lambe will be angry Who shall cover us from the wrath of the Lambe we thinke of Christ as an innocent meeke Lambe onely that will not be angrie The rebellious Kings and Potentates that â—ight against Christ and his Church they thinke to trample on Christ and his Gospell but the time will come when they shall desire the mountaines to cover them and if his wrath be kindled Psal. 2. Who shall abide it hee speakes there of Christ Happy are they that trust in him As for the Holy-Ghost how can they looke for comfort from him they have grieved him therefore hee will grieve their conscience The Holy-Ghost as he is the God of all comfort and consolation so he is the ground of all terrour to wicked men when he hath knocked at their hearts by the ministery of his Word to open and to let him in but they would not And the Angels are ready executioners of Gods vengeance upon any occasion and others creatures wayte but for a command from God to execute his wrath upon sinners the heavens are ready to raine upon them as in the flood and the earth is ready to swallow them as it did Corah the beasts that carry us the creatures wee use waite for a command from God to destroy us our meate to choake us the ayre to infect us the water to drowne us they are all
and pleasure or Gods good pleasure towards men Good will towards men This is the spring and roote of all the Angels begin with Glory to God and then they come to peace among men because without peace and reconciliation with God the heart of man cannot be inlarged to glorifie God the Angels would have men glorifie God as well as themselves therefore they desire peace on earth that God may be glorified in heaven Now there is no peace but issues from grace grace is Gods free good will and pleasure therefore the Angels say Good will towards men The holy Apostles they could not have better teachers for their salutations in their Epistles then to learne of the Angels as you have Saint Pauls Prefaces the same with this Evangelicall celebration and gratulation here to men Grace mercy and peace so here Peace on earth good will towards men onely the Apostles they begin Grace and peace and here the Angels Peace and grace but the meaning of the Angels and Apostles is all one for the Angels when they wish peace on earth they goe to the spring of it Good will towards men the Apostles they begin with grace the spring and then goe to peace after Good will towards men The words need not further to be explicated there is no great difficulty in them the points considerable are these God now hath a gracious good will towards men This good will is the foundation of all good And this is founded upon Christ. The first of these I will but touch because it doth but make way to the other God shewes now good pleasure towards men The love that God beares towards man hath divers termes from divers relations as it is a propension in him to doe good so it is love As it is his free so it is his good pleasure or grace as it is to persons in miserie it is mercy The fountaine of all is love But as the object is diversely considered so the termes be divers good pleasure and grace imply freedome in the party loving and mercy implies misery in the party loved Now this free good will and grace it is towards Men towards man-kind hee saith not towards Angels it is more towards men then even to good Angels in some sort for now man is taken to be the Spouse of Christ good Angels are not so neither is it good will to evill Angels for their state is determined there is no altering of their condition therefore God is called Philanthropos not Philangelos and the Scripture calls this Philanthropia the love that God hath shewed to men in Christ. Therefore wee should have thoughts of God as gracious loving our nature more then the Angelicall nature in some respects And learne this for imitation to love mankind God loved mankind and surely there is none that is borne of God but hee loves the nature of man wheresoever hee finds it hee will not stand altogether whether it be good or bad c. But because we are now in the way and our state is not determined and because God loves the nature of man therefore every man that hath the Spirit of God loves mankind he will labour to gaine Turkes or Indians c. if hee can because hee loves the very nature of man but I passe from this point to the second This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Good will of God to restore lapsed man by the sending of his Sonne is the ground of all good to man and hath no ground but it selfe Gods grace and love to the creature is altogether independant in regard of the creature God fetcheth not reasons of his love from the creature but from his owne bowels What can he foresee in persons that were dead nay in persons that were in a contrary disposition to goodnesse there is nothing but enmity in our nature to supernaturall goodnesse can God foresee grounds of love in enmity As Moses tels the people of Israel in divers places Deut. 7. and 8. That it was not for any foresight of good in them they were the stubbornest people under heaven therefore God to shew his free love hee chose a stubborne people and singled them out to be the object of his mercy so God oftimes takes the unlikeliest then in the world and passeth by many otherwise of sweete natures so wee see even the meanes themselves they are of Gods free mercy and love We have whatsoever we have by vertue of the Covenant for what could wee looke for from God but in Covenant wherein he hath bound himselfe now since the fall this Covenant is called the Covenant of grace That now if we believe in Christ we shall not perish but have life and salvation in all the parts of it it is of Gods free grace and good pleasure What is the foundation of the covenant Christ Christ is of free grace God so loved the world that he gave his onely Sonne There is nothing freer then gift Christ is a gift the greatest gift he came freely from God he gave him to death for us all Rom. 8. And then whatsoever good thing wee have in Christ it comes freely too hee that gave Christ freely shall hee not with him give us all things too Then the very grace to keepe the covenant repentance and faith they are the gift of God I will take away your stony heart and give you new hearts and cause you to walke in my statutes I will circumcise your hearts so the grace to walked in the covenant of grace it comes from God God doth his part and ours too to shew not only that the covenant of grace is a covenant of wondrous love to give us grace here and glory herafter but that the foundation is of grace and the performance on our part is of grace nay it is of grace that hee would enter into covenant at all hee humbled himselfe wondrously to vouchsafe to enter into covenant it was humiliation on Gods part and exaltation to us therefore as it is in Zacharie we may cry Grace grace there is nothing but grace and free love in the whole carriage of our salvation If whatsoever good come to man be meerely from Gods good will let us emptie our selves and give him the glory of all it is easily spoken and heard but not so easily done for man naturally is proud and for flesh and bloud to bee brought to goe out of it selfe and acknowledg nothing in it selfe to give the glory of all goodnesse and happinesse to Gods free grace and goodnesse it is hard to bring proud nature to doe this but we must begge grace of God to worke our hearts to this more and more to empty our selves of our selves and to give God the glory of all But I come to the last point because I would end this text at this time This free love and grace of God is onely in Christ. Therfore the Angels pronounce it now
in part of our riches that it is good for us and what is good for me is my riches if poverty be good for me I will be poore that I may be humble humility is better then riches if I bee in any want if I have contentment it is better then riches if I fall into trouble he will give mee patience that is better then friends A man may have outward things and be naught but he that wants outward comfort and hath supply in his soule is it no better therefore take a Christian in any condition he is a rich man and this riches wee have by the poverty of Christ hee became poore that wee through his poverty might be made rich We see here then that a Christians estate is caried under contraries as Christ was hee was rich and became poore hee caried his riches under poverty he was glorious but his glory was covered under shame and disgrace so it is with a Christian he goes for a poore man in the world but he is rich he dies but yet he lives hee is disgraced in the world but yet hee is glorious As Christ came from heaven in a way of contraries so wee must be content to goe to heaven in a seeming contrary way Take no scandall therefore at the seeming poverty and disgrace and want of a Christian Christ himselfe seemed to bee otherwise to the world then hee was when hee was poore he was rich and sometimes he discovered his riches there were beames brake forth even in his basest estate when he died there was nothing stronger then Christs seeming weaknesse in his lowest abasement he discovered the greatest power of his God-head for he fatisfied the justice of God he overcame death and his Fathers wrath he triumphed over Sathan hee trod on his head what hath Sathan to doe with us when Gods justice is satisfied so that his hidden glory was discovered sometimes so there is that appeares in the children of God that others may see them to be rich if they did not close their eyes but we must be content to passe to heaven as Christ our head did as concealed men Againe here is matter not onely for us men put for the Angells of heaven to admire and wonder at this depth of goodnesse and mercy in Christ that he would become poore to make us rich by his poverty see the exaltation of his love in this saith Saint Bernard well ôh love that art so sweete why becamest thou so bitter to thy selfe whence flowed Christs love and mercy that was so sweete in it selfe that it should be onely sowre and bitter to him from whence it had his rise and spring his love that is so sweet to us it became bitter to him he indured and did that that we should have done and suffered There be some men that will doe kindnesses so that themselues may not be the worse so that they may not be the poorer that they may not be disgraced or adventure the displeasure of others but Christ hath done all this great kindnesse for us by being poore for us by taking our nature our poverty our misery he doth us good in such a way as that hee parted with heaven it selfe for a time and with that sweete communion that hee had with his Father the dearest thing to him in the world he parted with it for ou◠sakes that made him cry out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me hereupon he made us rich in a way that cost him something And let us be thankefull to him in a way that may cost us something let us bee content to bee abased for him to doe any thing for him hee descended from heaven to the grave as low as hee could for us let us descend from our conceited greatnesse for him can wee lose so much for him as he hath done for us what are our bodies and soules in comparison of God It was God that became poore for us wee cannot part with so much for him as he did for us And then we are gainers by him if wee part with all the world whatsoever wee doe for him I will be yet more vile for the Lord saith David hee became vile for us he became a sinner and of no reputation and shall not we be vile and empty for him certainely we shall if we have the Spirit of Christ in us it will worke a conformity If hee had stood upon termes and disdeyned the Virgins wombe and to become poore for us where had our salvation beene and if we stand upon termes when wee are to suffer for him or to stand for his cause where will our comfort be surely it is a signe wee have no right by the poverty of Christ unlesse wee bee content to part without Isaac with the best things we have when he calls for it Againe hath the poverty of Christ made us rich what will his riches doe Could hee save us when hee was at the lowest when hee was on the Crosse and satisfie divine justice by his death what can he doe for us now hee is in heaven and hath triumphed over all his enemies what can we looke for now by his riches that have so much by his poverty therefore we may reason with the Apostle Rom. 5.10 If when we were enemies wee were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne how much more being reconciled shall wee bee saved by his life It is a strong argument not onely as it hath respect to us because there is more likelihood that any good should be done for us now when we are reconciled to God than before when we were enemies but also as it hath respect to Christ since he hath stucke not to reconcile us to God by his death cannot bee unwilling to save us by his life and he that was able to redeeme us by dying for us is more clearely and evidently powerfull to save us now he lives and reignes triumphantly in heaven For is not he able to preserve us to protect us and invest us into the glory that he hath purchased for us he that did so much for us in the time of his abasement will he not preserve the riches he hath gotten for us Is he not in heaven in majesty to apply all that he hath gotten Is he not our intercessor at the right hand of God to appeare before God for us to make all good Certainly he will preserve that which he hath procured by his death It is a disabling of Christ to thinke of falling away from grace he is able to maintaine us in that glorious condition that he hath advanced us to especially considering that he is now in heaven and hath laid aside the forme of a servant all his humiliation except our humane nature that for ever hee hath united to his person but all other things of his abasement he hath laid them aside he is able perfectly not only to save us as
Christian. True Christian who 1 6 Church Angels attend on the Church 1 211 Greatest sinnes committed in the Church 1 231 Church of God will be after us 2 85 Civill Civill men who 1 91 Comfort To comfort others an Angelicall worke 1 210 Gods love in Christ ground of comfort 1 287 See Time Conformity Conformity to Christ wherein 1 179 Conscience Comfort when conscience is awaked 1 60 What to do in trouble of conscience 1 61 Constant. Good works must be done constantly 2 73 Contraries A Christians estate in contraries 2 30 Controversie Godlinesse a mystery without controversie 1 42 Covenant Covenant renewed to maintaine peace 1 269 Covenant of grace 1 283 Courage Ground of courage in Christs cause 1 188 Crosse. See humble D Death COnfidence in death 1 277 Comfort after death 1 278 Comfort before death 2 72 Comfort in death 2 77 Trouble in death whence Ibid. To trust God with our soules in death 2 147 Debt Our debts discharged by Christ 2 18 Delight Delight in God how wrought 1 289 Despaire Comfort against despaire 1 58 145 2 54 Difference Difference of people 2 83 Diligence Diligence to know Christs grace 2 56 Discretion Discretion in almes-giving 2 74 Disgrace Comfort in disgrace 1 80 Doubting Doubting the cause of it 2 57 Earth HOw to glorifie God on earth 1 216 Why the Angels wish peace on earth 1 261 Enemy Gods enemies must be ours 1 264 Envie Nature of Angels without envy 1 213 See Angels Esteeme From what ground to esteeme our selves 2 37 Evill Freedome from evill by Christ 2 25 Example Example forcible 2 5 Example of Christ should move us 2 62 How to profit by Christs example 2 63 Motives to follow Christs example 2 66 Excellency Excellency of people what 1 136 Experience Experience of our miseries in Christ 1 53 F Faith REason must stoope to faith 1 22 Faith marries the soule to Christ 1 138 Faith the grace of application 1 140 Christ the object of faith 1 142 What conceit to have of faith 1 151 Faith put for all graces 1 153 Trials of faith 1 155 Faith to be cherished 1 161 Faith in those that do good in their life time 2 72 Faith the nature of it 2 135 See Nature Fall Fals of Gods children why suffered 1 230.2 117 Favour How to know we are in Gods favour 2 53 Feare Faith keepes out base feare 2 139 Few Gods children few 2 86 Flesh. What meant by Christ manifest in the flesh 1 52 Free All good by Christ free 1 283 Fruitfull Fruitfulnesse whence it is 2 112 See Love and Grace G Gentiles GEntiles what they were 1 128 Why they were not called before 1 129 Calling of them a mystery 1 130 Why they were not called till Christ came 1 131 Glory Glory what 1 165 217 Whence we have glory 1 175 Glory of Christ suspended why 1 185 Angels wished glory in heaven why 1 215 Glory of God our chiefe aime 1 218 Glory of God wherein shewed most 1 219 Glory of God to Moses wherein 1 224 How to know we glorifie God 1 232 Hindrances of Gods glory 1 238 How to glorifie God 1 243 Riches of glory by Christ 2 21 First fruits of glory 2 22 See Peace God God how a Spirit 1 71 Christ God before he was man 2 7 Our Mediatour must bee God why 2 9 Afflictions bring us to God 2 100 Godlinesse Godlinesse what 1 4 Godlinesse what breeds it 1 5 From what reasons we must be godly Ibid. Good Christ to be imitated in doing good 2 70 Bounty must bee especially to the good 2 74 Good-will Good-will of God the ground of all good 1 282 Gospell What our affections and carriage must be to the Gospell 1 48 The manner of publishing the Gospell 1 119 Double spring of the Gospell 1 131 What use to make of the Gospell 1 131 Sinnes against the Gospell 1 134 High esteeme of the Gospell a signe of peace 1 266 Gospell why it converts 2 64 Grace Grace the ground of peace 1 280 Christians why poore in grace 2 40 Excellency of grace 2 41 All our riches from Christs grace 2 43 47 Grace what 2 44 Christ the meritorious cause of grace 2 47 Foure descents of grace 2 48 We are justified by grace 2 49 Grace twofold Ibid. Grace of Christ fruitfull 2 52 We cannot pray for grace of our selves 2 118 Works of grace not to be denied 2 127 Two graces alway requisite 2 132 See Mystery and Diligent Great What makes times and persons great 1 36 Christ at the lowest did the greatest works 1 75 H Hate MEn by nature hate God 1 263 Hatred of sinne a signe of peace with God 1 265 Heaven See Earth Hidden Riches of a Christian hidden 2 26 Holinesse Holinesse enforced from Christs ascension 1 190 Host. Angels called an host why 1 205 Humble Humility Humility to understand Gods mysteries 1 28 Humility to improve Christs riches 2 41 Crosses should humble us 1 102 I Ignorance IGnorance hinders Gods glory 1 238 Imputation Imputation of Christs righteousnesse a part of our riches 2 19 Incarnate Second person incarnate why 1 51 Incarnation of Christ the ground of other benefiâ—s 1 218 See wonder Independent Love of God independent 1 282 Infirmities What infirmities Christ took 1 52 Comfort in daily infirmities whence 1 177 Infidelity Signe of infidelity 1 195 Inwardly We must do good to others inwardly 2 71 Ioy. Ioy how to be imployed 1 212 Iustifie Iustified Iustified what 1 71 Christ justified in spirit how 1 75 To whom Christ is justified 1 77 Why Christ justified himselfe 1 78 Iustification double 1 85 How we justifie Christ Ibid. How we jâ—stifie our profession 1 88 To justifie God in our abasement 2 97 Spiriâ—uall poverty in justification 2 113 Iudgement Gods children suffer sometimes in common judgements 2 90 K Knowledge Knowne WHat knowledge condemns 1 49 Grace may be knowne 2 55 What knowledge this 2 56 God trusted as he is knowne 2 134 148 Knowledge experimentall 2 150 L Ladder â—Acobs Ladder what it signified 1 100 Law Law why preached 1 118 The Law implied in the Gospell 1 119 Liberality Christs example should stirre up to liberality 2 68 Liberty Liberty to the throne of grace 2 20 Life Life the end of it what 1 247 Love Love to men 1 251 Love to mans nature 1 281 Love of God to us how knowne 1 288 Love of God how gotten 1 291 Love of God fruitfull 1 296 Greatnesse of Christs love 2 31 M MArriage See Faith Mediator See Beginning Meditate Order to meditate on Christ 1 197 Meditation 1 243 Men. Why the Gospel dispensed by men 1 120 See God Meritorious See Grace Mercy Mercy-seat Mercy-seat a type of Christ 1 99 Mercy in God answereth all objections 1 225 Some thinke their sins greater than Gods mercy 1 241 Meditation of Gods mercy a help to glorifie God 1 243 Mistake in applying Gods mercy 1
of wonder 1 65 To learne of the Angels to wonder 1 97 World What meant by world 1 144 For whose sake the world stands 2 85 Wrath. How to oppose Christ to the wrath of God 1 62 FINIS Ephes 3.8 Eccles. 12.11 Heb. 5.12 The scope of the words The words divided Godlinesse what Divine Truth onely breedâ— goodnesse From what reasons we must be godly True Christian who Divine Truth Wisedome Mysterie what 1 1 That that was secret 2 2 That the reason of it is hid 3 3 That is conveyed by outward things Ephes. 5. Christian Religion a Mysterie Bâ—anches of Religion Mysteries Ephes. 5. Mark 4. The Gospel a Mysterie 1 1 Because it was hidden Gen. 3. 1 Cor. 2. 2 2 Revealed to few 3 3 Hid from carnall men 4 4 It is revealed but in part 5 5 In regard of what we shall know Question Answer Every Grace a Mysterie Faith Reformation All in Christ Mysteries The Church mysticall Simile Coloss. 3. Vse 1. Religion why persecuted Simile Vse 2. How to carry our selves in Religion Rom. 11. At the Sacrament In hearing the Word 1 Cor. 11. Application to the Feast of Christs Nativitie Vse 3. To blesse God for these Mysteries Vse 4. Not to set on Mysteries with humane parts Simile Vse 5. Mysterie of Religion aboâ—â— Reason Question Answer What use Reason hath in Religion Simile Reason must sâ—oupe to Faith Vse 6. Not to despaire of learning Religion Matt. 11. Psal. 19. Vse 7. To take heed of slighting Divine Truths Question How to know this Mysterie Answer 1 1 By Prayer Tit. 2. Necessitie oâ— depending on Gods Spirit Psal. 119. Ephes. 1. Ephes. 3. 1 Cor. 2. The Spirit teacheth to apply Truths Necessitie of Prayer Revel 5. Difference in mens dispositions to Gods Mysteries 2 2 Humilitie Psal. 25. 3 3 Purpose to know and obey 4 4 To avoyd passion and prejudice Simile Luke 16. Act. 23. Mysterie of iniquitie Question Answer Poperie a mysterie why Rev. 7. â—â—lius secund Question Answer How it is a Mysterie of iniquitie Why God sufâ—ers the Mysterie of iniquitie Godlinesse a great Mystery 1 1 In regard of the originall 2 2 The end 3 3 The manner of publishing 4 4 The worke of it 5 5 The parts of it 6 6 Those that knew it not 1 Cor. 2. 7 7 Because it makes us great What makes Times and persons great To prize Religion 8 8 Comparatively great Vse 1. How to be affected with this great Mysterie How to have large apprehensions of this Mysterie 1 1 To see the depth of our coâ—â—uptionâ— 2 2 Meditation of this great mysterie How to â—â—â—se to wonder at worldly things Esay 9.6 Rev. 7. Vse 2. Love and endeavour to learne it The mysterie of Godlinesse without controversie Object Answer Religion a Mysterie because opposed The Gospel without controversie 1 1 In it selâ—e 2 2 To Gods children Question Answer Whence staggering comes Thucydides Livie Vse 1. Men live as if Gospell were no Truth Simile Simile Vse 2. What Truths to be accounted Catholike Vse Of our affections and carriage to the Gospel Affâ—ctions why planted in man All knowledge not saving condemnes God manifest in the flesh Christ the scope of the Scriptures Why the Iewes understood not the Scriptures What meant by God here Question Answer Second Person incarnate why What meant here by flesh What infirmâ—tâ—es Christ tooke Question Answer Heb. 2. Heb. 4. Obâ—ect Answer Christ pitties our miseries from experience In that Christ tooke our nature thence comes 1 1 The enriching of it Coloss. 2. 2 2 The ennobling of it 3 3 The enabling of it 4 4 That what Christ did in our natuâ—e God did it 5 5 Our union with Christ. Three unions 6 6 The sympathie betweene Christ and us 7 7 The efficacie of what Christ did Vse 1. Christ tooke our flesh for great purpose Greatnesse of Christs abasement Comfort against despaire Rom. 3. All objections how answered How Satan presents God in temptation Comfort when Conscience is awaked What to doe in trouble of Conscience Coloss. 2.16 Oppose Christ to the wrath of God Whence we have communion with the Trinitie Satan transformes God and Christ to men Esay 9.6 Ground of boldnesse to God Simile Exod 33. Christs incarnation matter of wonder Vse 2 Ground noâ— to defile our nature Vse 3. To stoupe to serve Christ and our brethren Grounds against pride Vse 4. Not to envie Angels Question Answer How Christ may be manifest in us Object Answer When Christ is conceived in the heart Iustified in the Spirit Mis-conceits of Christ in the World Iustified what it is God a Spirit 1 1 For puritie 2 2 Strength Spirit how taken in Scripture 1 1 For the nature of God Iohn 4. 2 2 For the Divine Nature of Christ. Rom. 1.4 1. Pet. 3.18 3 3 For the third Person in Trinitie God-head appeared in Christs abasement Christ at the lowest did the greatest works Christ justified 1 1 In regard of God 2 2 In regard of men By overcomming the Devill By healing the outward and inward man Object Answer To whom Christ is justified Iohn 1.14 Matth. 16. Christ justified himselfe 1 1 To strengthen our Faith 2 2 To stop the mouthes of gaine-sayers Vse 1. Christ will justifie himself at length Simile Comfort in disgraces Simile Object Answer Afflâ—ctions conforme us to Christ. Psal. 37. Not to take scandall at the Churches afflictions Christs worke in the aflâ—ctions of the Church Vse 2 Christ by his Spirit will overcome in his Church We shall be justified of God Iustification double Vse 3. To justifie Christ. Question Answer How we justifie Christ. 1 1 As God Psal. 2. 2 2 As a Prophet 3 3 As a Priest 4 4 As a King In his Resurrection Question Answer How to justifie our profession Christians doe things above other men Some Christians worse then Pagans Meere civill men who 2 Tim. 3. Great power to make a Christian. Ephes. 1. Faith in temptation Seene of Angels what Sight put for 1 1 Wonderment 2 2 Attendance 3 3 Witnesse Angels knew Christs Incarnation before hand Knowledge of Angels Matth. 4. Psal. 8. Angels office 1.12 3.10 Vse 1 Angels wonderment should teach us Vse 2. Of Comfort Cherubins what they signified Exod. 25. Exod. 26. Mercie-Seat a Type of Christ. 1 Pet. 1.12 Exod. 16. Heb. 1. Iacobs Ladder what it figured Ground of Angels attendance on us Why Angels appeare not now Comfort in affliction Angels care in our infancie In danger Ioy at our conversion They carry our soules to Heaven Heb. 12.22 Communion with Angels Psal. 91. Object Answer Conflict betweene good and evill Angels Guard of Angels Not to grieve the good Angâ—ls To blesse God for their protection Wherein we are advanced above Angels Benefit of Angâ—ls by Christ. Object Answer Why God useth service of Angels Object Answer Good motions stirred in us by good Angels
Motive to get into Christ. Angels our enemies out of Christ. To carry our selves answerable to our condition Not to disdaine weake Christians Psal. 113. Angels description Angels office double Christ preached to the Gentiles Rom. 1. Rom. 16. Dispensation of Christ. To preach what Manifestation of Christs Offices Christs states 1 1 Humiliation 2 2 Exaltaâ—ion Necessitie of application in Preaching Preaching of the Law The Law wrapped in the Gospel Manner of publishing tâ—e Goâ—pel Vse To magnifie this dispensation God dispenseth the Gospel by men 1 1 To trie our obedience 2 2 To knit man to man 3 3 As fitting our condition Why sinners preach to sinners To have a right esteeme of Gods Ordinance Question Answer Private Exercise with contempt of publike cursed Simile Object Answer Ephes. 4. Vse of preaching Object Answer Necessitie of much preaching Object Answer Religion not easily learned Simile Christ profits not but as preached Priviledge of Apostles Ier 3. Experience of the benefit of Preaching Question Answer Christ the object of preaching Christ preached how Christ preâ—ched to the Gentiles What the Gentiles Coloss. 1. Act. 10. Object Act 14.16 Why the Gentiles strayed so long Rom. 1. Tully Tacitus Object A Mysterie in calling the Gentiles Answer Why the Gentiles were not called till Christs comming Ephes 2. Christ came both of Iewes and Gentiles Double Spring of the Gospel What use to make of the Gospel Severall degrees of the dispensation of salvation Ground of enlarging the Gospel to other people Sinnes against the Gospel 1 1 Superstition 2 2 Decay in love 3 3 Vnfruitfulnes Hinderances to the conversion of Pagan Gospel preached the excellencie of a Nation Christ beleeved on in the world Faith the marriage of the soule to Christ. Rom. 10. Ladder of Heaven Difference betweene Gods and mens proclamations Enemies to preached 〈…〉 to salvation Christ must be beleeved on Faith the grace of application Popish meanes of applying Christ ridiculous Heb. 4. Christ must be beleeved on 1 1 Onely Galat 5. 2 2 Wholly Christ the maine object of Faith Simile Faith lookes first on Christs person Christ chiefely to be preached and heard What meant here by world Against despaire Conversion of Savages Simile Of the Iewes Beleeving in Christ a Mysterie 1 1 In respect of the world 2 2 Those that carryed the message Aug. 3 3 In respect of the Truth they taught Aug. 4 4 In respect of the suddennesse 5 5 In respect of Christ. 6 6 In respect of Faâ—th Faith altogether above nature To have high conceits of Faith Ephes. 1.18 Redemption a greater worke then Creation 1 1 For Power 2 2 For mercie Faith put for all graces Heb. 11. Vnbeleefe the sinne of Adam Encouragements to beleeve are from Christ. Trials of Faith 1 1 How it is bred 2 2 By Conflict 3 3 By what it workes Rom. 1. 1 1 Peace 2 2 Altering the course Esteeme 4 4 Prevailing 5 5 By Love Galat. 5.6 Luke 7. To cherish Faith Bellarm. Ioh. 17.3 Psal. 9. Christ received up in Glory Glory what Ephes. 1.20 1 Pet. 3. Circumstances of Christs Ascension 1 1 The Place 2 2 The Time Ioh. 17.4 3 3 The Witnesses 4 4 His Chariot Christ received to glory a Mysterie In respect of the greatnesse of the glory Christ in glory applyes his Offices to us Iohn 7. 1 1 Christ ascended as a publike person 2 2 Neerenesse betweene Christ and his Church Christs glory a cause of ours Christs glory a patterne of ours 1 Cor. 25. Vse 1. Christ not bodily present in the Sacrament Similes Vse 2. Comfort 1 1 That we have glory by Christ. Ephes. 2. 2 2 In the houre of death 3 3 In our daily infirmities 4 4 In Want 5 5 In troubles Conformitie to Christ wherein it consists 6 6 In all disconsolations he pitties us Act. 9. Heb. 4.7 The Spirit supplyes Christs bodily absence 7 7 In regard of the Churches afflictions Simile Simile How Christ rules in afflictions Ier. 30.7 Micah 7. Christ for our sakes suspended his glory The Church afflicted why The same body that suffers shall be glorious Ground of patience in suffering Ground of courage in Christs cause Ground of encouragement to good duties Christs ascending to glory enforceth holinesse Ground of mortification Coloss. 3. Christs ascending to glory a ground of heavenly-mindednesse Coloss. 3.1 Simile Argument of infidelitie Iohn 17. Influence from Christ for this dutie Order of meditation of Christ. How to conceive of Christ in the Sacrament Conclusion Matth. 3. â—â—6 The Apparition glorious 1 1 In regard of the matter 2 2 Of the benefit Gen. 3.15 Christ revealed to all sorts Beames of Christs Divinity in his abasement Division of the words 1 1 The apparition God respects no callings The Angels appeare to them in their callings God appeares in the night of affliction These Angels called an Host. For number Dan. 7.10 Rev. 5.11 Heb. 12.22 2 2 For Order August 3 3 For consent 4 4 For imployment 5 5 For strength Guard of Angels comfortable Why God useth the ministery of Angels Angels attend Christs birth why Coloss. 1.16 Angels apparition sudden 1 1 For our Example 2 2 For our comfort The end of this apparition in respect of men Mutuall comfort from Christians a worke Angelicall Angels attend upon the Church Heb. 12. 22. Heb. 1. 2 2 The celebration Ioy how to be imployed The pure nature of Angels without envie Esay 9.6 To imitate Angels herein Specially to praise God for our own good 1 1 The chiefe end 2 2 The chiefe good 3 3 The chiefe ground Why they wish glory to God in heaven How we may glorifie God on earth more then in heaven Glory what The glory of God our chiefe end and ayme Rom. 11. Incarnation of Christ the foundation of other benefits by him Wherein God will most of all shew his glory Gods Attributes in Christ. 2 Cor. 1. Truth Wisedome Iustice. Holinesse Mercy The glory of God in Redemption exceeds 1 1 The worke of Creation 2 2 The state of Adam in innocency Exod. 34.6 Wherein Gods glory appeared to Moses Tit. 2.12 Mercy in God answereth all objections in man Object Answer Object Object Answer Hosâ—â— 11. Application to the Sacrament God out of Christ terrible These Sermons were preached at the feast of Christs nativity How to celebrate Christs Nativitie Tertullian What use to make Christs of comming Repentance what Why Gods children were suffred to fall Greatest sins committed in the Church How to know whether we glorifie God 1 1 When we exalt him above all Especially in opposition Psal. 73. Philip. 1. 2 2 When we take all favours in Christ. 3 3 When we stir up others to glorifie God Psal. 103. 4 4 When our dispositions are altered by beholding Gods glory in Christ. 1. Cor. 3. Esay 66.5 When wee grieve at the hinderances