and suffers its proud Waves to be bounded and checkt by the Sand. There go the ships and there is that Leviathan whom he hath made to play therein The Earth faithfully performs the Task that was imposed upon it at its first Creation and ceases not to bring forth its fruit in its Season and the most inconsiderable Creature that it nourishes even the smallest Fly publishes the wisdom and power of its Creator as much as the greatest Elephant And who again that considers these things can chuse but proceed with the Psalmist and say Praise the Lord from the earth ye dragons and all deeps fire and hail snow and vapour stormy wind fulfilling his word Mountains and all hills fruitful trees and all cedars beasts and all cattel creeping things and all fowl And shall all these inferiour Creatures daily laud and magnifie their Maker as most plainly they do while in their several Stations they perform his Commands shall the little Birds warble out Hymns of Praise and every Hedge produce a Quire to sing an Hallelujah and shall Man alone be silent Man whom God himself hath crowned with glory and honour whom he hath made to have dominion over the works of his hands and hath put all things under his feet all sheep and oxen yea and the beasts of the field the fowl of the air and the fish of the sea and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas Man whom when he had lost all this Honour when Sin had laid both it and himself together in the dust out of which they were both raised at the first God was pleased by a Miracle of mercy to restore to Honour once more nay to greater Honour than he had before even to the Honour if he forfeits it not again by his own monstrous Ingratitude of being made like unto the Angels in Heaven of being numbred among the children of God and having his lot among the saints I say shall Man whom of all the rest of his Creatures God hath delighted most to Honour be of all the rest of the Creatures the most ungrateful and most backward to give Praise and Glory to God Oh wheresoever this Ingratitude be to be found let it not be found amongst us but let us still joyn with the Psalmist and say Kings of the earth and all people princes and all judges of the earth both young men and maidens old men and children Let them praise the name of the Lord for his name only is excellent his glory is above the earth and heaven Thirdly that this Duty of glorifying God is both reasonable and necessary is evident in as much as all Mankind both good and bad shall most certainly one way or other give glory to God For the Lord will be King for ever be the people never so tumultuous and unquiet and though he be offended and provoked and blasphemed every day yet he is strong as well as patient and will one day vindicate his abused patience and longsuffering and will exalt himself above the heavens and his glory above all the earth Then shall all those foolish Wretches that refused to give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name and to celebrate the Praise of his mercy that endureth for ever be forced by their everlasting Punishment to glorifie his Justice For the glory of the Lord shall endure for ever the Lord shall rejoyce in his works For he hath made all things for himself saith Solomon Yea even the wicked for the day of evil Prov. 16.4 Thus did God get himself Honour as well by punishing the stubbornness of Pharaoh whom he overthrew in the Sea as by rewarding the obedience of Moses to whom he gave Power to command it And thus at the end of all things will he cause his Justice eternally to shine as bright and glorious below even in the midst of the infernal darkness as his mercy shall above in the Regions of light and happiness And Oh how sad how dreadful will our Condemnation be if we neglect this great Salvation that is offered us if notwithstanding this wonderful Redemption that God hath wrought for us we will again sell our selves Slaves to Sin and Satan And if but the tasting of a forbidden fruit brought Death into the world and made all Mankind obnoxious to the eternal wrath of God what Vengeance is reserved for them that tread under foot the Blood of his only begotten Son that despise the very height of his Love and the utmost riches of his Mercy Since then we must unavoidably glorifie either the Mercy of God or his Justice let us chuse rather to adore the former than to be broken in pieces by the latter for they that will not submit to his gentle Government while he holds forth his golden Sceptre shall be sure to feel the Severity of his rod of Iron Lastly for I must not be tedious though the Subject be so copious that I might heap up Arguments without number Since there is not the least part of the Creation excepting wicked Men and wicked Angels but what sets us an Example and invites us to glorifie our Creator this Duty of glorifying God is most highly reasonable for us to perform while we are upon Earth because it will be our eternal Task if ever we come to Heaven Those glorious Mansions above resound incessantly with Hymns of Praise unto the King of Saints To whom all Angels cry aloud continually the Heavous and all the powers therein Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbaoth Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory If therefore we desire to perform this Duty in the next Life it is not only reasonable but necessary that we begin is in this For certainly if we do not now tune our Voice to an Hallelujah and practise the Musick of Heaven while we are upon Earth Candidates for a Place in the celestial Choire we shall never be qualified to bear a part in that new Song which is to be sung before the throne of God and none shall be able to learn it but the Saints that are redeemed from the Earth Let us therefore now and evermore joyn with those blessed Spirits in glorifying our Almighty Creator saying as our Church teaches us and with which words we will at present break off our Discourse Therefore with Angels and Archangels and with all the Company of Heaven we laud and magnifie thy glorious Name evermore praising thee and saying Holy holy holy Lord God of Hosts Heaven and Earth are full of thy Glory Glory be to thee O Lord most high SERMON V. 1 COR. VI. 20. For ye are bought with a price c. THE reasonableness of this Duty of glorifying God to which in these words the Apostle exhorts us we have already seen and indeed he must be blind that sees it not when the whole Creation joins unanimously in the constant performance of it and every Corner of it declares the Power and Wisdom and Goodness of the
Cross despising the Shame and is set down at the Right Hand of the Throne of God Let us continually lift up our Hearts with most devout and ardent Affections unto him who is our Prophet our Priest and our King yielding as far as we are able an intire and impartial Obedience to all his Laws submitting our Selves wholly to his Will and to the guidance of his Holy Spirit in all Things So when this King of Glory shall come again with the Keys of Heaven and Hell in his Hands to render unto every Man according to his Works he shall open for us those everlasting Doors through which he himself is already passed as our Fore-runner and place us in those happy Mansions of Bliss and Joy which he hath prepared for us where we shall be Kings and Priests unto God for ever Unto which unconceivable Glory and Honour c. SERMON VII MATT. XI 28. Come unto me all ye that Labour and are heavy Laden and I will give you Rest GREAT Travel is created for every Man saith the Son of Sirach Eccles 40.1 and an heavy Yoke is upon the Sons of Adam from the Day that they go out of their Mother's Womb till the Day that they return to the Mother of all Things Their imagination of Things to come and the Day of Death trouble their Thoughts and cause fear of Heart from him that sitteth on a Throne of Glory unto him that is humbled in Earth and Ashes from him that weareth Purple and a Crown unto him that is clothed with a Linen Frock This is the sad Condition of all the Sons of Men by Nature an unhappy Patrimony entailed upon us by the first Adam's Disobedience and from which nothing but the perfect Righteousness and satisfaction of the second Adam can deliver us The former utterly ruined and undid us when we were once Happy The latter came on purpose to seek and to save us when we were lost The former hung upon our Necks the heavy and intolerable Yoke of Satan a Burden under which the whole Creation groans and which if we shake it not off will at the last sink us down into the bottomless Pit The latter came to rescue us from this Bondage and to lay upon us a Yoke indeed too but such a Yoke that should be so far from pinching and oppressing us that it should exalt us and draw us up with it even to the highest Heavens a Yoke that should be light and easie to us at the present and that should procure for us Eternal Rest and Felicity hereafter And here in my Text he makes a most gracious Invitation and a promise of Refreshment to every Man that finding himself thus Burdened and Oppressed will come unto him for help Come unto me all ye c. In the handling of which Words we will consider these three Things First Who they are that are here invited Secondly Unto whom they are invited Thirdly For what end they are invited First Then they to whom this Invitation is made are they that Labour and are heavy Laden and that not some few of them only but all without any exception all such are welcome Guests unto Christ Come unto me saith he all ye that Labour and are heavy Laden This Invitation then seems to be made without respect of Persons to all Mankind For nothing is more certain than that all Mankind is heavy laden with the burden of Sin which is the Thing here meant in these Words This is so evident from innumerable Texts of Scripture that I need not produce Arguments to prove it For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God But tho' nothing be more plain than that all have sinned and consequently that all are laden with this Burden yet nothing is more plain also than that all do not Labour under it Many Men indeed most Men are so far from labouring under the Burden of Sin that they delight and take pleasure in it and can by no means be perswaded to think of parting with it Such Persons as these are so far from seeking Rest in being eased of their Sins that on the contrary they seek for Rest and Happiness in Sin it self where it is certain that it never can be found For there is no Peace saith my God to the Wicked Such therefore are excluded from this Invitation of our Saviour who tho' he calls Sinners unto him yet calls none but such as are weary of their Sins and desire to be delivered from them Secondly Such are excluded likewise who trust in their own Righteousness and presume that they have little or no need of a Saviour Such were the Pharisees of Old of whom our Lord gives us a Character Luk. 18.11 in the Example of the Pharisee that justified himself and despised the Publican praying on this manner God I thank thee that I am not as other Men are Extortioners Unjust Adulterers or even as this Publican I fast twice in the Week I give Tithes of all that I Possess And such are those of the Church of Rome at this Day who presume that they can merit Heaven by their own Works nay more than so that they can do Works of Supererrogation and sell them also for the benefit of others that stand in need of them contrary to the express Command of our Saviour to his Disciples Luk. 17.10 When ye have done all those Things which are commanded you say We are unprofitable Servants We have done that which was our Duty to do and contrary to the Example of the wise Virgins Matt. 25.9 who refused to part with any of their Oyl unto the Foolish lest there be not enough say they for us and you But go ye rather to them that sell and buy for your selves Such Persons as these then both such as delight in Sin and such as trust in their own Righteousness are utterly excluded from this Invitation of our Saviour There is no Promise no hopes of Rest for any such But all they that would be welcome Guests unto Christ must be sensible of the heavy Load and Burden of their Sins so as to be heartily weary of it and most earnestly to desire to be rid of it So that here is a double Qualification required in all those Persons whom Christ here so graciously calls unto him First They must feel the Burden of their Sins so as to Labour under it to be extremely wearied and oppressed with it Secondly They must unfeignedly desire to be rid of this Burthen so as to be delivered not only from the Punishment that is due unto Sin but from the Guilt also and Pollution of Sin that it may no longer reign in their mortal Body that they should obey it in the Lusts thereof First I say all that will come unto Christ must feel the burthen of their Sins so as to labour under it and to be extremly wearied and oppressed with it This is evident from the express Words of our Saviour's Invitation
a Commonwealth soon after the coming of the Messias and that it did so about 40 years after our Saviour's Crucifixion is matter of Fact as evident and undeniable as the other Nay more than thus forasmuch as it is plain in Chronology that the Commonwealth of the Jews was not destroyed immediately upon the Birth of our Saviour nor immediately after his Death This Prophecy points directly at the time when that fatal Destruction should come upon them that should wrest the Sceptre out of their hands if we understand it as the Learned Mr. Mede doth much more agreeably to the Original and to the completion of it than is our English Translation viz. thus The Sceptre shall not depart from Judah until Shiloh come and the gathering of the people be to him and so it is plain that this Destruction of the Jewish Polity was not to happen immediately upon the coming of the Messias but first the people were to be gathered unto him i. e. were to submit to his Government and to own him for their Lord which was fulfilled when the Apostles had executed the Commission which our Saviour gave them and had converted the Gentiles in all Countreys of the then known World to the Christian Faith then immediately followed the utter Subversion of the Jewish State as our Saviour had foretold Matth. 24.14 This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all Nations and then shall the end come Then did the Sceptre finally and totally depart from Judah according to this ancient Prophecy of the Patriarch Jacob. The second Prophecy which I shall instance in to prove that our Saviour came at the time appointed by God for the coming of the Messias is Hagg. 2.6 7 and 9th Verses Thus saith the Lord of hosts yet once it is a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land and I will shake all nations and the desire of all nations shall come and I will fill this house with glory saith the Lord of hosts The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former saith the Lord of hosts and in this place will I give peace saith the Lord of hosts Unto which I shall joyn that of Mal. 3.1 as being exactly parallel Behold I will send my Messenger and be shall prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple even the Messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in behold he shall come saith the Lord of hosts The chief end and design of both these Prophecies is to foretel that the Messias should come while the second Temple was standing viz. that Temple which was built by Zerubbabel after that the Jews were returned from the Babylonish Captivity and afterwards repaired and beautified by Herod Thus the ancient Rabbies and Doctors of the Jews understood these Texts as well as we however their modern Writers now labour to wrest them to some other sense that they may not be forced to own our Saviour to be the true Messias at whom it is evident nevertheless that these Texts do directly point For whereas as we read Ezr. 3.12 when Zerubbabel had begun to build this Temple many of the ancient men among the Jews that remembred the former Temple that was built by Solomon wept when they considered how much inferiour this would be to that thereupon God sends the Prophet Haggai to encourage them in the building of it and to assure them That the glory of this latter house should be greater than of the former But wherein was the Glory of this Temple greater than that of Solomon's Indeed it lasted a little the longer of the two and but a little not the Age of a man for it never attain'd to be threescore and ten years older than the former But if it had lasted twice as long what is this to the Glory and Splendour of it For if Glory be the product of Age then an old Cottage is more honourable than a new Palace And as for any other Glory except that which it received by being honoured by the Presence of the Messias it is certain that in all other respects it came far short of Solomon's Temple For who can with any reason suppose that a conquered Nation newly returned out of Captivity from under the hand of a potent Enemy should have so much Wealth and Riches as to be able to build a Temple that might vie with that of Solomon's who exceeded all the Kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom And though it be true that Artaxerxes gave very large and magnificent Contributions towards the building of this second Temple yet is it not to be imagined that Artaxerxes an Heathen King either took so much care or bestowed so much cost about the building of this Temple as Solomon did about his who according to that mighty Wisdom and Riches with which God had blessed him built unto the Honour of God's name both for Cost and Workmanship undoubtedly the stateliest Fabrick that ever the world beheld Neither is it at all probable that Herod when he rebuilt and beautified this Temple anew made it equal to Solomon's But suppose it had been equal to it or exceeded it in the Splendour and Magnificence of its building yet it is certain and the Jews themselves acknowledge it that it was far inferiour to it in matters of an higher Nature For gold and silver and precious stones were the least part of the Glory of Solomon's Temple It s greatest Glory was that God was pleased to make it the peculiar place as it were of his Residence and especial Presence here upon Earth The place where his honour dwelt and that far more visibly and eminently than ever it did in the second Temple before the coming of Christ For besides that at the Dedication of Solomon's Temple we read that Fire came down in a wonderful manner from Heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices and the glory of the Lord filled the house so that by reason of it the Priests were not able to enter into it and there is no mention made of any such Miracles being shewed at the Dedication of the second it had also the Urim and Thummim and the Ark of the Covenant which were signal Tokens of the Divine Presence and from whence God was wont to give Answers to the High Priest when he came to enquire of him both which were wanting in the second To this we may add also the Spirit of Prophecy so frequently manifest in the Prophets during the time of the first Temple and ceasing all the time of the second for about 400 years together even from Malachy the last of the Prophets in the Old Testament until the coming of our Saviour Since then in all these respects the Glory of the second Temple was far short of that of the former and yet God here by his Prophet
Gospel absolutely deny that there was ever any such purchase made disowning both the Divinity of Christ and the satisfaction of his Sufferings As if the God of Truth had studied to impose upon the credulity of Mankind and when he tells us most plainly in his word that he hath purchased his Church with his own blood that we are bought with a price and that our blessed Saviour gave himself a ransome for all and that not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a full sufficient and satisfactory Ransome yet all this while he means quite otherwise than what the words seem to import and none but these few sagacious Sophisters are ever able to discover the Divine Fallacy How many thousands are there yet even amongst us Christians who instead of glorifying God in their body and in their spirit openly dishonour him in both glory in their shame and by their wicked and profligate Lives crucifie afresh the Son of God and blaspheme that worthy Name by which they are called Lastly how many Myriads how many Millions are there besides all these that yet sit in darkness and in the shadow of Death Who never heard of the glad tidings of the Gospel nor have had their understandings enlightened and their hearts revived and awakened out of the deadly Lethargy of Pagan Ignorance and Superstition and Idolatry by the benign and salutiferous influence of the Son of righteousness Who instead of glorifying God give away his Glory to his greatest Enemy and do Sacrifice unto the Devil These are sad Considerations that infinite Mercy and Love should be received with such prodigious Scorn and Ingratitude that so invaluable a price as God hath given for us should be paid in vain for the greatest part of Mankind that but a small and inconsiderable number in comparison of the whole Race of Adam should wash their robes and make them white in the blood of that Lamb that was slain for the sins of the whole World and was a Sacrifice every way sufficient to make an atonement for them all Who can reflect upon these things without sorrow Since then the Case is thus with us that most of us are liable to lose the benefit of this Price by neglecting to perform this Duty of glorifying God to which it hath indispensably obliged us let us briefly consider the reasonableness and necessity of this Duty that we may be the more encouraged unto it upon these following Accounts First this Duty of glorifying God is exceeding reasonable forasmuch as God himself is the only Object in the world that is in and for himself glorious and adorable It is a Maxim in Heraldry that the King is the Fountain of Honour how much more then is that Prerogative peculiar unto God By whom Kings reign and Princes decree Justice From whom all Honour both in Heaven and Earth is derived and unto whom it returns again and centers it self as the Rivers in the Ocean When we look upon the Moon shining in its full strength and beauty we cannot but confess that its Light is very pleasant and comfortable to behold but it diminishes much from its Excellency when we consider that all its Lustre is borrowed and that should the Sun withhold its influence the other would be nothing else but a dark invisible Globe So likewise when we consider the Angels and Archangels and all the mighty Powers of Heaven that excel in Strength and Goodness and Holiness we must needs acknowledge that these are Creatures beyond all our thoughts happy and glorious but when we consider further that as great and good and happy as they are yet still they are but Creatures and that all these rich Endowments that they have received they owe to the father of spirits from whom alone comes every good and perfect gift all the Praise and Glory redounds solely to the Almighty Creator Who makes his Angels spirits and his Ministers a flaming fire and to whose Soveraign Will and uncontrolable Power the highest Archangel is as subject and subservient as the most despicable Insect that we trample under our Feet Since therefore it is most plain and undeniable that God is the only Object in the world that is in and for himself glorious and is the Spring and Fountain of Glory and Honour to all his Creatures that do in any measure participate of it reason dictates to us and we need enquire no further that it is our Duty to glorifie him and that should we do otherwise even the very stones under our feet might justly rise up in Judgment against us and condemn us Secondly as God is the only Object that is in and for himself glorious and that in an infinite and incomprehensible manner so he created all things at the first for the manifestation of his own Glory and requires this Homage to be paid him by every one of his Creatures in their respective Capacities For any of the Creatures even for the greatest of them to love himself above all things or to make his own Glory and Honour the end of his Actions is Folly is Injustice is Sin is such foolish and unreasonable Pride as cast the fallen Angels out of Heaven and Man out of Paradise But for God to do thus is both wise and just seeing that Wisdom and Equity requires that nothing less than infinite Perfection should be the adequate Object of infinite Love and Glory and therefore it would be a manifest piece of Injustice of which God can never be capable for him to give that Love or Glory to another which is due to none else but himself alone And accordingly he himself hath told us that he never will do it I am the Lord saith he that is my name and my glory will I not give to another Isa 42.8 No he hath reserved it wholly to himself and for the manifestation of it he hath created all things So the four and twenty Elders confess Rev. 4.11 Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created The ultimate end of the whole Creation was the Glory of the Creator The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy-work saith the Psalmist Ps 19.1 whoth at considers the certain and regular Motions of the celestial Bodies can chuse but extol and magnifie the Power and Wisdom of that God that made them saying with the Psalmist Praise ye him sun and moon praise him all ye stars of light Let them praise the name of the Lord for he commanded and they were created He hath also established them for ever and ever he hath made a decree which shall not pass Neither were the Heavens only created for the Glory of God but the Earth also declares the same and his wonders are seen in the Deep Even the merciless and unruly Sea obeys the Decree of him who hath shut it up with doors
by us in her Morning Service that so we might be continually put in mind of this duty and be careful always to behave our selves Humbly Reverently and Devoutly in the House of God Thirdly It is necessary that we worship God with our Body for the satisfaction both of Men and Angels It is the peculiar Prerogative of God that he only can discern the secret Thoughts and Intentions of our Hearts and therefore though a private Ejaculation of our Soul wherein our Body is not at all concerned may be very acceptable and well-pleasing in his sight at other times yet in the time of our Publick Devotions in the Church the case is otherwise For there both Men and Angels are Spectators of our Piety neither of which can judge of the Sincerity of it any otherwise than by our outward Behaviour which if it be devout and reverent they will conclude that our Soul is so too and will gladly joyn with us in our publick Worship of that God who is the common Lord and Master of us all But if otherwise not only all good Men will take offence at our Prophaneness but we shall much more offend those blessed Spirits and provoke them to loath and abhorr our Religious Assemblies which delight to frequent them so long as they observe that we behave our selves so that they may plainly discern our inward Piety by our outward Deportment And for this reason St. Paul forbids Men to be covered in the Church and Women to be uncovered because of the Angels 1 Cor. 11. The Angels cannot endure to behold any such indecency and disorder in the Church but are highly displeased at it as a thing that tends much to the dishonour of God and most evidently discovers that such persons as are guilty of it are destitute of true Religion for it cannot be imagined that when every little Passion of our Mind causes more or less some visible alteration in our Body that Religion which is the noblest Passion with which our Soul can be affected and that too at that very time when we come with a pretence to profess it openly before Men and Angels in God's own House should cause no alteration at all but that our Body all this while should sit as unconcerned as one of the Pillars of the Church No certainly if our Soul were truly humbled as it ought to be before the Throne of Grace it would command the Body to humble it self likewise to uncover the Head and bend the Knee to lift up the Eyes and the Hands and to bear it company with a devout and reverent behaviour of all its Members in its Suit and Supplication to the Divine Majesty Therefore as St. James exhorts us to shew our Faith by our Works so likewise let us shew the Devotion of our Soul by that of our Body For as Faith without Works is dead so is inward Piety especially in the time of God's Publick Service in the Church dead also except it be accompanied by bodily Worship Lastly That God is to be worshipped with our Body as well as with our Soul is evident from the universal consent and practice of Mankind in all Ages all Nations and Countries of the World whatsoever Not only Christians but Jews Mahometans Heathens and Pagans all agree in this point that Divine Worship is to be performed by our Body as well as by our Soul And therefore those Men that imagin Bodily Worship to be needless in the Service of God and behave themselves accordingly do in effect render themselves no better than Monsters not only to be wondered at but even to be abhorred in that particular by all the rest of Mankind and certainly an honest Pagan being before acquainted with the Custom of our Country which obliges us to uncover our Heads and to stand bare in the presence of our betters though but mortal Men like our selves should he come into some of our Churches and observe Men sitting irreverently with their Hats on in the House of God even at the very time when they are receiving a Message concerning their everlasting Salvation from the Mouth of his Ambassadour would stand astonished and exclaim against Christianity as the most impious and profane Religion in the World that allowed men to be hail fellow well met with that God whom they pretend to worship shewing him less respect and reverence even in his own House than they ordinarily pay to a Man that is but a little their Superiour either in Estate or Quality And I would fain have those persons that dare be thus impudent in the presence of the Almighty answer me this one Question Whether they would do the same thing in case they should see God visibly sitting upon his Throne of Glory or in case they should see the Lord Jesus coming in the Clouds of Heaven attended with all his Angels If in this case they would fall down and worship as I question not but that they would I know no reason why they should not likewise behave themselves with a profound Reverence and Devotion both of Body and Soul in the Church which is the place of God's special and extraordinary presence and is when we behave our selves in it as we ought a lively emblem and representation of Heaven it self and then surely it is but reasonable that we that sit at God's Foot-stool here on Earth should uncover our Heads and bend our Knees in his presence when we read that the Holy Angels do no less above casting their Crowns and falling down and worshipping before his Throne in Heaven and if we will not follow their Example now it is greatly to be feared that we shall never be admitted to bear them company hereafter But after all this granting which I hope I have sufficiently proved that bodily Worship of God is necessary it may reasonably be demanded wherein this bodily worship chiefly consists and what Gestures and Ceremonies are to be used by us in our performance of it To which I answer that herein we are to be determined by the Custom of the Countrey wherein we live and the appointment of the Church whereof we are Members In general therefore those Gestures and Ceremonies which by the Custom of our Countrey we are obliged to use in token of civil Honour and Respect in our Addresses to men that are much our Superiours as for Example to the King himself we are to use likewise by way of religious Worship to Almighty God If therefore it be an affront to the King for a Subject to be covered in his presence or to offer a petition ro him in any other posture but upon his Knees reason will tell us that it must needs be a much greater affront to God for any man to put his Hat on in his house or to sit irreverently upon his Seat when the Minister is upon his Knees offering up Prayers and Supplications unto the Throne of Grace in the Name of the whole Congregation Persons that thus mis-behave
themselves in the Worship of God may justly expect such an answer from him as he gives to the Priests that offered polluted bread upon his Altar Mal. 1.8 Offer it now unto thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy Person saith the Lord of Hosts In the Oriental Countries therefore where men never use this Ceremony of uncovering their Heads to their Superiours but stand covered even in the Presence of their Emperour neither is it practicable in their Temples since amongst them the uncovering of the Head is so far from being acknowledged to be a Demonstration of Honour and Respect that it is indeed lookt upon to be an absurd and ridiculous thing and therefore instead thereof they use to put their Shooes off their feet whensoever they enter'd into their Churches which is a Custom in those parts of greater Antiquity perhaps than Moses himself it being not at all improbable that that command which God gave to him in the Bush Exod. 3.5 was no institution of a new Ceremony but only an information that that place was hallowed by the extraordinary Presence of God and therefore he ought to behave himself with the same fear and reverence and to use the same manner of Worship and Adoration which in those Countries was usual and customary in the Temples and holy Places dedicated to the Service of God Put off thy shooes saith he from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground And had the Ceremony of uncovering the Head been in use in those Countries as it is here we may rationally conjecture that God would have altered his Command accordingly But to leave these remote Countries with which we are not much concerned and to return to our own from what hath been said it is plain that the outward Gestures and Ceremonies which we are obliged to use in the publick Worship of God are chiefly these three kneeling at Prayers Standing up at other times when it is appointed by the Church and having our Heads uncovered at all times As for sitting though the general practice of all men hath made it to be connived at in the time of the Sermon or the like yet it is a posture that is never very commendable in the Church it is certainly in the time of Prayer most intolerable and he that uses it least at other times deserves most commendation and comes nearest to the practice of the first and purest Ages of Christianity It was therefore a pious resolution of Biship Hall to this purpose in one of his Meditations God saith he is the Lord of my Body also and therefore challenges as well reverent Gesture as inward Devotion I will ever in my Prayers either stand as a servant before my Master or kneel as a Subject to my Prince I might instance in more particulars but that I may hasten to a conclusion I shall name only this one which will comprehend all the rest and that is That our Bodily Worship may be compleat we must take care that our Tongue be duly employed in bearing its part in the publick Service of God as the Church hath appointed which if we would do we should avoid that scandalous Behaviour which is too commonly seen in our Churches of whispering and laughing and playing idle Tricks which is a thing to be abominated by all pious and devout Christians Thus I have shewed you according to my ability the Summ and Substance of this duty of glorifying God in our Body and in our Spirit which that we may evermore perform effectually God of his infinite mercy vouchsafe to direct sanctifie amd govern both our hearts and Bodies in the ways of his Laws and in the Works of his Commandments that through his most mighty protection both here and ever we may be preserved in Body and Soul through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ SERMON VI. HEB. IV. 14. Seeing then that we have a great High-priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our Profession THERE are four several Steps or Degrees of our Saviour's Exaltation Three of which are already past and the other is yet to come The first is his Resurrection from the Dead The second is his Ascension into Heaven The third is his Session at the Right Hand of God The fourth is his coming again with Glory to judge both the Quick and the Dead The first of these his Resurrection from the Dead we Commemorated at Easter and the present time invites us now to Exercise our Meditations upon the second his Ascension into Heaven and any Text furnishes us with a very excellent Method for the doing of it to the Glory of God and the Good and Comfort of our own Souls For first the Apostle lays down the Truth of this Doctrine that our Saviour is ascended into Heaven and secondly he shews us what influence the consideration of his Ascension should have upon us So that the Text it self is an Epitome of a Sermon containing both Doctrine and Application The Doctrine that our Saviour is ascended into Heaven the Apostle takes for granted in the former part of the Verse Seeing then that we have a great High-priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God And this Doctrine he confirms chap. 9. ver 24. For Christ is not entred into the Holy Places made with Hands which are the Figures of the true but into Heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us and chap. 7. ver 26. Such an High-priest became us who is Holy Harmless Vndefiled separate from Sinners and made higher than the Heavens The Application which the Apostle makes of this Doctrine is in the latter part of my Text and it is this that since Christ is ascended into Heaven we ought stoutly and resolutely to maintain the Profession of our Christian Religion and to contend earnestly for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints Seeing then c. In speaking to which Text I shall do these three Things First I shall shew that Jesus Christ our Redeemer the Eternal Son of God is truly ascended into Heaven Secondly That he ascended thither as our High-priest And Thirdly I shall conclude with the Apostles Application and shew you how strongly this should oblige us to hold fast our Profession First I shall shew you That Jesus Christ our Redeemer the Eternal Son of God he who we own and believe to be the true Messias whom all the Prophets pointed at is truly ascended into Heaven And here it will be necessary to clear two Things by the way First What is meant by that Heaven into which Christ is ascended And secondly how and in what manner he is said to have ascended thither For the first of these not to trouble you with an account of all the several Significations of the word Heaven in Scripture we are to understand by that Heaven into which our Saviour is ascended the Heaven of
Heavens the highest and most glorious Heaven which is the Imperial Throne of the Majesty of God far above all those Celestial Orbs which are visible to our Sight wherein the Sun and Moon and Stars perform their constant and regular Motions according to those Laws which God gave them at their first Creation Through all these Heavens our Saviour passed in his Ascension as is plain from my Text if we consult the Original for what our Translation Renders is passed into the Heavens is in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is passed through the Heavens i. e. through all these visible Heavens into that invisible one wherein he dwelt with his Father in inaccessible Light and Glory and Majesty from all Eternity And that this is the meaning of that Heaven into which our Saviour is ascended is plain from that Expression of our Apostle which I cited before Hebr. 7.26 where he tells us That such an High-priest became us as was made higher than the Heavens And likewise from that Eph. 4.10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all Heavens Thus ye see what is meant by that Heaven into which our Saviour is ascended For the second Thing how and in what manner he is said to have ascended thither I answer he ascended not by any local Motion or Translation of his Divine Nature from Earth to Heaven for that being Infinite and Omnipresent filling all places at once cannot be supposed to be capable of being removed any whither where before it was not but he ascended by translating his humane Nature his whole Man both Body and Soul from Earth where he had assumed that Nature and hypostatically united it to his Divinity unto the Right Hand of God in the highest Heavens And that Christ is thus ascended into Heaven the Scripture most amply and plainly assures us First this Ascension of his was typified and prefigured under the Mosaical Law by the High-priests entering once a Year into the Holy of Holies to make an Atonement for himself and the People as our Apostle shews us chap. 9. of this Epistle The Holy Ghost this signifying saith he That the way into the holiest of all was not made manifest while as the first Tabernacle was yet standing which was a Figure for the time then present But Christ being come an High-priest of good Things to come by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle not made with Hands that is to say not of this Building neither by the Blood of Goats and Calves but by his own Blood entered in once into the Holy Place having obtained Eternal Redemption for us Again this Ascension of our Saviour into Heaven was Typified by those extraordinary Translations of Enoch and Elias Secondly it was foretold by the Prophets as appears by that of Ps 68.18 Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led Captivity Captive Thou hast received Gifts for Men which place St. Paul expresly applies to our Saviour's Ascension Eph. 4.8 and Ps 24. is almost all of it a prophetical Description of this Ascension and is therefore very fitly appointed by our Church to be Read upon that Day which we set apart for the Commemoration of it To the same effect is that Prophecy of Isai chap. 63.1 where the Prophet describes the Holy Host of Heaven rejoicing and wondering at the Glorious Ascension of our Lord into those everlasting Mansions Who is this say they that cometh from Edom with died Garments from Bozrah This that is Glorious in his Apparel travelling in the greatness of his Strength I that speak in Righteousness mighty to Save And as our Saviour's Ascension was typified and foretold in the Old Testament so we find that all those Types and Prophecies were made good and fulfilled in the New There we have a most faithful and punctual Account as of his Nativity his Passion his Resurrection from the Dead so likewise of his Ascension into Heaven This we find that our Saviour himself plainly foretold some Days before it came to pass Go to my Brethren saith he to Mary Magdalen and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God and your God Joh. 20.17 And when this was to be fulfilled that there might not want sufficient Witnesses to attest the truth of his Ascension the Evangelist St. Luke tells us That when he was about to ascend up to his Father he led his Disciples out as far as to Bethany and that there he lift up his Hands and Blessed them and that while he Blessed them he was parted from them and carried up into Heaven But still further lest any should doubt notwithstanding our Saviour's being visibly parted from his Disciples and received up into the Air whether he did really ascend into Heaven or not to remove all manner of occasion of such doubting God immediately sends two Angels from Heaven to certifie them that he was really ascended thither for the story tells us Acts 1.10 That while they looked stedfastly toward Heaven as he went up behold two men stood by them in white Apparel which also said Ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into Heaven This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven Now there remains no ground at all of doubting whether our Saviour be really ascended into Heaven or no since what the Apostle's eyes were not able visible to behold the Testimony of two Angels hath undeniably confirmed Thus much briefly of my first particular that Christ our Redeemer is truly and really ascended into Heaven i.e. that his humane Nature both Body and Soul are actually by the Omnipotent Power of his God-head translated into the highest Heavens The next thing to be considered is that he is ascended into Heaven as our High-priest It is true that Christ ascended into Heaven for his own sake as well as for ours For surely he that for the expiation of God's Wrath had humbled himself so low he that had wrought so glorious a Work as the Redemption of Mankind and that by undergoing most bitter and unconceivable Sufferings did highly deserve to be exalted to the Right-hand of his Heavenly Father And therefore he himself saith that these sufferings of his were the way to his glory Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory Luke 24.26 But although Christ ascended into Heaven for himself that he might take possession of that Kingdom which he had justly deserved yet he ascended thither for us also As at his Resurection he arose from the dead not for himself only but for us also and became the First-fruits of them that slept so likewise at his Ascension he passed into the Heavens as our High-priest by virtue of whose Ascension all his Elect shall ascend up after him unto the same place of Glory and Immortality This is evident from these words of my Text Seeing then
and incorruptible Inheritance which our High-priest hath purchased for us in Heaven Thus I say if in this World God hath blessed us with Wealth and Honour the consideration of our Saviour's Ascension will be a powerful means to restrain us from the abuse of those Blessings so that we shall neither Idolize our Wealth with the Covetous nor with the Prodigal waste and consume it upon our Lusts But shall wisely improve it to our best advantage so as to make to our selves friends of the Mammon of Unrighteousness Secondly On the contrary hath God dealt otherwise with us Hath he with-held these Blessings from us Is our Condition in this World very Poor and Mean so that we have not where-withal to help our selves but are fain to be beholding both for Food and Raiment and whatsoever is necessary to the support of our Lives to our richer Neighbours The consideration of our Saviour's Ascension into Heaven will exceedingly comfort us and support our Spirits in the midst of our Want and Penury For how can we be troubled at our low Fortune in this World when we remember that we have an High-priest in Heaven that hath a Crown of Glory in his Hand ready to put on our Heads as soon as our Earthly Tabernacle is dissolved Nay more than this is our Condition here yet worse Are we not only Poor and Despicable but are we moreover Persecuted for Righteousness sake Doth the World frown upon us and rage against us with all its Fury Let us not be discouraged for all this And we cannot be if we consider as it follows in the Verse after my Text that in Heaven we have not an High-priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our Infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without Sin He himself when he was here on Earth was so Poor that he had not an House wherein to lay his Head He was all his Life long a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief and was at the last most cruelly and despightfully Persecuted even unto Death And as he himself was for the suffering of Death crowned with Glory and Honour so hath he promised the same Reward to all those that suffer for his sake Blessed are they which are Persecuted for Righteousness sake For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5.10 How then can Persecution seem grievous to us when we consider that we suffer for our High-priest who hath suffered far greater and bitterer Torments for us than we can do for him and who now sits on the Right Hand of God ready to make us a vast amends for our light and momentary Affliction here by bestowing upon us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Thus powerful is the Meditation of our Saviour's Ascension to guide and direct us to make us wary and cautious in Prosperity and to strengthen and comfort us and to make us patient and couragious in Adversity and to arm and fortifie us both against the smiles and frowns of the World Nay Secondly When Death it self approaches near us when the King of Terrors is ready to seize upon us the same Meditation will make us bid that Hour welcome when we consider that we have an High-priest in Heaven that hath swallowed up Death in Victory so that to all true Believers it is now but asleep the Gate through which we must enter into Eternal Life Again Thirdly Which is worse than Death and which is the very sting and poyson of Death it self are we at any time terrified and affrighted at the sight of any grievous Sin into which by the Temptation of the Devil and through our own Lusts we have fallen Is our Soul smitten into the place of Dragons and brought down as it were even to Hell with the dreadful apprehension of the Wrath of God which thereby we have justly deserved Let not the Devil who in such a Case is ever ready to do it perswade us to Despair that there is no hopes of Mercy for us but that now God hath hid his Face from us for ever and that he will be no more intreated by us But let us say with the Psalmist Why art thou cast down O my Soul and why art thou disquieted within me Hope thou in God For I shall yet praise him who is the health of my Countenance and my God Let us remember that tho' we have sinned yet we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is the Propitiation for our Sins Let us remember that tho' we have sinned yet we have a great High-priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God who ever lives to make Intercession for us Let us not therefore Despair but Repent Let us trusting in the Merits and Righteousness of our High-priest come boldly tho' humbly and penitently to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain Mercy and find Grace to help in time of need And if we do so come we may assure our selves that we shall find both Grace and Mercy Not one Tear that proceeds from godly Sorrow shall drop to the ground not one penitential Sigh shall be breathed in vain but our High-priest will be sure to present all our Tears our Sighs our Prayers and Supplications before his Father and never cease his Intercession in our behalf until our Pardon be Sealed in Heaven Thus you see that in whatsoever Circumstances we are engaged the Meditation of our Saviour's Ascension is ever extremely beneficial to our Souls And seeing that it is so how should it oblige us to hold fast our Profession How should the thoughts of this as they are ever profitable so be ever welcome and dear unto us Let us not then set up our Staff on this side Jordan let us not lie groveling upon Earth nor suffer our selves to be enamoured of the Things of this World which are not worthy of our Thoughts but let us seek those Things which are above where Christ sitteth on the Right Hand of God Let us remember that here we are but Strangers and Pilgrims and therefore let us behave our selves so as becomes Sojourners using this World so as if we used it not knowing that our own Native Country where we expect our Inheritance is afar off even in Heaven whither our High-priest is passed before us to prepare a place for us Oh then if we desire hereafter to ascend up thither after him that we may for ever be Happy in his Presence let us now hold fast our Profession That we may be able at that great Day to meet the Lord in the Air and to ascend up with him into Heaven let us now Purifie our selves even as he is Pure Let us lay aside every Weight and the Sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the Race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our Faith who for the Joy that was set before him endured the
in no case obtain an entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven let us in the next place consider what manner of Righteousness ours must be which will bring us to those Mansions of Glory And 1. it must not have any of these Faults with which the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees was tainted and rendred odious and abominable in the sight of God Their Righteousness as ye have heard was such as consisted only in the performance of external Actions according to the literal Sense of the Law but ours must proceed further even to the cleansing and purifying our Hearts from all manner of evil thoughts Blessed are the pure in Heart saith our Saviour for they shall see God They and they only shall enjoy that beatifical Vision whose Heart is undefiled for it is that which God chiefly respects and so long as that is right and sincere as to the Main though we do sometimes through the Frailty of our Nature and the strength of some Temptation that hath overcome us fall into any sin yet we shall certainly obtain Pardon at the Hand of God upon our true Repentance They thought themselves well enough if they did no evil nay more than so if evil was done them by another Person they thought they might with a safe Conscience revenge themselves but our Master hath commanded us not to resist Evil but if any man smite us upon the Right cheek to turn to him the other also and not only not to hurt our Neighbour but to love our Enemies to bless them that curse us to do good to them that hate us and to pray for them which despitefully use us and persecute us It is not sufficient for us that our outward Actions are not Evil but we must take heed to our Words and our Thoughts we must make a Covenant with our Eyes keep our Mouth with a bridle that we offend not in our Tongue and bring into Captivity every Thought to the Obedience of Christ for for every idle Word and every misguided Thought we shall give an account at the Day of Judgment 2. Our Righteousness must not be such as makes us presume that we can of our selves and by our own strength keep all the Commandments and fulfill the whole Law Alass we are not able of our selves to keep any one Commandment and S. James tells us that if we offend in one point we are guilty of all The Scripture hath most plainly and fully discovered to us our weakness in this case that we are so far from being able to perform any good Work that we cannot of our selves so much as think a good Thought without the Holy Spirit of God inspires it into our Hearts who work in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure that there is not a just man upon Earth that doth good and sins not but that in many things we offend all and that if we say that we have no Sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us These and the like expressions in Scripture if we consider them are sufficient to satisfie us that we are so far from being able to keep the whole Law that we cannot perform any one Title of it as we ought and therefore we must not as the Scribes and Pharisees did place our Righteousness in this that we are able and do perform an intire Obedience to the Law And if so much less must we in the third place as they did and the Church of Rome who follows their Example doth at this day boast of and Glory in our own works as if they were meritorious in the sight of God The Scripture every where condemns this as the most dangerous and damnable Pride with which our Hearts can possibly be infected and nothing will more certainly bar the Gate of Heaven against us than our supposing that we can deserve that it should flie open unto us How can a Man be just with God saith Job and In thy sight saith the Psalmist no man living shall be justified And if no Man living can pretend to be just in the sight of God so as to escape his Condemnation surely much less can any Man pretend to have done him so great service as to merit a Reward from him No all boasting and glorying on our part is utterly excluded except it be glorying in our infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon us We are taught a quite contrary Lesson a Lesson of Meekness and Humility when we have done our best to say that we are unprofitable Servants and to desire that the iniquity even of our most Holy things and the shamefull Nakedness of our Righteousness may be covered and hid from the pure Eyes of God by the white and spotless Robe of the Righteousness of Christ Fourthly we must not as the Pharisees did and as too many that tread in their steps do at this day place our Righteousness in our forwardness to censure the Lives and Conversations of other Persons and in our backwardness to enquire into our own Censoriousness in some men's Opinion passes for a Gospel-virtue and he that is most forward to speak evil of others and especially of his betters of his Superiours and Governours is for so doing lookt upon to be the greatest Saint But surely these are Saints of a new stamp and I know no reason why they arrogate that Title to themselves except it be by an Antiphrasis because they walk directly contrary to the Doctrine of the Gospel which hath expresly commanded us not to judge lest we be judged our selves and to speak evil of no Man especially not to despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities except we have an ambition to be of the number of those mockers which S Jude prophesied should come in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly Lusts Separating themselves sensual having not the Spirit all incomparable qualifications for Saint-ship Fifthly we must not as the Pharisees did put on a shew of Religion purposely to gain the Applause of Men and to carry on our worldly Designs I am sure this unhappy Nation hath swarmed with Pharisees enough of this sort Men that with a specious shew of Piety led captive silly Women beguiled unstable Souls and gained Admiration of the credulous and easy Vulgar that with sanctified Pretentions Holy Looks frequent Fastings long Prayers and canting and treasonable Sermons carried on the most villainous and accursed Designs that ever publickly disgraced Christianity And God grant that there be not too many such Pharisees among us still but I pass them by their Names are odious and their Religion scandalous Lastly we must not as the Pharisees did and we know who doth Still preferr unwritten Traditions before the holy Scriptures God hath caused that sacred Book to be written on purpose for our Instruction and hath therein fully revealed so much of his Will to us as is sufficient for us to know in order to our obtaining everlasting
and Blood and the Gate that must admit him into those Mansions of Glory is exceeding strait and he must strive hard if he will enter in at it Thus ye see in general that the Righteous shall scarcely be saved that is it shall cost him much Labour and Sweat and Pains to work out his Salvation and through much Tribulation through many and great Troubles and Afflictions through many amazing Difficulties and affrighting Dangers he shall at the last enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and receive a Crown of Glory And this will appear more plainly if we consider distinctly these several Difficulties which he hath to encounter in his way to Heaven And these are First his own natural Corruptions The best and holiest of Men our Blessed Saviour only excepted who was sanctified from the Womb are all conceived and born in Sin By one Man saith St. Paul Sin entred into the World and Death by Sin and so Death passed upon all Men for that all have sinned Rom. 5.12 And this Original Sin as it is generally stiled by Divines which the Righteous themselves even the best of God's Saints as well as other Men bring into the World with them deriving it from Adam by a wonderful but certain Propagation is of a spreading and infectious Nature as dangerous and deadly to the Soul if it be not carefully subdued and mortified as Leprosie to the Body It is ever active and stirring labouring and struggling continually to get the Mastery over the Soul that so it may break out into open and actual Transgressions And too often it doth so even in good Men and prevails sometimes over the most pious and devoutest Christians This was that which moved David to commit Adultery and Murder This was that which shook the Constancy of Peter and made him so timorously and basely to deny his Master And this is that which causes so many Weaknesses and Failings in all the Saints of God so that there is not a just Man upon Earth that doth good and sins not but in every Man there is a Law in his Members warring against the Law of his Mind and bringing him into Captivity to the Law of Sin which is in his Members Rom. 7.23 In every Man as the same Apostle speaks Gal. 5.17 The Flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the Flesh and these two are contrary the one to the other so that by means of this intestine War within him it comes to pass often times that he cannot do the things that he would Even the Heathen Philosophers did observe and complain of though they knew not the Cause of this strange Depravation of humane Nature Plato tells us that Men are by Nature wicked and cannot be perswaded to do that which is right and that the two great and principal Diseases of the Soul are Ignorance and Vice And to the same Effect Tully observes that Nature is to Man a Stepmother that brings him into the World with a naked Body feeble and helpless and with a Soul throughout the whole Course of his Life sorrowful and distracted with Multiplicity of Cares and Troubles tormented with Fears tired with Labour and prone to Lust wherein the Divine Light Wit and good Manners are as it were overwhelmed and stifled This sad Condition which all Mankind is in by Nature I say the wiser Sort even amongst the Heathen amidst the gross Darkness of Paganism and Idolatry had some little Knowledge of though they were utterly ignorant of the true Cause and Reason of it And therefore they made it their chief Care and Business by their Learning and Philosophy according to the best of their Power to correct and amend it But unto us Christians God hath unlocked this Secret and hath fully discovered this great and hidden Mystery which all the Learning of the profoundest Heathen Philosophers was not able to search out In the lively Oracles of the Holy Scriptures he hath fully explained unto us both the Cause and Danger and Remedy of this Corruption of our Nature In that Sacred Book we have it represented to us under divers Names and Characters all of them foul and abominable like it self This is that which Rom. 7.17 St. Paul calls the Sin that dwells in us Because since the Fall of our First Parents it is become natural and hereditary to us and never leaves us nor forsakes us in this World but abides continually in our Flesh even unto Death whence in the same Chapter it is called the Evil that is present with us and Hebr. 12.1 the Sin which doth so easily beset us because it cleaves to us so closely and inseparably and with so much Force and Violence presses and besieges all the Strength and Powers of our Soul The word in the Original is very Elegant and Emphatical and but once used in all the New Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Sin which doth so easily beset us that Sin which doth as it were hug and embrace us and is continually insinuating and winding it self like a Serpent into our Hearts with a Design to deceive and beguile us This is that which ver 15. of the same Chapter is called a Root of Bitterness springing up to trouble us because it is ever plentiful in producing evil Branches and corrupt and deadly Fruit. This is that which by St. James is called the Lusts that war in our Members James 4.1 and by St. Peter the fleshly Lusts which war against the Soul 1 Pet. 2.11 St. Paul calls it the old Man and the Body of Sin Rom. 6 6. And what the Members of that Body are he tells us Coloss 3.5 Fornication Uncleanness inordinate Affection evil Concupiscence and Covetousness which is Idolatry Thus ye see the first Difficulty that the Righteous Man hath to encounter within his way to Heaven which renders that way so troublesome to him that notwithstanding all his Courage and Resolution he cannot walk in it without great Pains and Labour He carries a most unwelcome and heavy Clog about him from which he cannot possibly disengage himself which continually pulls him back and hinders and retards his Soul in its Flight towards those glorious Mansions of Joy and Happiness towards which it doth so eagerly press forward And had he no other Enemies but this one to vanquish even this alone might be sufficient to satisfie us that he shall scarcely be saved since it is most certain that he never shall be saved at all except he do overcome this first Enemy of his Salvation which of all others is the most formidable One deceitful Dalilab was worse to Samson than all the Philistines and this one innate intestine Foe of ours which lies continually in our Bosom is more dangerous to us than either the World or the Devil both which join their Forces together with this to bring us to Destruction And could we as we have all solemnly promised and engaged to do in our Baptismal Vow renounce all the sinfull Lusts
that we have a great High priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God This the Scripture testifies frequently in other places We have such an High-priest saith our Apostle who is set on the Right-hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens a Minister of the Sanctuary and of the true Tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not Man Heb. 81.2 and c. 6.20 he tells us that the Fore-runner is for us entred into that within the Veil even Jesus made an High-priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck Now the office of Christ our High-priest consists chiefly in these things 1. In being our Advocate to make intercession for us to the Father If any man sin saith S. John we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous 1 Joh. 2.1 and who is he that condemneth saith S. Paul It is Christ that died yearather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Rom. 8.34 How great a favour how inestimable a benfiet is this to have the only beloved Son of God in whom he is well pleased and to whom he will deny nothing continually to plead and make intercession for us unto his Father They only are truly sensible of this Blessing who are wounded with the Arrows of the Almighty and pressed sore with his hand so that there is no soundness in their flesh because of his anger neither any rest in their Bones because of their Sin They find the benefit of such an Intercession and how desperate and remediless their condition would be had they not such an High-priest that is ever ready upon their true Repentance to make an atonement for them to plead the merit of his sufferings in their behalf and to interpose betwixt them and the wrath of God 2. Christ ascended into Heaven as our High-priest that being thither ascended he might send unto us the Comforter even the Holy Ghost to abide with us for ever This was one main reason of his Ascension as himself declares to his Disciples John 16.7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth It is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you This he had promised long before by the prophet Joel c. 2. of that Prophecy v. 28. It shall come to pass saith he that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh and your Sons and your Daughters shall prophesie your old men shall dream Dreams your young men shall see Visions This promise he fulfilled upon his Apostles upon the day of Pentecost Acts 2. and he performs it dayly to all his elect continually begetting and increasing in their hearts the Graces of his Holy Spirit by the Ministery of his word This is that blessed Spirit of truth that guides us into all truth and teaches us all things that bears witness with our Spirits that we are the children of God and seals us unto the day of Redemption and this Holy Spirit Christ as our High-priest sends unto us from Heaven For although he be present every where in respect of his Divine Essence which is Omnipresent yet by his gracious Operation he is present only in the Hearts of his Elect unto whom he is sent by Christ as a Pledge of his Love to abide with them for ever The third Office which Christ performs for us as our High-priest is to prepare a place for us in Heaven The Sin of Adam had shut the Gate of Heaven against us For nothing that is Defiled or Unclean shall enter into the New Jerusalem but Christ by his perfect Obedience and by his meritorious Sufferings for our Sakes hath Expiated the Guilt of this Sin and by his ascending up thither himself hath opened unto us the Gate of Heaven again and given us assurance that he will draw us up after him This he promised to his Disciples Joh. 14.2 I go saith he to prepare a place for you And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto my self that where I am there ye may be also Thus is Christ ascended into Heaven as our High-priest he is gone thither before us to prepare a place for us a place of endless Bliss and Felicity in those glorious Mansions of his Heavenly Father And so I have done with the Doctrinal part of my Text and shewed you that Christ is really ascended into Heaven and that he is ascended thither as our High-priest I come now to the last Thing I propounded which is to press to you the Apostles Application and to shew you how strongly the Consideration of this Doctrine should oblige us to hold fast our Profession And what can oblige us more to hold fast our Profession to lead a Godly and a Christian Life and to have our Conversation in Heaven than this that we have a great High-priest Jesus the Son of God that is already passed into the Heavens on purpose to prepare for us there an Everlasting Crown of Glory The consideration of the blessed Effects of the Ascension of our Lord if we make a right use of it will enable us to fight the good fight of Faith with Courage to keep our selves unspotted of the World in whatsoever Circumstances we are and to steer our Course aright through all the manifold Changes and Chances of this Mortal Life till we arrive at the end of our Hope even the Salvation of our Souls Let our Condition be what it will good or bad I say the thoughts of this will enable us to behave our selves so as shall be most for the Glory of God and our own Good For first Hath God Blessed us with Peace and Prosperity in this World Hath he given us a plentiful Portion of the good Things of this Life Hath he heaped upon us Riches and Honour filled our Barns with Plenty and caused our Presses to burst out with new Wine Though these things are strong Temptations and very apt to alienate our Hearts from God yet the consideration of our Saviour's Ascension will enable us to overcome them If in the midst of these worldly Blessings we frequently and seriously call to mind that we have a great High-priest that is preparing for us things that are incomparably better and more glorious in Heaven our Eyes then will not be dazled nor our Hearts bewitched with these fading and perishing Enjoyments upon Earth We shall set no higher an Estimate upon them than they deserve but shall be careful to use them with a Christian Prudence and Moderation to the glory of God and the good of our Selves and such poor Members of Christ as we see stand in need of our Charity We shall look upon all these temporal Blessings to be but only lent us for a time but our Hearts and Affections will be wholly fixed with most ardent and longing Desires upon that eternal