died But where these three are an exemption and freedome from all basenesse and all that may diminish reckoning and estimation and when there is a foundation of true excellency and likewise a shining a declaring breaking forth of that excellency there is glory But Christ after he was manifest in the flesh and had done the work here that hee had to doe hee was received up to glory that is all basenesse was layd aside his glory appearing all abasement did vanish he was victorious over that for in his Resurrection that was the first degree of his glory you know the Clothes that he was bound with were left in the Grave the Stone was remooved all things that might hinder his glory that might abase him in body in soule or condition they were remooved there was an excellency in all that was not before in regard of manifestation For his Body it was now impassible an immortall spirituall Body it could suffer no longer it was not fed with meat and drink as in the time of his abasement it was a Body so agile and so nimble that he could moove even as he would himselfe so there was a glory put upon his Body above the Sunne There was a glory upon the Soule all that might hinder that was subdued for there was no sorrow no feare nor griefe as there was in his Soule before he was glorified so both in Body and Soule he was more glorious And then for his whole condition that was glorious he was abased no longer for now he was taken into the highest place of all above the Heavens and as his place is most eminent so his government is most eminent for he is taken up there above all Principalities and Powers as it is Ephes. 1.20 and is gloriously set downe at the right hand of God 1 Pet. 3. All being subject to him he hath the domination and government of all So that whatsoever might shadow and cloud him all ills eyther in Body in Soule or condition all was remooved and he was glorious in all For excellencie the foundation of glory that was alway with him in his very abasement but now it was manifested he was mightily declared to be the Sonne of God by raysing himselfe from the dead he was declared to be glorious in all those things wherein he could be glorious As no person can be glorious but eyther it must be in body or soule or condition he was glorious in all for hee was received up into the place of glory to Heaven to the assembly of glory to the presence of his Father and the blessed Saints and Angels and no question but there was a glorious welcome If the Angels came so chearefully to proclaime his Incarnation when he was borne and sang Glory be to God on high on Earth peace good will towards men What kind of triumph doe you thinke was made by all the blessed companie in Heaven when he was entertained thither after his abasement It is beyond our conceits to imagine It will not be altogether unusefull to speake of the circumstances of Christs being taken up to glory Whence was he taken He was taken up to glory from Mount Olivet where he used to pray and where he sweat water and blood where he was humbled from the place of Humiliation was his Ascension to glory shewing unto us that the place oft times where we pray where we are afflicted our sick Beds nay the places of our abasement the very Prisons they may be as Mount Olivet to us from whence God will take us to glory Let no man therefore feare and abasement it may prove as Mount Olivet to him in this respect And when was he taken up to glory Not before he had finished his worke as he sayth Iohn 17.4 I have finished the worke thou gavest me to doe Then he was taken up when he had done all when he had accomplished our salvation And after his abasement not before So our taking up to glory it must be when we have done our worke when we have finished our course when we have runne our race when we have fought the good fight And also after our abasement we must first suffer with Christ before we can be glorified with him Againe if we speake of the first degree of Christs glory his Resurrection he was taken up to glory when he was at the lowest that could be when he was in the Grave so Gods Church and children at the lowest they are neerest to glory We use to say Things when they are at the worst are neerest mending so is the state and condition of the Church of God and every particular Christian when he is lowest he is neerest raysing as we shall see afterwards The witnesses of this were the Angels they proclaimed his Incarnation with joy and without doubt they were much more joyfull at his ascending up to glory it was in the presence of the Angels So likewise when he shall come to manifest his glory at the day of Judgement there will be innumerable thousands of Angels Those glorious creatures were witnesses of his glory and no question but they yeelded their joyfull attendance and service that were so willing to attend him at his birth and comming into the world He was carryed up in the clouds in which also he shall come againe at the last day But before he was taken up to glory he was fortie dayes on Earth to give evidence to his Apostles and Disciples of his Resurrection and to instruct and furnish them in things concerning their Callings afterwards he was taken up to glory And in all that time of his abode on Earth after his first degree of glory his Resurrection he was never seene of sinfull eye for any thing we see in Scripture I meane of those that were scorners of him that despised him The Scribes and Pharises and carnall people did not see him they had no commerce at all with him after his Resurrection they that despised him in his abasement had no comfort by exaltation But that which I will chiefely presse in this Clause shall be to shew That as this is a Mysterie so how it is a Mysterie of Godlinesse to stirre us up to godlinesse for as I sayd befoâ—e Divine Truths and Principles they are called Godlinesse because where they are embraced they worke godlinesse the soule is transformed into them where these Truths are ingrafted in the soule as S. Peter saith they turne the soule into their owne nature Therefore I will shew how this Mysterie Christ received up to glory breeds a frame of Godlinesse in the heart That it is a Mysterie it will easily appeare For was it a great Mysterie that God should take our nature upon him to be abased in it Surely it must needs be a Mysterie that God will be glorified in our nature Was our nature advanced in his Incarnation Much more was it glorified in his Exaltation when he
into Heaven so it shall be with us the same body that suffers any thing for Christ the same body that dies the same Body shall rise and be assumed to glory Hence likewise we have a ground of patience in all our sufferings from another reason not from the order but from the certaintie of glory Shall we not patiently suffer considering the glory that we shall certainely have If we suffer with him wee shall be glorified with him Who will not be patient a while that hath such glory in his eye Therefore let us looke upon the glory of Christ in all our sufferings whatsoever What made Moses and all the Saints in all times to be so patient They had an eye this way What made Steven not onely patient but glorious His face shone as the face of an Angel he looked on Iesus Christ and saw him sitting at the right hand of God What made the Martyrs not onely patient but triumphant in all their sufferings They had an eye of Faith to see Christ sitting in glory and to see themselves in Heaven glorious in Christ and not onely to see themselves glorious in Christ but in themselves afterwards Wee are not onely glorious in our Head but we shall be our selves where he is Taken up in glory And let it stirre us up likewise not to be ashamed of Religion and to stand out in good causes for Christ and the Church He is not ashamed to be called our Brother no not after his Resurrection Goe tell my brethren I ascend to my Father and your Father He was not ashamed of it when he began to be in the state of glory he is not ashamed of our nature now to take it up into Heaven he is not ashamed to owne us here and at the Day of Judgement to set us at his right hand And shall we now for feare of men for feare of shame for any base earthly respect be ashamed of our glorious Head Doe we beleeve that we have a Head that is glorious in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God that ere long will come to judge the quike and the dead and shall we be ashamed to hold out the profession of Religion for a scorne for a word for a frowne Where is the Spirit of glory the Spirit that should be in Christians that hope to be glorious He that is ashamed of me here saith Christ I will be ashamed of him at that great Day How can we thinke that Christ will owne us when we will not owne Religion here When we are ashamed to stand for him shall we thinke to stand at his right hand All base carnall Atheisticall spirits that are afraid of disgrace of displeasure of losse of any thing but of him they should be afraid of let them know there is no comfort for them in Christs exaltation For if they had any communion with Christ he would infuse another manner of spirit into them Let us therefore stand for Christ we have a glorious Head a glorious hope a glorious Inheritance And let us goe on with incouragement in good duties with a Spirit of Faith for wherefore is Christ in Heaven but to rule his Church by his Spirit To leade captivitie captive and to give gifts to men Let us therefore goe on with confidence that Christ from Heaven will give us his Spirit to subdue our corruptions He is in Heaven to rule his Church and what is his Kingdome but the subduing of our spirits by his Spirit to be more humble and more holy and gracious every way Let us not thinke that our corruptions will be too hard for us but goe on in a Spirit of Faith That Christ that dyed for us as a Priest he will rule us as a King and if we be true to our owne soules we shall have strength to sustaine us he sits in Heaven to rule us by his gracious Spirit Let us not despaire though we carry this and that corruption about us we shall by little and little overcome all he will lead captivitie captive and overcome all in us as he did in his own person he that overcame for us will overcome in us if there be a Spirit of Faith to depend upon him Againe this Mysterie is a Mysterie of Godlinesse it tendeth to and enforceth godlinesse and holinesse of life Christ received up to glory You see then our flesh is in Heaven Christ hath taken into Heaven the pledge of our flesh and given us the pledge of his Spirit It was a dignifying of our nature that God should be manifest in our flesh that that was an abasing to him as God was an honour to our nature the Incarnation of Christ it was the beginning of his abasement in regard of his God-head for the God-head to be clouded under flesh but it was a dignifying of the humane nature that it should be graffed into the second Person And is it not a greater honour to our nature that now in Christ it is gone to Heaven and is there above Angels Our nature in Christ rules over all the world And wherefore is all this As it is for wondrous comfort so for instruction to carry our selves answerable to our dignitie What! hath God taken our nature upon him to the unitie of the second Person and exalted and honoured and enriched it Is he likewise gone to Heaven in our nature and is there above all Principalities and Powers all the Angels in Heaven attend upon him And shall we debase and dishonour our nature that is so exalted Let it worke upon us to carry our selves in a holy kind of state Shall we defile our selves with sinfull courses make our selves baser then the Earth we tread on worse then any creature for a man without grace is next to the Devill in miserie if God be not mercifull to him If God have thus honoured our nature above all created excellency whatsoever shall not this stirre us up to a correspondent carriage It is oft pressed by the Apostle that we walke worthy of our calling And indeed let us oft consider to what great matters we are called for the life of Heaven it must be begun upon Earth Whosoever hath this hope to be glorious with Christ in Heaven it purgeth him it frames him to be like the state he hopes for and he that hath not a care to sute and fit his carriage and disposition to the state he beleeves it is an emptie hope he deludes himselfe Whosoever shall be glorious with Christ in Heaven is also glorious now there is a Spirit of Glory resting upon them that is Grace Grace makes them glorious Those that have not a Spirit of Glory that is a Spirit of Grace to fashion and conforme them in some measure to be like Christ by little and little they have no right nor interest in the state of Glory that shall be revealed after Is Christ taken up to glory and for us as well as for himselfe
and praying to him and then using the meanes with dependance upon him Let us therefore acknowledge God this way by committing our wayes and affaires to him Wee need knowledge and strength and a comfortable issue for all that is necessay in our affaires let us acknowledge God and fetch all these from him Well the last thing that wee have any use of trusting God withall is when we are dying to trust our soules to commit them to God and yeeld them up to him our depositum to lay it with him He that hath inured himselfe to trust God all his life and to live by faith he will be able at length with some comfort to dye by faith Hee that hath trusted God all his life with all things that God hath trusted him he can easily trust God with his soule and he that hath not inured himselfe to trust God in this life undoubtedly he will never trust God with his soule when he dies it is but a forced trust Thus you see in all the passages of our lives we must learne to trust God and to make use of God for God is so abundant that hee is never drawne dry he joyes when he is made use of it is an honour to him Let us try our selves by that I have said whether we truly trust God or no let us not deceive our owne soules but labour to trust God for all things Let it be our daily practise in the use of meanes look to the course that he prescribes us and then looke up to him for strength and blessing and successe This ought to be the life of a Christian Oculus ad Coelum as they say of the Governour of a Ship he hath his hâ—nd to the Sterne and his eye to the Pole-star to be directed by that so the life of a Christian he must have his hand to the sterne he must be doing that that God prescribes him and hee must have his eye to the Starre to be guided in his course by Gods direction he that doth not this knowes not what it is to trust in God How shall we bring our soules to this so necessary a duty Indeed it is a very hard matter we know what it is to live by our wits by our wealth by our lands but what it is to live by faith in depending upon God few soules are acquainted with that Therefore in the first place learne to know God you see here we must trust in his name We know men by their names God and his name are all one his name is himselfe and himselfe is his name Therefore let us learne to know God as he hath discovered himselfe know him in his workes but especially in his word know him by that worke is he hath discovered himselfe in his word Let us know his promises and have them in store for all assaies whatsoever promises fâ—r grace and for direction in this world God will not faile us nor forsake us he will be in all extremities with us In the fire and in the water and the promises of issue All things shall work for good to them that love God and the promise of his Spirit He will give his holy Spirit to them that ask him Besides particular promises a world of them in Scripture let us know God in these promises they are our inheritance our portion And if we should go to God and not be acquainted with these he will aske us upon what ground How shall wee bee able to go to God But when we have his promise we may say boldly with the Psalmist Lord remember thy promise wherein thou hast caused thy servant to trust We may put God in remembrance not that he forgets but he will have us mindfull of what he promiseth and put him in minde Aâ—d it is an evidence to our soules that he will grant any thing when we have faith to put him in minde of his promise Lord remember thy promise wherin thou hast caused thy servant to trust Lord thou canst not deny thy word and thy truth and thy selfe and they promise and thy name by which thou hast made thy selfe knowne Thus we should know God in his word as it is Psal. 9. They that know thy name will trust in thee oh Lord. We never trust a man till we know him and those that are not good we say they are better knowne then trusted but the more we know God the more we shall trust him And know him in his speciall Attributes that the word sets him out in besides the promises that we may know that he is able to make good all these promises and then wee shall trust him What are those Attributes He hath made himselfe knowne to be All-sufficient what a world of comfort is in that He saith to Abraham I am God All-sufficient walk before me and be perfect take thou no thought for any other thing I am God All-sufficient There is in him whatsoever may be for an object of trust he is All-sufficient he hath power our trust is in the name of the Lord that made Heaven and Earth There is a consideration to strengthen faith there is power enough we beleeve in a God that made Heaven and Earth and there is will to helpe us he is our God and there is skill to helpe us as S. Peter saith he knowes how to deliver it is his practise he hath used it from the beginning of the Chuâ—ch and will to the end hee knowes how to deliver them to protect and stand by them he hath power and will and skill to doe it And then againe he is every wheâ—e he is such a Castle and Tower and defence we have him neere us in all times he is a present helpe in trouble as it is Psal. 46. what an object of trust is here if we had buâ— faith to make use of it Let us therefore know God in his word in his Attributes and this will bee a meanes to strengthen trust as it is Psal. 36. How sweet is thy goodnesse therefore shall the sonnes of men trust under the shaddow of thy wings Why come we under the shaddow of Gods wing Because his goodnesse is sweet he is a fit object for trust The things of this world the more wee know them the lesse we trust them for they are but vaine but there is such infinitenesse in God that the more we know him the more we shall trust him therefore let us grow in the knowledge of Gods word and truth And adde experimentall knowledge it helpes trust marvellously the experience of others and our owne experience when wee see God hath helped his Church in all times especially when they have sought him by fasting and prayer Our Fathers trusted in thee and were not confounded Psalme 22. Therefore if we trust in thee we shall not be confounded So for our owne experience Thou hast beene my God from my mothers wombe I have depended
for God to be included in the Wombe of a Virgin for happinesse it selfe to become a Curse for him that hath the Riches of all in him to become poore for our sakes for him that ever enjoyed his Fathers presence to want the beames of it for a time that he might satisfie his Fathers justice and undergoe his wrath for our sinnes here is a matter of wonderment indeed And shall we thinke so great a Mysterie as this was for small purpose That the great God should take upon him a Piece of Earth That he should become a poore and weake man The immortall God to take upon him our flesh and to dye That he whom Heaven and Earth cannot comprehend should be inclosed in the Wombe of a Virgin For him to be so abased as there was never any abasement like unto Christs because of the greatnesse of his Person If Angels had done so alas they were inferiour creatures they were servants to God but for the Sonne of God to take our nature when it was so low for so excellent a Person to be abased so low There was none ever suffered that that God in our flesh suffered For as communion with his Father was sweeter to him then to all men besides so for him to want communion with his Father upon the Crosse when he cryed My God my God why hast thou forsaken me It was the greatest abasement to him being the most sensible of it therefore there was no suffering like that of Christs And shall we thinke so great a matter was for small purpose for little sinnes or for few sinnes onely Oh no it was to give a foundation to our Faith in all extremitie of temptations to stay our Conscience in the guilt of great and crying sinnes Oh despaire not despaire not this Great Mysterie the Apostle speakes of for the great God to become man it was for great sinnes that where Sinne hath abounded Grace might super-abound God intended in this to set downe the accusing Conscience to quiet and still it God is offended it is true but God manifest in the flesh hath made reconciliation and satisfaction Hee was a Sacrifice for sinne and God will answer God God the Sonne will answer the displeasure of God the Father because he is appointed to this Office by him He is set forth as it is Rom. 3. to be the propitiation Therefore in all risings of Conscience in the time of trouble in the houre of death let us remember this Great Mysterie God manifest in the flesh Gods purpose in this was to triumph as it were over all the clamours of Conscience whatsoever over all things that Satan object what he will here is a shield put into the hand of Faith to beat back all his fierie darts God in the Covenant of Grace which is founded in Christ in God in our nature doth intend to be gracious to sinners It is a greater Mysterie then that of the Creation For God there did good to a good man he made Adam good and continued him good while he stood but after the fall God intended to rayse up the doubting unbeleeving soule against the greatest ills of sin and despaire and against all objections for sinne whatsoever from the greatnesse of sin either naturall or actuall It is the glory of God in the Gospel to glorifie his mercy and goodnesse in prevailing and triumphing over the greatest ills that can be Now he is good to sinners and to great sinners so that if there be Faith wrought by the Spirit of God raysing up our soules to lay hold of this God manifest in the flesh let us not be discouraged with any sin our sinnes are but the sinnes of men but God manifest in the flesh was made a Sacrifice for our sinnes and hath given a price answerable What temptation will not vanish as a cloud before the wind when we see Gods love in sending his Sonne and Christs love in taking our nature on him to reconcile us by the Sacrifice of his bloud Therefore let us treasure up this comfort it is a Spring of comfort a Well of consolation as the Scripture speaks therefore let us such comâ—ort out of this Brest of consolation We may turne over things now in the time of peace with ease but in the time of temptation when the soule is touched with guilt and Satan plyes us with temptations the soule will have no rest but in an infinite ground of comfort The soule is prone naturally to mis-give and to forecast the worst and to conceive hardly of God in the time of temptation as an enemie and Satan is then busie about nothing so much as that we should have hard conceits of God and to make us forget the maine end of the great worke of our Redemption which is to undermine our unbeleefe by all meanes by setting before the soule such grounds as the most unbeleeving heart in the world if it did consider of would fasten and lay it selfe upon Therefore let us labour to cherish at such times especially large thoughts of the infinite goodnesse and mercie of God and of the love of Christ condescending so low as to be manifest in the flesh for our sakes It is a point of wondrous comfort that now in CHRIST JESUS God becomming man we can in him break through the justice of God For as I said when Conscience is awaked there are other manner of conceits of God then when it is sleepie and drowsie A sleepie Christian hath a sleight conceit of God as if he as little thought of his sinnes as he doth himselfe Oh but when Conscience is awaked and when we are drawne from the pleasures of sinne and they from us and Conscience hath nothing to doe but to looke upon God and upon the time to come which is eternity then if there be not somewhat for Conscience to oppose that is equall to the justice of God if there be not somewhat about us to cloath us and arme us to passe thorow the justice what will become of us Therefore it is a fruitfull consideration that God was manifest in our flesh and that to give satisfaction to God that so Conscience might have full satisfaction This teacheth us what we should doe when we find any trouble rise in our Conscience for sins and unworthinesse Cast our selves upon God in our flesh God that became flesh for us and dyed for us let us stay our selves there I am unworthy a lumpe of sinne there is nothing in me that is good Oh but I have all in Christ he is righteousnesse for me he hath abundance for me his fulnesse is for me Therefore you have it Coloss. 2.16 The fulnesse of the God-head dwells in him bodily To what purpose is this fulnesse in him He shewes in the words following In him wee are compleate Suppose in our selves we be sinners and weake that we are as ill as sinne or the Devill
Divine Power so he will justifie his Mysticall Body and as he hath conquered in his owne person so he will by his Spirit conquer for his Church And as he will overcome for his Church so he will overcome in his Church stronger is he that is in the Church in you then he that is in the World and Gods children will be triumphant though they may be discouraged in respect of the present carriage of things yet the Spirit that is in them above the World will gather strength by little and little and it will appeare at length notwithstanding present discouragements undoubtedly the best things will have a true lustre and glory at length how-ever they seeme to be carryed for the present You see as Christ hath justified himselfe to be the true Messias and as he hath justified himselfe so he will justifie all his there is the same reason for both For our further instruction and comfort let us consider that in regard of God likewise we shall be justified from our sinnes in our consciences here and at the Day of Judgement before Angels and Devils and men As Christ was justified from our sinnes himselfe and he will justifie every one of us by his Spirit his Spirit shall witnesse to our Soules that we are justified and likewise his Spirit shall declare it at the Day of Judgement it shall be openly declared that we are so indeed There is a double degree of justification one in our conscience now another at the Day of Judgement Then it shall appeare that we have beleeved in Christ and are cleansed from our sinnes when we shall stand on the right hand of Christ â—s all that cleave to Christ by faith then it shall appeare that by him we are justified from all our sinnes whatsoever Againe Christ was justified in the Spirit Then hence we may learne our dutie we ought all of us to justifie Christ. To whom is Christ justified by the Spirit onely to his owne Church and Children not to the reprobate World We may know that we are members of Christ if wee be of the number of those that justifie Christ. How doe we justifie Christ We justifie Christ when from an inward worke of the Spirit we feele and acknowledge him to be such an one as he is Christ is God Now when we relie upon him as our Rock in all temptations we justifie Christ to be so when we kisse the Sonne with the kisses of faith of subjection of obedience of reverence and love this is to justifie Christ to be the Sonne of God as it is Psal. 2. Kisse the Sonne lest he be angry Those that in temptation are to seeke for their comfort they doe not justifie Christ they doe not live as if he were a Saviour not as if he were a God in temptations to despaire they justifie not Christ. Those that have Christ illuminating their understandings to conceive the Mysteries of Religion they justifie Christ to be the Prophet of his Church because they feele him enlightning their understandings Those that find their consciences pacified by the obedience and sacrifice of Christ they justifie him to be their Priest for they can oppose the bloud of Christ sprinkled on their hearts to all the temptations of Satan and to the risings of their owne doubting conscience their hearts being sprinkled with the bloud of Christ they can goe to God and the bloud of Christ speakes for them Peace it pleads Mercie Mercie Thus we justifie Christ as a Priest when we rest in his Sacrifice and doe not with Papists runne to other Sacrifices this is not to justifie Christ To justifie Christ God-man is to make him a perfect Mediator of intercession and redemption to make him all in all They doe not justifie Christ that thinke God was made man to patch up a salvation that he must doe a part and we must merit the rest oh no take heed of that account all our obedience and all that is from us as menstruous clothes not able to stand with the Justice of God In a word we justifie and declare and make good that he is our King and put a Kingly Crowne upon his head when we suffer him to rule us and to subdue our spirits and our rebellions when we cherish no contrarie motions to his Spirit when we rest in this World and not traditions but stoupe to the Seepter of Christs Word this is to justifie him as a King Thus we should labour to justifie and declare to the World the excellencie and power of Christ in our hearts that we may make Religion lovely and make it be entertained in the World because we shew it to be an excellent powerfull thing Let us examine our hearts whether we thus justifie Christ or no that by our carriage towards him we make it good that he is such an one as the Scripture sets him forth to be In particular we justifie him that he rose from the dead when we beleeve that we are freed from our sinnes our Suretie being out of Prison We justifie him as ascended into Heaven when we have heavenly affections and when we consider him as a publike person gone to Heaven in our name We justifie him as sitting at the right hand of God when we mind the things that are above and not that are here below or else we denie these things wee beleeve them not we justifie them not when our conversations are not answerable to the things we beleeve If we be the children of Wisedome undoubtedly we shall justifie Wisedome If we be the members of Christ we shall justifie our Head if wee be his Spouse we shall justifie our Husband Let us examine our selves that we doe in this kind and never thinke our state good till we can justifie Christ. In the next place for our direction as Christ justified himselfe by his Spirit by his Divine Power so let us know that it is our dutie to justifie our selves to justifie our profession justifie all Divine Truth Let us make it good that we are the Sonnes of God that we are Christians indeed not onely to have the name but the annointing of Christ that we may cleare our Religion from false imputations or else instead of justifying our profession we justifie the slanders that are against it The World is readie to say None are worse then Christians and their Religion is all but words and shewes and formes Shall wee justifie these slanders No let us by the Spirit of God justifie our Religion let us shew that Religion is a powerfull thing and so indeed it is For Divine Truth when it is imbraced and knowne it alters and changeth the manners and dispositions it makes of Lions Lambes it makes our natures mild and tractable and sweet it rayseth a man from Earth to Heaven Let us justifie this our Religion and profession against all gainesayers whatsoever Wisedome is justified
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
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
carryed it to Heaven with him Here was the Mysterie of the Exaltation of our nature God was as much abased as he could be being borne and dying for us our humane nature was as much advanced as it could be when God raised it up to Heaven God could be no more abased remaining God and mans nature can be no more advanced remaining the true nature of man This is a great Mysterie the advancement of our nature in Christ that was made lower then the Angels he was a worme and no man now our nature in Christ is advanced above the Angels Now this nature of ours in Christ it is next to the nature of God in dignitie here is a Mysterie Among many other respects it is a Mysterie for the greatnesse of it We see after his Ascension when he appeared to Paul in glory a glimpse of it strucke Paul downe he could not endure it Nay before he suffered a very shadow of his glory it amazed Peter and Iames and Iohn they could not beare it they forgat themselves Let us build say they three Tabernacles c. If a little discoverie of his glory on Earth wrought these effects what great glory is it then that he hath in Heaven Certainely it is beyond all expression In this glorious condition that Christ is received into he fulfils all his Offices in a most comfortable manner He is a glorious Prophet to send his Spirit now to teach and open the heart he is a glorious Priest to appeare before God in the Holy of Holies in Heaven for us for ever and he is a King there for ever from thence hee rules his Church and subdues his enemies So that though he accomplished and fulfilled those blessed Offices that were appointed him in the state of humiliation on Earth as it became that state to suffer for us yet it was necessarie that he should enter into glory to manifest that he was a King Priest and Prophet for he was not manifested who he was indeed to our comfort till he was received up in glory We had not the Spirit the Holy-Ghost sent from above till he ascended as it is in Iohn 7. The Holy-Ghost was not given because Christ was not ascended to apply and to helpe us make use of Christ and all his benefits and riches so that in regard of the manifestation of Christs Offices and of application of all the good we have by it it is by Christ received up in glory To come to some application First of all we must lay this for a ground and foundation of what followes That Christ ascended as a publike person he must not be considered as a particular person alone by himselfe but as the second Adam As he tooke the nature of man in his Incarnation so he ascended into Heaven in it as a publike person As the first Adam was in whom we all sinned and all came to misery and basenesse and died so Christ must be considered as the second Adam as in other things so in his ascension to glory In the second place we must know that there is a wondrous neerenesse betweene Christ and us now for before we can thinke of any comfort by the glory of Christ we must be one with him by Faith for he is the Saviour of his Body therefore we must be in him we must be his members we must be his Spouse and being so once we are one with Christ. There is no relation in the world that is able to expresse the neerenesse betweene Christ and us sufficiently and therefore when we speake of Christ ascended into glory we must needs think of our selves of our glory and advancement he was taken up to glory in our nature not only for himselfe but for all his As the husband of the Church he is gone before to take up Heaven for his wife as a husband takes up Land in another Countrey for his Spouse though she be not there Christ hath taken up Heaven for us I goe before to prepare a place for you So likewise he is in Heaven as a glorious Head ministring vertue and comfort and strength to all his all our power and strength it comes from Christ now as our Head in Heaven Againe there is a causality the force of a cause in this because Christ therefore we here is not onely a priority of order but a cause likewise and there is great reason Was there the force of a cause in Adam that was but meere man to convey sinne and misery and the displeasure of God to all that are borne and descend of him and is there not the force of a cause in the second Adam to convey grace and glory to his he being God man Therefore whatsoever is good it is first in Christ and then in us Christ first rose therefore we shall rise he ascended into glory therefore we shall be afterward in glory And then we must consider Christ not onely as an efficient cause but as a patterne and example how we shall be glorified he is not onely the efficient of all glory within and without but he is the exemplary cause for all is first in him and then in us he was first abased and so must we and then he was glorified and so shall we we must be conformable to his abasement and then to his glory he is the first fruits of them that sleepe he being the first fruits we succeed These things being premised as grounds I come to make some use of this comfortable point Christ is received up in glory Therefore first of all for our information we must not seeke him in a Wafer-cake we must not looke for him in the Sacrament bodily how can he be there when he is received up in glory Therefore when we come to the Sacrament let us consider we have now to deale with Christ who is in Heaven Cannot Christ shew his vertue to comfort and strengthen us but we must have his Body in the Communion to touch our bodies The foot hath influence from the head yet the head is distant from it in place The utmost branches have life and sap from the root yet they are remote in respect of place A King spreads his influence over his whole Kingdom though it be never so large yet he is but in one place in respect of his person Doth the Sunne in the Heavens come downe to the Earth to make the Spring and to make all fruâ—tfull Cannot he send beames and influence from thence to cherish the Earth Must Christ come downe in his Body to us or else he can doe us no good Must there be a corporeall descent or else we can receive no influence from him There may be a derivation of vertue from Christ though his person be in Heaven where he shall remaine till the last day when he shall come to be glorious in his Saints The Sunne doth more good being in Heaven
then he could doe if he were on the Earth if the Sun were lower what wouâ—d become of the Earth But being so remote and so farre above he hath opportunity to shine over the greatest part of the Earth at once being greater then the Earth he shineth over more then halfe the Earth at once Christ being in Heaven as the Sunne of Righteousnesse he shines more gloriously over all and we have more comfort and benefit and influence from Christ now in Heaven then we could if he were on Earth Must we needs make him bodily present every where as the Papists doe and other Heterodox strange conceited men in Germanie What need we doe thus when there may be influence from Christ now in Heaven to us on Earth as we see in other things without confusion of his Divine properties to his Body or making his Body as his God-head is Therefore seeke him not bodily any where but in Heaven Those Opinions overthrow three Articles of our Faith at once He ascâ—nded into Heaven He sitteth at the right hand of God and He shall come to judge the quicke and the dead And where is his Body in the meane time in the Sacrament No he is received up in glory Therefore we must have our thoughts in heaven when we are about that businesse we must lift up our hearts as it is in our Liturgie which is taken out of the ancient Liturgie We lift them up unto the Lord we must have holy thoughts raysed up to Christ in Heaven Againe is Christ received up to glory Here is singular comfort considering what I said before that he is ascended as a publike person in our behalfe in our nature for our good Therefore when we thinke of Christ in Heaven think of our Husband in Heaven thinke of our selves in Heaven We are set together in heavenly places with Christ as the Apostle saith Ephes. 2. We have a glorious life but it is hid with Christ in Heaven When Christ himselfe shall be revealed our life shall be revealed though we creepe upon the Earth as wormes yet notwithstanding we have communion and fellowship with Christ who is joyned with us in the same Mysticall Body who is now at the right hand of God in Heaven and he that hath glorified his naturall Body in Heaven that he tooke upon him he will glorifie his Mysticall Body for he tooke flesh and blood his naturall Body for the glory of his Mysticall Body that he might bring his Church to glory Therefore we ought as verily to beleeve that he will take his Mysticall Body and every particular member of it to Heaven as he hath taken his naturall Body and hath set it there in glory It is a comfort in the houre of death that we yeeld up our soules to Christ who is gone before to provide a place for us this was one end of his taking up to Heaven to provide a place for us Therefore when we die we have not a place to seeke our house is provided before hand Christ was taken up to glory to provide glory for us Even as Paradise was provided for Adam before he was made so we have a heavenly Paradise provided for us we had a place in Heaven before we were borne What a comfort is this at the houre of death and at the death of our friends that they are gone to Christ and to glory We are shut out of the first Paradise by the first Adam our comfort is that now the heavenly Paradise in Christ is open This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise sayth Christ to the good Theefe There was an Angell to keepe Paradise when Adam was shut out but there is none to keepe us out of Heaven nay the Angels are ready to convey our soules to Heaven as they did Lazarus and as they accompanied Christ in his Ascension to Heaven so they doe the soules of his children Likewise in our sinnes and infirmities when we have to deale with God the Father whom we have offended with 〈◊〉 sinnes let he 〈…〉 comfort from hence Christ is ascended into Heaven to appeare before his Father 〈◊〉 a Mediator for us and therefore God turnes 〈◊〉 his 〈◊〉 from us we have a friend a favorite in the Court of Heaven the Sonne of God himselfe at his Fathers right hand he makes inteâ—â—â—ssioâ— for us As Ionathan appeareth in 〈◊〉 Court to speake a good word and to plead for David so our Ionathan Iesus Christ but with farre better successe appeares in the Court of Heaven for us continuing our peace with God in our daily breaches perfuming our prayers And there is no danger of his death for He is a Priest for ever at the right hand of God to make intercession for us his very presenting himselfe in Heaven speaks for us As if he should say These persons that aske in my Name they are such persons as I was borne for such as I obeyed for such as I dyed for such as I was sent into the world to work the great wolke of Redemption for for he wrought our Redemption in his abased estate but he applyes it as he is exalted application is as necessary as merit we have no good by the worke of Redemption without application and for that end he appeares in heaven for us and pleads for us For even as there is speech attributed to Abels blood it cryed Vengeance Vengeance so Christ appearing now in heaven for us his blood cryes Mercie Mercie these are those I shed my blood for Mercie Lord The very appearing of him that shed his blood it cryes for mercy at the Throne of Mercie which is therefore a Throne of Mercie because he is there he shed his blood to satisfie Justice to make way for Mercie In the Law the High-Priest after he had offered a Sacrifice of blood he was to goe into the Holy of Holies so Christ after he had offered himself for a Sacrifice he went into the Holy of Holies into heaven to appeare before God And as the High-Priest when he went into the Holy of Holies he had the names of the twelve Tribes on his brest to shew that he appeared before God for them all so Christ being gone into the Holy of Holies into heaven he hath all our names upon his brest that is in his heart the name of every particular beleever to the end of the world to present them before God Therefore when we have to deale with God thinke of Christ now glorious in heaven appearing for us God can denie him nothing nor denie us any thing that we aske in his Name we have his Promise for it It is a ground likewise of contentment in all conditions whatsoever our wants be What if we want comfort houses c. on Earth when we have Heaven provided for us and Glory provided for us when we are already so glorious in our Head Shall not any condition content a man in this world
that hath such a glorious condition in the eye of Faith to enter into We should not so much as looke up to heaven without comfort Yonder is my Saviour yonder is a house provided for me we should thinke and looke upon heaven as our owne place whither Christ is gone before and keepes a roome for us Here we may want comforts we may be thrust out of house home out of our habitation and Countrey and all but all the world and all the Devils in hell they cannot thrust us out of heaven nor dissolve and breake the communion that is betweene Christ and us they cannot take away either grace or glory from us Therefore we should be content with any condition in this world Christ is ascended into heaven to keep a blessed condition for us Likewise when we thinke of the troubles of this world of the enemies we have here thinke of Christ taken up to glory and thinke of Christs order first he suffered and then he entred into glory so we must be content to suffer first and then be glorious We are predestinate to be comformable to Christ wherein stands our conformitie It is in abasement first and then in glory Christ entred into glory in this order and shall we thinke to come to Heaven in another order then Christ did Shall we wish for a severed condition from him If we be in Christ all that we suffer in this world they are sufferings of conformity to make us sutable to our Head and to fit us for glory And our greatest abasements what are they to the abasement of Christ None was ever so low and there is none so high as he was the lowest in abasement so he is the highest in glory when he was at the lowest in the Grave not onely dead but under the kingdome and command of death then he rose gloriously and ascended Our lowest abasements are fore-runners of our advancement and glory this assumption of Christ to glory should helpe us in this respect In all disconsolations there is a world of comfort hence We must not thinke of 〈◊〉 as if his honours had changed his manners as it is among men that now he is become stately that he doth not regard his poore Church No such matter he regards his poore Church now he is in Heaven as much as he ever did The members here cannot suffer any thing but the Head in Heaven is sensible of it as it is Act. 9 Saul Saul why persecutest thou me The foot is trod upon and the tongue complaines Our blessed Saviour is not like Pharaohs unkind Butler that forgat Ioseph when himselfe was out of prison Christ being advanced to honour now forgets us not here No he is as good Ioseph that was sent into Aegypt to provide for all the Family before hand So this our Ioseph the great Steward of Heaven and Earth he is gone to provide for us all against we come to Heaven he forgets us not he disdaines not to looke on things below he considers every poore Christian he is as mercifull now as he was when he was upon Earth as you have it largely proved Heb. 4.7 He was man for this end that he might be a mercifull High-Priest and he is so in Heaven and pitties all our infirmities it is not here Out of sight out of mind for as I sayd he hath us in his breast I and he is with us by his Spirit to the end of the world He is taken up to Heaven in his Body but his Spirit which is his generall Vicar is here with us to the end of the world I will send you the Comforter and he shall abide alway with you And it is better for us to have the Comforter here without his bodily presence then to have his bodily presence without the abundance of his Spirit as it was better with the Disciples when he was taken up to Heaven and was present by his Spirit then it was before We lose nothing therefore by the ascension of Christ it was for us he was given for us borne for us he lived for us he died for us he rose and ascended to Heaven for our good It is good for you that I goe it was to provide a place for us and to send the Comforter all was for our good whatsoever he did in his abasement and exaltation Againe this administreth comfort in regard of the afflictions of the Church When the Church is under any abasement at the lowest it hath a glorious Head in Heaven and what doth he sit there and do nothing No he sits at the right hand of God rules his Church even in the midst of his enemies If he doe give the chaine to them it is for speciall ends his people stand in need of all that they endure and he measures it even to a Dram whatsoever his Church suffers for they are his members and he is sensible of their sufferings He is a High-Priest that is touched with our infirmities therefore nothing can befall his Church without his government He le ts loose the enemies thus far and then he restraines them and subdues and conquers them making them his foot-stoole The enemies seeme to domineere now and trample on the Church but ere long they shall become the Churches foot-stoole Christ will governe his Church till all his enemies be under his feet He is ascended into Heaven for this purpose and he is fitting his Church by these afflictions for greater grace in this world and for eternall glory in the world to come Therefore let us not take scandall at the present sight of things We stand amazed to see the state of Europe at this time but for our comfort let us consider that Christ is taken up to glory and he sits in Heaven and rules his Church and will guide all these Wartes to a good and gracious end He sits at the Sterne the Ship may be tossed where Christ sleepes but it cannot be drowned the House that is built upon a Rock it may be blowne upon it shall never overthrowne the Bush wherein the fire is it may burne but it shall never be consumed the Church wherein Christ rules and governes it may be tossed it shall never be overcome and subdued Nay by all these things that the Church suffers Christ rules and exerciseth his Churches graces mortifies his Churches corruptions It is necessarie there should be some change standing waters breed Frogges and other base creatures so it is with Christians if there be not some exercise by afflictions what kind of vices grow As we see in these times of peace what kind of lives most men live that we may take up an admiration that God should be so mercifull to continue his Truth to acompanie of proud base carnall persons that lead lives under the Gospel no better then if they were in Paganisme Therefore we cannot looke for any good without further abasesement
what manner of men ought we to be in holy conversation We should keepe our selves unspotted of the wicked world Shall we thinke to have communion and fellowship with Christ in glory when we make the members of Christ the members of Harlot when we make our tongues instruments of blaspheming God and Christ as a company of vile wretches that will come to the Ordinances of God and yet have not overcome their Atheisticall nature so much as to leave their swearing and filthy courses Doe we think to have communion with Christ in glory and not get the victorie over these base courses Doe we professe our selves to be Christians and live like Pagans Hath God such need of people to fill heaven with that he will have such uncleane persons Shall we have such base thoughts of heaven No beloved these things must be left if ever upon good ground we will entertaine thoughts of fellowship in this glory There is a new Heaven and a new Earth for the new creature and onely for such Let us not delude our selves there must be a correspondence betweene the Head and the members not onely in glory but in grace and the conformitie in grace is before the conformitie in glory Will God overturne his methode and order for our sakes No No all that come to Heaven he guides them by his Spirit here in grace and then he brings them to glory He gives gâ—ace and glory and no good thing shall be wanting to them that leade a godly life but first grace and then glory Therefore let not the Devill abuse us nor our owne false hearts to pretend a share in this glory when we finde no change in our selves when we finde not so much strength as to get the victorie over the base and vile corruptions of the world The Apostle from this ground inferres mortification of our earthly members You are risen with Christ your life is hid with Christ in God and we are dead with Christ Therefore we ought to mortifie all sinfull lusts For the soule being finite it cannot be carryed up to these things that are of a spirituall holy and divine consideration but it must dye in its love and affection and care to earthly things and sinfull courses Therfore let us never thinke that we beleeve these things indeed unlesse we finde a disposition by grace to kill and subdue all things that are contrarie to this condition Though somewhat there will be in us to humble us or else why are Precepts of Mortification given to them that were Saints alreadie but that there is somewhat will draw us downe to abase us But this is no comfort to him that is not the child of God that lives in filthie courses that he might easily command him selfe in let him abandon the name of a Christian he hath no interest to the comfort of this that Christ is received up to glory Againe the Mysterie of Christs Glory it tends to godlinesse in this respect to stirre us up to heavenly-mindednesse The Apostle doth divinely force this in the fore-named place Coloss. 3.1 If ye be risen with Christ seeke the things that are above From our communion with Christ rising and ascending into Heaven and sitting there in glory he forceth heavenly mindednesse that our thoughts should be where our Glory is where our Head and Husband is and certainely there is nothing in the world more strong to enforce an heavenly mind then this to consider where we are in our Head Christ our Head and Husband is taken up into glory there is our Inheritance there are a great many of our fellow brethren there is our Countrey there is our happinesse We are for Heaven and not for this world this is but a passage to that glory that Christ hath taken up for us and therefore why should we have our minds groveling here upon the Earth Certainely if we have interest in Christ who is in glory at the right hand of God it is impossible but our soules will be raysed to heaven in our affections before we be there in our bodies All that are Christians they are in heaven in their spirit and conversation before-hand our heavy dull earthly soules being touched by his Spirit they will ascend up The Iron when it is touched with the Loadstone though it be an heavy body it ascends up to the Loadstone it followes it The Sunne it drawes up vapours that are heavy bodies of themselves Christ as the Loadstone being in Heaven he hath an attractive force to draw us up There is not the earthliest disposition in the world if our hearts were as heavy as Iron if we have communion with Christ and have our hearts once touched by his Spirit he will draw us up though of our selves we be heavy and lumpish This meditation that Christ our Head is in glory and that we are in heaven in him and that our happinesse is there it will purge and refine us from our earthlynesse and draw up our Iron heavy cold hearts It is an argument of a great deale of Atheisme and infidelitie in our hearts as indeed our base nature is prone to sinke downe and to be carryed away with present things that professing to beleeve that Christ is risen and ascended into heaven and that he is there for us yet that we should be plodding and plotting altogether for the Earth as if there were no other heaven as if there were no happinesse but that which is to be found below There is nothing here that can satisfie the capacious nature of man therefore we should not rest in any thing here considering the great things that are reserved for us where Christ is in glory Therefore when we finde our soules falling downe of themselves or drawne downeward to base cares and earthly contentments by any thing here below let us labour to rayse up our selves with such meditations I know not any more fruitfull then to consider the glory to come and the certainetie of it Christ is taken into glory not for himselfe onely but for all his for Where I am sayth he it is my will that they be there also Christ should lose his prayer if we should not follow him to Heaven it is not onely his prayer but his will and he is in Heaven to make good his will The Wills of men may be frustrate because they are dead but he lives to make good his owne will and his will is that we be where he is Now if a man beleeve this can he be base and earthly-minded Certainely no Where our treasure is our hearts will be there also by the rule of Christ where the body is the Eagles will resort if we did make these things our treasure we would mount above earthly things there is nothing in the world would be sufficient for us if we had that esteeme of Christ and the glory where Christ is as we should and might have And it is
not only meditation of these things that will cause us to be heavenly-minded but Christ as a Head of influence in Heaven conveyes spirituall life to draw us up When I am ascended I will draw all men after me There is a vertue from Christ that doth it there is a necessitie of the cause and consequence as well as strength of reason and equitie there is an influence issuing from Christ our Head to make us so indeed therefore those that are otherwise they may thanke themselves The best of us indeed have cause to be abased that we betray our comfort and the meanes that we have of raysing up our dead and dull hearts for want of meditation Let us but keepe this Faith in exercise that Christ is in Heaven in glory and we in him are in Heaven as verily as if we were there in our persons as we shall be ere long and then let us be uncomfortable and base and earthly-minded if we can To conclude all As the soule of man is first sinfull and then sanctified first humble and then raysed so our meditations of Christ must be in this order first thinke of Christ as abased and crucified for the first comfort that the soule hath is in Christ manifested in the flesh before it come to received up into glory Therefore if we would have comâ—ortable thoughts of this Christ received up in glory thinke of him first manifest in the flesh let us have recourse in our thoughts to Christ in the Wombe of the Virgin to Christ borne and lying in the Manger going up and downe doing good hungring and thirsting suffering in the Garden sweating water and blood nayled on the Crosse crying to his Father My God my God why hast thou forsaken me finishing all upon the Crosse lying three dayes in the Grave have recourse to Christ thus abased and all for us to expiate our sinne he obeyed God to satisfie for our disobedience Oh here will be comfortable thoughts for a wounded soule pierced with the sense of sinne assaulted by Satan To thinke thus of Christ abased for our sinnes and then to thinke of him taken up into glory In the Sacrament our thoughts must especially have recourse in the first place to Christs Body broken and his blood shed as the Bread is broken and the Wine poured out that we have benefit by Christs abasement and suffering by satisfying his Fathers wrath and reconciling us to God Then thinke of Christ in Heaven appearing there for us keeping that happinesse that he hath purchased by his death for us and applying the benefit of his death to our soules by his Spirit which he is able to shed more abundantly being in that high and holy place Heaven for the Spirit was not given in that abundance before Christ was ascended to glory as it hath beene since In this manner and order we shall have comfortable thoughts of Christ. To thinke of his glory in the first place it would dazle our eyes it would terrifie us being sinners to thinke of his glory being now ascended but when we thinke of him as descended first as he sayth Who is he that ascended but he that descended first into the lower parts of the Earth So who is this that is taken up in glory is it not he that was manifest in our flesh before This will be comfortable Therefore let us first begin with Christs abasement and then we shall have comfortable thoughts of his exaltation These points are very usefull being the maine grounds of Religion having an influence into our lives and conversations above all others other points have their life and vigour and quickning from these grand Mysteries which are the food of the soule Therefore let us oft feed our thoughts with these things of Christs abasement and glory considering him in both as a publike person the second Adam and our Suretie and then see our selves in him and labour to have vertue from him fitting us in body and soule for such a condition The very serious meditation of these things will put a glory upon our soules and the beleeving of them will transforme us from glory to glory FINIS ANGELS Acclamations OR THE NATIVITY of CHRIST celebrated by the heavenly Host. BY The late learned and reverend Divine RICHARD SIBS Doctor in Divinity Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at Grayes-Inne ISAI 9.6 To us a Child is borne to us a Sonne is given 1 PET. 1.12 Which things the Angels desire to looke into LONDON Printed by E. P. for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and Rapha Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes head Alley in Pater-noster Row 1638. ANGELS ACCLAMATIONS LUKE 2.13 14. And suddenly there was with the Angell a multitude of the heavenly Host praising GOD and saying Glory to GOD in the highest and on earth peace Good will towards men THE Words are few and pregnant very precious having much excellency in a little quantity The Heavens never opened but to great purpose when God opens his mouth it is for some speciall end and when the Angels appeared it was upon some extraordinary occasion This was the most glorious Apparition that ever was setting aside that that was at Christs Baptisme when the Heavens opened and the Father spake and the Holy-Ghost appeared in the likenesse of a Dove upon the head of Christ when all the Trinity appeared but there was never such an apparition of Angels as at this time and there was great cause for there was never such a ground for it whether we regard the matter it selfe the incarnation of Christ there was never such a thing from the beginning of the World nor never shall be in this World for God to take mans nature on him for Heaven and Earth to joyne together for the Creator to become a creature Or whether we regard the benefit that comes to us thereby Christ by this meanes brings God and man together since the fall Christ is the accomplishment of all the Prophesies of all the promises they were made in him and for him therefore he was the expectation of the Gentiles Before he was borne he was revealed by degrees First generally The seed of the woman c. Then more particularly to Abraham and his seed and then to one Tribe Iudah that hee should come of him then to one family the house of David and then more particularly a Virgin shall conceive and beare a sonne and the place Bethlehem till at the last Iohn Baptist pointed him out with the finger Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world Even as after midnight the Sun growes up by little and little till his beames stâ—â—ke forth in the morning and after it appeares in glory so it was with the Sunne of Righteousnesse as he came nearer so hee discovers himselfe more gloriously by degrees till hee was borne indeed and then you see here a multitude of Angels
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
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
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
cannot see the nature of God in any thing in the world so much as in Christ in Christ we see as in a glasse his infinitie sweet Wisedome his Justice and Holinesse in hating and loathing of sinne But the maine of all is his Mercy and Goodnesse which set him on worke to contrive this great worke of Redemption by the Incarnation and death of Christ the infinite rich glorious aboundant mercy that is the maine thing wherein God is glorious now in Christ therefore every where you have these and the like titles put to his goodnesse and mercy The bounty of God appeared and the riches of his mercy and the exceeding great height and breadth and depth of his love There are no words large enough to set out the goodnesse and mercy of God in Iesus Christ. Therefore I will onely speake of this Attribute because this beares the mastery among all the other Attributes though God be equally powerfull and just and yet he expresseth his mercy and grace most of all in Iesus Christ towards poore wretched man For after the fall man being miserable and sinfull what Attribute can exalt it selfe but Mercy to misery and grace to sinfull man in pardoning his sinne considering in what termes man stood there was no other Attribute could exalt it selfe but grace and mercy to triumph over misery and sinne As it is in a City those that are otherwise equall in honour yet sometimes one beares rule above another and he that is now Magistrate and chiefe take him at another time he is inferiour to others so since the fall the mercy of God beares office and is chiefe Governour and Commander over all the Attributes of God For as I said what moved God to set his Wisedome on worke to contrive such a thing as the salvation of man-kinde to reconcile God and man in one person his Mercy moved him What moved him to satisfie his Justice It was that an excellent way might be made without prejudice to any other of his Attributes for his free grace and Mercy that is it that set all the other on worke that is the maine triumphing Attribute considering man now standing in that exigence of Mercy therefore Glory to God in the highest heavens especially for his free grace and Mercy in Christ. Now that you may understand this sweet point which is very comfortable and indeed the grand comfort to a Christian doe but compare the glory of God that is the excellency and eminency of Gods mercy and goodnesse and greatnesse of this work of Redemption by Christ with other things God is glorious in the worke of Creation The heavens declare the glory of God and the earth manifests the glory of God every creature indeed hath a beame of the glory of God especially those celestiall bodies in the heavens they praise God in their kinds but with our mouthes they give us matter of praise and if we have gracious hearts we take notice of it and magnifie him for his goodnesse his goodnesse appeares in the use of the creatures and his greatnesse in the bulke of the creatures his wisedome in ordering and ranking of them so that his mercy shines in all things in heaven and earth marvelously oh but beloved heaven and earth shall come to nothing ere long and what is all this glory of the goodnesse and greatnesse of God to us if we be sent to hell after this short life is ended what comfort is it that we goe on the earth and enjoy the comforts that God gives us in this world and then to perish for ever therefore the glory and goodnesse of God doth not so gloriously appeare in the creation of the world Nay the glory of Gods love and mercy shined not to us so when we were in Adam not to Adam for there God did good to a good man he created him good and shewed goodnesse to him that was not so much wonder but for God to shew mercy to an enemy to a creature that was in opposition to him that was in a state of rebellion against him it is a greater wonder and more glory It was a marvelous mercy for God to make man out of the earth but here God was made man he became man himselfe there all was done with one word Let us make man it was easily done But in this for Christ to become man for us and to suffer many things to be made a curse for us it was not so easie a matter therefore herein there is a great manifestation of the glory of Gods goodnesse and mercy to us for God hath set himselfe to bee glorious in his mercy and goodnesse and grace in Christ hee hath set himselfe to triumph over the greatest ill in man which is sinne in the glorious worke of Redemption So that you see here is the greatest glory and mercy of God appeares in our Redemption by Iesus Christ the foundation of which is his incarnation In Exod. 34.6 God doth make an answer to Moses who desired to see the glory of God that he might have it manifested to him not out of curiosity but that he might love God the more how doth God manifest his glory to him Iehovah strong mercifull glorious pardoning sinne and Iniquity when God would set himselfe to shew his glory in answering Moses petition he doth it in setting out his glorious mercy and grace and loving kindnesse in pardoning sin and iniquity to shew that he will now have his glory most appeare in the sweet Attribute of mercy and compassion in the forgivenesse of sinnes c. In Titus 2. 12. The grace of God hath appeared teaching us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts c. The grace of God hath appeared Grace hath not a body to appeare visibly I but Christ appeared and when he appeared it was as if grace and love had beene incarnate and tooke a body so that grace and mercy most of all shines in the Incarnation of Christ. I need not cleere the point further but onely make a little use of it and so end Doth the grace and love and mercy of God those sweet Attributes now appeare and shew themselves in Iesus Christ. I beseech you let us remember it there is no point of Divinitie of more use and comfort especially in the greatest plunges and extremities for it answereth all objections the greatest and strongest that can be made The sinner will object my sinnes are great of long continuance and standing they are of a deepe dye Looke then upon God in Christ and consider his end in the Incarnation of Christ it was that his mercy and goodnesse and grace should be exalted and triumph over all mans unworthinesse the greater thy sinnes are the greater will be the glory of his mercy and that is it God seekes for now to be glorious in his mercy Againe thy heart tells thee that if there be any mercy shewed to such a wretch as thou art
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
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
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
but this shall be sufficient for this time and Text. FINIS THE CHVRCHES RICHES BY CHRISTS POVERTY By The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICHARD SIBBS Dr. in Divinity Master of Katharine-Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher at GRAIES-INNE Luke 9.58 The Sonne of man hath not where to lay his head EPHES. 2.7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace c. LONDON Printed by R. Badger for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-Noster Row 1638. THE CHVRCHES RICHES BY CHRISTS POVERTY 2. COR. 8 9. For yee know the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ that though he was rich yet hee became poore for your sakes that yee through his poverty might be rich THE nature of man is very backward to doe good our hearts being like to greene wood that hath but a little fire under it that must bee continually blowne up so those sparkes of grace that are in us must bee stirred up Therefore the Apostle being to stirre up these Corinthians to beneficence and bounty towards the poore he labours to enforce it by many reasons in this and the next Chapter Man being an understanding creature God would have what we doe in matters of religion to proceed from principles becomming men and christians therefore hee sets us upon duties from reasons and because examples together with reasons are very forcible therefore the Apostle after many forcible reasons to bee liberall to the Saints hee joynes examples first of the Macedonians that were a poorer people then the Corinthians to whom the Apostle now wrote But because people are not so comfortably lead by the example of equalls or inferiours they thinke it a kinde of upbraiding of them accounting themselves as good or better then they therefore the Apostle leaves exhorting them from the example of the Macedonians that were poorer and propounds an example beyond all exception the example of CHRIST himselfe hee stirres them up to bounty and goodnesse by the example of him who is goodnesse it selfe you know the grace of our LORD IESUS CHRIST who though he were rich he became poore c. As if hee should have said if the example of the poore Macedonians will not moove you to give bountifully yet let the example of our SAVIOUR hee was rich yet hee became poore to enrich you therefore you must not thinke much to bestow somewhat on his poore members Examples have a very great force in mooving especially if they bee examples of great persons and those that love us and we them and that are neare us The example of CHRIST it is the example of a great person and one that loves us and whom wee ought to love againe therefore the Apostle propounds that Hee might have alledged the precept of CHRIST there are many commands that CHRIST gives of bounty and liberality to the poore Bee mercifull as your heavenly Father is mercifull and give freely looking for nothing againe and the poore yee shall have alwayes with you But because example hath a more allureing power it moves more freely precepts have a more compelling force therefore herein hee followes the streame of our disposition which rather desires to bee easily drawne then to bee forced and pressed hee brings not the precept but the example of CHRIST For you know the grace of our LORD IESUS CHRIST c. The poynts considerable in the words are First of all that Christ was rich There is no question to be made of this truth Christ was rich because hee was the second Person in Trinity the Soone of God the Heire of Heaven and earth rich every way When he was poore he was God then though he covered his God-head with the vayle of humanity with our base and beggerly nature that he took upon him hee was alway rich But especially this hath reference to what he was before he tooke our nature he was rich because he was God and indeed God onely is rich to purpose independently and eternally rich Riches imply among other things plenty and plenty of precious and good things and propriety they must bee good things that are our owne Christ had plenty of excellent things and they were his owne he was not onely rich in treasure as he saith gold is mine and silver is mine but heaven and earth that containes all treasures are his The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof and it is he that made the heavens hee that made heaven and earth must needs be rich nay if there were neede he can make a thousand heavens and earthes hee is not onely mighty but Almighty not onely sufficient but Al sufficient he can doe what may be done he can doe what he hath done and more then he hath done and more then we can conceive hee can remove all difficulties that hinder him he is rich in power and wisedome every way The poynt is very large but it is not so pertinent to the text to shew what he was in himselfe but what hee was for our sakes therefore I will bee shorter in it Hence then you see that Christ was before hee was exhibited hee did good before he appeared hee was rich before he tooke our nature upon him hee was God before hee was man Against the cursed heresie of Arius which I will not now rake up againe but undoubtedly you see here a good ground of that grand Article of our faith Christ was God before hee tooke our nature hee came therefore hee was before hee came he was sent therefore he was before he was sent he was God before hee was God manifest in the flesh In Phil. 2.6 it is largly and excellently set downe Let the same minde bee in you that was in Christ Iesus who being in the forme of God thought it noe robbery to bee equall with God but hee was made of no reputation hee tooke upon him the forme of a servant and was made in the likenesse of man hee was found in the fashion of man he humbled himselfe and became obedient to death even to the death of the Crosse therefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name above all names It is a large Comment and explication upon this text hee was God hee thought it no robbery to bee equall with God The Divels which were Angels before they fell would be Gods by usurpation and robbery they were not content in the place they were in but they would be Gods independent of themselves it was robbery for them to doe it therefore from that high place of excellency they were throwne downe to the lowest hell of Angels they became Divels but Christ was God not by usurpation and robbery against Gods will but he was God by nature hee was rich by nature he thought it no robbery no disparagment nor usurpation to be equall with God hee did God no wrong in it Therefore
his example it is not prevalent unlesse wee can say as the Apostle to the Corinthians here for your sakes Againe for your sakes not for himselfe he became not poore to make himselfe richer hee did not merit for himselfe what neede hee for by vertue of the union of the humane nature with the God-head heaven was due to him at the first moment as soone as hee was borne what should hinder him had he any sin of his own No there was nothing to keepe him from heaven and all the joy that could be in respect of himself but he had our salvation to worke he had many things to do and suffer and therefore of his infinite goodnesse he was content that that glory that was due to him should be stayed he became a servant to appease his Fathers wrath for us and procure heaven for us for us men for us sinners as it is in the ancient Creed and as the Prophet saith to us a Child is borne to us a Sonne iâ— given for us he was borne for us he was given for us he lived for us he died for us he is now in heaven for us he humbled himselfe to death even to the death of the Crosse to a cursed death Therfore when we heare of Christs poverty let us think this is for me not for himselfe this will increase our love and our thankfulnes to him Againe it was for us for mankinde not for Angels for when they fell they continue in that lapsed state for ever this advanceth Gods love to us more then to those noble creatures the Angels who remaine in their cursed condition to all eternity The end of Christs becomming poore That wee through his poverty might bee made rich How are wee made rich by the poverty and abasement of Christ By the merit of it and by efficacy flowing from Christ for by the merit of Christs poverty there issued satisfaction to divine justice and the obteyning of the favour of God not onely for the pardon of our sins but favour and grace to bee entituled to life everlasting and then by efficacy we are enriched by the power of his spirit who altereth and changeth our natures makes them like to the divine nature But more particularly what be the riches that we have by the poverty of Christ First our debt must be paid before wee could bee enriched wee are indebted for our soules and bodies wee did owe more then wee were worth we were under Sathans kingdome therefore Christ discharged our debt There is a double debt that he discharged the debt of obedience the debt of punishment Christ satisfied both for the debt of obedience he fulfilled the law perfectly and exactly for us and for the debt of punishment hee suffered death for us and satisfied divine justice so by his poverty wee are made rich by way of satisfaction for our debts And not onely wee are made rich by Christ paying of our debts but he invests us into all his owne riches he makes us rich partly by imputation partly by infusion By imputation his righteousnesse and obedience is ours his discharge for our debts is imputed to us and likewise his righteousnesse for the attaining of heaven he having satisfied for our sinnes God is reconciled to us and thereupon we are justified and freed from all our sinnes because they are punished in Christ for the justice of God cannot punish one sin twise so we come to bee reconciled because we are justified and we are justified from our sins because Christ as a surety hath discharged the full debt And hence it is that wee are freed from all that is truely ill from the wrath of God and eternall damnation and freedome from the greatest ill hath respect of the greatest good for what had we beene if we had lien under that cursed condition But Gods workes are compleat hee workes like a God therefore we are not onely freed from evill in justification but intitled to heaven and life evelasting And then he makes us rich by infusion of his holy Spirit by working all needfull graces of sanctification in us for by the vertue of Christs death the spirit is obtained and by the spirit our natures are changed so wee have the riches of holinesse from Christ the graces of love of contentment of patience courage c. of his fulnesse we receive grace for grace grace answerable to the grace that is in him the same spirit that sanctified his humane nature and knit it to his divine it sanctifieth his members and makes them rich in grace and sanctification which is the best riches Then againe wee are rich in prerogatives we are the sonnes of God by adoption what love saith the Apostle hath the Father shewed that wee should be called the sonnes of God and this wee have by the poverty of Christ whatsoever Christ is by nature we are by grace he is the Sonne of God by nature we are his sonnes by grace and being sons we are heires heires of heaven and heires of the world as much as shall serve for our good all things are ours by vertue of our adoption because we are Christs and Christ is Gods there is a world of riches in this to be the sonnes of God And what a prerogative is this that we have liberty and boldnesse to the throne of grace as it is Ephes. 3. that wee have boldnesse to appeare before God to call him Father to open our necessities to fetch all things needfull to have the eare of the King of heaven and earth to be favourites in the court of heaven every Christian may now goe boldly to God because the matter of distance our sinnes which make a separation betweene God and us they are taken away and the mercy of God runs amaine to us our nature in Christ standing pure and holy before God And then wee have this grand prerogative that all things shall turne to the best to us what a priviledge is this that there should be a blessing in the worst things that the worst things to a child of God should bee better then the best things to others that the want and poverty of a Christian should be better then the riches of the world because there is riches hid in his worst condition condition Moses esteemed the rebuke of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Aegypt A crosse or the want of any blessing sanctified is better then the thing enjoyed that hath not Gods blessing with it a Christian is so rich that â—ee is blessed in his very afflictions and sufferings it is a greater prerogative to have ill turned to our good then not to have the ill at all It is an argument of greater power and of greater goodnesse that God should turne the greatest ills the greatest wrongs and discomforts to the greatest good as he doth to his children for by them hee
is for our good if he send poverty and disgrace it is for our good to fit us for a better state God in his infinite wisdome knowes better what is good for us then we doe for our selves In the want of any thing let us beleeve that Christ is given as a publike treasure to the Church Thus we may improove the grace and riches we have in Christ. Againe let us labour to make a good use of every favour we enjoy of our liberties and recreations we have all by the poverty of Christ therefore let us use them in a sober manner not as the fashion is to cast off all care of Christ to powre out our selves to all licentiousnesse Let us consider this liberty and refreshing that I have it is from the blood of Christ as Davids Worthies when they brake through w th the danger of their lives to get him water Oh saith he I will not drink it it is the blood of these men so whatsoever liberties and good things I have I have it by the poverty of Christ by the blood of Christ and shall I misuse it And certainely it will make us esteeme more highly of our spirituall priviledges then of outward considering they cost Christ so deare He became poore to set us up when we were utterly banckrupt he stripped himselfe of all to make us rich shall we not therefore esteeme and use these things well And when we are tempted to sinne this will be a great meanes to restraine us I am freed from sinne by the blood of Christ shall I make him poore againe by committing sinne Shall I wrong him now he is in Heaven The Iewes despited him on earth in the forme of a servant but our sins are of a higher nature of a deeper double dye we sin against Christ in Heaven in glory When we are tempted to sinne this consideration will make us ashamed to sin since Christ hath bought our liberty from sinne at such a raâ—e shall we make light of sinne that cost him his deare bloud and the sense of his fathers wrath that made him cry out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me It is impossible that any man should powre out himselfe to sin that hath this consideration Christ became poore that we through his poverty might be made rich The next thing is the ground or spring from whence all this comes it is from grace you know the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ. It was his meere grace There was nothing that could compell him God the Father could not compell him because he was equall with his Father being God there was an equality of essence And then what was there in us that should move him to abase himselfe so low was there any worth in us No we were dead was there any strength in us No we were dead in sins was any goodnesse in us No we were Christs enemies was there any desire in us No we were opposite to all goodnesse in our selves there was no desire in us to be better then we were if God should have let us alone to our owne desires we were posting to Hell It is the greatest misery in the world next to Hell it selfe to be given up to our owne desires A man were better to be given up to the Divill then to his owne desires he may torment him and perhaps bring him to repentance but to be given up to his owne desires leads to Hell It is meerely of grace grace it was the grace of God the Father that gave his Son and it was grace that the Son gave himselfe What is grace It is a principle from whence all good comes from God to us As God loves us men and not Angels it is Philanthropia as Gods affection is beneficiall to our nature so it is love as it is to persons in misery so it is mercy as it is free without any worth in us procuring it so it is grace It is the same affection only it differs outwardly in regard of the object Hence we see that Christ must be considered as a joynt cause of our salvation with the Father It is the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ you see here he became poore to make us rich Indeed he was sent and anointed and sealed and had authority of his Father yet notwithstanding his joynt grace and consent went with it Therefore he was a principle as Chrysostome speaks with a principle he differs nothing at all from his Father but in order of persons first the Father and then the Sonne both being joyntly God and both joynt causes of the salvation of mankinde The Father chose us to salvation the Sonne paid the price for us and the Holy Ghost applyes it and sanctifies our natures God the Father loved the world and gave his Sonne Christ loved the world and gave himselfe he loved mee and gave himselfe for mee saith S. Paul Therefore wee should think of the sweet consent of the Trinity in their love to mankinde so the Father loved us that he gave his Sonne so the Sonne loved us that he gave himselfe so the Holy Ghost loves us that he conveighs all grace to us and dwels in us and assures us of Gods love Wee must not thinke of Christ as an underling in the worke of salvation hee is a principle in the worke from his Father The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ it is the cause of all It was the cause why hee was man It is the cause of all grace that is in us that that is the cause of the cause is the cause of the â—hing caused The grace of Christ is the cause of all in us because it was the cause of Christs suffering from whence we have grace Grace was the cause that Christ was man and that he suffered therefore it is the cause of grace in us Christ was a gift the Father gave him and he gave himself If thou hadst knowne the gift of God saith Christ to the Woman of Samariah Oh it is the greatest gift that ever was Therefore when wee thinke of any one of the Persons in the Trinity we must not exclude the rest but include all which is a comfortable consideration because there is a sweet union of all the three Persons in the great work of salvation As Christ saith I in the Father and the Father in me not in essence alone he is God and I am God but I am in the Father and he in me I consent with the Father and the Father with me we both agree in the great worke of salvation Therefore we should returne the glory of all the good wee have to God the Father and to Christ and as it is in Revel 5. Worthy is the Lambe because he hath redeemed us When we think of the good we have by Christ worthy is the Lambe because he shed his blood for us The Lambe of God that takes away the sinnes of the
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