gracious words of others in his behalfe will not suffice unless God by their praiers do frame his heart to beleive and move his tongue if God have given him the use of the tongue to Confess that Iesus Christ is the Lord. Corde creditur ad justitiam ore fit confessio ad salutem If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt beleive in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man beleiveth unto righteousnes and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation Rom. 10. 9 10. The Universalitie or extent of this Belief or Confession in respect of the parties whom it concernes is most fully exprest in the verse following For the Scripture saith Esa 28. 16. Whosoever believeth on him shall not make haste or not be ashamed And again Joel 2. 32. Whosoever calleth on the name of the Lord whether he be Jew or Gentile shall be saved Thus you see that there is an universalitie of the parties or persons which are bound de Jure to make this Confession and an Universalitie of comfortable promises unto all such as make it as they ought that is not in tongue only but with the Heart not in heart only if God have given them the use of the heart and of the tongue or his blessings of memory and understanding 4. That besides this universality of persons confessing Christ with their tongues to be the Lord there is an Universalitie or Totality of duties to be performed by every one that confesseth Christ to be the Lord is evident from Iesus Christ our Lords own mouth Luke 6. 46. Why call ye me Lord Lord and do not the things which I say This speech infers thus much at least That though all other both Jews Gentiles even every tongue throughout the world had confessed as much as these his present Disciples of which some were temporary some perpetual Professors did yet this would not suffice to make them capable of the reward universally promised to his true Disciples and servants That this confession though made by every tongue besides was not sufficient to make any particular man capable of the reward promised to all his true servants that are capable of his words and sayings which was not ready and willing to do them That every one which heard his sayings and was willing to do them was truly capable of all the blessings which he promised is clear from his words following ver 47 48 49. Who so cometh to me and heareth my sayings and doth them I will shew you to whom he is like He is like a man which built an house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a Rock And when the flood arose the stream brake violently upon that house and could not shake it for it was founded upon a Rock But he that heareth and doth not is like unto a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth against which the stream did beat vehemently and immediately it fell and the ruine of that house was great But our Lord and Saviours mind is by himself more fully exprest to this purpose Math. 7. 21. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven But he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven The limitation of these words as well for their negative as affirmative extent is this That neither every one nor any one of them which shall confess onely with their tongues that he is the Lord shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven This limitation of the Negative or rather our Assurance of Faith that this negative is thus far to be extended is manifest from the verse following For to prophesie in the Name of Christ is more than to confesse with the tongue only that Christ is Lord. To cast out Divels in the Name of Christ is more then to prophecie in his Name To do many works of wonder in Christs Name is more than to cast out Devils in his Name For to cast out Divels indeed is a wonderful work and yet but One of those wonderful works which then and for many years after were done in Christs Name by such as although they did call Christ Lord Lord as he truly is the Lord of all were not Christs true servants not such as Christ will take notice of or approve as better but rather reject as worse then Infidels in that last and dreadful day when he shall call his servants whether de jure or de facto to a final account For so it is expressed in the words following ver 23 23. Many will say unto me in that day and the more the better so their plea were good Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils and in thy name have done many wonderful works And then will I professe unto them I never knew you that is I never approved of you but rather disapproved you and your works as worse then the works of heathens or heathenish workers For unto the Heathens as Heathens he hath not said that he will say in the last day Depart from me Ye Workers of iniquity That the Affirmative extent of his words to such as shall not only with their tongues confess but in heart and practice acknowledge him to be the Lord is as large and ample as his former threatnings to such as either indeed and facts deny him or with their tongues and lips do not confess him to be the Lord his promise in the next words ver 24. will give us full assurance Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock And thus you see The words of our Lord and Savior confirmed by the mouthes of two Authentick witnesses St. Matthew and St. Luke do warrant the truth of these two Universals That never a one of such as onely with the tongue confess him to be the Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven That every one which in heart confesseth him though with tongue he cannot confess him to be the Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven For every one which doth the will of his Father which is in heaven and the doing of this his heavenly Fathers will here is not an act of the Tongue but of the heart and of the affections shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven which is the place and seat appointed for all Christs true Servants and onely for them The onely question then remaining is What this Will of his heavenly Father is what it is to do it 5. This will of His heavenly Father is either General whatsoever is expressed in the Ten Commandements in the moral Law or in the Prophets or more Special as it is revealed in Christ or by Christ Did Christ then give us a New Law or other precepts then God by Moses had done
Gideon exempt his Successors from the like or greater fear upon notice of Gods extraordinary presence For so Manoah Samsons father after long Conference with the Lord after he knew that it was an Angel of the Lord which had brought the Message to him of Samsons birth said unto his Wife Judg. 13. 22. We shall surely die because we have seen God But his Wife said unto him if the Lord were pleased to kill us he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands neither would he have shewed us all these things neither would he at this time have told us such things as these ver 23. So then Gods extraordinary presence is terrible even to his servants to flesh and blood without exception though in the issue it will prove comfortable to such as truly fear him and faithfully rely upon his promises St. Peter long after this time was a man less conscious of many grievous sins then most of us alive this day are yet not upon any sight or spectacle of Gods Extraordinary Presence but only upon an instinct or secret apprehension of his Peculiar Presence in Christ as man notified unto him by the miraculous draught of fishes which he took by his direction and command cries out Lord depart from me for I am a sinful man Luke 5. 8. And St. Paul before his conversion fell to the earth upon a suddain glimpse or representation of that glorious light wherein Christ shall appear at the last day Acts 9. 3 4. And after he had heard A Voyce saying unto him though in no extraordinary manner for terror Saul Saul why persecutest thou me He trembling and astonished at the name of Jesus said Lord what wilt thou have me to do ver 6. No marvel if St. Paul being conscious of persecution intended by him against Christs Church and having by Fact and Resolution declared himself to be Christs Enemy were thus affrighted at the Sight and Voice when as St. Peter St. James and St. John after long and peculiar familiarity with Christ and after many gracious promises made unto them of Gods special protection over them were thrown down to the earth with a more placid and comfortable Voice then that which St. Paul heard The Voice which they heard out of the cloud was this This is my well beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear ye him And when they heard it saith the text Matth. 17. 6. they fell on their faces and were sore afraid until Christ came and touched them and said arise and be not afraid This strange dejection of these three great Apostles at so mild and gentle a Voice yet a Voice uttered from the extraordinary presence of God gives us a Remarkable Document or grounded Observation of the truth of that saying of St. Paul 1 Cor. 15. 50. Now this I say brethren that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God neither doth corruption inherit incorruption Christ had told these Three Matth. 16. 28. that they should see not God but the Son of man coming in his Kingdom Peter had a desire to have inherited that joy wherewith his heart was ravished at the sight of our Saviours Transfiguration which as you heard before was but a representation of his coming in glory to Judge the world and out of this desire he said Lord it is good for us to be here if thou wilt let us make here three Tabernacles one for Thee one for Moses and one for Elias Yet as soon as he heard the Voice the Antipathie between sinful flesh and the fruition of Gods presence or the inheritance of that Kingdom of Christ which was then represented begun to shew it self And what shall We do then which are conscious of more grievous sins then St. Peter S. Iames or S. John then were unto whom both the Spectacle of Christs glorious presence and the Voice or Sound which in that day shall be heard from heaven will be far more terrible then any manifestation of Gods presence whether made by Voice or Sight unto our First Parents unto Gideon unto Manoah or unto any of his Apostles recorded in Scripture 4. Let us now take a view of such representations or descriptions of the Terrible Spectacles which shall be seen and of the Terrible Voices or sounds which in that last day shall be heard as Gods Prophets or Evangelists have framed to us These representations are of Two Sorts either Charactred out unto us in meer Words or in Matters of Fact historically related To begin with the Terrible Spectacles which shall appear before the last day or at the least before the Process or Judgment begin These are most punctually exprest by the Prophet Joel Cap. 2. 30 31. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth blood and fire and pillars of smoak the Sun shall be turned into darkness and the Moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord come And Ioel 3. 15 16. The Sun and the Moon shall be darkned and the Stars shall withdraw their shining The Lord also shall roar out of Sion utter his voice out of Jerusalem the heavens the earth shall shake The Terrors here foretold were really represented by the first desolation of Iudah and destruction of Jerusalem by the Assyrians and Chaldeans whose approach to execute Gods Judgments upon that land and people was prophesied of by this Prophet in the beginning of this Second Chapter yet so foretold by him as the plagues there threatned might by Repentance have been prevented So could not the Terrors foretold in the Second Prophecie at least the Prophet expresseth no means for averting these fearful signs in the heavens and earth This later prophecie is in particular exemplified by our Saviour Matth. 24. 27 29 30. For as the lightning cometh out of the East and shineth even unto the West So shall also the coming of the Son of man be Immediately after the tribulation of those dayes shall the Sun be darkned and the Moon shall not give her light and the Stars of heaven shall fall and the Powers of the heavens shall be shaken And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in Heaven and then shall all the Tribes of the Earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory Both the Prophecie of Joel and this prediction of our Savior were in part fulfilled shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus by the burning of the Mount Vesuvius in Campania a Province of Italy the manner and effects whereof how fearful and terrible they were not to Rome onely or Italy but to a great part of Africa to Egypt to Syria and to Constantinople with the Countries adjoyning and how consonant they were unto the Prophet Joels and our Saviors Prediction may be gathered from Dion in his 66. and 68. Books and from other Roman Heathenish
them in the dayes of Hezekiah but of Manasseh his son who pulled it down upon his own and his peoples heads For as it is registred 2 Kin. 21. 3. He went back and built the high places which Hezekiah his Father had destroyed and erected Altars for Baal and made a grove as did Ahab King of Israel and worshipped all the Hoast of Heaven and served them And as if he meant to thrust the Lord out of his own House He built Altars in it of the which the Lord said In Jerusalem will I put my Name And he built Altars for all the Hoast of Heaven in the two Courts of the House of the Lord ver 45. And besides these and many other sins wherewith he caused Judah to sin and to do evil in the sight of the Lord after the abominations of the Heathen which the Lord had cast out before them he filled Jerusalem from corner to corner with innocent blood whose cry did fill the Courts of Heaven So both he and his people are plagued for their grievous sins He is the First King of Judah that is led into Captivity yet upon his returning to the Lord his God he is restored again But his good example doth not move his peoples hearts unto like repentance as his former bad example had caused them to sin Wherefore albeit the Lord repent him of the evil which had befallen his person yet Amon his son and successor imitating his fathers sins but not his repentance 2 Chron. 33. 21. doth he not turn away from his fierce wrath wherewith he was angry against Judah albeit Josiah his vertuous Nephew or Grand-child had turned to him with all his heart and with all his soul according to all the Law of Moses Manassch's sin therefore is said to be the Cause why the Lord did cast off Judah in such a sense as the Addition of the last weight may be said to cast the scale which was inclined that way before albeit restrained from motion by a counterpoize until the last weight over-powred the Restraint God's wrath remained stil upon the Land from Salomon's and Rehoboam's reign And the weight of his judgments was daily increased more and more howsoever the final execution of them was deferred at the instant prayers of religious Kings and righteous people But now Manassch hath made up the full measure of all his fore-fathers sins the weight of God's Judgments hath so farre over-grown his Mercies that there is no hope of recovery left unless Prince Priest and People would fill Jerusalem as full with their repentant tears as Manassch had with blood and devote the whole course of their life to doing good as their fore-fathers had sold themselves to work wickedness which good Josiah for his part performs and so deads the stroke of God's judgments whilst they are in motion But his peoples hearts are not so strongly set on their God Although they joyn with him in renewing the Covenant betwixt God and them the chief strength of their zeal and fervencie is spent in the first Act of Repentance or in the Motion of their Retire to God Their Permanent Disposition and Propension is not firm Their very turning unto God is rather forced then voluntary so as they hold off God's judgments only for a time As if a man by haling and pulling with might and main should keep some heavie and mighty body from falling or some great weight from swaying the full compasse whereas the solid weight of it still remains the same and will have full sway when his actual strength fails him Thus they quickly become weary of well-doing and God's heaviest judgments take their course For however it be said 2 Chron. 34. 33. That they did not turn back from the Lord God of their fathers all the dayes of Josiah Yet was this their cleaving to him but compelled It consisted more in the outward solemnity or publick fashion then in inward sincerity and integrity They did not profess or openly practise the solemn worship of strange gods but had still a longing after foreign fashions as appears out of the Prophet Zephanie who wrote of those times Chap 1. 8 9. And it shall be in the day of the Lord's sacrifice that I will visit the Princes and the Kings Children and all such as are clothed with strange apparel In the same day also will I visit all those that dance upon the threshold so proudly which fill their Masters houses by cruelty and deceit The corruption of both the Clergy and Magistracie had continued greivous from Hezekiah's dayes wherein it cried for vengeance And this peoples repentance of these sins in Josiah's dayes was either none or but feigned and hypocritical as the same Prophet testifieth Chap. 3. ver 1 2 3 4. Wo to her that is filthy and polluted to the robbing City She heard not the voice She received not correction She trusted not in the Lord She drew not near to her God Her Princes within her are as roaring Lyons Her Judges are as Wolves in the evening which leave not the bones till the morrow Her Prophets are light and wicked persons Her Priests have polluted the Sanctuary they have wrested the Law And even for this peoples pronenesse to fulfil the measure of their fore-fathers sins was good Iosiah removed from off the earth lest Gods judgments should come upon Jerusalem in his dayes And no marvel if the fulness of Judah's sin be accomplished in Iosiah's dayes though he were the most righteous Prince of David's line For sin and iniquity may so abound in a Land and people that albeit Noah Job and Daniel lived amongst them they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness And it is one of the best notes that I have somewhere found That men should not lay all the blame on Princes where States miscarry seeing it is said that Hosea in whose dayes Israel was led into captivity was either the best or least evil of all the Kings of Israel 2 King 17. He did evil indeed in the sight of the Lord but not as the Kings of Israel that were before him ver 2. Which equity of Gods judgments in like Cases Franciscus Sforza the last Duke of that race in Millain and the far best of all his kindred except the first did with humility acknowledge before the foolish Politicians School-mistress Experience taught him the truth by the evidence of the event For when his wise and gravest Counsellors did humbly intreat him in the behalf of State and Country to suffer at least some provisions to be brought up secretly as his own lest Millain might be delivered up to some Forrainer He requested them to set their hearts at rest The unhappy family had run their race and it was impossible but that the bloody practises of his Ancestors should blot out the very name in him A Prince though otherwise in Charles the fifths esteem the wisest of all the Italian Princes
Throne Rev. 3. 21. To confine the presence of God the Father of God the Son or of God the Holy-Ghost to any visible Throne were a grosse Heresie But that there may be Real Emblems or Representations of the Blessed Trinitie in heaven as conspicuous and sensible to blessed Saints and Angels as the representations which have been made of them to Gods Saints or people here on earth who can conceive improbable The representations or pledges of the Blessed Trinitie have been diverse Daniel law the Glory of the Father shadowed by the Ancient of daies the Glory of the Son represented by the similitude of the Son of man At our Saviours Baptism there was A voice from heaven as an audible Testimonie of the distinct Person of the Father Christ as Man was the conspicuous seat or Throne of God the Son and the Dove which appeared unto John a visible pledge of the Holy-Ghost And may not the Church Triumphant have as punctual representations or pledges of this Distinction no lesse sensible though more admirable then the Church militant hath had here on earth 4. It is not then altogether so clear that this Title of Christs Sitting at the right hand of God the Father is borrowed from the Rites or customes of the Kings of Judah as it is questionable whether this Rite or custome amongst them were not framed after the Patern of the heavenly Thrones or representations of coelestial dignities so we know the earthly Sanctuarie was framed according to the patern of the heavenly Sanctuarie Our Fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness as he appointed speaking unto Moses that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen Act. 7. 44. Ex. 25. 40. And our Apostle saith Heb. 8. 5. Those served unto the patern or shadow of heavenly things as Moses was warned by God when he was about to finish the tabernacle See saith he that thou make all things according to the patern shewed to thee in the mount But it may be the patern shewed to him in the Mount was but a Shew or Mathematical Draught of the material Tabernacle which he was to erect and yet is stiled an heavenly patern or heavenly thing because it was represented from heaven by God himself yet so represented without any real Tabernacle answerable to it in heaven I could subscribe to this interpretation if the Apostles Inference Heb. 9. 23 24. did not prove or presuppose something more It was then necessary that the similitude of heavenly things should be purified with such things but the heavenly things themselves are purified with better sacrifices then these for Christ is not entred into the holie places made with hands which are similitudes of the true Sanctuarie but is entred into very heaven to appear now in the sight of God for us But hath he the whole heavens for his Sanctuarie or is there as real a Distinction of places or Mansions in the heavens as there was of Courts or Sanctuaries in the material or in Solomons Temple We have such an high Priest saith Saint Paul as sitteth at the right hand of the throne of the majestie in the heavens and is a Minister of the Sanctuarie and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man and Eph. 1. 20. The father of glory set him at his own right hand 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the heavenly places Some Distinction between the Throne of Majestie and Christs humanitie was apprehended surely by Saint Steven Act. 7. 55. He being full of the Holy-Ghost looked stedfastly into heaven and saw the Glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God the Object of his sight was surely Real not a meer vision in the air for he saw the heavens open and by their opening found opportunity to prie with bodily eyes but bodily eyes extraordinarily enlightned by the Spirit of God into heaven it self and to take a view of the land of Promise and the Sanctuary pitched in it The Divine Essence or Person of God the Father he could not see and yet he saw the Glorie of God and Christ at the Right-hand of this Glorie But he saw Christ Standing and not Sitting as here it is said All is one It is the height of Christs Exaltation that He hath the pre-eminence to Sit upon his Throne in the immediate presence of God the Fathers Glorious Throne But this prerogative of Sitting upon his Throne doth not tye him to such perpetual Residence that he may not Stand when it pleaseth him and it seems it was at this time this great Judge his pleasure to Stand as a Spectator of his blessed Martyrs Combat and for the present as a Witness against these his malicious Enemies which afterward were to be made his Foot-stool Now was that of the Psalmist Psal 102. 19. verified He hath looked down from the height of his Sanctuarie out of the heaven did the Lord behold the earth 5. But if Christ have a Visible Throne or Sanctuarie in heaven how is it true which Saint Steven saith Acts 7. 48 49. The most high dwelleth not in Temples made with hands as saith the Prophet Heaven is my throne and earth is my foot-stool what house will ye build for me saith the Lord or what place is it that I shall rest in hath not my hand made all these things And if God dwell not in any Sanctuary which he hath made how can he have any Visible Sanctuary in heaven For even the heaven of heavens every creature whether visible or invisible are the works of Gods hands To this the Answer is easie when the Prophet saith God dwelleth not in Temples made with hands he excludeth only the works of mens hands not all created Thrones or Sanctuaries made immediately by God himself For as the Apostle saith Heb. 8. 2. Christ is a Minister of the Sanctuary which the Lord hath pitched and not man And Hebr. 9. 11. Christ being come a high Priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands that is not of this building c. Thus much of the Grammatical or Literal meaning of these words As for this Opinion of Distinction of Thrones in heaven as I dare not boldly avouch it so I am afraid peremptorily to deny it For Peremptorie Negatives in Divine Mysteries oft-times sway more dangerously unto Infidelitie then Affirmative Paradoxes do to Heresie The Affirmative in this Mysterie is in my opinion more safe and probable then the Negative However The Point which all of us are bound absolutely to Believe is That this Article of Christs sitting at the Right-Hand of God doth contain the height of His Exaltation far above all principalitie and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come Eph. 1. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God saith the same Apostle Phil. 2. 9. hath very highly
exalted him and given him a Name which is above every Name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should Bow c. And seeing every other Article in this Creed is conceived in literal distinct termes I see no reason why we should believe this Article of Christs sitting at the Right-Hand of God alone should be represented unto us in Termes Poetical or meerly Metaphorical Howbeit Christs sitting at the Right-Hand of God the Father according to the Literal meaning of these words doth by way of Real Embleme import that Christ's Humane nature is exalted far above Angels c. which are often said to Stand or Attend before or about the Throne of God but not to sit on His Throne or at his Right-Hand For unto which of them said He at any time Sit on my Right-Hand Heb. 1. ver 13. CHAP. II. Of the Real Dignitie contained in This Article viz. The Exaltation of Christ That Christ was exalted both as the Son of God and as the Son of David 1. THe Dignity of this Name and the Realitie of Dignity answering unto it is further set forth in the First Chapter to the Hebrews ver 3 4 5. He sate down or sitteth on the Right-Hand of the Majestie on High or in highest places and is made so much more excellent then the Angels by how much he hath obtained a more Excellent Name then they For unto which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day begat I thee And again I will be his Father and he shall be my Son But if these two Scriptures were literally meant as most Divines grant the one of David the other of Solomon why may not the Title of Gods Sons agree as literally to Angels as to David or Salomon Though these two eminent Princes as Gods Vicegerents on Earth were Solo Deominores yet was David in the height of his Greatnesse too low and Solomon in the amplitude of his Royaltie too little to be in all points full peeres to the meanest Angel that attends Gods Throne And yet were not both of them too great to be but Mapps or Models of Evangelical Excellencies It was the height of both their Excellencies to be Shadows or Types of that Son of David concerning whom the Lord had sworn by His Holiness a most faithful Oath from which he would not shrink Psal 132. 11. and Psal 89. 3 4 35 36. that He should endure stable for ever and that his Throne should be as faithful a witnesse in Heaven as either Sun or Moon Selah All the Royaltie Power or prosperitie which David or Solomon enjoyed were but as pledges or earnests for the time present of that mightie power and excellencie wherewith the Son of David was after that in the fulnesse of Time he had humbled himself in the fulnesse of Glorie to be invested But as we say Homo pictus est Homo and no man saith Leo vivus est Homo A dead Corps or Picture of man doth better brook the name of a man then a live Lion or other creature indued with sense So David and Solomon in that they were Types of Christ might be more capable of being stiled Gods Sons or of being begotten to that earthly Empire which was the Map or shadow of his only begotten Sons eternal Inheritance then the Angels were The greatest Angels of God whose presence David did reverence as Gods Embassadours are servants to the Son of David For so the Apostle Heb. 1. 6. interprets that of Psalm 97. ver 7. Let all the Angels of God worship him No marvel then if David when he saw as much of his Glorie as he or some other Psalmist Psal 97. did instile him His Lord Psal 110. 1. That all the Glorie and Dignitie which the Apostle seeks to set forth by the testimonie of the Psalmist Psalm 45. 6 7. Psalm 102. 25 26. is comprehended in this Article of Christs Sitting at the Right-hand of God the Apostle supposeth Heb. 1. 13 14. For so he concludes by way of an Epiphonema the sum of all which he had said before unto which of the Angels said he at any time Sit thou at my right-hand untill I make thine enemies thy foot-stool Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for their sakes which shall be heires unto Salvation It is A Doctrine full of Comfort that the Blessed Angels the Powers and Principalities celestial one and other should be at the command of this our High-Priest who can compassionate our estate much better then any of them can As they had a Charge given concerning him in the dayes of his humiliation here on earth So he now being ascended up to his Father gives them the same Charge over us to preserve us in all our wayes It is on our part required that we make His wayes Our Wayes otherwise we have no just assurance of the Angels vigilancie over us But have they this Charge over all of us or onely over some few that are Predestinated unto Salvation The Apostle saith All of them are sent forth to minister to such as shall be heirs of Salvation and All of Us whom God hath called and made partakers of his Word and Sacraments are under the Promise and in the estate of the Sons of God And if we be sons then are we heirs yet Haeredes praesumpti non apparentes Heirs Presumed not Heirs Apparent unto Salvation To be Heirs Apparent is proper to the Predestinate only or to the Elect. But of the Doctrin and Use concerning Angelical Protection and ministrie for our good elsewhere It shall suffice to give you notice by the way that This last quoted place Heb. 1. 14. doth evidently refute a Curious Distinction of Orders amongst the Angels as if some were Angeli astantes others ministrantes one Order of Angels that stand in the presence of God because the Angel Gabriel gives himself this Title Luke 1. 19. And another Order of ministring Angels whereas our Apostles speech is general that All the Angels and under this universalitie he comprehends even the most noble Order of heavenly creatures are ministring spirits sent forth for our good If they which are said in Scripture to stand before God be either Angels or created substances inferiour to the Son of God they are sometimes at least by courses ministrantes ministring spirits So that to stand before God or to minister for our good is no true note of any Distinction of Order betwixt Angels but only of the vicissititude of their service They which are to be sent forth stand in the presence of God to receive their instructions and at their return stand before God to deliver the effect or issue of their Embassage 2. But as diverse writers in the Romish Church not balancing other places of Scripture with this Place of our Apostle last cited have fram'd a needlesse Distinction of Orders amongst the Angels So some others opposite enough to them offend no lesse by
God It could not There had been indeed an Exaltation of the bodie so assumed but none of the Nature or Person assuming it How then is the Son of God said now to be Exalted by his bodily Ascension into Heaven or by his Sitting at the Right-hand of the Father in our Nature wherein he was formerly humbled Take the Resolution plainely thus God the Father had remained as glorious as now he is although he had never created the world For the creation gave much even all they had to things created it gave nothing unto God who was in Being infinite yet if God had created nothing the Attribute of Creator could have had no real Ground it had been no real Attribute In like manner Suppose the Son of God had never condescended to take our nature upon him he had remained as Glorious in his Nature and Person as now he is yet not glorified for or by this Title or Attribute of Incarnation Or suppose he had not humbled himself unto death by taking the Form of a Servant upon him he had remained as glorious in his Nature and Person and in the Attribute of Incarnation as now he is but without these glorious Attributes of being our Lord and Redeemer and of being the Fountain of Grace and Salvation unto us All these are Real Attributes and suppose a Real Ground or foundation and that was his humbling himself unto death even unto the death of the Cross Nor are these Attributes only Real but more Glorious both in respect of God the Father who was pleased to give his Only Son for us and in respect of God the Son who was pleased to pay our ransome by his humiliation then the Attribute of Creation is The Son of God then not the Son of David only hath been Exalted since his death to be our Lord by a new and Real Title by the Title of Redemption and Salvation This is the Sum of our Apostles Inference concerning our Saviours Exaltation Phil. 2. 11. That every tongue should confesse that Jesus Christ is The Lord unto the Glorie of God the Father To shut up this Point Though Christ Jesus be both our High-Priest and Lord not only as he is the Son of David but as he is the only begotten Son of God and so begotten from all Eternitie yet was he neither begotten a Priest nor Lord from all Eternitie but made a Priest and made a Lord in time The Word of the Oath saith the Apostle Heb. 7. 28. which was since the Law maketh the Son a Priest who was consecrated for evermore And in the very same Charter wherein this Word of the Oath or uncontrollable Fiat for making the Eternal Word an Everlasting Priest is contained this Peculiar Title of Lord is first inferred For so that 110 th Psalm begins Jehovah said to my Lord Sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine Enemies thy foot-stool Not that Adonai importeth lesse Honour or Majestie then Jehovah doth as the Jews and Arians ignorantly and impiously collect but with purpose to notifie that this Title of Lord or Adonai was to become as peculiar to Jehovah the Son of God as the Title of Cohen or Priest But this Title of Lord as peculiar to Christ will require and doth well deserve a peculiar discourse and the place allotted it is in the beginning of the second Section 5. Now for Use or Application These insuing Meditations and Considerations offer themselves What branch of sorrow of bodily affliction or anguish of soul or Spirit can we imagin incident to any degree condition or sort of men to any son of man at any time unto which the waters of Comfort may not plentifully be derived from this inexhaustible Fountain of Comfort comprised in This Article of Christs Sitting at the Right-hand of God the Father Almighty No man can be of so low dejected or forlorn estate for means or friends re or spe either by birth or by misfortune but may raise his heart with this Consideration that it is no servitude or beggerie but freedom or riches to be truly entitled A Servant to the Lord of Lords and King of Kings to whom Angels and Principalities as Saint Peter speaks even those Angels and Principalities to whom not Kings and Monarchs but even Kingdoms and Monarchies are Pupils are subject and his fellow servants Or in case any poor dejected soul should be surprized with distrust or jealousie lest his Lord in such infinite height of Exaltation and distance should not from heaven take notice of him thrown down to earth let him to his comfort consider That the Son of God and Lord of Glorie to the end he might assure us that he was not a Lord more Great in himself then Gracious and loving unto us was pleased for a long time to become a Servant before he would be made a Lord and a Servant subject to multitudes of publick despights disgraces and contempts from which ordinarie servants or men of forlorn hopes are freed If he willingly became such a Servant for thee to whom he owed nothing wilt not thou resolve to make a vertue of necessitie by patient bearing thy meannesse or misfortunes for his sake to whom even Kings owe themselves their Scepters and all their worldly glorie But though it be a contemplation full of comfort to have him for our Supreme Lord and Protector who sometimes was a Servant cruelly oppressed by the greatest Powers on earth without any power of man to defend or protect him yet the sweet streams of joy and comfort flow more plentifully to all sorts and conditions of men from the Attribute of his Royal Priesthood To be a Priest implies as much as to be a Mediator or Intercessor for averting Gods wrath or an Advocate for procuring his Favours and blessings * And what could Comfort her self wish more for her children suppose she had been our mother then to have Him for our perpetual Advocate and Intercessor at the Right-hand of God who is equal to God in Glorie in Power and Immortalitie and yet was sometimes more then equal unto us in all manner of anguish of grievances and afflictions that either our nature state or casual condition of life can be charged with * Albeit he knew no sin yet never was the heart of any the most grievovs sinner no not whilest it melted with penitent tears and sorrow for misdoings past so deeply touched with the fellow-feeling of his brothers miseries of such miseries as were the proper effects or fruits of sin as the heart of this our High-Priest was touched with every mans miserie and affliction that presented himself with prayers unto him his heart was as fit a Receptacle for others sorrows of all sorts as the eye is of colours Who was weak and he was not weak who was grieved and he burned not who was afflicted and he not tormented 6. There be Two more special and remarkable Maxims of our Apostles for our comfort The One Heb.
grow unto an holy Temple in the Lord. 9. Christ as you heard before is not the Corner-stone or Foundation only but the Temple of God A Greater and more spacious Temple then all the building which is erected upon him which groweth up in him We must be living stones we must be Pillars in the house of God we must be Temples of God that is an habitation of God through the Spirit but no Foundations no chief corner-stones these are Christs prerogatives Behold I have graven thee to wit the Spiritual Sion saith the Prophet Isa 49. 16. upon the palms of my hands thy walls are continually before me that is as a late Interpreter of the Romish Church saith I have pitched thy foundations in my hands by the wounds which I received in them By whose diduction or rent a place was opened for this future edifice to be erected in him And for this cause Christ who is the Rock was every way digged into in his side in his hands in his feet The mysterie whereof is that he might exhibit a firm foundation out of which the fabrick of the Church should grow That we then become living stones in this edifice it is from our immediate Union with this chief corner-stone being united to him he is fashioned in us and by him fashioned in us we become living stones growing stones we grow from living stones to living pillars from living pillars to living Temples or habitations for our God That the children of God are not onely living stones but from living stones grow into pillars our Saviour himselfe hath taught us by S. John Rev. 3. 12. Him that overcometh will I make A Pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go no more out and if wee be pillars in the temple of God we must be as immediately placed on the foundation or chief corner-stone as S. Peter or Christs other Apostles were We must be as intire Temples as they were And for this reason our Saviour adds upon every one whom he makes a pillar the name of God and the name of the City of God the new Jerusalem which cometh out of Heaven Know ye not saith S. Paul 1 Cor. 6. 19. That your bodie is the temple of the Holy Ghost As wee say the Kings presence makes the Court So it is Gods Holy Spirits extraordinary presence in man which makes him his Temple And the Reason why Christ is called The Temple of God is because the Godhead dwelleth in him bodily And for the like reason every one in whom Christ dwelleth by faith is in a participated sense called The Temple of God And as visible Cities consist of severall houses and as the beautie of every Citie consists in the Uniformitie of houses well built and joyned together so the heavenly Jerusalem consists of several Temples whose beautie or Uniformitie consists in this that Christ Jesus is the life and light of every severall Temple and that his spirit is uniformely diffused through all 10. Christ as you have read before Communicates his Titles unto his Saints but not the Reall Prerogative of his Titles He is The Rock so was Peter a rock so are wee rocks but not The rock on which the Church is built He is the Chiefe Corner-stone we are living stones he is the temple and the Priest of the most high God and he makes us both temples and Priests unto his God So saith S. Peter 1. Ep. cap. 2. vers 5. Yee all as lively stones are built up a spirituall house an holy Priest-hood to offer up Spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ The Modell of this spirituall Temple and Priest-hood that is of the new Jerusalem and the service of God performed in it was exhibited by Moses Exod. 24. 4 5. at the making of the first covenant Moses wrote all the words of the Lord and rose up earely in the morning and builded an altar under the Hill and twelve pillars according to the 12. tribes of Israel And he sent yong-men of the Children of Israel which offered burnt offrings and sacrificed peace offerings of Oxen unto the Lord. Immediately after this Moses and Aaron Nadab and Abihu saw the God of Israel and there was under his feete as it were a paved work of a saphire stone and as it were the bodie of Heaven in his clearnesse ver 9. The yong men which he sent to offer sacrifices as the best interpreters observe were the first-born of their families For till that time and at that time which was before the consecration of Aaron and his sonnes it was Lawfull for the First born male of every family to execute the office of the Priest This was his dutie So that every family was as a little parish-Church and had his Priest to performe this service of God Now though all that are built upon the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles are not admitted to be Architects or master-builders though all be not publick teachers or pastors yet all that are or hope to be parts of this building have the same Prerogative which the First-born males of Israel had before Aaron was consecrated All must be Priests to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices unto God But seeing wee must grow unto an holy temple and growth as was said before supposeth nutrition let us now see what is the nourishment by which we must grow from living stones to be living pillars from pillars to be living Temples yea Kings and Priests unto our God 11. The nature and qualitie of the Nutriment by which wee must grow cannot in fewer words be more pithily exprest than it is by S. Peter 1 Pet. 2. cap. vers 2. It is the sincere milk of the word But how good soever the nutriment be it doth not kindly nourish unlesse wee have an appetite to it Therefore the same Apostle addes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desire or long after the sincere milk of the word We must then desire to have the word dwell in us plentifully and wee must desire to have it sincere that is pure and unmingled Now this milk may become unsincere or mingled sometimes by the default of the Pastor or teacher sometimes by the default of the hearers The dutie which concernes us teachers is that wee do not mingle the word with the Traditions of men how ancient soever they be This is the fault of the Romish Church which the Church our mother hath sufficiently prevented by publick edicts or decrees But many otherwise averse enough from Traditions of the Romish or other ancient Church ofttimes corrupt it with their own Conceits or Phansies which will easily mingle themselves with the word unlesse we speak out of premeditation and have both art and leasure to revise and examine aswell our own meditations as the meditations or expositions of others whose help wee use Since the ordinary Gifts of the Spirit did cease there is no facultie under the sun which more requires the help of art and study than the
exposition of Scriptures doth It requires a greater skill then the skill of Alchymie to extract the true sense and meaning of the holy Ghost from the plausible glosses or expositions which are dayly made upon them But how sincerely soever the word may be delivered by the Pastor it may be corrupted by the hearer Milk as Physicians tell us is turned into purer blood with greater facilitie than any other nutriment so the body which receives it be free from humors but if the stomack or other vitall parts be stuft with Phlegm opprest with Choler or other corruption there is no nutriment which is more easily corrupted or more apt to feed bad humors than milk how pure soever it be Thus though the sincere milk of the word be not only the best but the onely nutriment of soules by which wee must grow up in faith yet if the heart which receives it from the preachers mouth sincere be pestered with corrupt affections it doth not nourish if it do not purge or purifie the corrupt humours but mingle with them they malignifie one another The speciall humours which on the hearers part corrupt the sincere milk of the word and of which every one that will be a diligent hearer must endeavour to purge his soule by repentance are set downe by S. Peter in the same Chapter vers 1. Wherefore laying aside all malice all guile and all hypocrisie and envies and evill-speakings as new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word Wee must first then desire the word as Physick to purge our soules That part of the word I mean which teacheth Repentance and denyall of all ungodliness before wee can hope to grow by the milk of it that is by the comfort of Gods promises Unlesse our hearts be in good measure purified by obedience to the Generall precepts or morall duties how sincere soever the milk of the word preached be our desire of it cannot be sincere wee shall desire it or delight in it to maintain Faction or secret pride not to grow up thereby in sinceritie of mind and humblenesse of spirit which are the most proper effects of the milk of the word sincerely delivered and sincerely received SECT II. Of Christs Lordship or Dominion Phil. 2. 11. That every Tongue should Confesse that Jesus Christ is LORD to the Glorie of God the Father Acts 2. 36. Let all the House of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye Crucified both Lord and Christ Rev. 5. 13. Every Creature in heaven and earth and sea did say Blessing Honour Glorie and Power to Him that sitteth on the Throne and to The Lamb for ever ever The Degrees or Steps by which we must ascend before we enter this Beautiful Gate of the Lords House are Three First What it is to be a LORD Second Upon what Grounds or in what respects Christ is by peculiar Title called THE LORD Third How our Confession or acknowledgment of Christ to be The Lord doth redound to the Glorie of God the Father CHAP. VI. What it is to be a Lord. Though there be many called Lords yet is there but One Absolute Lord. 1. THe Title of Lord whether we take it in the Greek in the Latin or in our English is sometimes a Title only of Respect or courtesie So strangers usually salute men of place or note by the name of Dominus or sometimes of Domination it self And we usually instile the Eldest Sons of Earles by the title of Lords And all the Sons of Dukes even from their Cradles are so instiled Not to vouchsafe them this Title when we mention them were ill manners or discourtesie Howbeit even they which are bound to love them best the very parents of their bodies do not permit them to enjoy the Realities answering to these honourable Titles before their full age and for the most part till they themselves have surrendred them by death The Realitie answering to this title of Lord is Dominion Every one that hath Dominion is a Lord in respect of that over which he hath Dominion and whosoever really is a Lord is so instiled from some Dominion which he exerciseth Dominus in Latin sometimes goes for no more then our English word Owner and this is the lowest or meanest signification of the word Lord. The full Extent or highest value of the word Dominus or Lord must be gathered from the several degrees or scale of Dominion as either from the Extent of the matter or subject over which Dominion is exercised or from the Soveraigntie of Title Dominion as Lawyers define it is A Facultie or power fully to dispose of any corporal or bodily substance so far as they are not restrained by law And by how much a mans power to dispose of what he hath is lesse restrained by law by so much his Dominion over it is the greater and he in respect of it is if not so much a greater Lord yet so much more properly a Lord. But fitting it is in regard of publick good or of posteritie that most mens power to dispose of that which otherwise by full right is their own should be in certain Cases restrained Many are Lords of great Lands and may dispose of their annual profits as they please but yet cannot sell or alienate their perpetual inheritance Others have a more full power to dispose of the houses wherein they dwell a power not only to let or set them for yeers but to sell or give away the perpetual inheritance who yet are by Law restrained utterly to demolish or set them on fire especially if they be inclosed by neighbour Lodgings The Cases are many wherein Dominuim sub altiore dominio est There is a sub ordination of Lordships or Dominions some are Mean Lords some are Chief Lords Even meaner Lords or owners are not to be denyed the titles of Lords albeit they cannot alienate the soil whereof they are owners without licence of the Chief Lord much more are chief or higher Lords to be so reputed because their Dominion or power to dispose of their own Lands is lesse subordinate howbeit in some cases limited by the Rule of Law And this restraint in how few cases soever it be hinders their greatnesse from growing into absolute Dominion Lords they are but not absolute Lords This is a Title peculiar to Kings or Monarches who are so called only in respect of their own subjects or of their own Lands No meere mortal man since Adam was Lord of the whole earth or bare soveraigntie over all men or bodily substances And the greatest of men have been subject or inferiour to Angels 2. To leave other divisions of Dominion to Lawyers All Dominion is either Jurisdictionis or Proprietatis A power of Jurisdiction or a right to the Propertie The former branch of Dominion is exercised only over men or resonable creatures which only are capable of Jurisdiction passive or of Government The later branch which we call
over the souls and spirits of Kings and Monarchs over the blessed Angels under whose Guardianship the greatest Monarchs are then they have over their meanest Vassals So that His dominion extends beyond the definition given by Lawyers which comprehends only things corporal but meddles not with coelestial substances or spiritual as Angels which are not subject to the Iurisdiction of Princes nor can they be imprisoned in their coffers Men as they could not make themselves so neither can they by their valour wit or industrie gain or create a title to any thing which is not Gods and whereof he is not Absolute Lord before and after they come to be Lords and owners subordinate of it They cannot move their bodies nor imploy their minds but by his free donation nor can they enjoy his freest gifts but by his concurse or Co-operation He hath a Dominion of propertie over their souls yea an absolute dominion not of propertie only but of uncontrollable iurisdiction over their very thoughts as it is implyed Deut. 8. 17 18. He doth not only give us the substance which we are enabled to get but gives us the very power wit and strength to get or gather it Not this power only whereby we gather substance but our very Being which supports this power is his gift and unlesse our Being be supported and strengthned hy his power sustentative we cannot so much as think of gathering wealth or getting necessaries much less can we dispose of our own endeavours for accomplishing our hopes desires or thoughts To conclude then All we have even wee our selves are Gods by absolute Dominion as well of propertie as of Iurisdiction There is no Law in heaven or earth that can inhibit or restrayne his absolute Power to dispose of all things as he pleaseth for he works all things by the Counsel of his Will and He only is Absolute Lord. But absolute Lordship or Dominion how far soever extended though over Angels Powers and Principalites from this ground or universal Title of Creation is intirely jointly and indivisibly common to the Blessed Trinitie For so S. Athanasius teacheh us the Father is LORD the Son is LORD the Holie Ghost is LORD absolute Lord as well in respect of Dominion as of Jurisdiction and yet not three Lords but one Lord and if but One Lord then the Lordship or dominion is One and the same alike absolute either for intensive Perfection or Extension in the Son as in the Father in the Holy Ghost as in the Son Yet is it well observed by a judicious Commentator upon S. Pauls Epistles that to be LORD is the proper Title or Epitheton in S. Pauls Language of Christ the Son of God both God and Man and Emphatically ascribed to him even in those passages wherein he had occasion expressely to mention the distinction of Persons in the Trinitie As where he saith The Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ the love of God he doth not say of God the Lord and the fellowship of the Holie Ghost without addition of this title of Lord be with you all And so in our Apostles Creed we professe to Believe in God the Father Almightie without addition of the title LORD and so in God the Holie Ghost not in the Lord the Holy Ghost but in Christ our Lord. Which leades to the Second Point proposed in the Entrance to this Second Section CHAP. VII In what respects or upon what grounds Christ is by peculiar Title called The Lord. And First of the Title it self Secondly Of the Real grounds unto this Title 1. COncerning the name of Lord there is no verbal difference in the Greek or Latin whether this name or Title be attributed to God the Father as oft it is or to God the Holy Ghost unto the Blessed Trinitie or unto Christ God and Man Yet in the Hebrew there is a difference in the very Names or words The Name Jehovah which is usually rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dominus or Lord is alike common to every Person in the Holie Trinitie as expressing the Nature of the God-head he that is being it self Howbeit even this Name is sometimes in peculiar sort attributed unto Christ But that Christ or the Son of God is in those places personally meant this must be gathered from the Subject or special Circumstances of the matter not from the Name or Title it self But the name Adonai which properly signifies Lord or King as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek doth implying as much as the Pillar or Foundation of the people is the peculiar Title of the Son of God or of God incarnate And for attributing this Title unto Christ as his peculiar the Apostle St. Paul had a good warrant out of the Prophetical Writings especially the Psalms which he questionlesse understood a great deal better then many great Divines and accurate Linguists have done his writings or the harmonie betwixt the Psalmists and his Evangelical Comments on them This Title of Lord Adonai is used most frequently in those Psalmes which contain the most pregnant Prophecies of Christ or the Messias his exaltation Psal 2. 2 4. The Kings of the earth band themselves and the Princes are assembled together against the Lord and against his Christ But he that dwelleth in the heavens doubtlesse he means the same Jehovah shall laugh Yet he doth not say Jehovah but Adonai the Lord shall have them in derision The Reality of Dominion answering to this Title of Lord whereunto the Messias against whom they conspired was exalted is more fully expressed in the same Psalm v. 8 9 10. Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the ends of the earth for thy possession Thou shalt crush them with a Scepter of Iron and break them in pieces like a Potters vessel Be wise now therefore ye Kings be learned ye Judges of the earth serve the Lord in fear and rejoyce in trembling Kisse the Son the Son doubtlesse of Jehovah lest he be angry and ye perish in the way when his wrath shall suddenly burn Blessed are all they that trust in him And so again Psal 45. which is as it were the Epithalamium or marriage song of Christ and his Church The Prophet exhorts the Spouse to do as Christ willed his Disciples to do and as Abraham had done at Gods Command Forget thine own people and thy Fathers house so shall the King have pleasure in thy beauty for he is the Lord reverence or worship him v. 10 11. And again Psal 110. wherein Christs everlasting Priesthood is confirmed by Oath it is said Jehovah said to my Lord Adonai sit thou at my Right hand until I make thine enemies thy foot-stool But may not the Jew thus Object that seeing our Christ or their expected Messias is enstyled Adonai not Jehovah in these very places wherein his Exaltation or supreme Dominion is foretold That therefore he is not truly God as Jehovah is To this Objection our Saviours Reply
to the Jews which had answer'd him rightly that the Messias was to be the Son of David is unanswerable and most satisfactorie If the expected Messias were not to be the Son of God and truly God the supreme Lord as well of the dead as of the living why did David in spirit call him Lord before he was the Son of David It is a point to be observed that the Iews in our Saviours time did not or could not deny that this Psalm was literally meant of their expected Messias albeit the later Iews seek to wrest it but most ridiculously some to Ezekiah some to Abraham But that the word Adonai is of no lesse value or importance then Iehovah but only imports Iehovah or God incarnate or the Messias his Exaltation to be Lord or King may be evinced against the Iew for that the same sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving which One Psalmist solemnly offers unto Iehovah Another Psalmist or perhaps the same doth alike solemnly offer up to Adonai or to the expected Messias in another Psalm As Psal 57. which is a Prophetical Song of David and containes the Exaltation of his God and Lord Exalt thy self O God above the heaven and let thy glory be upon all the earth ver 5 11. This Prophecie was then punctually fulfilled and Davids prayer or request signed by the mouth of God when our Saviour after his Resurrection said All power is given to me in heaven and in earth go therefore and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holie Ghost Mat. 28. 18. Unto this Iehovah or God whose Exaltation he foresaw and heartily prayed for and unto whom he had directed his prayers ver 1. He offers the Sacrifice of praise ver 9. under the title of Adonai I will praise or confesse thee among the people O Lord I will sing unto thee among the Nations The verie self-same sacrifice David offers unto the same God under the title of Iehovah Psal 108. 1 2 3 4 5. O God mine heart is prepared so is my tongue I will sing and give praise Awake Viol and Harp I will awake early I will praise thee O Lord among the people I will sing unto thee among the Nations For thy mercie is great above the heavens and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds Exalt thy self O God above the heavens and let thy glorie be upon all the earth which last words were twice repeated in the 57. Psam 2. These Fundamental Points of Faith are clear from this collation of Scripture First That Adonai or Lord was the known Title of the Messias whom the Jews expected in our Saviours time and this was the reason that the Pharisces had not a word to answer or rejoyn unto our Saviour when he avouched that the Messias was to be The Son of God because David in Spirit called him Adonai Lord Matth. 22. 45. The second That he that was Adonai or the Messias was likewise Jehovah truly God because David did not in spirit onely call him Lord but did in spirit worship him as his Lord and God with the best sacrifice that he could devise as appears from Psalm 57. 8. A great part of the Book of Psalms even all those passages if my observation fail me not without exception which mention the extraordinary manifestation of Gods glory or his exaltation as King run the same way and as it were pay Tribute unto the infinite Ocean of Gods mercy first manifested in our Saviours Exaltation to the right hand of God The more remarkable Passages are these Psal 97. ver 1. Jehovah reigneth let the earth rejoice let the multitude of the Isles be glad Whilest Jehovah was onely known in Jurie the multitude of the Isles or Nations had no special reason to be glad for Iudah was then his Sanctuary and Israel his dominion but after God had given our Saviour Christ the utmost parts of the earth for his possession that is after our Saviours Ascension into Heaven and the effusion of the Holy Ghost upon his Disciples enabling them to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom unto all Nations the multitude of the Isles the whole Earth had reason to rejoyce Then was that fulfilled which followeth in that Psal ver 6. The Heavens declare his righteousness and all the people saw his Glory That this Psalm is literally meant of Christs Exaltation to be Lord of Lords and of his Inauguration to his everlasting Kingdom The Apostle St. Paul Heb. 1. 6. puts out of question amongst all Christians when he bringeth in his first begotten Son into the world he saith Let all the Angels of God worship him so the Psalmist had said in this 97. Psal ver 7. Confounded be all they that serve graven Images worship Him all ye Gods or as the Septuagint upon which our Apostle often Paraphrased Worship him all ye Angels of God The matter or subject of this Psalm is almost the same with Psal 2. Both of them contain Prophesies concerning the Declaration of Christ to be the Son of God And from this harmonie between this 97. and the second Psalm and from the common Prenotion or Rule of interpreting Scriptures known to the Learned or unpartially observant in those days the Apostle adds that Preface unto his Testimonie when he bringeth in his onely begotten Son into the World He supposeth that the Learned among his Countrie-men should or might have known that both these Prophecies were to be punctually fulfilled upon the Exaltation of the Messias or of those times wherein God should be manifested in the Flesh 3. Yet some conjecture that our Apostle Heb. 1. 6. hath reference rather to Deut. 32. ver 43. in the Greek Translation then unto the 97 Psalm in the Hebrew The words indeed in the Greek or Septuagint are the very same though in the Hebrew not the same by any Equivalencie of the literal sense At nec sic quidem malè There is a varietie of sense yet no discord but rather a full and perfect Consort between the Literal and Grammatical sense of the Hebrew and the mystical and real sense which the Greek or Septuagint in both places expresseth First The 97 Psalm as many others are is a Poetical descant upon Moses his divine Prophetical Song Deut. 32. And the 70 Interpreters whether out of some Prenotion or out of the admirable Concord between that song of Moses and the 97 Psalm or out of a divine Instinct wherewith as St. Augustine is of opinion they were impelled sometimes to intersert a more express meaning of the Holie Ghost then an ordinary Commentator could out of the Hebrew have observed whether this way or that way moved they have given the same Paraphrase upon Deut. 32. ver 43. which our Apostle hath made upon Psal 97. ver 7. which is no other then the Septuagint had made before but literally more consonant to the Hebrew then their Paraphrase upon Deut. 32. is But
more probable it is that our Apostle did aim at the 97. Psal then at the forecited place of Deut. because the other Testimonies following in that Hebr. 1. 8 9. are evidently taken out of the Book of Psalmes unto the SON he saith O GOD Thy throne is for ever and ever the Scepter of thy Kingdome is a Scepter of righteousness Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquitie wherefore God even thy God hath anointed thee with the oyle of gladness above thy fellowes This Testimonie is evident in the 45. Psal v. 6 7. So is that other Heb. 1. 10 11 12. expressely contained in Psal 102 Thou Lord in the beginning hast established the earth and the heavens are the workes of thine hands They shall perish but thou dost remain and they all shall wax old as doth a garment And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up and they shall be changed But thou art the same and thy yeares shall not fail The former testimonie is perhaps Typically Propheticall and may in some sort concern Salomon according to the literal sense but Salomon only as he was a Type of that Son of David who was likewise to be the Son of God But the Character almost of every line in the hundred and second Psalm testifies that the Psalmist in this grievous complaint had more then a Typical representation such a distinct and clear vision of Christs Glorie and Exaltation as the Prophet Esay Chap. 53. had of his humiliation in our flesh or humane nature The Title of this Psalm is A prayer of the afflicted when he shall be in distress and powr forth his meditations before the Lord. And The only fountain of comfort to all afflicted in bodie or soul is the Exaltation of Christ the Son of God in our flesh or nature That which must sweeten all our bodily sorrowes or afflictions even the bitterness of death it self whereof this Psalmist and the people of God in his time had tasted must be our meditation upon that and the like speeches of our Apostle If we suffer with Christ we shall also reign with him And for your comfort in all distress I cannot commend any fitter matter of meditation to you then is contained in this 102 Psalm and in the 2. 4. and 12. Chapters to the Hebrews This Exaltation of Christ to be Lord is alike clearly fore-prophesied Psalm 99. and Psalm 145. as every observant Reader may of himself collect 4. The more extraordinary and more special Grounds or Bases whereupon this Title of Lord as it is peculiar to Christ is erected are these First Christ is in peculiar sort called The LORD because it was God the Son not God the Father or God the Holie Ghost who did personally pay the ransom of our Sins and this he fully payed by offering up part of our nature made his own in a bloody Sacrifice to the Father Servants we were by creation of our nature not onely to God the Son but to God the Father and to God the Holie Ghost to the Divine nature or blessed Trinity But we had sold our selves for enjoying the pleasures of the flesh unto Gods adversary And albeit we could not by any compact or Covenant whether implicit or express made with Satan by our first Parents or by our selves alienate our selves from Gods Dominion of Jurisdiction over us yet we did renounce his Service and that Interest which we had in his gracious protection as he was our Lord and alienate unto his enemy that property or disposal of our imployments which by right of creation intirely belong'd to God God after our first Parents Fall was no otherwise our Lord then any King is Lord over Rebels Traytors Murtherers or of others who by their misdemeanors may alienate their allegeance from him and exempt themselves from his gracious protection but not from his power or Dominion of Jurisdiction for he is the minister of God for executing vengeance upon such Our first Parents had declared themselves to be Traytors and we had continued a race of Rebels against our God and Creator without all hope of being restored unto Gods favor and service unless satisfaction were made for our transgression and means purchased for establishing us in a better estate then the estate of Servants which we had by the gift of Creation Now not onely our redemption from the estate of Slaverie unto Satan but all the means for our further advancement after our ransom was paid were purchased by the Son of God And that which most advanceth the peculiar Title of Christs Dominion and Lordship over us was the price which he gave for us For we were not redeemed with corruptible things as with silver and gold though men with these and things more corruptible then these do purchase the real title of Lords and exercise the dominion of Lords over Lands or Servants so purchased but we were redeemed by the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb undefiled and without spot 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. Blood is the most precious and dearest part of mans bodie and greater love we cannot testifie unto our dearest friends then by spending our blood for them Losses we value none so deeply as forgetfulness ungrateful neglects or contempt from them for whose sakes and credit we have been content specially out of sinceritie of love and sober resolution to shed our blood Never was any blood either so copiously shed or out of the like sinceritie of love or sobriety of resolution as Christs blood was shed for all and every one of us This blood did immediatly issue from his Man-hood whereof it was a true and lively part yet was it the blood not of Man onely but of God whence if we consider either our own miserable estate being then the enemies of God or his dignitie that made Attonement for us What real portion branch or degree of service can we imagin answerable to this Soveraign Title of Lord which Christ hath not more then fully purchased over all that are partakers of flesh and blood 5. Yet Besides this Ground or Title of Christs peculiar Lordship or dominion over us there is another more forcible to command our most chearful service unless our hope be quite dead or the affection of love utterly extinguished in us For Christ by his precious blood did not onely purchase our Freedom from the Slavery of Satan but being set free doth by the everlasting efficacie of this blood once shed both wash and nourish us not as his Servants but as the Sons of his and our heavenly Father Sin and slaverie was the Terminus a quo the condition or state from which he redeemed us but the end of our redemption from these was to invest us in the libertie of the Sons of God The height of all our hopes in the life to come is to be Kings and Priests as he is but in the mean time we are or may be live members of his Glorious Body and being such
Or did he give us as the Church of Rome saith Evangelical Counsels as Additionals unto the Law In no wise Christ taught no other things then his Apostles after his resurrection did preach and his Apostles taught no other things then Moses and the Prophets had taught Acts 26. 22. But these they taught after another maner then the Scribes and Pharisees did then the ordinary Expositors of the Law and the Prophesies had done So that Gods will concerning man was more fully declared by Christ then it was by Moses or by the Prophets the very true meaning of Moses himself and of the Prophets was more fully revealed and clearly manifested unto mankinde in Christ then it was to Moses himself or to the Prophets Unto me saith our Apostle Ephes 3. 8 9 10. who am less then the least of all Saints is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mysterie which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God who created all things by Jesus Christ To the intent that now unto the Principalities and Powers in Heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God And by this more full declaration of Gods Will in Christ we Christians are tyed unto more strict observance of His Will known then men were tyed unto before Christ was declared to be the Lord Admitting the Services to be the very same yet the same services are now due under a double Title They are due to God the Father by right of Creation and due to Christ as he is Lord For God the Father is to be honored not onely in himself but in Christ 6. God when he gave the moral Law to Israel useth this Preface I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt This was his peculiar right or Title unto Israel and the Precept grounded upon this Title follows Thou shalt have no other Gods but me But you may remember how it was foretold by the Prophet Jeremie Jer. 23. 7 8. That it should no more be said the Lord liveth which brought the children of Israel out of Egypt But the Lord liveth which brought up the seed of the house of Israel out of the North Land Or according to the prime Grammatical sense of the word principally intended by the Holie Ghost out of the Land of darkness and This was fulfilled onely in Christ So that He who was the Lord of Israel by right of redemption from Egyptian bondage is now become the Lord of every Language of every Nation and Kindred by a more peculiar Title by right of redemption from the Powers of darkness and from Hell it self Hence saith our Apostle 1. Cor. 8. 5 6. Though there be that are called Gods whether in heaven or in earth as there are Gods many and Lords many But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we by him As the Israelites are forbid to have any other God besides the Lord which brought them out of the Land of Egypt so are we Christians forbid to have any Lords or Masters besides Christ So saith our Saviour Matth. 23. 8 9 10. Be not ye called Rabbi for one is your Master even Christ call no man your father upon the Earth for one is your Father which is in heaven And he repeats the former Caveat Neither be ye called Masters for one is your Master even Christ He that forbids them to be called Masters over others doth likewise forbid them to be servants to other Masters besides himself And this Duty is more fully exprest by our Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 23. Ye are bought with a price be not ye the servants of men He no way forbids bodily service but rather injoyns such as were servants properly so called that is slaves or bond-men to continue in their calling ver 20 21. as knowing bodily servitude not to be incompatible with Christian liberty no not with the Liberty of the Sons of God He that is called in the Lord being a servant is the Lords free-man likewise he that is called being a Free-man is Christs servant What service of men then doth Christ or his Apostles forbid The vassalage of our reason or understanding or the submission of our consciences to the pleasures or services of men or of the corrupt times wherein we live Thus to alienate our service from Christ to any mortal men is whether you list to call it a branch of Sacriledge or Idolatry if not more gross yet certainly more deadly in all such as confess Christ to be their Lord then the worshipping of stocks and stones was either in the Heathen or in the Israelites themselves before Christ was declared to be the Son of God and solemnly proclaimed to be the Lord. To give you another Instance how Gods Will is more exactly done by Real Confession of Christ to be THE LORD 7. This is the will of God saith the Apostle 1 Thess 4. 3. Even your sanctification that you should abstain from fornication that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor not in the lust of concupiscence even as the Gentiles which know not God To this duty the Israelites were as truly tyed as we Christians are It was as the Apostle intimates a necessary branch or fruit of the true knowledge of God a service due unto him as he was the Creator But unto this same duty the Israelites were not bound by so many ties as we Christians are It is required of us by a strict peculiar Title not onely by our knowledge of God as our Creator nor by our acknowledgement of Christ to be the Lord as this Title of Lord hath relation onely unto servants he may and doth exact this duty at our hands not onely by right of Redemption or by paying the ransom for our sins upon the Cross but by right of Espousals or by Title of Lord as he is the Head and Husband of his Spouse the Church No motive can be so forcible to deter men from transgressing this negative Commandment or for incouraging them to do Gods Will in the affirmative part of the former Commandment as that of our Apostle 1 Cor. 6. 13. 14 15. Now the body is not for fornication but for the Lord and the Lord for the body And God hath both raised up the Lord and will also raise up us by his own power Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot God forbid And again ver 20. Ye are bought with a price therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods 8. It was well observed long ago by Occolampadius that
children were taught amiss to know the nature of God or of his Enemy by vulgar Pictures or Representations For so the fashion was long before and continued till his time to picture God or the blessed Trinity in some fair and beautiful form and to paint the divel in some foul loathsom or ugly shape And this good Writer to correct their error well admonished as well the parents as their children That if they would learn to know what God was they must first be taught to know what Goodness is what Justice is what Mercy is what Bounty or loving kindness is And if they desire to know what maner of creature the divel is who is the chief enemy of God they should first be taught to know what malice is what filthiness is what loathsomness is what villany or treachery is For Satan is but a Compost of these or an extract of all that children or their parents acknowledge for evil Howbeit if either children or parents could be taught to know what Iustice is what Mercy is what loving kindness is or if they could be taught to know that God is what all these are even Iustice it self even mercy it self loving kindness it self wisdom it self or Wisdom Justice Mercy and loving kindness it self truly infinite yet his wisdom his mercy and loving kindness would be to us incomprehensible unapprehensible even in that these Attributes in him are infinite We could have no true or lively apprehension either speculative to inform our understandings what were good and ought to be followed or moral to enable and qualifie our hearts and affections to imitate or express that patern of goodness or so much of it as we apprehend in God if we should look upon these Attributes as they are in God the Father only or in the Divine nature But as he that cannot look upon the Sun in its strength or brightness or at the noon day may take the model of it in the water or in the Moon at full So we that cannot behold the glory of Divine Majesty in the Godhead may safely behold the Map or Model of his incomprehensible Goodness in the Man Christ Iesus All His actions and endeavors were with such wisdom set and bent upon mercy on goodness on loving kindness that every one which saw and duly considered his maner and course of life here on Earth might collect that he truly was as himself avouched more then the Son of man the very Son of God himself who is good and gracious to all For Christ as Man went about doing good to all doing hurt to none Now as the Son of Syrach saith Ecclus. 22. 3. That an evil son is the dishonor of his father So it will follow by the Rule of Contraries That a wise or good son is the honor of his father So Solomon hath said in express terms Prov. 10. 1. A wise son maketh a glad father but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother Now Christ as we know is called The Wisdom of the onely wise immortal God his beloved Son in whom he is well pleased And well pleased with him he is for that he is the honor of his Father And as Christ by confessing God and by real expression of his Goodness in his life and actions did truly glorifie his Father as he himself expresly avoucheth John 17. So all that really confess Christ to be the Lord that is all which throughly express the Map or Model of his Goodness in their lives and conversations do truly glorifie God the Father 9. Briefly then Every tongue truly and rightly confesseth Christ to be the Lord that observes his Commandments or that observes the Commandments of God more strictly and more religiously then others do who although they profess they honor God yet do not honor him as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ or do not honor Jesus Christ as his only Son This is that special Will of the Father which is in heaven and that which must be done by all which mean to enter into Heaven that every one which honoreth the Father should also honor the Son Joh. 5. 23. Honor the Son they must not in words or title only but by performance of real Service Every one that thus honoreth the Son doth hereby glorifie God the Father Hence saith our Savior Matth. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in heaven And again Ioh. 15. 1. Our Savior compares himself to the Vine and his Father unto a Husbandman which expects the fruit of his vineyard So that the end why the Son of God did descend from heaven why he was planted and took root here on earth was that the sons of Adam or Abraham might be ingrafted in him and the End of our ingrafting in him was that we might bring forth fruit unto his Father But What comfort is it to have Christ Our Lord if by Allegeance to him we be more strictly bound to do the will of God then those which do not acknowledge Him their Lord I Answer 1. It is a credit by consent of Nations and repute of men naturally wise if not A Real Comfort to have him Our Lord who governs his people by the most excellent and equitable Laws Such were those which the Son of God gave the Jews What are these now refined in the Gospel All men naturally desire happiness As by those Laws God directed the Jews so by these he disciplines Us for our Good seeking occasion or Title in our obedience to exercise his bounty by rewarding us for doing good to our selves and others at his command He that sins against the laws of Christ doth it in Sui damnum sins against his own soul and by straying from them goes out of that way which only can lead him to the happiness he desireth 2. It is comfort that our Lord rules not with rigor but masters his Dominion with Equity Novit figmentum nostrum having Himself been compassed with the infirmities of mans nature all but such as did proceed from sin or lead unto sin he can by acquaintance and experience of them tell both how willing the spirit and how weak the flesh of miserable Mortals be and ready is he to give allowance accordingly But Thirdly Here is comfort indeed That as JESUS CHRIST the Righteous is our Lord so He is The Lord our Righteousness so is He our Sollicitor our Advocate our most compassionate High-Priest who ex officio negotiates on our behalf by mediation and intercession with the Father for pardon of all our transgressions negligences ignorances both of all sins committed and duties omitted or performed untowardly and amiss He made One Propitiation by his death and he lives for ever to make intercession for us Yea so gracious is This our Lord that he seems in a manner during this Acceptable Day or time of Grace to lay aside The Title
observe did report of Them to the Asiaticks who slandered and persecuted them Take notice saith he of the late and daily Earthquakes compare our estate with theirs They he means Christians have more confidence to God-ward then you have 15. This was The solid Truth whose liveless Lineaments or obscure Picture nature had drawn unto the Heathen in the former indefinite Notions or Suggestions The best fruits of a good conscience the principal end why we are to study and labor for the preservation of our Consciences void of offence towards God and man throughout the whole course of our life is that we may be enabled in that last day to stand without horror or confusion before the Son of Man As peace of conscience breedeth confidence so the onely Fountain whence this peace of conscience can issue must be our reconciliation to that supreme Judge whose doom or Censure the Consciences of meer natural men implicitly or by instinct of Nature dread albeit they cannot apprehend the express manner of the Judgement to come or who it is that shall be Judge Both these and all like points which are necessary unto true Christian Faith must be learned out of the Book of Life Thus much of the First General viz. Heathen Notions of a Judgement to come c. we proceed to the second according to the method proposed in the 9 th Chapter CHAP. XI By what authority of Scripture the Exercise of this Final Judgement is appropriated unto our Lord Jesus Christ 1. THat there was to be a Judgement general to all but most terrible to the wicked and ungodly was a Truth revealed before any part of the sacred Books now extant were written But if it be a Revelation more ancient then the written Canon what warrant can we have to believe it besides Tradition Is then Tradition a sufficient warrant for us to believe unwritten verities or Revelations made to Gods Saints for many thousand years ago It is not unless the Tradition be expresly avouched by some Canonical Writer But then it or rather the Vouchers authority concerning the truth of the Tradition is to be believed So that our Belief in this Point must be resolved into a written verity or a parcel of Canonical Scripture The Revelation concerning the final Judgement whereof we now speak was made to Enoch before the Flood The Avoucher of this Revelation is St. Jude ver 14 15. And Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophesied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints To execute Judgement upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him Besides the authority of St. Jude which makes this Tradition to be no more a meer Tradition but Canonical Scripture we have other more special Grounds to believe that Enoch did thus Prophesie then we have to believe any other pretended Revelations which are not contained in Scripture The truth and certainty of this Judgment denounced by Enoch was so publickly and notoriously known that the Hebrew Church before our Saviours incarnation did begin the Writ or Instrument of their Great and terrible Excommunication with the first words of Enochs Prophesie Dominus veniet the Lord shall come As if they meant to bind the party whom they excommunicated besides all other punishments or infamies over to this Grand Assize But is there in this Prophecie any particular character of Christ Any pregnant intimation that this Great Judge of the world should be the Second Person in the Trinity rather then The First In the words themselves there is no peculiar Character of Christ save only in The Title LORD which as we said before is peculiar to Christ whether it be in the Original exprest by the word Jehovah or Adonai whensoever Judgment or visible exercise of Jurisdiction Regal is the subject or matter of the prophetical discourse as in this Prophecy of Enoch it is Besides this Character in the words of the prophecie the Prophet himself Enoch was a lively Type of Christ the great Prophet in the very ground of his Title to Lordship and Jurisdiction Enoch was translated that he should not see death but before his translation had this testimony that he Pleased God Hebr. 11. 5. Before his Translation he denounced this Wo or Curse against all that continue in ungodliness fore warning the world withal that the Lord himself whose Embassador he was should come to put his Embassage in execution The congruity of the Fact or Type with the Body fore-shadowed implies that this Propheeie was then to be fulfilled after the Prince of Prophets had been translated as Enoch was from earth but in a higher degree then Enoch was into heaven it self And albeit before his translation he had a more ample Testimony then Enoch had this is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased yet was he not made Lord and King and Judge till after his Resurrection and Translation From that time the Angels and Principalities and Powers even all the Hoast of Heaven intimated by Enoch became by that Title subject unto him That Christ is that very Lord against whom those ungodly men whom Enoch mentions did speak such bitter words our Apostle St. Paul though obscurely yet fully implies in the conclusion of his first Epistle to the Corinthians chapt 16. 22. If any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be Anathema 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Let him be accursed or excommunicated with that Great and terrible Excommunication 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Lord shall come for so they call their Excommunication as we do Writs by the first words of the Writ or Instrument and these were the first words of Enochs Prophecie Veniet Dominus The Lord shall come The full meaning or implication of the Apostle is That whosoever doth not love the Lord Jesus shall be liable to all the Iudgments or Woes denounced by Enoch against the hard speeches of ungodly Sinners which they have spoken against their Lord and Iudge 2. That God is Judge of all the Earth that there shall be a final Judgment generally awarded to all the Inhabitants of the Earth by God himself the places of the old Testament are infinite I shall only touch the principal or more pregnant testimonies to this purpose To begin with the First Gen. 18. 22. When the men turned their faces from thence and went towards Sodom Abraham stood yet before The Lord and drawing neer he said wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked ver 23. And again ver 25. To slay the righteous with the wicked and that the righteous should be as the wicked that be far from thee Shall not The Judge of all the Earth do right Thus he spake in the case of Sodom whose Judgment this Lord and Judge of all the earth was then
help of this Rule For Instance to lay this Rule unto St. John Baptists speech Matth. 3. 10 11 12. Now also the ax is laid unto the root of the tree Therefore every tree which bringeth forth not good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire I indeed Baptize you with water unto repentance but he that cometh after me is mightier then I whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall Baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire Whose fan is in his hand and he will throughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the Garner But will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire This Prediction cannot be exactly fulfilled until the Final Sentence be given and put in execution And yet within 43 years after his Baptism by John there was a manifest and lively representation exhibited to the World of his second coming unto Judgement and this representation was exhibited upon the Nation of the Jews The full accomplishment whereof shall at his second coming and not before be universally and exactly accomplished in all Nations and Languages and People Wherein then doth this representation of Final Judgement which at his first coming was exhibited in the Jewish Nation punctually consist In this especially There was such a notorious and manifest Crisis or distinction between the Elect and Reprobate of the Jewish Nation or seed of Abraham at his first coming as in no Nation or People had been experienced before nor shall be experienced in any before the day of Final Judgement in which this distinction of Elect and Reprobates shall not be onely universally manifested but solemnly declared in respect of all mankinde Every Son of Adam shall in that day be irrevocably marshalled or ranked either amongst the absolute Reprobates or absolute Elect In the one or other rank of which estates neither all nor most of every Nation or Church are at all points of time in the Interim to be accounted no not in respect of Gods Eternal Decree Nor may the Verdicts or Aphorisms whether of our Saviour himself or of his Apostles after his death concerning Election or Reprobation be extended to other times or Nations in the same measure or Tenor wherein they were verified and experienced in the Nation of the Jews at or upon our Saviors first coming Thus far to extend them in respect of all Times or Nations were to transgress the Analogie of Faith or received Rules of Interpreting Scriptures and to dissolve the sweet and pleasant Harmony between the Law and the Gospel or between the Evangelists and the Prophets And thus far of the second Point in handling whereof divers passages have intruded themselves which are not impertinent to the third Point CHAP. XII Of the manner of Christs coming to Judgement which was the third General proposed in the ninth Chapter 1. IT is said in the former Prophecie of Daniel chap. 7. ver 13. that One like the Son of Man came in the clouds of Heaven unto the Ancient of days The literal fulfilling of this Prophetical vision is recorded Acts 1. 9. And when he to wit Christ the Son of Man had spoken these things whilest they beheld He was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight But whither he was carried in the Cloud which received him they could not distinctly see Their bodily eyes could not see so much by day as had been revealed to Daniel in vision by night But admit that this cloud did carry him into the presence of the Ancient of days or of God his Father What is this manner of his going into Heaven unto the manner of his coming to Judge the Earth which is The Point in hand Certainly much for so the Angels ver 11. admonished his Disciples which stedfastly beheld the Manner of his Ascension Ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into Heaven This same Jesus which is taken from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into Heaven But shall the manner of his coming to Judge the World be in every point like unto the manner of his ascending into Heaven No! then it should not be so terrible as we believe it shall be The chief parts then of this similitude are these Two The First As he did locally and visibly go into Heaven so he shall locally and visibly come to judge the earth The second As he was received into Heaven in a cloud so he shall come to Judge the World as he himself foretold the High Priest and his Complices Matthew 26. 64. in the clouds of heaven The literal meaning of both places and the intent and purpose as well of the Angels as of our Saviour in this prediction infers That this Son of man whom they now beheld with bodily eyes was that very God whose glorious kingdom and reign the Psalmist describes Psal 104. 3. Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters who maketh the clouds his chariots who walketh upon the wings of the wind Who maketh his Angels Spirits or the Spirits his Angels his Ministers a flame of fire So they will appear when they attend him Coming to Judgment which will be in flaming Fire In all the manifestations of Christ to be the Son of God The Cloud is still a Witness First In his Transfiguration upon the Mount A Cloud did overshadow him and out of the Cloud this testimony was given him by God the Father Matth. 17. 5. this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear him 2. Whilest he ascends to God his Father Acts 1. 9. A Cloud receives him And 3. When he shall come from heaven or from his Fathers presence to judge the earth he shall have a Cloud for his Canopy For more particular Description of the Manner of his Coming the next Point is From what place he shall come Now it is expresly said in our Creed That Christ Jesus our Lord who was conceived by the holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried descended into hell who the third day rose again from the dead ascended into heaven and there sitteth at the right hand of God shall thence come to Judge the quick and the dead But this word Thence is of ambiguous Reference It may be referred in general either to the Heavens into which he ascended or unto the Right hand of God or unto both Certain it is that he shall come from Heaven as visibly and locally as he ascended thither Yet whether he shall come from the Right hand of God is questionable but not by us determinable unless it be determined already in the first Chapter of this Book what is literally meant by The Right hand of God either in the Creed or in those places of the New Testament out of which This Article is taken If Christs Body as Lutherans did contend chapt 3. § 6. be every where or if
shaken may remain that is that there may be a world everlasting That which the Prophet Haggai intimates more darkly the Prophet Esay had exprest more plainly chap 34. ver 4. And all the host of Heaven shall be dissolved and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroul and all their host shall fall down as the leaf falleth from the Vine and as a falling fig from a fig-tree The same vision was more lively and clearly made unto St. John Rev. 6. 12 13 14. And I beheld when he had opened the sixth Seal and lo there was a great earthquake and the Sun became black as sack-cloth of hair and the Moon became as blood And the Stars of Heaven fell unto the earth even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind And the heaven departed as a scroul when it is rolled together and every mountain and Island were moved out of their places 7. But that which shall adde life and spirit to all these is The terrible Voice or sound which shall then be heard summoning all flesh to appear before the Iudgement seat of Christ As it was the Voice of Christ which did shake the earth at the giving of the Law so shall the Voice of Christ but a Voice more terrible then That produce this terrible commotion here mentioned in the Heavens and in the earth For as St. Paul instructs us 1 Cor. 15. 52. The trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised c. And again 1 Thess 4. 16. The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven in a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first The Terror of this Voice to such as sleep not in Christ may be gathered from the power or efficacy of it which is more fully expressed by St. John Rev. 20. 13. The sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works This universal efficacy of his Voice is expressed by our Saviour Iohn 5. 28 29. The hour is coming in which all that are in the grave shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation Some late Historians and Astronomers relate a natural Eclipse of the Sun so terrible in Spain that the Crows and other Fowls of the air seeking as it seems to flie from it were so affrighted with the suddain increase of darkness about mid-day that they fell down to the earth in a deadly astonishment What tongue then can express the Dread and Horror which the terrible apparitions at that day shall produce in all such as have lived and died in incredulity or security of the Judgement which shall follow them in all on whom that day shall come as suddenly without any better observation or preparation for it as the forementioned Eclipse of the Sun did upon the reasonless Fowls of the air Or if you desire a further a description of the Terror which shall then fall upon the Inhabitants of the earth even upon the most intrepid and undanted in respect of any ordinary Terrors then take it from St. Iohn Rev. 6. 15 16. And the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chief Captains and the mighty men and every bond-man and every free-man hid themselves in the dens and in the Rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and to the rocks fall on us and hide us Thus much was distinctly likewise fore-told and Prophetically set forth by the Prophet Esay chap. 2. 11 c. That neither St. Johns words nor the Prophet Esays are Hyperbolical but are Literally meant by them and really and punctually to be fulfilled is clear from our Saviors Interpretation of the Prophet Esay and the like passages of other Prophets at his going to the Cross Luke 23. 30 31. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains fall on us and to the hills cover us for if they do these things in a green tree what shall be done in a dry Howbeit this terror shall not meerly proceed from these Terrible Spectacles and Sounds which shall be Antecedent to the Final Judgement but from the Sight of Christ placed in his seat of Judicature So St. Iohn in the forecited place Rev. 6. 16. tells us That the Affrightment and dread that seized upon the great men of the Earth did arise from seeing the face of him that sate upon the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 8. Having thus shown the Terrors antecedent to the Process we go on to the Process it self That takes beginning from the Manner of Christ's Coming and approach or from His Appearance as he shall sit in Judgement He shall come from Heaven or from the Right hand of the Throne of God where he now sitteth to execute Judgment in the open air or in that region wherein the clouds have their Rake The Manner of his Progress or approach shall be Swift and as before hath been intimated to our apprehension Violent For at his coming to Judgment and not before shall the Prophet Esay's Prayer or Wish be accomplished Oh that thou wouldest rent the heavens that thou wouldst come down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence As when the melting fire burneth the fire causeth the waters to boyl to make thy name known to thy adversaries that the nations may tremble at thy presence When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for thou camest down the mountains flowed down at thy presence Esay 64. 1 2 3. But because St. John intimates in the fore-cited place that the chief cause of Terror was the sight of him that sate upon the Throne we shall first consider how his Throne or Presence is described in the Old Testament Secondly how these Descriptions or Representations are decyphred or charactred out unto us by more then parallels in the New Now all the Prophecies or Predictions which to this purpose can be produced must all be interpreted by the Rule heretofore given that is However they may be literally meant or verified of some former times or events yet they are verified or meant of them Inchoativè onely They are not they cannot be Completivè applyed to any other time or times besides the day of Final Judgement or the world to come which shall ensue upon it The terror of his Throne and of him that sitteth thereon is described Dan. 7. 9 10. I beheld till the Thrones were cast down and the Ancient of days did sit whose garment was white as snow and the hair of his head like pure wool his Throne was like the fiery flame and his wheels as burning fire A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him thousand thousands ministred unto
favours bestowed upon us This as the Apostle speakes is the riches of his bountie certainly exceeding great mercy much greater then justice even mercy triumphing against judgment Now if after all this we shall continue to provoke him and defer our repentance turning his Grace into wantonness making the plentifulness of his word the nurse and fuel of Schism and faction no judgement can be too great no pain too grievous either for Qualitie or for Continuance 12. The Doctrine of such Catechists as would perswade or occasion men to suspect that God hath not yet mercy in store or that there is no possibilitie for all that hear the word to repent to beleive and be saved whatsoever it do to the Authors and followers of it in this life it shall in the life to come appear even to such as perish to have been erroneons For one special branch of their punishment and that wherein the punishment of such as hear the word and repent not doth specially exceed the punishment of the Heathen or infidels shall be their continual cogitation how possible it was for them to have repented How possible for them how much more possible for them then for infidels to have been saved The bodily pains of Hell fire shall be as is probable equal to all but the worm of Conscience which is no other then the reflection of their thoughts upon their madness in following the pleasures of sin and neglecting the promises of Grace shall be more grievous to impenitent Christians A true Scale or scantling of these torments we may take from the consideration how apt we are to grieve at our extraordinarie folly or Retchlesness in this life whether that have turned to the prejudice of our temporal estate of our health or bodily life of our credit or good name There is not a man on earth but if he would enter into his own heart might find that he had many times committed greater folly then Esau did when he sold his Birth-right for a messe of pottage He set his Birth-right that is his Interest in the Land of Canaan on sale without the hazard of that inheritance which God had elswhere provided for him for he became Lord of Mount Seir. He did not contract for his own imprisonment or captivitie but we daily set Heaven to sale and hazard our everlasting exclusion from Gods presence for toyes less worth at least less necessarie for us then bodily meat was for Esau in his hunger And yet by such foolish bargains we enter a Covenant with death and contract though not expressly yet implicitely for an everlasting inheritance in Hell Now unto such as thus live and die without repentance the most cruell torments that can be imagined cannot be so grievous as the continual cogitation how they did bind themselves without any necessitie laid upon them to receive the wages of sin by receiving such base earnest as in this life was given them 13. A more exact Scale of the reward for this their folly we have in Two Fictions of the Heathen The one is That of Sisyphus his uncessant labour in rolling a huge stone which still turns upon him with greater force The other is of Prometheus whose Liver as they imagined was continually gnawen upon by a vultur or Cormorant without wasting the substance of it or deading its capacitie of pain The continuall reflection of such as perish upon their former folly is as the rolling of Sisyphus's stone a grievous labour a perpetual torment still resumed by them but still more and more in vain for no sorrow bringeth forth repentance there And every such Reflection or Revolution of their thoughts upon their former wayes is The gnawing of the worm of Conscience more grievous by much unto their souls then if a vultur should so continually gnaw their hearts CHAP. XXI ROMANS 6. 22. 23. But now ye have your fruit unto Holiness and the end everlasting life The Gift of God is Eternall Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Eternal Life Compared with this present Life The several Tenures of Both. The method proposed The instabilitie of this present Life The contentments of it short and the capacities of man to injoy such contentments as this life affords narrower In the life to come the capacitie of every facultie shall be inlarged some senses shall receive their former contentments only Eminenter as if one should receive the weight in Gold for dross Some Formaliter Joy Essential and Joy Accidental 1. THe Point remaining is that This Eternal Life which is the Crown of Holiness is so much better then this present life and its best contentments as the second death is worse then this present life however taken at the best or worst Now both sorts of life and death may be compared either in respect of their proper qualitie or of their Duration That in respect of Duration or continuance this good and happy life which is the Crown of Holiness and that miserable death which is the wages of sin are equall no Christian may deny may suspect for both are endless That this life was endless that such as are once possessed of it shall never be dispossessed of it even Origen and his followers did never question who not withstanding did deny that this death which was opposed unto it was absolutely endless though in Scripture often said to be everlasting For That in their interpretation was no more then to be of exceeding long continuance But this Heresie hath been long buried in the Church and his sin be upon him that shall seek to revive it The Method then which we mean to observe is this First to set forth the excellencie of everlasting life in respect of this life present Secondly to unfold the Reasons why neither the hope of everlasting life nor the fear of an endless miserable death do sway so much with most Christians as in reason they ought either for deterring them from the fruitless service of sin or for incouraging them to proceed in holy and godly courses whose end is everlasting life In this later we shall take occasion to unfold the Fallacies or Sophisms which Satan in his temptations puts upon us with some brief rules or directions how to avoid them A work questionless of much use and fruit though handled by a few either so seriously or so largely as the matter requires In comparing this life with the life to come we are in the first place to set forth the different Tenures of them Secondly to compare the several joys or contentments 2. This present life even at the best is in comparison but a kind of death For as the Heathen Philosopher had observed it is alwayes in fluxu like a stream or current it runs as fast from us as it comes unto us That part of our life which is past saith Seneca is as it were resigned up to death That part which is yet to come is not yet ours nor can we make any sure
were much better then their present in mercie favour and loving kindnesse 5. But whilst they thus contend for the merit of works done by Grace do they not derogate from the merits of Christ who is the only fountain of all Grace We say They do But They Reply They do not but rather magnifie the merits of Christ more then we do who deny the merits of Saints For Christ as they alledge did not only merit Grace for us but this also that we by Grace might truly Merit Now grace itself and the merit of grace is a more Magnificent Effect of Christs Merits then grace alone Here is a Double Effect of Christs Merits by their Doctrine whereas we admit but a single One. Thus they reply But if the One of those two effects which they imagine or conceive doth derogate more in true construction from the merits of Christ then the supposal or admission of it can add unto them We attribute more unto his merits by the admission of One single Effect only to wit meer grace then they do by acknowledgment of Two to wit grace it self and the merit of grace in us But the more we are to merit by grace for our selves the less measure of merit we leave unto Christ For as that which he merited for us is not ours but his so that which we merit for ourselves is not His but Ours The merit of grace supposeth a Fulnesse or Fountain of grace and Fountain of grace there is no other but Christ himself nor is there any Fulness of grace but in him only For of his fulnesse as the Evangelist saith Iohn 1. 16. we all have received grace for grace that is grace upon Grace Every degree or greater measure of Grace which we receive doth flow alike immediatly from the fulness of this inexhaustible Fountain of Grace without any secondary Fountain or Feeders Grace doth not grow in us as Rivers do which although they have one main spring or fountain yet they grow not to any greatness without the help of secondary Fountains or concurrence of many springs or feeders Grace doth so immediatly come from Christ as the Rivers do from the sea Increase of Grace doth come as immediatly from Christ as the increase of Rivers from rain or as the increase of light in the waxing Moon comes from the Sun 6. The state of this Question concerning The merits of works comes to the same issue with that other Great question concering Justification As whether it be by faith alone or by faith and works The Romish Church grants that we are justified by faith in Christs blood or merits Tanquam per Causam efficientem as by a true efficient Cause seeing all the Grace which we first receive is bestowed upon us for Christs sake But they hold withall that it is the Grace which for Christs sake is bestowed upon us by which we are formally justified that is As water poured into a vessel doth immediatly expell the air which was in it before so the infusion of Grace for the merits of Christ doth expell sin whether Original or actuall out of our souls And this in their Language is The remission of sins for the attaining whereof There needs no imputation of Christs righteousness after Grace be once infused The formall Cause of every thing requires some efficient or Agent for the production or resultance of it but being once produced or existent it excludes the interposition or intervention of any other Cause whatsoever for the production or existence of its formall Effect To produce heat in the water it is impossible without the Agency or Efficiency of fire but the water being made scalding hot by the heat of fire will heat or scald the flesh of of man or other living creature although it be removed from the fire although it work only in its own strength or of the heat inherent in it Thus say the Romanists that grace cannot be produced in us but by the vertue and efficiency of Christs merits but being by them once produced it doth justifie us immediatly by the strength and vertue of it inherent in us and by the same strength and vertue working in us it doth produce its formall effect to wit the increase of grace and lastly eternal life But if this Doctrine of theirs so far as it concerns Justification or the Remission of sins were true then this inconvenience as I have elsewhere shewed would necessarily follow That no man already after this manner justified could say or repeat that Petition in our Lords Prayer Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us without a mockerie of God or Christ For if our sins be formally remitted by the infusion of grace and if by the infusion of the same grace we be formally justified the only true meaning of this Petition is in true Resolution This Lord makes us such or remit our sins after such a manner that we shall not stand in need of thy remission or forgivenss of them or that we shall not stand in need of the mediation of thine only Son For if they be remitted immediatly by grace so long as this grace endures all mediation is superfluous is impossible This Inconvenience is farther improved by the same Doctrine so far as it concerns the merits of works done in charitie And prophanes those Two other Petitions in the same our Lords Prayer Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven no lesse then their Doctrine of Justification doth that Petition Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us For if works done by grace or charitie could truly merit eternal life the effect of all the three Petitions should be but this Lord let thy Kingdom of Grace so come unto us Lord let thy will be so done by us here on earth that as we have been long debters unto thee for giving thine only Son to die for our sins and for the purchasing of the First Grace unto us so let us by this grace be inabled to make both Thee and Him debters to us by the merit of this grace and debters in no meaner a sum then the retribution or payment of Eternal Life For if that life can be merited by our works then God doth owe it unto us for our works And if it be due unto us by merit or by debt then it is not as our Apostle hath it in this 23. verse the gift of God or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Original hath it the Grace of God The Apostle might as well have said that Eternal Life was as truly the wages of our righteousness as death is the wages of our sin And so the best Scholars in the Romish Church do grant he might have said What then is the Reason why he did not say so Of this they give us This Reason Inasmuch say they as the First grace by which we merit the Kingdom of heaven is
in men of years and discretion Though with some abatement or allowance it holds in such as are converted to Christ upon their death beds These must apprehend Gods mercies in Christ resolve to do Good Works and leave testimonie of sorrow for their past negligence in doing Good Works For in such as are endued with knowledge of Christ and are enlightned to see their miserable estate by nature the self same Faith which apprehends Gods mercies in Christ cannot be idle it will be working that which is Good and acceptable in the sight of God In vain it it shall be for them to sue for mercie at Gods hands through the Merits of Christ unless for love to Christ whose Merits for them and Goodness towards them Faith apprehends they be ready to do the works which he hath commended unto them For as you heard before not every one that saith unto him Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of his Father which is in Heaven and his Fathers Will is that we do those things which he here commands But another special Branch of the same Will is That when we have done all this we faithfully acknowledge our selves to be unprofitable servants This our Plea for mercie as men altogether unworthy for our best Works sake to be partaker of Gods Goodness or of everlasting bliss is that justification which St. Paul so much insists upon in most of his Epistles and unto This Justification that is to our good success in making this Plea Good works are necessary and usually Precedent or as it is usually taught by Good writers Good works are necessary quoad presentiam to justification non quoad efficientiam Their presence is necessarie to Justification their Efficacy or efficiencie is not necessary for as you have heard before and shall afterwards Chap. 31. hear meritorious efficiencie they have none 7. But let us ever remember as I often put the Reader in mind when it is said VVe must renounce all our works in the Plea of Iustification or suite of Pardon for our sins This must be understood Of those good Works which we have done not of those which we have left undone For these are not ours These the Hypocrites and unbeleevers will be ready to renonnce He alone truly renounceth his Works that doth Good Works and yet when he hath done them puts no trust or confidence in them and seeks not to improve them so far as to make them meritorious but wholly relies upon Gods mercies in Christ appealing from the Law unto the Gospel Nor is it every sort of Relyance upon Gods mercies in Christ but A faithful and stedfast relyance that can avail and no man can faithfully rely upon Christs merits but he that is faithful in doing his Fathers VVill. 8. But is this Necessitie of good Works to be equally extended to all sorts of Good works So saith Saint James Chap. 2. 10 11. VVhosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guiltie of all for he that said do not commit adulterie said also do not kill Now if thou commit no adulterie yet if thou kill thou art become a transgressor of the Law His meaning is That albeit we are diligent in many points of Gods service yet if we wittingly dispense with our souls in other parts of it this is an Argument that we Truly and faithfully observe no part For if we did observe Any part of his Commandments out of Faith or sincere obedience to Gods Will we would observe as much as in us lies every branch of his Will revealed For as true Faith will not admit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Respects of Persons which was the fault in the beginning of that Chapter taxed by St. Iames and gave occasion to the Maxim or principle in the words last cited so doth it exclude all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Partialitie to Gods Commandments or branches of His Will revealed If we love and prize one we must love and value all We may not love and respect One and neglect another This is the true intent and meaning of the Apostle which some to the wounding of their brethrens weak consciences have extended too far who say expresly or at least are so defective in expressing themselves as they occasion others to think That if a man either positively or more grievously transgress in breach of Gods Negative Precepts or often fail in performance of some Positive Duties commanded by him it is all one as if he had transgressed all Gods Commandments This is more then can be gathered from St. James in this place or from any other part of Gods word which only condemnes Partialitie to Gods Commandments Now a man may trespass oftner and more grievously against some one or more of Gods commandments whether Negative or Affirmative then he doth against others and yet do all this not out of any passionate affected Partialitie towards Gods Commandments or for want of uniformitie in his Faith or Affections towards Christ but only out of the Inequalitie of his own natural or acquired inclinations to some peculiar sins or vices in respect of others Some men as well before Regeneration or knowledge of Christ as after may be naturally or out of custome more prone to wantonness then unto covetousness Others again by natural disposition or bad custome may be more prone to covetousness to ambition or unadvised anger then unto wantonness Others again by bad education may be more prone to rash oathes or causless swearing then to any the former vices One sort after their regeneration or after they come to make Conscience of their wayes may offend more often and more grievously against the third Commandment then against the sixth or seventh Another sort may offend more grievously against the sixth Commandment Thou shalt not kill then against the seventh Thou shalt not commit adulterie A third sort such as are by natural disposition or custom given to wantonness may offend more grievously against the seventh Commandment then against the sixth A fourth sort more pecularly prone to covetousness or ambition may offend more grievously and more often against the last Commandment Thou shalt not covet then against any of the former And yet none of them fall under that censure of Saint James Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guiltie of all For they may all respectively offend in some one part or few points not out of any Partialitie to Gods Law or Commandments but out of the Inequalitie of their particular or peculiar dispositions to observe them Their desires or endeavours to observe those duties which they more neglect may perhaps be Greater then their desires or endeavours to observe those wherein they are less defective However this may fall out Yet this Rule is certain that Whosoever truly observes any or more of Gods Commandments out of Faith and sincere obedience to his
that continue in well doing But that Good Works should deserve Eternal Life Only upon supposal of Gods promise some of the greatest Scholars I will not say of the best men amongst them will not yield But to take them at their Best As when they say that Good works do merit as much as God hath promised to Reward them with This is too bad For to merit in their language is a great deal more then to be Rewarded it includes a Reward due unto the works wrought not meerly given out of the mercie or bountie of him that promiseth The Rule is General Whatsoever any man hath Interest in by promise it must be expected sued for and accepted upon the same Terms that it is promised unlesse between the promise made and the performance of it we can oblige the party promising by some real service that may be profitable unto him more then was included in the Conditions to which the promise did tie us To do more then is Covenanted and promised so it be behoof-ful for either party especially if it be profitable to the Rewarding party deserves a Reward in Equity though not in Law at his hands to whom it is behoof-ful If the party which promiseth us a good Turn receive any thing from us in lieu or consideration of what he promiseth he is tyed in Law to perform his promise and is a debter till he perform it The performance is not a meer courtesie or bountie but an Act of Commutative Justice The Assuming of a shilling may bind a man to the payment of many pounds Wheresoever there is Quid pro quo or Ratio dati et accepti something as well given as taken upon mutual promise there is an Act of Commutative Justice And wheresoever there is not Ratio dati et accepti Somewhat given as well taken there can be nothing due in Justice From this ground some great Schoolmen in the Romish Church deny Justice commutative or that branch of Justice which is the Rule of all matters of bargain or sale to be properly in God because there cannot be Ratio dati et accepti any mutual giving or taking between God and his creatures For he gives us all that we have or can have we cannot possibly give him any thing which he hath not And for this reason albeit he were purposed to bestow the greatest measure of Grace upon us that any creature is capable of this could not include any Grace of merit for still the more place Grace hath in our hearts the less room there is for Merit True it is that our Lord and Saviour did merit heaven at his Fathers hands for us but the ground or foundation of this His merit was not only the fulnesse of Grace in him as man but that he being in the Form of God the Son of God equal to his Father did humble himself and become man for us and did his Father service as man he therefore did merit all graces for us because he was the Son of God not by Adoption or creation but by Eternal Generation To be the Sons of God by Adoption or to be made his sons by Grace is a blessing bestowed on us for the which we become Debters to God the Father and servants to God the Son so deeply indebted to both that albeit we should do ten times more then we do we should still be unprofitable servants we could not make the least Recompence for that which he hath done for us The manner of the Apostles Interrogation Rom. 11. 35. Quis prior illidedit who hath first given to him includes an universal negation No man hath given ought to God No man can give any thing unto him And if none can give any thing unto him none can receive any thing from him by way of merit or valuable consideration but of meer mercy and free Bounty 7. If we would scan the Tenor of all Gods promises made unto us in Scripture with such accurateness as Lawyers do Tenures of Land we should find that he only promiseth to be merciful and bountiful unto us whether we limit his promises to the First Grace which we receive from him or extend them to All after-increase of Grace or to the accomplishing of all blessings promised in this life by our admission unto life eternal in the world to come Now if Mercy and Bounty be the Compleat Object of all his promises then may we not expect performance or accomplishment of his promises as a Just recompence or merit for any service which we do him but only as the Fruit or effect of his mercy or loving kindness If a loving earthly father should allot his son a liberal Pension before he could in modestie ask it or in discretion expect it and promise him withall that if he did employ this present years Pension well he would allow him more liberally for the next year following in this case how well soever his son did either demean himself or use his present Pension yet seeing the whole profit did redound unto himself not unto his father the more bountifully his father deals with him in the years following the more still he is bound unto him An ingenuous or gracious son would not challenge the second or third years Pension as more due unto him by right or merit then the First albeit he had his fathers promise for these two years which he had not for the first For the fathers promise was only to be good and bountiful unto him so he would be dutifully thankful for his bountie Now to expect or challenge that by way of right and merit which is promised meerly out of favour or loving kindness and upon condition of dutiful demeanour is a transgression of duty an high degree of unthankfulness especially from a son unto the father For every son by the Law of God and nature owes obedience and respect unto his Father and though there be no mutual bond of Obedience yet is there a bond of mutual dutie between an earthly father and his son at least the father as well as the son owes obedience unto Gods Law and Gods Law enjoyns every father unto kind usuage of his son so he challenge it not by way of debt or merit but in love humilitie or obedience But on our heavenly Father no bond of Obedience of debt or dutie can be laid what good soever he doth unto us it is meerly from his Free Mercy and loving kindness It was his meer goodness to Create us to give our First Parents such Being as once they had This First Being could not be merited nor doth any Romanist affirm it could Having lost that goodness wherein we were created it was more then meer Goodness the abundance of mercy to make us any promise of Restauration to our First blood and Dignitie And after this promise made it is but the continuation or increase of the same abundant mercy to bestow the Grace of Adoption upon us and no more
lives or consecrate our selves to his honor and service to offer our selves in sacrifice to him when he requires not only in remembrance of what he hath done for us which we would not for ten thousand lives but he had done but in respect of Future Hopes which it were better we had never been then they should not be accomplished We look he should in the last day acquit us from the accusations of Satan the great Accuser and in the mean time give Testimonie of us as his faithful servants to his Father The dutie which we owe to Him is in this life to be witnesses of the truth he taught to testifie unto the world that he hath appeared by our lives and conversations answerable to His by our readiness to suffer povertie exile disagrace or ignominious death for defence of His Lawes to fear him whether in life or death 12. To every thing we can desire of God there is A semblable Dutie to be performed by us without whose performance we cannot pray to Him in Faith To pray in Faith is to be so surely perswaded of Gods Benignitie as to be ready to render up all that he requires of us to abstain from those things which we know to be offensive to him especially from such as have any particular repugnance to that we seek If we expect God should provide for us as for his children we must honor and reverence Him as an Almighty and everlasting Father If we desire he should protect us we must fear him as our Greatest Lord. A son honoureth his Father and a servant his master If I then be a Father where is my Honor and if I be a master where is my fear saith the Lord of Hosts unto you Mal. 1. 6. If ye offer the blind for sacrifice is it not evil and if ye offer the lame and sick is it not evil offer it now unto thy Prince will he be content with thee or accept thy person saith the Lord of Hostes and now I pray you pray before God that he may have mercy upon us This hath been by your means will he regard your persons saith the Lord of Hosts No! they did not pray in Faith For so to pray presupposeth a fidelitie in the discharge of duties appointed for their calling God for his part never changeth I am the Lord I change not Mal. 3. 6. As if he had said This is my nature and essence to be immutable And therefore Ye Sons of Jacob are not consumed For so they had been unless his mercies had continued the same But to do them that good they desired or to deal as graciously with them as he had done with their fathers he could not if with Reverence I may so speak because of their infidelitie or unbelief for which cause the Evangelist saith Christ could not work many miracles amongst His Countrymen Matth. 13. 58. From the dayes of your Fathers you are gone away from mine Ordinances and have not kept them Now there must needs have been a Change in God if he had dealt as bountifully with this back-sliding Generation as with their Godly Predecessors that had been sted fast in his Covenant But let them be as their fathers were and He will be to them as he was to their Fathers For he is no accepter of persons but rewardeth every one according to his works Wherefore he saith Return unto me and I will return unto you ver 7. But they were so far from returning that they would scarce acknowledge their sin For they said wherein shall we return They should have done unto their God accordingly as they desired he should do to them They desired the Lord should blesse them as Moses had spoken In the City and in the field in the fruit of their bodies and in the fruit of their grounds in the fruit of their cattel and in the increase of their kine and in the flocks of their sheep Deut. 28. 4. But God at this time had done to them in some fort as they had done to him They had robbed him in tithes and offrings ver 8. Therefore were they oursed with a curse ver 9. Notwithstanding if they would deal better with him he assures them he will deal better with them Bring ye all the Tithes into the Storehouse that there may be meat in mine house and prove me herewith saith the Lord of Hostes if I will not open the windows of Heaven unto you and pour you out a Blessing without measure And I will rebuke the Devourer for your sakes and he shall not devour the fruit of your ground neither shall the Vine be barren in the field saith the Lord of Hosts And all Nations shall call you blessed saith the Lord of Hosts As he that had wrong'd his brother was the forwarder to repine against Moses so the words of such in this people as had most robbed and spoiled God were most stout against him They said It was in vain to serve God And what profit is it that we have kept his Commandments And that we have walked humbly before the Lord of Hosts Therefore they accounted the proud blessed even they that work wickednesse are set up and they that tempt God yea they are delivered It is not likely that they would thus speak with their mouthes for so they should have had no occasion to demand as they did V. 13. What have we spoken against thee But that they thought in their hearts That God did not respect them according to their deserts or that his Bounty had not been so great to them as to their Fathers If they said not they thought with Gideon Ah my Lord if the Lord be with us why then is all this come upon us and where be his miracles which our Fathers have told us and said did not the Lord bring us out of Egypt But now the Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of the Medianites He thought this Change was in God not in himself or in his Countrymen As most men at this day think that God is not as ready to hear our prayers as he was to hear the Israelites or the Fathers in the primitive Church When as the reason why he hears them not is because we are not so ready to do His will If we perform any obedience to his Laws it is for the most part such as those murmurers did we offer unto him either the vile or the lame or else but half that which is due and yet perswade our selves we deal bountifully with him too In Fine we do so much as serves to ground a Pharisaical conceit of our selves not so much or not so sincerely as may induce Our God who knows our hearts to think well of us We do not so to him as we desire he should do to us for we desire that he should bless us above the ordinary means of humane forecast or procurement but we adventure not any practice injoyned by him
affraid of being censured as Puritanes for speaking against them though out of this place then would have blushed to have been spectators of their lewd unseasonable sportings in places not so well be fitting their Calling I will not take upon me to Censure this or any like Recreation as altogether unlawful But what time hath been for sundry years past would God this present did presage much better to come wherein the use of these or other more unquestionable recreations might not justly be censured for superfluous if not preposterous And with what indignitie that worthy Bishop did prosecute these unseasonable vanities of his Countrymen I refer you to his books De Gubernatione Providentia a fit Manual for the volume but in these times an excellent Cordial for the matter Ludicra ergo publica Trever pet is Art thou an inhabitant of the miserable more then thrice ransacked Tryers and seekest thou after such fruitlesse toyes as playes Ubi quoeso exercendae Where on Gods name wilt thou have them acted an super bustum Cineres super sanguinem ossa mortuorum upon the Graves upon the ashes upon the blood and bones of thy massacred brethren and fellow Citizens The continuance of this vainitie in the living did in his estimation surpass the misery and infelicitie which had befalne the deceased 13. Death and the destroying Angel which by their often soaring hovering over our heads had over-shadowed this Citie and for the solitariness of these and like assembles had somtimes almost turned our day into night have now Gods name be praised for it taken their flight another way Yet shall not these Admonitions seem altogether so unseasonable now as our sportings were then Though secured we be from present dread yet may we without offence as men that had passed great dangers in their night Distempers or sudden affrights look back by day in Calm and sober thoughts upon our former wayes And I beseech you take these following speeches that distilled from that sage and learned Bishops zealous Pen as preservatives against the like dangerous times to come not as censures or invectives of mine to gall any for what is past Suppose this Reverend Bishop had lived amongst us how would he have taxed the unseasonable Luxuries of late times Go to now Oye that are strong to pour in wine or ye that have verified the Proverb by your practise that Mans life is but a stage play wherein you know to act none but the mimickes part ye that make your selves mutual sport by grieving or abusing others Go to now ye that have quite inverted Solomons Counsel ye that have wholly consecrated your selves to the house of mirth and feasting and hold it a hell to be drawn into the house of mourning where do ye mean to celebrate your wonted sports where shall your meriments where shall your pleasant meetings be what in the City which the Lord so often hath smitten which so often hath groaned under his heavie hand what even then when the sore did run amongst your brethren O fools and slow of heart to believe the writings of the Prophets and frequent Admonitions of so many holy and Religious men might not nature which nurtereth the heathen which teacheth the beasts of the field and birds of the air to know their season have also taught you how unseasonable your mirth how prodigious your insolence hath been What foul indignitie had you offered though you had offered it to a private man to revell it in the room wherein his children wherein his wife had laid a dying What humane heart what civil though unregenerate ear could endure to hear of one and the same family some in the midst of bitterest Agonies praying others swearing or blaspheming some panting for faintness or ratling for want of breath others cackling or shrugging at the sight of wanton sporting And dare you account them for whom Christ Jesus shed his blood lesse dear to him then dearest children are to loving Parents or wives to most loving husbands And what is this City in respect of him would God you would permit it so to be But at the best could you imagine it any more then the Chamber of the great King whom neither the heaven nor the heaven of heavens can contain Shall not his ear who filleth all places with his presence be as able to discern each dissonant noise or disagreeing speech or carriage within the wals or suburbs of this City as the most accurate musicians ear is to distinguish contrary Notes or jarring sounds within the compasse of a narrow parlour And what musick think you will it make in his ears or how will it sound to those harmonical spirits which by his appointment Pitch about this place when they shall hear in one corner some in the Agonie of their souls sending out grievious screiks and bitter outcries others out of their abundant heat of mirth and pastimes filling the streets with profuse immoderate clamors Some again praying with deep sighes and grievous groanes others foaming out their shame in drunken scurrilous or lascivious songs some having their hearts ready to break for grief others to burst their lungs with laughter These beloved have been the abuses in former times which any Reverent and zealous spirit that had lived amongst us justly might and questionless would have taxt more sharply And yet of such reproofes the best of us might well in some measure have been sharers But these dangers are gone long since would God the guilt of our sins were as far removed from us If it remain like times may return again What then remains but that we repent of what is past and take heed of what is to come Lord never let the pensive sighs the mournful groanes or grievous out-cryes of dying men be mingled with our lavish mirth and sportings O let not the songs of pleasure and the voice of death ascend the heavens or appear at thy Tribunal seat together least This most unseasonable discord sound still in thy ear until the sound of the Angels Trumpet summon us to that fearful Judgement wherein they may laugh and we may cry wherein their comfortless sighes and dolorous groanes may be changed into everlasting Haleluiahs of joy and peace and all immoderate unlawful mirth all unseasonable and untimely pleasures be terminated with endless grief And as for such as seek to raise the spirit of unhallowed mirth and belch out their scurrilous Jests by powring in wine and strong drink even in the dayes wherein the Lord hath called them to fasting and mourning O that they could consider the time may come wherein they shall wish for one drop of that liquor for a whole day which now they pour in hourly without measure to cool their scorched tongues And yet unto their greater misery shall not be heard in so miserable a wish but in the continual want of this and all other comfort their pleasant songs shall be turned into bitter howlings Their
them for religious Jehoshaphat and the Righteous sakes that lived in it After Iehoshaphats death Iehoram his son reigns in his stead a successor to the Kings of Israel in all wickedness and Idolatry And as his life was wicked so was his estate unfortunate his end terrible and his death ignominious In his dayes did Edom make his final revolt from Iudah 2 Chron. 21. 10. and Libnah at the same time because he had forsaken the God of his fathers And ver 14. Behold saith Elijah to him by a letter with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people and thy children and thy wives and all thy substance And so Gods judgments came upon him and his Children He himself dies of a lingering loathsom disease without the wonted solemnities of Funerals And Ahaziah his youngest son all the elder being slain by the Arabians 2 Chron. 22. 1. is about a year after killed by Jehu executing judgment upon the house of Ahab After all this were All the Royal Seed of Judah destroyed by Athaliah Ioash son of Ahaziah only excepted whose beginnings were good The reformation of Religion was perfect for the external form so long as Iehoiada the Priest did live but not compleat for the number or quality of such as turned to the Lord their God For the Princes hearts were wholly set upon idolatry And the King himself is drawn upon his own destruction by them after Iehoiada's death As his beginnings were good and godly so were his later dayes idolatrous and cruel and Zachariah's blood was recompensed upon his head and upon the head of Amaziah his son who though he were not like his father guilty as principal of actual murther in putting a Prophet to death yet thus farre by Participation guilty of his fathers sin that he is impatient of the Prophets just reproof As his father killed so he threatens the Prophet for reproving him for his sins for taking the gods of Edom for his gods 2 Chron. 25. 14. Have they made thee the Kings Counsellor Cease thou why should they smite thee And the Prophet ceased but said I know the Lord hath determined to destroy thee because thou hast done this and hast not obeyed my Counsel His doom is read and judgment followes For he is shamefully foyled 2 Chron. 25. 23. by Ioash King of Israel and led captive home to his own good Town of Ierusalem four hundred cubits of whose wals were broke down to make entrance for his triumphant enemies in the sight of his own people And after his freedom bought with his own treasure and with the treasure of the Lords house his own Subjects conspire against him and pursue him unto death where he dies his fathers death by the hands of his Servants 2 Chron. 25. 27. As Amaziah from good beginnings grew idolatrous so Uzziah his son after good success became in his later end sacrilegiously presumptuous For intermedling with the Priests Office he becomes liable to the Priests Tribunal He is judged a Leper and removed from administration of the Kingdom for the leprosie wherewith the Lord had smitten him 2 Chron. 26. 5. Thus in process of time is still the increase of sin either their Kings are wicked as but two from David to Hezekiah's time which continued in good Or if their Kings be vertuous and religious as Iehoshaphat had been and Iotham son to Uzziah now is yet in his dayes again the peoples hearts are not prepared to serve the Lord 2 Kings 15. 35. But the high Places were not put away for the people yet offered and burnt incense in the high places and so kept in the fire of Gods wrath which had been long kindled against Judah but not suffered to burst out into any flame in the dayes of righteous Jotham and such as by his example followed righteousness Nay to encourage others to follow him the Lord gave him victory over the enemies of Judah and He grew mighty because He directed His wayes before the Lord His God 2 Chron. 27 6. 6. But neither did he nor any Prince of Judah since Righteous David so perfectly direct as Ahaz his son did pervert his wayes before the Lord. This is the first that adds stubbornness to infidelity and drunkenness to thirst as the Spirit tels us 2 Chron. 28. 22. In his tribulation did he yet trespass more against the Lord this is King Ahaz saith the Text you must expect a remarkable monster in his dealings For he sacrificed unto the gods of Damascus which plagued him and he said Because the gods of the Kings of Aram helped them I will sacrifice unto them and they will help me yet they were his ruine and of all Israel ver 23. This people was alwayes prone to wickedness even during the reign of most religious Kings but are now so violently carried to all mischief having got this preposterous Monster for their Governor that as a ship sailing with advantage of wind and tide and help of oares continues motion when sail is stricken and Rowers cease so Jerusalem and Judah after Ahaz their Commander in mischief ceased from his wicked labours held on still their mischievous courses even in good King Hezekiah's dayes 7. Whereas God 's threatnings had been but particular heretofore either to the King alone or to his Line and House or of some momentary desolation upon the Land Now God thunders out a General Deluge of Calamity to the City and Temple by the Prophet Micah Sion shall be plowed as a field and Jerusalem shall be an heap and the mountain of the house shall be as the high places of the forrest Here the scattered clouds of Gods judgments which had long soared over Judah are gathered as it were into one shower ready to fall upon her as it were an Hawk stooping to her prey but that good King Hezekiah and the people by his example laid fast hold upon his mercies and averted his fierce wrath from them by hearty and unfeigned prayer They feared the Lord and prayed before him and the Lord repented him of the evil that he had pronounced against them Whiles I behold the Compleat Reformation which Hezekiah wrought and the peoples will to accord with him therein Me thinks I hear the Lord wishing from heaven as he did sometimes to their fathers in the wilderness Deut. 5. 29. Oh that there were such an heart in them to fear me and to keep all my Commandements alway that it might go well with them and with their children for ever But Hezekiah did not render according to the reward bestowed upon him For his heart was lifted up and wrath came upon him and upon Judah and Jerusalem 2 Chron. 32. v. 25. Not that it did seize upon them but that it was ready to smite For as it follows ver 26. Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself after his heart was lift up he and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and the wrath of the Lord came not upon
Master good Service in so just a quarrel would first begin to try his Valour in the Reformation of his own life in expelling all dissolute and inveterate lusts all immoderate and unruly desires out of his own heart So shall the words of his mouth and the Meditations of his heart be alwaies acceptable in the sight of the Lord his only strength and his Redeemer In whose strength and valor alone we must assault and vanquish our malicious Adversaries And unless Reformation do certainly judgement will begin at the Houses of God at those living Temples of his which have the platformes of true Religion in them but are not edified in good works Let not the Eunuch say I am a dry tree Nor let the meanest amongst us either in Learning Wit or outward Estate think that he can do nothing in this case For if we have but true faith we all know That it is not the resolute Soldiers arm nor these verest Magistrates sword nor the cunningest Politicians head nor the Potent Custom of Law that sets or keeps Kings Crownes upon their Heads but the lifting up of pure hearts and holding up clean hands to him that giveth wisdome to the Wise and strength to the Strong to him which hath the Soldiers arme the Magistrates sword the Politicians Wisdom all Power all Fulness at his disposal Wherefore Beloved in our Lord If either love to God or love to Prince if either love to that Religion which we professe or love unto those pleasant places which we inhabit or the good things belonging to them which we possesse If love to any or all of these can move our hearts as whose heart is there but is moved to some of these Oh let them move them in time unto repentance that we may enjoy these blessings the longer Let us draw neer unto our God and he will draw near to us Let us cleanse our minds and lift up pure hands and hearts unto the Lord for only such can lay fast hold upon his mercie lest our continuance in our own dayly transgressions added to the heavy weight of our predecessors sinnes pull downe Gods sudden judgements upon this Land Prince and People 13. And as for such O Lord as set their faces against heaven and against thee to work wickedness in thy sight and hold on still to fill up the full measure of their forefathers sins and cause the over-flowing vengeance of thy wrath Lord let them all perish suddenly from the earth and let their posterity vanish hence like smoke ere for their provocations wherewith they provoke thee daily the breath of our nostrils thine annointed Servant be taken in those nets which the uncircumcised daily spread for him And let us Beloved whom he loves so dearly seek to fill this Land with the good example of our lives and incense of our hearty prayers That under his shadow and the shadow of his Royal Off-spring we of this place with this Land and People may be preserved alive from all strange or domestick tyrannie Amen CHAP. XLV MATTH 23. verse 37. O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are sent to thee how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a Hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not 1. THe Summe of my last Meditations upon the former verses was That notwithstanding our Saviours Prediction or threatning of all those plagues shortly to befal Jerusalem there was even at this time A Possibilitie left for this people to have continued a flourishing Nation A Possibilitie left for their Repentance That their Repentance and Prosperity was the End whereat the Lord himself did aim in sending Prophets and Wise-men and lastly his only Son unto them The Former of the two Parts The Possibilitie of their Prosperitie and Repentance was proved from the perpetual Tenor of Gods Covenant with this people first made with Moses afterward renewed with David and Solomon and ratified by Jeremie and Ezekiel The Tenor of the Covenant as you then heard was a Covenant not of Death only but of Life and Death of Life if they continued faithful in his Covenant of Death if they continued in disobedience The later Part of the same Assertion viz. That this Peoples Repentance and Prosperitie was the end intended by God was proved from that Declaration of his desire of their everlasting Prosperitie Deut. 5. 29. Oh that there were such a heart in this people to fear me and keep my Commandments alwaies that it might go well with them and their posteritie for ever And the like place Psalm 81. v. 13. Isai 48. 18. These places manifest Gods love and desire of this peoples safety But the Abundance the Strength with the unrelenting Constancie and tenderness of his love is in no place more fully manifested then in these words of my Text. The abundant fervencie we may note in the very first words in that his mouth which never spake idle nor superfluous word doth here ingeminate the Appellation O Jerusalem Jerusalem This he spake out of the abundance of his love But Love is oft-times fervent or abundant for the present or whiles the Object of our love remains amiable yet not so constant and perpetual if the qualitie of what we loved be changed But herein appears the strength and constancie of Gods love that it was thus fervently set upon Ierusalem not only in her pure and virgin dayes or whiles she continued as chaste and loyal as when she was affianced unto the Lord by David but upon Ierusalem often drunk with the cup of Fornications upon Her long stained and polluted with the blood of his dearest Saints which she had even mingled with her Sacrifices Upon Jerusalem and her children when after he had cleansed her infected habitations with fire and carried her inhabitants beyond Babylon into the North-land as into a more fresh and pure aire Yet after their return thence and replantation in their own Land returned with the dog to his vomit and with the washed Sow to wallowing in the mire God would have gathered even as the Hen doth her chickens under her wings c. 2. In which words besides the tendernesse of Gods Love toward these Castawayes is set out unto us the safety of his Protection so they would have been gathered For as there is no creature more kind and tender then the Hen unto her young ones none that doth more carefully shroud and shelter them from the storm none that doth more closely hide them from the eye of the Destroyer so would God have hidden Jerusalem under the shadow of his wings from all those stormes which afterward overwhelmed her and from the Roman Eagle to whom this whole generation present became a prey If so Jerusalem with her children after so many hundred years experience of his fatherly love and tender care had not remained more foolish than the new hatched brood of reasonless creatures If so they had not been