a Commonwealth soon after the coming of the Messias and that it did so about 40 years after our Saviour's Crucifixion is matter of Fact as evident and undeniable as the other Nay more than thus forasmuch as it is plain in Chronology that the Commonwealth of the Jews was not destroyed immediately upon the Birth of our Saviour nor immediately after his Death This Prophecy points directly at the time when that fatal Destruction should come upon them that should wrest the Sceptre out of their hands if we understand it as the Learned Mr. Mede doth much more agreeably to the Original and to the completion of it than is our English Translation viz. thus The Sceptre shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh come and the gathering of the people be to him and so it is plain that this Destruction of the Jewish Polity was not to happen immediately upon the coming of the Messias but first the people were to be gathered unto him i. e. were to submit to his Government and to own him for their Lord which was fulfilled when the Apostles had executed the Commission which our Saviour gave them and had converted the Gentiles in all Countreys of the then known World to the Christian Faith then immediately followed the utter Subversion of the Jewish State as our Saviour had foretold Matth. 24.14 This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all Nations and then shall the end come Then did the Sceptre finally and totally depart from Judah according to this ancient Prophecy of the Patriarch Jacob. The second Prophecy which I shall instance in to prove that our Saviour came at the time appointed by God for the coming of the Messias is Hagg. 2.6 7 and 9th Verses Thus saith the Lord of hosts yet once it is a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land and I will shake all nations and the desire of all nations shall come and I will fill this house with glory saith the Lord of hosts The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former saith the Lord of hosts and in this place will I give peace saith the Lord of hosts Unto which I shall joyn that of Mal. 3.1 as being exactly parallel Behold I will send my Messenger and be shall prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple even the Messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in behold he shall come saith the Lord of hosts The chief end and design of both these Prophecies is to foretel that the Messias should come while the second Temple was standing viz. that Temple which was built by Zerubbabel after that the Jews were returned from the Babylonish Captivity and afterwards repaired and beautified by Herod Thus the ancient Rabbies and Doctors of the Jews understood these Texts as well as we however their modern Writers now labour to wrest them to some other sense that they may not be forced to own our Saviour to be the true Messias at whom it is evident nevertheless that these Texts do directly point For whereas as we read Ezr. 3.12 when Zerubbabel had begun to build this Temple many of the ancient men among the Jews that remembred the former Temple that was built by Solomon wept when they considered how much inferiour this would be to that thereupon God sends the Prophet Haggai to encourage them in the building of it and to assure them That the glory of this latter house should be greater than of the former But wherein was the Glory of this Temple greater than that of Solomon's Indeed it lasted a little the longer of the two and but a little not the Age of a man for it never attain'd to be threescore and ten years older than the former But if it had lasted twice as long what is this to the Glory and Splendour of it For if Glory be the product of Age then an old Cottage is more honourable than a new Palace And as for any other Glory except that which it received by being honoured by the Presence of the Messias it is certain that in all other respects it came far short of Solomon's Temple For who can with any reason suppose that a conquered Nation newly returned out of Captivity from under the hand of a potent Enemy should have so much Wealth and Riches as to be able to build a Temple that might vie with that of Solomon's who exceeded all the Kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom And though it be true that Artaxerxes gave very large and magnificent Contributions towards the building of this second Temple yet is it not to be imagined that Artaxerxes an Heathen King either took so much care or bestowed so much cost about the building of this Temple as Solomon did about his who according to that mighty Wisdom and Riches with which God had blessed him built unto the Honour of God's name both for Cost and Workmanship undoubtedly the stateliest Fabrick that ever the world beheld Neither is it at all probable that Herod when he rebuilt and beautified this Temple anew made it equal to Solomon's But suppose it had been equal to it or exceeded it in the Splendour and Magnificence of its building yet it is certain and the Jews themselves acknowledge it that it was far inferiour to it in matters of an higher Nature For gold and silver and precious stones were the least part of the Glory of Solomon's Temple It s greatest Glory was that God was pleased to make it the peculiar place as it were of his Residence and especial Presence here upon Earth The place where his honour dwelt and that far more visibly and eminently than ever it did in the second Temple before the coming of Christ For besides that at the Dedication of Solomon's Temple we read that Fire came down in a wonderful manner from Heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the house so that by reason of it the Priests were not able to enter into it and there is no mention made of any such Miracles being shewed at the Dedication of the second it had also the Urim and Thummim and the Ark of the Covenant which were signal Tokens of the Divine Presence and from whence God was wont to give Answers to the High Priest when he came to enquire of him both which were wanting in the second To this we may add also the Spirit of Prophecy so frequently manifest in the Prophets during the time of the first Temple and ceasing all the time of the second for about 400 years together even from Malachy the last of the Prophets in the Old Testament until the coming of our Saviour Since then in all these respects the Glory of the second Temple was far short of that of the former and yet God here by his Prophet
as he himself required with which his Justice is fully satisfied and his Wrath appeased And this was that Oblation of himself of his own most precious Body and Blood when he poured out his soul unto death to be an offering for sin upon the Altar of the Cross Christ being come an High-Priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this building neither by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood entred in once into the holy place having obtained eternal redemption for us Hebr. 9.11 12. And without looking any further that one Epistle to the Hebrews may satisfie us in this Point the main Design of it being to convince the Jews that Jesus Christ was such an High-Priest as we are speaking of Who was once offered to bear the sins of many and who shall appear unto them that look for him the second time without sin unto salvation Secondly as our blessed Saviour hath offered this holy spotless and most acceptable Sacrifice of himself unto God for us so doth he likewise continually intercede for us at his right hand pleading the merits of his most precious Death and Passion in our behalf that we thereby may be delivered from the Curse of the Law and receive the adoption of Sons Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us Hebr. 9.24 and Hebr. 7.25 He tells us That he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them So Rom. 8.34 Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us And if any man sin saith S. John we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous 1 Joh. 2.1 Thus then it is evident that our blessed Saviour is by the holy Evangelists and Apostles that have given us a true and faithful account of him represented to be as great an High-Priest as it was possible that the Messias could be for who can be higher than he that is set down at the right hand of God And this naturally brings me to the Consideration of his last and highest Office which is that of a King For surely he that is exalted unto the right hand of God can be no less than a King in the highest Degree a King of Saints and Angels a King of Kings and Lord of Lords Let the Jews perswade themselves what they please concerning the greatness of the Kingdom of their imaginary Messias whom they fondly dream is yet to come into the world though they cannot deny that the time prefixed for his coming by the Prophets is long since past yet a greater King they cannot imagine him to be than we know and are fully assured by the unanimous Testimony of most faithful and unexceptionable Witnesses that our blessed Saviour already is who is and ever shall be a King upon Gods holy hill of Sion whom he hath exalted and set at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come and put all things under his feet and given him to be the head over all things to the Church Eph. 1.20 21 22. That our blessed Saviour was to be such a King as this the Angel Gabriel expresly foretold to the Virgin Mary at his Conception Luk. 1.31 Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son and shalt call his name Jesus He shall be great and shall be called the son of the highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end Which words plainly imply that he was not to be a temporal King a King of this World whose Kings and Kingdoms shall all perish and come to an end but a spiritual King of a Kingdom which is everlasting Such a King as this our Lord owned himself to be I appoint unto you a Kingdom saith he to his Disciples as my father hath appointed unto me that ye may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel Luk. 22.29 30. A King even Pilate himself seemed positively to declare him by the Superscription upon his Cross Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews which he would by no means alter at the request of the chief Priests Such a King he most powerfully demonstrated himself to be by his triumphant Resurrection from the Dead Such a King he yet more fully proved himself to be by his most glorious Ascension into Heaven Having first told his Disciples that all power is given unto him in heaven and in earth he shews them the truth of it by ocular Demonstration visibly in their sight ascending up into Heaven to take Possession of his eternal Kingdom sending moreover two Angels to comfort them and assure them that he the same Jesus which was taken up from them into heaven shall so come in like manner as they had seen him go into heaven Act. 1.11 And after all this according to his Promise as a King that was ascended on high that had led captivity captive and received gifts for men he bestows upon them a gift fit for the King of Heaven to bestow upon his choicest Favourites even that of the Holy Ghost upon the Day of Pentecost thereby to the astonishment of all that beheld them impowering them to work Miracles and to speak with Tongues in order to the accomplishing that great work about which he employed them which was to proclaim him over all the World to be such a King such a Saviour and to gather him a Church out of all the Nations of the Earth declaring that unto all those that will believe and obey him and receive him for their Soveraign Lord and King he will most assuredly be the authour of eternal salvation having redeemed them from the Curse of the Law and purchased for them the adoption of sons and that when at the last day he shall come again in the Glory of his Father to judge the world in righteousness he shall then as an omnipotent King whose Power nothing can resist execute Vengeance upon all his Enemies and reward all his faithful and obedient Subjects with everlasting Felicity receiving them into his heavenly Kingdom there to Reign together with him in Glory as Kings and Priests unto God for ever thus I have proved to you I hope beyond all Contradiction except such as proceeds from wilful and obstinate Malice or notorious Ignorance or Prejudice which must
and Goodness was greater towards the Angels than towards Man But when some of these once glorious Creatures rebelled against their Creator and fell from their happy Station God was pleased to admit of no Mediator to intercede for their Pardon but left them to reap the fruit of their Folly and condemned them for ever to that remediless Misery into which their sin had most deservedly plunged them But with Man he dealt otherwise for when he also by transgressing that easie Command which was given him in Paradise had incurred the same Condemnation with those apostate Spirits God was pleased here to mingle Mercy with Justice and to order the matter so that tho' he did both pronounce and execute the Sentence of Death upon him which he had threatned in case of his disobedience yet he made even Death it self a Happiness to him as well as a Punishment a gate of Life and Immortality and an inlet into a far more glorious Paradise than that which before he had forfeited This was a Mercy beyond all Expectation above the thoughts of Men or Angels to comprehend that whereas he left no place of Repentance to the fallen Angels but hat reserved them in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day yet he had pity on Man though a Creature of an inferior Nature so that even before he pronounced against him the Sentence of Death he published a short Gospel of Peace and Reconciliation and assured him that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpents head Thus did God utterly confound the Malice of Satan and cause his mischief to return upon his own pate his aim was to bring Man into the same Perdition with himself without any hopes of recovery that so he might insult over him as his Captive and Vassal for ever but so far was God from suffering him to enjoy the Pleasure of such a Triumph that he presently declares that that supposed Victory that he had gained over Man should end in his own eternal overthrow that though he had dispossessed the first Adam of his earthly Paradise yet he would at his appointed time send another Adam that should conduct all the race of Mankind that would believe in him and obey him to take Possession of those glorious Mansions from whence he and his rebellious Companions were fallen a Man whom all the Angels of God should worship a Man that should trample Satan under his feet a Man that should be one with God at whose name every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth a Man that should have the keys of hell and of death who having lead captivity captive and spoiled principalities and powers should ascend into the highest Heavens and sit on the right hand of God Angels and Authorities and Powers being made subject unto him But though God was resolved that though Man was thus miserably lost and sold into the hands of Satan to the utter confusion and astonishment of him that had wrought his ruin he should be redeemed and restored again yet this was no easie Task even to Omnipotence it self but God was forced to be at the Expence both of pains and charge to effect it The Creation of Man and of the whole World cost him no trouble at all For he spake and it was done he commanded and it stood fast but Man's Redemption cost the highest price that Heaven had to give not corruptible things as silver and gold but the precious blood of the Son of God as of a lamb without blemish and without spot That Man might live God himself was fain to become Man and to die for the satisfaction of the Divine Justice A Mystery so great so incomprehensible that though nothing be more plainly and fully revealed in the holy Scripture yet many who notwithstanding call themselves Christians will not be perswaded to believe it most impudently and ungratefully denying the Lord that bought them and bringing upon themselves swift destruction Thus you see the ransome that was paid for us we were bought with a price a Price inestimable a Price infinite a Price greater than which the mercy of God could not give and less than which his Justice would not accept The greatness of this Price sufficiently intimates the great reason that there was that such a Price as this should be paid For certainly God who doth nothing in vain would never have been at such a vast Expence as this had not there been great occasion for it and so there was upon all accounts The Wisdom the Mercy the Justice all the Attributes of God at once required this Price and all at once were glorified by the Payment of it far more than by the Creation of the World The malice and cruelty of Satan required that this Price should be paid for his Confusion and above all the Misery of Man required it for his Redemption Though some of the Angels fell yet others and doubtless the greatest part of them kept their Station and so God was pleased to punish the one for their Rebellion and to reward the other for their Fidelity But with us the Case was otherwise all the whole race of Man was lost in Adam insomuch that not one of his Posterity could plead Exemption either from Death or Hell And had God suffered them to have been all thus lost without any hopes of recovery Satan would have had too great cause to triumph and blasphemously to boast that he had baffled the Wisdom and Goodness of God having utterly ruined and destroyed Man the chief work of all the visible Creation a Creature highly beloved of God and precious in his sight whom he plainly declared that he designed for great and noble Ends first by taking as it were special Counsel and Advice about his Creation and then imprinting upon him his own glorious Image and making him Lord of all the Creatures upon Earth Let us make man saith he in our own image after our likeness and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air and over the cattel and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth Gen. 1.26 It was therefore a Stratagem worthy of the wisdom and goodness of God to rescue so considerable a part of the Creation out of the paw of that roaring Lyon who thought to have devoured it and to make the wicked malice of Satan contrary to his Expectation tend to the increasing not only of his own Misery but of Man's Felicity Lastly the deplorable Condition of fallen Man required that this Price should be paid for his Redemption and certainly it was none of the least Motives that induced God to lay it down Our Saviour himself seems to intimate that it was the chief For saith he God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life
and suffers its proud Waves to be bounded and checkt by the Sand. There go the ships and there is that Leviathan whom he hath made to play therein The Earth faithfully performs the Task that was imposed upon it at its first Creation and ceases not to bring forth its fruit in its Season and the most inconsiderable Creature that it nourishes even the smallest Fly publishes the wisdom and power of its Creator as much as the greatest Elephant And who again that considers these things can chuse but proceed with the Psalmist and say Praise the Lord from the earth ye dragons and all deeps fire and hail snow and vapour stormy wind fulfilling his word Mountains and all hills fruitful trees and all cedars beasts and all cattel creeping things and all fowl And shall all these inferiour Creatures daily laud and magnifie their Maker as most plainly they do while in their several Stations they perform his Commands shall the little Birds warble out Hymns of Praise and every Hedge produce a Quire to sing an Hallelujah and shall Man alone be silent Man whom God himself hath crowned with glory and honour whom he hath made to have dominion over the works of his hands and hath put all things under his feet all sheep and oxen yea and the beasts of the field the fowl of the air and the fish of the sea and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas Man whom when he had lost all this Honour when Sin had laid both it and himself together in the dust out of which they were both raised at the first God was pleased by a Miracle of mercy to restore to Honour once more nay to greater Honour than he had before even to the Honour if he forfeits it not again by his own monstrous Ingratitude of being made like unto the Angels in Heaven of being numbred among the children of God and having his lot among the saints I say shall Man whom of all the rest of his Creatures God hath delighted most to Honour be of all the rest of the Creatures the most ungrateful and most backward to give Praise and Glory to God Oh wheresoever this Ingratitude be to be found let it not be found amongst us but let us still joyn with the Psalmist and say Kings of the earth and all people princes and all judges of the earth both young men and maidens old men and children Let them praise the name of the Lord for his name only is excellent his glory is above the earth and heaven Thirdly that this Duty of glorifying God is both reasonable and necessary is evident in as much as all Mankind both good and bad shall most certainly one way or other give glory to God For the Lord will be King for ever be the people never so tumultuous and unquiet and though he be offended and provoked and blasphemed every day yet he is strong as well as patient and will one day vindicate his abused patience and longsuffering and will exalt himself above the heavens and his glory above all the earth Then shall all those foolish Wretches that refused to give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name and to celebrate the Praise of his mercy that endureth for ever be forced by their everlasting Punishment to glorifie his Justice For the glory of the Lord shall endure for ever the Lord shall rejoyce in his works For he hath made all things for himself saith Solomon Yea even the wicked for the day of evil Prov. 16.4 Thus did God get himself Honour as well by punishing the stubbornness of Pharaoh whom he overthrew in the Sea as by rewarding the obedience of Moses to whom he gave Power to command it And thus at the end of all things will he cause his Justice eternally to shine as bright and glorious below even in the midst of the infernal darkness as his mercy shall above in the Regions of light and happiness And Oh how sad how dreadful will our Condemnation be if we neglect this great Salvation that is offered us if notwithstanding this wonderful Redemption that God hath wrought for us we will again sell our selves Slaves to Sin and Satan And if but the tasting of a forbidden fruit brought Death into the world and made all Mankind obnoxious to the eternal wrath of God what Vengeance is reserved for them that tread under foot the Blood of his only begotten Son that despise the very height of his Love and the utmost riches of his Mercy Since then we must unavoidably glorifie either the Mercy of God or his Justice let us chuse rather to adore the former than to be broken in pieces by the latter for they that will not submit to his gentle Government while he holds forth his golden Sceptre shall be sure to feel the Severity of his rod of Iron Lastly for I must not be tedious though the Subject be so copious that I might heap up Arguments without number Since there is not the least part of the Creation excepting wicked Men and wicked Angels but what sets us an Example and invites us to glorifie our Creator this Duty of glorifying God is most highly reasonable for us to perform while we are upon Earth because it will be our eternal Task if ever we come to Heaven Those glorious Mansions above resound incessantly with Hymns of Praise unto the King of Saints To whom all Angels cry aloud continually the Heavous and all the powers therein Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbaoth Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory If therefore we desire to perform this Duty in the next Life it is not only reasonable but necessary that we begin is in this For certainly if we do not now tune our Voice to an Hallelujah and practise the Musick of Heaven while we are upon Earth Candidates for a Place in the celestial Choire we shall never be qualified to bear a part in that new Song which is to be sung before the throne of God and none shall be able to learn it but the Saints that are redeemed from the Earth Let us therefore now and evermore joyn with those blessed Spirits in glorifying our Almighty Creator saying as our Church teaches us and with which words we will at present break off our Discourse Therefore with Angels and Archangels and with all the Company of Heaven we laud and magnifie thy glorious Name evermore praising thee and saying Holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts Heaven and Earth are full of thy Glory Glory be to thee O Lord most high SERMON V. 1 COR. VI. 20. For ye are bought with a price c. THE reasonableness of this Duty of glorifying God to which in these words the Apostle exhorts us we have already seen and indeed he must be blind that sees it not when the whole Creation joins unanimously in the constant performance of it and every Corner of it declares the Power and Wisdom and Goodness of the
they do evil And how few there are that do follow this Counsel is but too evident from that vain and loose Deportment of many persons which we daily see in the Church to the great scandal and grief of all pious and devout Christians who cannot chuse but be exceedingly troubled and offended to see God publickly dishonoured and affronted in his own House by persons that pretend to come thither on purpose to joyn in the Celebration of his Publick Worship and Praise But of this I shall have occasion to speak more anon when I come to shew you how we are to glorifie God in our Body which I proceed now to do And First as before I observed That we are to glorifie God in our Spirit by keeping it pure and undefiled by sin so must we do in our Body too For it is impossible that a clean Soul should dwell in an unclean Body but if the one be foul the other will certainly partake of its Pollutions Indeed it is impossible that the Body should sin without the Soul since it cannot act but by the Command and Concurrent Assistance of the Soul whereas the Soul may sin without the help of the Body and we may commit Adultery or Murder or Theft in our Heart though our Body never be concerned in the perpetration of any such Crimes And therefore whosoever truly and sincerely glorifies God in his Spirit will by a most inevitable consequence glorifie him in his Body also He that hath banished all unchast thoughts out of his Mind will make a Covenant with his Eyes too that they shall not cast a wanton glance upon Beauty He whose Heart is free from all covetous Desires after his Neighbour's Goods will keep his Hands also from picking and stealing He that is perfectly in Charity with all Men and is not only ready to forgive but heartily loves his Enemies will not only fetter his Feet that they shall not be swift to shed Blood but he will also bridle his Tongue and keep it from evil-speaking lying and slandering and will be so far from hurting any Man by word or deed that he will most gladly embrace every opportunity that is offered him of doing good to any that stand in need of help He therefore that hath devoted his Soul wholly to the Glory of God will devote his Body likewise to the same end he will be careful to cleanse his Hands as well as his Heart to purifie his whole Man and since God hath bought his Body as well as his Soul with a price since one as well as the other is a Temple of the Holy Ghost and a Member of Christ he will endeavour to the best of his power that both of them may be preserved blameless and undefiled and unspotted of the World knowing that God will in no wise accept of a polluted Offering And this is the direct sense and meaning of the Apostle's Argument from the fifteenth Verse to the end of this Chapter whereby he labours to disswade the Corinthians from Fornication and all manner of Uncleanness Flee Fornication saith he every sin that a Man doth is without the Body but he that committeth Fornication sinneth against his own Body What know ye not that your Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own For ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your Body and in your Spirit which are God's But further if we will glorifie God in our Body as we ought we must not only be careful to keep it chast and undefiled by Lust and Wantonness but we must study to adorn and beautify it so that it may be acceptable in the sight of God by Temperance and Sobriety and Moderation in all things endeavouring to preserve it free from all manner of Luxury and Excess whether in Meat or Drink or Apparel or Recreation or whatsoever else with which it is concerned Meat and Drink in this mortal life are so necessary to us that we cannot live without them but if we indulge our selves in the immoderate use of either of them instead of preserving our Health it will most certainly destroy it So likewise modest and decent Raiment is in a manner as necessary for the covering our Nakedness and defending us from the Injuries of the Weather but still at the best it is but the Devil's Livery which we had never worn had it not been for the Disobedience of our first Parents and which it much better becomes us to be ashamed of than to glory in If therefore we affect vain and pompous Attire if we long for every fantastick Dress as fast as the apish Fashion-mongers can invent them till we have array'd our selves so that we think we may vie both for Smell and Beauty with the Lilies of the Field by so doing though we may hide the Nakedness of our Body we shall most certainly discover that of our Soul and we shall appear loathsome and deformed not only in the Eyes of God from whom nothing can be hid but in the Eyes also of all godly and sober Christians and shall stink in their Nostrils amidst all our precious Odours and Perfumes And therefore our Blessed Saviour hath commanded us not to take any care for the Provision either of Meat or Drink or Raiment any further than what Necessity and Decency requires Matth. 6.31 Take no thought saying What shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithall shall we be cloathed for after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your Heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you Such care as this much better becomes an Epicure that expects his Portion in this life than a Christian that owns himself to be but a Stranger and a Sojourner here upon Earth and whose Treasure and Heart and Conversation is in Heaven Therefore as our Apostle exhorts us 1 Cor. 10.31 Whether we eat or drink or whatsoever we do let us do all to the Glory of God Again we are to glorifie God in our Body by labouring daily in some honest Calling that so we may provide for our selves and our Families and be useful and serviceable to our Country It was a Command as well as a Curse that God laid upon all Mankind in the person of Adam immediately after his Transgression In the sweat of thy Face shalt thou eat Bread And if we yield a consciencious Obedience to this Command labouring as God hath ordained in a lawful Employment we may turn this Curse into a Blessing and provide for our selves not only that Meat which perishes in this World but that which endures unto everlasting life in the next And on the other hand whosoever thinks to exempt himself from the force of this Command until some natural or accidental Infirmity hath dispensed with him shall not
by us in her Morning Service that so we might be continually put in mind of this duty and be careful always to behave our selves Humbly Reverently and Devoutly in the House of God Thirdly It is necessary that we worship God with our Body for the satisfaction both of Men and Angels It is the peculiar Prerogative of God that he only can discern the secret Thoughts and Intentions of our Hearts and therefore though a private Ejaculation of our Soul wherein our Body is not at all concerned may be very acceptable and well-pleasing in his sight at other times yet in the time of our Publick Devotions in the Church the case is otherwise For there both Men and Angels are Spectators of our Piety neither of which can judge of the Sincerity of it any otherwise than by our outward Behaviour which if it be devout and reverent they will conclude that our Soul is so too and will gladly joyn with us in our publick Worship of that God who is the common Lord and Master of us all But if otherwise not only all good Men will take offence at our Prophaneness but we shall much more offend those blessed Spirits and provoke them to loath and abhorr our Religious Assemblies which delight to frequent them so long as they observe that we behave our selves so that they may plainly discern our inward Piety by our outward Deportment And for this reason St. Paul forbids Men to be covered in the Church and Women to be uncovered because of the Angels 1 Cor. 11. The Angels cannot endure to behold any such indecency and disorder in the Church but are highly displeased at it as a thing that tends much to the dishonour of God and most evidently discovers that such persons as are guilty of it are destitute of true Religion for it cannot be imagined that when every little Passion of our Mind causes more or less some visible alteration in our Body that Religion which is the noblest Passion with which our Soul can be affected and that too at that very time when we come with a pretence to profess it openly before Men and Angels in God's own House should cause no alteration at all but that our Body all this while should sit as unconcerned as one of the Pillars of the Church No certainly if our Soul were truly humbled as it ought to be before the Throne of Grace it would command the Body to humble it self likewise to uncover the Head and bend the Knee to lift up the Eyes and the Hands and to bear it company with a devout and reverent behaviour of all its Members in its Suit and Supplication to the Divine Majesty Therefore as St. James exhorts us to shew our Faith by our Works so likewise let us shew the Devotion of our Soul by that of our Body For as Faith without Works is dead so is inward Piety especially in the time of God's Publick Service in the Church dead also except it be accompanied by bodily Worship Lastly That God is to be worshipped with our Body as well as with our Soul is evident from the universal consent and practice of Mankind in all Ages all Nations and Countries of the World whatsoever Not only Christians but Jews Mahometans Heathens and Pagans all agree in this point that Divine Worship is to be performed by our Body as well as by our Soul And therefore those Men that imagin Bodily Worship to be needless in the Service of God and behave themselves accordingly do in effect render themselves no better than Monsters not only to be wondered at but even to be abhorred in that particular by all the rest of Mankind and certainly an honest Pagan being before acquainted with the Custom of our Country which obliges us to uncover our Heads and to stand bare in the presence of our betters though but mortal Men like our selves should he come into some of our Churches and observe Men sitting irreverently with their Hats on in the House of God even at the very time when they are receiving a Message concerning their everlasting Salvation from the Mouth of his Ambassadour would stand astonished and exclaim against Christianity as the most impious and profane Religion in the World that allowed men to be hail fellow well met with that God whom they pretend to worship shewing him less respect and reverence even in his own House than they ordinarily pay to a Man that is but a little their Superiour either in Estate or Quality And I would fain have those persons that dare be thus impudent in the presence of the Almighty answer me this one Question Whether they would do the same thing in case they should see God visibly sitting upon his Throne of Glory or in case they should see the Lord Jesus coming in the Clouds of Heaven attended with all his Angels If in this case they would fall down and worship as I question not but that they would I know no reason why they should not likewise behave themselves with a profound Reverence and Devotion both of Body and Soul in the Church which is the place of God's special and extraordinary presence and is when we behave our selves in it as we ought a lively emblem and representation of Heaven it self and then surely it is but reasonable that we that sit at God's Foot-stool here on Earth should uncover our Heads and bend our Knees in his presence when we read that the Holy Angels do no less above casting their Crowns and falling down and worshipping before his Throne in Heaven and if we will not follow their Example now it is greatly to be feared that we shall never be admitted to bear them company hereafter But after all this granting which I hope I have sufficiently proved that bodily Worship of God is necessary it may reasonably be demanded wherein this bodily worship chiefly consists and what Gestures and Ceremonies are to be used by us in our performance of it To which I answer that herein we are to be determined by the Custom of the Countrey wherein we live and the appointment of the Church whereof we are Members In general therefore those Gestures and Ceremonies which by the Custom of our Countrey we are obliged to use in token of civil Honour and Respect in our Addresses to men that are much our Superiours as for Example to the King himself we are to use likewise by way of religious Worship to Almighty God If therefore it be an affront to the King for a Subject to be covered in his presence or to offer a petition ro him in any other posture but upon his Knees reason will tell us that it must needs be a much greater affront to God for any man to put his Hat on in his house or to sit irreverently upon his Seat when the Minister is upon his Knees offering up Prayers and Supplications unto the Throne of Grace in the Name of the whole Congregation Persons that thus mis-behave
Heavens the highest and most glorious Heaven which is the Imperial Throne of the Majesty of God far above all those Celestial Orbs which are visible to our Sight wherein the Sun and Moon and Stars perform their constant and regular Motions according to those Laws which God gave them at their first Creation Through all these Heavens our Saviour passed in his Ascension as is plain from my Text if we consult the Original for what our Translation Renders is passed into the Heavens is in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is passed through the Heavens i. e. through all these visible Heavens into that invisible one wherein he dwelt with his Father in inaccessible Light and Glory and Majesty from all Eternity And that this is the meaning of that Heaven into which our Saviour is ascended is plain from that Expression of our Apostle which I cited before Hebr. 7.26 where he tells us That such an High-priest became us as was made higher than the Heavens And likewise from that Eph. 4.10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all Heavens Thus ye see what is meant by that Heaven into which our Saviour is ascended For the second Thing how and in what manner he is said to have ascended thither I answer he ascended not by any local Motion or Translation of his Divine Nature from Earth to Heaven for that being Infinite and Omnipresent filling all places at once cannot be supposed to be capable of being removed any whither where before it was not but he ascended by translating his humane Nature his whole Man both Body and Soul from Earth where he had assumed that Nature and hypostatically united it to his Divinity unto the Right Hand of God in the highest Heavens And that Christ is thus ascended into Heaven the Scripture most amply and plainly assures us First this Ascension of his was typified and prefigured under the Mosaical Law by the High-priests entering once a Year into the Holy of Holies to make an Atonement for himself and the People as our Apostle shews us chap. 9. of this Epistle The Holy Ghost this signifying saith he That the way into the holiest of all was not made manifest while as the first Tabernacle was yet standing which was a Figure for the time then present But Christ being come an High-priest of good Things to come by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle not made with Hands that is to say not of this Building neither by the Blood of Goats and Calves but by his own Blood entered in once into the Holy Place having obtained Eternal Redemption for us Again this Ascension of our Saviour into Heaven was Typified by those extraordinary Translations of Enoch and Elias Secondly it was foretold by the Prophets as appears by that of Ps 68.18 Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led Captivity Captive Thou hast received Gifts for Men which place St. Paul expresly applies to our Saviour's Ascension Eph. 4.8 and Ps 24. is almost all of it a prophetical Description of this Ascension and is therefore very fitly appointed by our Church to be Read upon that Day which we set apart for the Commemoration of it To the same effect is that Prophecy of Isai chap. 63.1 where the Prophet describes the Holy Host of Heaven rejoicing and wondering at the Glorious Ascension of our Lord into those everlasting Mansions Who is this say they that cometh from Edom with died Garments from Bozrah This that is Glorious in his Apparel travelling in the greatness of his Strength I that speak in Righteousness mighty to Save And as our Saviour's Ascension was typified and foretold in the Old Testament so we find that all those Types and Prophecies were made good and fulfilled in the New There we have a most faithful and punctual Account as of his Nativity his Passion his Resurrection from the Dead so likewise of his Ascension into Heaven This we find that our Saviour himself plainly foretold some Days before it came to pass Go to my Brethren saith he to Mary Magdalen and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God and your God Joh. 20.17 And when this was to be fulfilled that there might not want sufficient Witnesses to attest the truth of his Ascension the Evangelist St. Luke tells us That when he was about to ascend up to his Father he led his Disciples out as far as to Bethany and that there he lift up his Hands and Blessed them and that while he Blessed them he was parted from them and carried up into Heaven But still further lest any should doubt notwithstanding our Saviour's being visibly parted from his Disciples and received up into the Air whether he did really ascend into Heaven or not to remove all manner of occasion of such doubting God immediately sends two Angels from Heaven to certifie them that he was really ascended thither for the story tells us Acts 1.10 That while they looked stedfastly toward Heaven as he went up behold two men stood by them in white Apparel which also said Ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into Heaven This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven Now there remains no ground at all of doubting whether our Saviour be really ascended into Heaven or no since what the Apostle's eyes were not able visible to behold the Testimony of two Angels hath undeniably confirmed Thus much briefly of my first particular that Christ our Redeemer is truly and really ascended into Heaven i.e. that his humane Nature both Body and Soul are actually by the Omnipotent Power of his God-head translated into the highest Heavens The next thing to be considered is that he is ascended into Heaven as our High-priest It is true that Christ ascended into Heaven for his own sake as well as for ours For surely he that for the expiation of God's Wrath had humbled himself so low he that had wrought so glorious a Work as the Redemption of Mankind and that by undergoing most bitter and unconceivable Sufferings did highly deserve to be exalted to the Right-hand of his Heavenly Father And therefore he himself saith that these sufferings of his were the way to his glory Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory Luke 24.26 But although Christ ascended into Heaven for himself that he might take possession of that Kingdom which he had justly deserved yet he ascended thither for us also As at his Resurection he arose from the dead not for himself only but for us also and became the First-fruits of them that slept so likewise at his Ascension he passed into the Heavens as our High-priest by virtue of whose Ascension all his Elect shall ascend up after him unto the same place of Glory and Immortality This is evident from these words of my Text Seeing then
thing I propounded to speak of which is the Person unto whom we are invited to come for help and that is Christ And here we must understand that by coming unto Christ is not meant any corporeal approach as if we were obliged to see him with our Eyes or to touch him with our hands for alass how can we that are but worms upon earth come thus unto him who is exalted unto the Right-hand of God in the highest Heavens But though we cannot come thus to him yet we may come nearer to him than thus even so near as to be one with him to be members of his Body of his flesh and of his bones Eph. 5.30 And this is that coming unto Christ which is here meant in my Text a coming to him and laying hold on him by a true and lively faith This is the only way that we can come unto Christ so as to receive any benefit from him For as his hands were tied while he was here upon Earth so that he could not work any Miracles where he found not faith so are they tied still upon the same account now he is in Heaven so that he cannot save us he cannot ease us of our Burden except we believe we have his own word for it Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned And if this be all that is required of us in coming to Christ to believe that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and to acknowledge our selves to be such who then shall not be saved surely then the way to Heaven is much easier than it is generally represented to be and few there be that shall not find it But our blessed Saviour hath assured us of the contrary and told us expresly that few there be that shall find it Matth. 7.14 And therefore it is more than a bare historical faith that is required of us if we will come unto Christ aright so as to find rest unto our souls and this is plain from the words in the Verse after my Text Take my Yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your Souls Here is something implied more than just coming unto Christ for we must not only come to him but we must resolve also to do something for him which he expects we should do if ever we look for salvation from him and that is to be obedient to those most holy Laws and to follow as far as we are able through the Assistance of his Grace that most excellent Example which in his last Will and Testament he hath left us for the Rule of our Life and Conversation I will not deny but that it is faith alone by which we are justified and saved for S. Paul tells us more than once in his Epistles that the just shall live by faith But then he tells us what this faith is Gal. 5.6 It is faith which works by love and 1 Thess 1.3 he calls it the work of faith and Labour of Love If then faith be a work it must needs be more than a bare assent to and belief of the truth of the Gospel together with a groundless application of the promises therein contained to our selves which too many men are apt to think to be a faith sufficient to salvation For what work is this to believe the truth of a Store when there are most unanswerable Arguments to prove it though indeed it is a work and an hard work too the Devils work to perswade us to apply those precious promises which are made in that sacred Story to our selves when they do not at all concern us Let us take heed therefore of deceiving our selves and thinking that we have faith when we have it not but if we desire to approve our faith in the sight of God and Men and Angels and to the quiet and satisfaction of our own Consciences let us follow the advice both of S. James and S. Peter The former tells us that Faith without works is dead and that by works Faith is made perfect And the latter upon the substantial and never failing foundation of a true faith raises a most noble Structure by which we may gradually ascend into those Mansions of Glory which our blessed Saviour hath prepared for all those that love his appearing 2 Peter 1.5 Add saith he to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity For if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ But he that lacketh these things i. e. any one of them is blind and cannot see a far off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old Sins Wherefore the rather brethren give Diligence to make your calling and election sure for if ye do these things ye shall never fall For so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting knigdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ From hence ye may plainly see that the faith which is here meant by coming unto Christ is more than a bare belief of the truth of the Gospel more than a bare recumbency and leaning upon Christ for Salvation and applying his Merits to our selves as it were at a venture right or wrong whether we have any interest in him or no. Such a faith as this many men trust to that have been strangers all their life-time to the perfect Law of Liberty by which S. James tells us that we must all be judged at the last But the faith which our Saviour here requires in all that come unto him implies besides a full and steadfast belief of all that is contained in the Gospel a firm purpose and resolution and a chearful endeavour to the best of our power throughout the whole course of our Life to be obedient and conformable to all those rules and precepts and Laws which the Gospel injoyns us to perform to imitate that most holy example which our blessed Lord hath sett us striving to be perfect as he was perfect and when we have done all this still to acknowledge that we are unprofitable servants utterly disowning any Merits or Righteousness in our selves but desiring with S. Paul to be found in Christ not having our own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by faith Phil. 3.9 This is a true and saving Faith indeed and whosoever thus comes unto Christ may assure himself that he shall be heartily welcome he shall most certainly obtain the benefit of this invitation and shall find rest unto his Soul And this brings me to my third and last particular which is the end wherefore all that labour and
are heavy laden with the burthen of their Sins are invited to come unto Christ and that is that he may give them rest Ye have already heard that there is no burden so intolerable as that of Sin and the rest which Christ here promises to give to them that come unto him in that manner which I have shewed you is a freedom from this burden and from all the dreadfull consequents and effects of it a freedom from the anguish of an afflicted conscience from the insupportable troubles of a wounded Spirit that is smitten with the arrows of the Almighty from the wrath of God and from the Torments of Hell from the guilt of Sin and from its punishment And this Christ doth by taking the burden of their Sins upon himself and making a full satisfaction for them unto the Divine Justice For the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all Isa 53.6 And God made him to be sin for us saith S. Paul who knew no Sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 And he that by a true faith applies these Merits of Christ's Death and passion to himself he hath already obtained this rest which Christ here promises he is delivered from the burden of his Sins and from that vengeance which is due unto them This rest therefore is in a word our justification in the sight of God by which purely for the sake of the Merits of Jesus Christ we are acquitted and absolved of all our Sins and are reconciled to God Being justified by faith saith the Apostle we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5.1 This is that peace which passes all understanding a peace which nothing can disturb or interrupt but it will always continue firm and unshaken among all the changes and chances of this mortal life and when we shall have most need of it it will stand us in greatest stead When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death it will not leave us but will bear us company even before the Tribunal of Christ and will enable us to lift up our Heads with joy in that great day when the whole World shall tremble and will at the last conduct us into those glorious regions of rest and happiness which the Prince of peace hath purchased for us Thus ye see who they be that are here invited unto whom they are invited and for what end Sad and disconsolate Sinners that are oppressed with the weight of their Sins are invited by Christ to come and cast that insupportable burden upon him who alone is able to bear it and instead thereof to receive from him the most blessed rest and peace imaginable What remains then but that with most ardent prayers we continually besiege the Throne of Grace and beg of God that he would open our eyes by the Grace of his H. Spirit without whom we can do nothing that is good that so we may discern both the Misery of Sin with which by nature we are laden and the blessedness of that peace which by the grace of Christ we may obtain And when we once do discern these things let us immediately without any delay run unto Christ for help Let us not seek for this peace from any one else but from him who alone hath promised it to us and who alone is able to give it us Let us not seek it in the vain Pomps and Pleasures of this present World for all that this world can do for us without this peace will do us no good and with it all that it can do against us will do us no harm Let us not as the Papists do seek for it from any merit or rightteousness in our selves for all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags neither let us as they do likewise seek for it to Saints or Angels or Archangels for the Angels refuse our Worship and own themselves to be but our Fellow-servants as is evident by two plain instances in the Revelation Chap. 19.10 and 22.9 And as for the Saints Abraham though he be the father of the faithfull yet he is ignorant of us and Israel knows us not Nay the blessed Virgin her self though the Papists blasphemously call her the Queen of Heaven and pray to her not only to intreat but to command her Son in their behalf doubtless could she hear such Prayers as these and had leave to answer them she would presently send such Persons as these to Christ and give them no other answer from Heaven than what she gave to the Servants at the Marriage-Feast in Cana of Galilee while she was upon earth John 2.5 Whatsoever he saith unto you do it Let us therefore acquiess in this answer of hers as if it were an Oracle from Heaven and instead of seeking either to her or any other Person for salvation let us come unto the Lamb of God which taketh away the Sins of the World even to Christ himself who hath invited us and whatsoever he saith unto us in his Gospel let us do it Thus if we come unto him we shall be sure to find him ready to receive us and to perform unto us this gracious promise which he hath here made in my Text he will give us in this World peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost and in the World to come everlasting joy and rest in his Heavenly Kingdom SERMON VIII COL II. 18 19. Let no Man beguile you of your Reward in a voluntary Humility and worshipping of Angels intruding into those things which he hath not seen vainly puffed up by his fleshly Mind And not holding the Head from which all the Body by Joints and Bands having Nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the Increase of God THESE words are such a plain and direct Prohibition of Angel-worship and consequently of Saint-worship too that it is one of the greatest wonders in the World that there should be found in it a Christian Church that stiles her self Catholick and that in so arrogant a manner as to appropriate that Title to her self exclusively to all Christian Churches in the World besides and yet in open and hostile Opposition of this Text of Scripture should not only allow of the Worship of Angels and Saints as lawful but proceed so far as to impose it upon all Men as a necessary Article of Faith anathematizing all that will not join with her in it But these things must be that the Scriptures may be fulfilled For certainly whosoever laying aside all Prejudice and Partiality and Hypocrisie devoutly and seriously consults the Holy Oracles of God will find in the Writings of the New Testament as plain and punctual a Prediction and Description of Antichrist both as to the time and manner of his Coming and his Behaviour and Reception in the World as in the Old Testament there is of the Messias and seeing both exactly foretold will not think it a greater wonder that by one